Tips For Travel To Ireland

Posted by Nick on May 18, 2010

English and Gaelic, which is also sometimes referred to as Irish, are the two official languages of Ireland. If you venture up to Northern Ireland, English is the official language. You will hear Gaelic in Northern Ireland as well.

Road signs in Ireland are written in both English and Gaelic.

Speed limits in Ireland are low, so be sure to give yourself ample travel time to get to and from destinations. Many of the roads are narrow, curvy or both, which also adds to travel time.

There is a smoking ban in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Smoking is prohibited in all public areas in Ireland. This includes bars, restaurants and clubs. You will still encounter smoking rooms at hotels, but the public areas of hotels are all non-smoking. Smoking is also prohibited on trains, but this doesn’t mean that you won’t encounter someone smoking on the train or in the bathroom on the train.

Ireland is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During the summer, it can be light out as late as 11 pm. During the winter, it can get dark as early as 4 pm.

The minimum age for an Ireland car rental is age 21. Drivers under the age of 25 have to pay a daily car rental surcharge of €25 per day. Additionally, all drivers under 25 are liable for the first €1,200 of damage to the car. If you want to rental a luxury car, minibus or minivan in Ireland you must be at least 25 years old.