Home > Rick Steves' Guidebooks > Guidebook Updates

Rick Steves' Ireland

Updates since the 2009 edition:

The Dublin–Belfast train line is closed due to viaduct repairs. Replacement buses will operate through late fall; the rail line is expected to be running again by the end of November.

Republic of Ireland

General

Officials have shelved plans to institute formal passport controls when linking Ireland to mainland Britain by plane or ferry.

Many US travel agents sell vouchers that allow you to pay in advance for your lodging in Ireland, with the assurance that you'll stay in B&Bs and guesthouses that live up to certain standards.

Avoid these lodging vouchers: They limit your choices to places that have paid to be part of the voucher program, and introduce an unneccessary middleman. Some of my favorite B&Bs don't participate in the voucher program, which would slice their already thin profit margin even further. (Also, many Irish B&B owners lament the long wait between the date a traveler stays with them and the date the voucher company reimburses them). In short, skip the vouchers.

Dublin

The 10 percent discount at Albany House is valid only when you book direct by phone or email (84 Harcourt Street, tel. 01/475-1092, fax 01/475-1093, www.albanyhousedublin.com, albany@indigo.ie).

Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel
Cashel

The correct e-mail address for Joy's Rockside House B&B is joyrocksidehouse@eircom.net.

Waterford

The Waterford Crystal factory sadly closed in January 2009. Although the crystal is likely to continue to be made by cheaper labor outside Ireland, there is no longer a working factory here to tour. You can however visit the glittering salesroom, surrounded by hard-to-pack but easy-to-ship temptations (www.waterfordvisitorcentre.com).