Car Travel

Renting a car in Dublin is very expensive, with high rates and a 13.5% local tax. Gasoline is also expensive by U.S. standards, at around €1.40 a liter. Peak-period car-rental rates begin at around €220 a week for the smallest stick models, like a Ford Fiesta. Dublin has many car-rental companies, and it pays to shop around. A dozen car-rental companies have desks at Dublin Airport; all the main national and international firms also have branches in the city center.

Traffic in Ireland has increased exponentially in the last few years, and nowhere has the impact been felt more than in Dublin, where the city's complicated one-way streets are congested not only during the morning and evening rush hours but also often during much of the day. If possible, avoid driving a car except to get in and out of the city (and be sure to ask your hotel or guesthouse for clear directions to get you out of town).