Ireland: by plane, car or ferry
A completely different holiday: cliffs, green countryside and towns full of music. Cheap direct flights serve Dublin and Cork, and a rental car unlocks the cliffs and the countryside.
What does a trip to Ireland cost this year?
The calculator compares flights from several airports, driving with real ferry prices, and shows the weather for every date.
You'll see these everywhere
Pubs and the pint of Guinness
The country holds about seven thousand pubs, and Guinness has brewed at Dublin's St James's Gate since 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease. The modern ritual is splitting the G: that first sip landing the foam line right through the G on the glass.
The trad session
Musicians with fiddle, flute and bodhrán drum simply sit down at a pub table and play. There is no ticket, you pay by drinking; in Dublin skip Temple Bar for the more genuine Cobblestone in Smithfield.
Forty shades of green
The Emerald Isle stays green year round thanks to ocean climate and rain. Johnny Cash fixed the phrase in a song he wrote after visiting.
Sheep on the roads
Ireland keeps roughly as many sheep as people, about five million. In the west they graze unfenced hillsides and routinely stand in the road; a real reason to slow down on the narrow lanes.
Irish on the signs
Irish is the first official language and every signpost is bilingual, Irish in italics on top. In the western Gaeltacht areas names appear in Irish only; Dingle reads An Daingean.
Celtic crosses and monasteries
Early medieval monastic settlements like Glendalough and Clonmacnoise, with round towers and tall carved high crosses. The cross and circle combined is now the symbol of the whole country.
Hurling and the GAA
The country's biggest sporting body is strictly amateur: the players filling Dublin's 82,000 seat Croke Park draw no salary. Hurling, its roots over 3,000 years deep, ranks as the fastest field sport on earth.
Four seasons in one day
Sun, shower, wind and rainbow inside one afternoon; it rains 150 to 225 days a year. But never to extremes: summers run 15 to 20 °C and winters rarely dip below zero.
Local prices
Guide prices for a typical tourist area in high season (as of 2026-07). Accommodation and rentals are sampled automatically, the basket is a curated estimate.
When to go
Ireland's steadiest weather runs May to September, though a rain layer always belongs in the bag. Daily highs around 18 to 20 °C are ideal for cliffs, hikes and towns. The sea stays cold all year.
| Month | Daily high | Sea | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | 15 °C | 14 °C | ~11 |
| June | 18 °C | 16 °C | ~13 |
| July | 19 °C | 17 °C | ~13 |
| August | 19 °C | 17 °C | ~14 |
| September | 18 °C | 16 °C | ~12 |
Averages from the last 8 years (Open-Meteo). The calculator shows your exact week in more detail.
What to taste
The full Irish
Eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and crucially black and white pudding. 12 to 16 € at a Dublin café.
Seafood chowder with soda bread
A creamy fish and shellfish soup with dark soda bread and butter, the staple of coastal pubs in Howth and Galway. 9 to 13 €.
Irish stew
Lamb stewed with potato and carrot, the national dish; pubs often run a beef and Guinness version. 16 to 20 €.
Fish and chips
Battered cod; Dublin institution Leo Burdock has fried since 1913. 10 to 14 € at a chipper, more in a pub.
The pint of Guinness
About 6.50 to 7 € in a Dublin pub, easily over 10 € in Temple Bar. Let it settle twice and don't rush it.
Whiskey and Tayto
The Jameson distillery tour with tasting starts at 26 €. And a crisp curiosity: Tayto Cheese and Onion, the world's first flavoured crisps, invented in Dublin in 1954.
Return flights from Prague or Vienna
looking up prices…
Cheapest fares found per person (Aviasales, last ~48 h). Click a month to open the calculator with those dates.
Three trips worth taking
The Cliffs of Moher
Eight kilometres of cliffs up to 214 m above the Atlantic, the country's most visited natural sight. From Dublin it's 3.5 hours by car or a 45 to 65 € full day coach trip; online tickets from 8 € (12 € at peak times), kids free.
