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Know before you go

Road trips, driving tips, and insider knowledge from a team that has driven every road on the island.

All Destinations & Attractions Road Trips & Itineraries Things to Do & Experiences Travel Tips & Advice

Euro banknotes and coins on a weathered wooden pub table beside a pint of dark stout

Money, Cards and Currency in Ireland

A straight guide to euros, cards, tipping and Northern Ireland pounds for first-time visitors to Ireland. Avoid the common money mistakes before you drive.

A weekend bag on a wooden bed with a waxed jacket, wool jumper, walking boots, map of Ireland and compact umbrella

Travel Tips & Advice

What to Pack for Ireland: A Season-by-Season List

A practical, season-by-season packing list for Ireland. What actually works for the weather, the walks, the pubs and the rental car, without filling a suitcase you cannot lift.

Cozy Irish restaurant interior with wooden tables, soft window light and a pint of stout

Travel Tips & Advice

Tipping in Ireland: A Straight Guide for Visitors

Tipping in Ireland is optional and low-stakes. This guide explains when to tip in restaurants, pubs, taxis and hotels, when a service charge replaces a tip, and how tipping fits into a self-drive trip.

A sunny coastal view of Inchydoney Beach in West Cork, with golden sand and Atlantic surf.

Destinations & Attractions

Clonakilty and West Cork by Car: Beaches, Music and Black Pudding

A self-drive guide to Clonakilty and West Cork, covering Inchydoney Beach, the town's cobbled lanes, black pudding, live music, day trips and the honest truth about who should base themselves here.

A panoramic coastal road winding along the West Cork coastline at sunset, with green cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean.

Road Trips & Itineraries

Cork and Southwest Ireland by Car: The Self-Drive Guide Beyond the Ring of Kerry

A self-drive guide to Cork and Southwest Ireland, covering Kinsale, Clonakilty, Mizen Head, the Beara Peninsula, Gougane Barra, Cobh and the practical driving notes you need for the route.

Winding coastal road on the Beara Peninsula in Southwest Ireland with dramatic Atlantic cliffs and green hills, no people.

Road Trips & Itineraries

Ring of Beara by Car: The Full Loop, Healy Pass and Dursey

The Ring of Beara is the quieter, wilder answer to the Ring of Kerry. Here is how to drive the full loop, what to stop for at Healy Pass, Castletownbere and Dursey Island, and where the Beara beats its famous neighbour outright.

Dursey Island cable car crossing the Atlantic channel between rugged cliffs on the Beara Peninsula

Destinations & Attractions

Dursey Island by Car: Cable Car, Loop Walk and the Atlantic End

Dursey Island is the last stop on the Beara Peninsula, reached by Ireland's only cable car. Here's how to get there, walk the loop, and what to expect at the Atlantic end.

Charles Fort star-shaped military fortress on a grassy headland overlooking Kinsale Harbour, County Cork, no people.

Destinations & Attractions

Charles Fort Kinsale by Car: Parking and the Harbour View

Charles Fort guards the entrance to Kinsale Harbour from a grassy headland. Here is how to get there by car, where to park, what the view delivers, and what to know before you climb the walls.

Gougane Barra Lake with the small stone oratory church on its island, surrounded by forested hills and soft mist

Destinations & Attractions

Gougane Barra by Car: Forest Park, Lake and the Hidden Church

Plan a self-drive visit to Gougane Barra in West Cork. Get honest advice on the approach road, parking, forest walks, the island oratory and what to skip.