Skip Temple Bar after one look
It is the postcard and the markup. Drink in a neighborhood pub — anywhere the musician is in the corner, not on a stage with a cover charge. Dublin has dozens. Ask a local where they go on a Tuesday.
Guide de voyageDernière mise à jour August 19, 2026
Ireland Travel Guide: Essentials, Local Tips & Mobile Data
Dublin, the west and the weather: money, driving, pubs, the best months, traveler tips, and mobile data via eSIM.
Ireland is a conversation with weather. Green hills, a cliff that drops into the Atlantic, a pub where someone is actually playing, and a city — Dublin — that is warmer than its reputation once you leave Temple Bar. The west is why people come back: Galway, the Burren, Kerry, a bog road with no one on it.
Drive on the left, take the narrow roads slowly, and do not try to circle the whole island in a week. A Dublin-and-west split, or a slow Kerry loop, will beat a highlight reel of coach parks.
The pub is not a nightlife option. It is the living room. Order at the bar, do not tip like you are in New York, and stay for the third song. Rain will arrive. That is when the pub was invented.
Eat a proper breakfast, walk the coast when it clears, and let a conversation with a stranger go longer than is efficient. Efficiency is not the point here.
Essentiels
Essentiels de voyage Ireland
- Monnaie
- Euro (EUR). Cards are widely accepted, including in most pubs.
- Langues
- English; Irish (Gaeilge) on signs and in Gaeltacht areas. You will hear it. You do not need to speak it.
- Type de prise
- Type G, 230V — the same as the UK. Bring an adapter.
- Numéro d'urgence
- 112 or 999
- Meilleure période
- May to September for longer days and slightly drier odds. It can rain in any month. Pack a layer, not an umbrella strategy.
- Pourboire
- 10–12% in restaurants if service is not included. At the bar, you do not tip on every pint; you can offer one back or round up a card tab.
- Fuseau horaire
- IST in summer (UTC+1), GMT in winter — the same clock as the UK.
- Eau du robinet
- Safe to drink.
- Se déplacer
- Dublin has buses and a Luas tram; Leap or contactless works. The rest of the country wants a car, or patience with buses. Trains exist and do not cover the west well.
- Internet et couverture
- Good 4G in towns; gaps on the west coast, in mountains and along some cliff roads. Pub Wi-Fi is a national backup.
Conseils de voyageurs
Conseils de voyageurs
De vrais conseils de personnes qui sont allées en Ireland, sélectionnés par notre équipe avec des liens vers les sources d'origine.
The Cliffs of Moher are a morning, the Burren is a day
Coach tours hit the cliffs at the same hour. Go early or late, then spend the real time on the Burren, in Doolin, or on the coast road that is not a car park. The Atlantic is long. You do not have to see it from the one famous fence.
Hire a small car and assume the road is a lane
Hedges, tractors, and oncoming buses on a strip of tarmac: that is the west. A compact car, patience, and pull-ins. Driving is half the holiday if you let it be, and a stress machine if you booked an SUV.
Book popular houses and island boats
Kylemore, the Skellig boats, and the better B&Bs in summer go early. The rest of Ireland you can still wander. Have a plan for the one or two things that sell out, and let the weather write the other days.
A full Irish is a food group
Breakfast will keep you until late afternoon, which is useful when lunch is a pub that does not serve food until 12:30 and the rain has opinions. Eat it. Walk it off on a cliff.
FAQ
Questions de voyage sur Ireland, réponses
Does my phone support eSIM in Ireland?
Unlocked iPhone XS and newer, Pixel 3 and newer, and Galaxy S20 and newer all support eSIM.
How much data do I need for a week in Ireland?
Maps and a lot of 'is this the turn' : 1–2 GB a day, so 10 GB for a week. Download offline maps for the west coast either way.
Is there mobile coverage on the Wild Atlantic Way?
Towns are fine. Cliff roads, valleys and some island crossings are not. Screenshot directions and the B&B phone number before you lose the bars.
Will a UK eSIM work in the Republic of Ireland?
Only if the plan lists Ireland. Plenty of UK plans do not include the Republic. If your trip is Dublin-and-west, buy an Ireland or Europe plan, not a London leftover.
Should I buy a SIM at Dublin Airport?
You can, in a hall that already has enough queues. An eSIM means the first map to the rental desk or the Aircoach is already working.
Forfaits eSIM
Restez connecté en Ireland
Maps on a hedge-lined road, a bus time in a village, and a pub that does not list an address a robot can find: you want data. An eSIM is online at Dublin Airport before you reach the rental-car desk.
If you are also crossing to Northern Ireland, check the plan. Some UK and Ireland plans cover both; country-only ones do not always agree with the border.