Howth
A fishing peninsula on Dublin's edge: a free cliff loop walk, a lighthouse, harbour seals and seafood stalls. The DART train gets there in 25 minutes, under 2 € a ride with a Leap card.
Wicklow and Glendalough
~60 min by car
The Garden of Ireland an hour south of Dublin: moorland around Sally Gap and the Glendalough monastic valley, founded in the 6th century, with its thousand year old round tower. The site is free, only parking costs 4 to 5 €; without a car an organised tour runs 30 to 45 €.
Beaches and the sea
The sea holds just 15 to 16 °C even in August, yet Ireland swims: at the rocky Forty Foot bathing spot near Dublin people have dipped continuously for some 250 years, and Joyce's Ulysses opens there. The sandy beaches deserve a stop: Portmarnock and Brittas Bay near Dublin, Inch Beach in the west and Keem Bay on Achill Island, regularly ranked among Europe's finest. The west coast is respected surf country, with wetsuits and boards for hire at Lahinch and Bundoran. Every beach is free and sunbed less; instead of lying down, you walk the cliffs.
How to get there
Cheap direct routes serve Dublin and Cork. A rental car unlocks the cliffs and countryside, just mind the left side driving and narrow rural roads. Intercity buses cover towns but not the Ring of Kerry.
Airports
- DUB · Dublin Airport (Dublin)
- ORK · Cork Airport (Cork)
Car ferries
No ferry needed when driving here.
Distance
1,465 km from Prague as the crow flies. The calculator computes the real route, tolls and fuel.
Tip
Weather is a lottery even in summer, which is exactly why flights and stays cost less than the south. Pack layers.
Good to know
- Traffic runs on the left and roundabouts go the other way. Pay extra for an automatic and consider excess insurance, the deductibles run high.
- Rain can come any time: a waterproof jacket beats an umbrella, which the wind flips anyway. Even August evenings call for a jumper.
- Ireland ranks among the EU's dearest countries and Dublin tops it; lodging is the biggest budget line. The traditional alternative is a family B&B with breakfast at 80 to 130 € a room.
- In a pub you order and pay at the bar and nobody tips; groups run on rounds, whoever's turn it is buys for all. At table service restaurants leave 10 %.
- Card or phone works even in the smallest country pub; you barely need cash.
- Dublin's M50 ring has barrier free tolling: a camera reads your plate and the 3.80 € must be paid online at eflow.ie by 8 pm next day, or penalties stack. With a rental, check whether the company handles it, usually with a markup.
- Belfast and the Giant's Causeway are the UK: pounds, and EU roaming formally ends there, so check your plan. You spot the border only by the limits switching to miles.
Frequently asked questions
When is the sea warmest?
The sea is typically warmest in August, around 17 °C. Daytime air averages 19 °C.
What is the place known for?
Local signatures include Pubs and the pint of Guinness, The trad session, Forty shades of green, Sheep on the roads, Irish on the signs, Celtic crosses and monasteries, Hurling and the GAA, Four seasons in one day.
How much are food and drinks locally?
As a guide: espresso at the bar ~4 €, main dish at a casual place ~17 €, beer (0.5 l) out ~6.5 €, scoop of ice cream ~3 €, an hour of parking ~4 €, litre of petrol ~1.75 €. High-season prices as of 2026-07.
Which airports serve it?
Nearest airports: Dublin Airport (Dublin) (DUB), Cork Airport (Cork) (ORK). The calculator compares fares to all of them at once, from Prague and Vienna alike.
Car or plane, which pays off?
Flying only. Fares stay cheap even in summer, it is the stays and the rental that cost. The calculator watches Prague and Vienna fares together, the differences show up here too.
What does a trip to Ireland cost this year?
The calculator compares flights from several airports, driving with real ferry prices, and shows the weather for every date.