Getting Around Ireland: Transport Guide

Although the Republic of Ireland doesn’t have as good a transport network as Northern Ireland does, it’s passable, especially if you’re travelling between major towns and cities. The country’s really too small for air travel, but large cities- including Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Shannon, Kerry and Galway- are linked by planes; all flights take around half an hour.

Irish Rail has a good network, with Dublin as its hub; and although trains are rather expensive, passes make train travel affordable. Much cheaper, on the whole, are the state-run buses of Bus Éireann, or private buses, which have a comprehensive network connecting far-flung parts of the country. Passes are available and make a lot of sense if you will be travelling a lot. In fact, Travel Passes, which cover train and bus travel work out the most cost-effective. They are available at the Tourist Board’s offices. You can travel between the Republic and Northern Ireland by road, rail and air. Belfast is the major air link in Northern Ireland

The most convenient way of getting around Ireland, however, is by car- you can hire one in any of the cities and armed with a map, drive around. You’ll be able to get to lots of interesting places which buses and trains don’t even touch..