Traveling to Ireland is a dream for many, but getting there affordably can be difficult to figure out.
At Ireland On a Budget, I take planning your trip to Ireland seriously and because of that, you'll find lots of travel tips throughout this website, as well as information on some of the best-value destinations in all of Ireland.
You’ll also discover cost-saving ways that will help when planning your budget trip to Ireland, such as ways to save money on car hire, accommodation, and more.
The first thing you should do is to find out all the ways you can get to Ireland, whether you're traveling from the U.S., Canada, Europe, or elsewhere.
You'll need to have a valid passport and have the contact information for embassies and such handy in case of an emergency.
And, you should also consider purchasing travel insurance in the event that something unforeseen happens while you are on vacation.
Once you get there, you'll need to know how to get from the airport, and then once you're settled, how to get from one place to another. That's especially important if you decide not to rent a car and take Ireland's transportation system instead.
Ireland at a Glance
Ireland is a small island that lies in the North Atlantic. It is about 27,000 square miles with a population in 2022 of 5.1 million.
The island itself also includes Northern Ireland, otherwise known as The Six Counties, which is technically part of the United Kingdom.
The official language of Ireland is Gaelic (commonly referred to as “Irish” in Ireland), but English is the language that is widely spoken. You will, however, see road signs and other signage in both Irish and English throughout the country.
Ireland is a member of the European Union (EU) and has been since the early 1970s. As a result, its currency is the Euro.
The capital of Ireland is Dublin, which is where a good portion of the country's population resides.
In recent years, Dublin has been growing at a rapid rate due to the fact that a majority of the jobs in Ireland tend to be in the capital. Other large cities in Ireland include Cork, Limerick, Waterford, and Galway, which are all popular tourist attractions.
The infrastructure in Ireland has improved immensely over the last 10 to 15 years, with major motorways across much of the country. Driving in Ireland can be scary for some given that driving is done on the left instead of the right, as it is in mainland Europe, the U.S, Canada, and other countries.
If you don't want to drive, you can advantage of Ireland's public transportation system, which includes a rail and bus network.
Either way, you'll still see Ireland's fabulous scenery, which includes sweeping mountain ranges, beautiful lakes and waterways, as well as dramatic coastlines.