When I first booked this trip, I planned to rent a car at the airport, drive around Ireland and then end our trip in Dublin for a couple of days before we flew home. In the end, I realized that it made more sense to go to Dublin first for a couple of days before renting a car and driving around the country. This way, I wouldn’t be driving while jetlagged.

When renting a car, your credit card CDW insurance may or may not cover you in Ireland. Be careful to read your benefits coverage before you drive away uncovered. I took the full insurance, even though it cost quite a bit more, as the card I was using excluded Ireland from the coverage.

I walked over to the Sixt location in Dublin at the Conrad hotel to pick up my rental car. When I went to pick up the car, as I had reserved an automatic and had Sixt Platinum status, they first gave me a BMW 5-series. While that is a lovely car, it is very wide and long for small country roads. I didn’t even get out of the parking garage before I parked it and went back in to request something a bit more compact. In the end, I took a compact Toyota SUV that still had enough room for four adults and our luggage, but that also was a bit higher so my visibility was better.

Here are some other things you should know about driving in Ireland.

• Add some extra time to the route that GPS tells you. Unless you are literally driving point to point without stopping, you’ll need to consider the possibility of stopping to enjoy some views, stopping for food or gas and potential road construction. A couple of times we ran into road construction that was not marked on Waze and it added some time to our drive.
• Drive the speed limit. There are speed cameras both on motorways and local roads. While they are usually signposted, I wouldn’t count on it everywhere. Besides, it makes sense to take it slow when driving on unfamiliar roads on an unfamiliar side of the road (and an unfamiliar car).
• Look out for sheep! There were a few times that sheep got past the farm fences and were in the road. This is another reason to get the full insurance on your rental car.
• When in doubt, follow the signs. We were driving to the Killimer car ferry dock and passed a turnoff that showed the route to the ferry because Waze was taking us a different way. In the end, we reached a point where a hand-written sign said “Do not enter. Your sat-nav is wrong.” (Sat-nav is what they call a GPS over there). We ended up finding our way, but would have been better off following the signs.
• Don’t forget to pay for parking. Most parking lots are not expensive, but they are usually pay and display. When you park, pay at the machine and put the ticket on your dashboard before you leave the vehicle.
• Use the correct gas. There are both diesel and unleaded rental cars. Make sure you know what type of gas to put in your rental car before you start pumping.
• Take advantage of Dublin city rental car pick-up locations. Don’t schlep all the way back to Dublin Airport to get your rental car. Most of the major chains have city locations that you can use for pick-up and save yourself some time and hassle.
• Drive left, pass right. On motorways and other multi-lane roads, only go into the far right lane if you are passing. Otherwise stay left.
• Motorway tolls take credit cards (with one exception). It was nice and easy to tap a credit card and be on our way at all of the motorway tolls except the one on the M50 (the Dublin perimeter motorway). Thankfully, Sixt had taken a deposit and they just removed the toll (3.5 Euros) from my deposit with no extra charge before refunding the rest. Ask your rental car company about how to pay this toll if you plan to drive to/from the airport via the M50.
• Don’t drive in Dublin. This is generally good advice for most cities in Europe. Don’t bother trying to drive places in Dublin as the traffic can be heavy and most places should be walkable if you are staying in the city center. Taxis are readily available everywhere as well.

Up Next: Review of the 51st and Green Lounge Dublin Airport

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