Dublin Airport (DUB) (PHONE: 01/814-1111, www.aer-rianta.ie), 10 km (6 mi) north of the city center, serves international and domestic airlines.

Flying time to Ireland is 6½ hours from New York, 7½ hours from Chicago, 10 hours from Los Angeles, 1 hour from London, and 27 hours from Sydney.

Carriers

Three airlines have regularly scheduled flights from the United States to Ireland. Aer Lingus flies direct from New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago to Dublin and Shannon. Continental flies from New York (Newark Airport) to Dublin and Shannon. Delta flies from Atlanta to Dublin via New York. Indirect flights from the United States and Canada fly via London and then switch to Aer Lingus or British Midlands for the final leg to Dublin.

From the United Kingdom, six airlines now serve destinations in Ireland: Aer Lingus, Ryanair, City Jet, Go, British Airways, and British Midland Airways. Aer Lingus operates 12 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. British Airways has a regular schedule out of Heathrow. British Midland operates 10 flights to Dublin from Heathrow. Ryanair operates several no-frills, low-price flights from Luton and Stanstead airports. City Jet flies from the very central London City Airport. Go flies from Edinburgh. Ryanair's flights are known as the cheapest, but passengers pay for the saving in reduced comfort and services.

There are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand.

In general, flying into Ireland tends to be a relatively hassle-free experience, although an increase in traffic in the last decade has caused a slight increase in flight delays and waiting for baggage to clear customs.

Major Airlines

Aer Lingus (PHONE: 800/474-7424 in the U.S. and Canada; 0845/973-7747; 020/8899-4747 in the U.K.; 02/9244-2123 in Australia; 09/308-3351 in New Zealand, www.aerlingus.com). British Airways (PHONE: 0845/773-3377 in the U.K., www.britishairways.com). British Midlands (PHONE: 0870/607-0555 in the U.K., www.britishmidland.co.uk). Continental (PHONE: 800/231-0856 in the U.S., www.continental.com). Delta (PHONE: 800/241-4141 in the U.S. and Canada, www.delta.com). Ryanair (PHONE: 08701/569-569 in the U.K., www.ryanair.com).

Transfers Between the Airport and Town

By Bus

Dublin Bus (PHONE: 01/873-4222) operates the Airlink shuttle service between Dublin Airport and the city center, with departures outside the arrivals gateway; pay the driver inside the coach. The single fare is EUR5. Service runs from 5:45 AM to 11:30 PM, at intervals of about 20 minutes (after 8 PM buses run every hour). Journey time from the airport to the city center is normally 30 minutes, but it may be longer in heavy traffic. If you have time take a regular bus for EUR1.30.

Both Airlink routes 747 and 748 run between the airport and Dublin's main bus station, Busaras, on the north side of the river, behind the Custom House. For more information in the city, contact Busaras (PHONE: 01/830-2222).

By Car

Take the M1/N1 Belfast Road for 10 km (6 mi) heading south.

By Taxi or Shuttle

A taxi is a quicker alternative than the bus to get from the airport to Dublin center. A line of taxis waits by the arrivals gateway; the fare for the 30-minute journey to any of the main city-center hotels is about EUR15.25 to EUR17.80 plus tip (tips don't have to be large but they are increasingly expected). Ask about the fare before leaving the airport.

Irish Ferries (Merrion Row, South of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/661-0511) has a regular car and passenger service directly into Dublin port from Holyhead in Wales.

Stena Sealink (Ferryport, South County Dublin Dun Laoghaire, PHONE: 01/204-7777) sails from Holyhead, Wales, to Dublin port (3½-hour service) and Dun Laoghaire (High Speed Service, known as "HSS," which takes 99 minutes). Prices and departure times vary according to season, so call to confirm. In summer, reservations are strongly recommended.

Dozens of taxis wait to take you into town from both ports, or you can take DART, the city's electric railway system, or a bus to the city center.

Busaras (PHONE: 01/830-2222), Dublin's main bus station, is just behind the Custom House on the north side of the Liffey.

Bus information is available from:

Bus Éireann (PHONE: 01/836-6111 in the Republic of Ireland, www.buseireann.ie).

National Express (PHONE: 08705/808-080 in the U.K., www.nationalexpress.co.uk).

Slattery's (PHONE: 020/7482-1604 in the U.K.).

Dublin has two main train stations:

Connolly Station (Amiens St., North of the Liffey) provides train services to and from the east coast of Ireland, Belfast, the north, and northwest.

Heuston Station (end of Victoria Quay, Dublin West) is the place for trains to and from the south and west or Ireland.

A third station, Pearse Station (Westland Row, South of the Liffey), is for Bray and connections via Dun Laoghaire to the Liverpool-Holyhead ferries.

Contact the Irish Rail Travel Centre (35 Lower Abbey St., North of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/836-6222) for information.

Dublin is gradually becoming a 24-hour city, even though the bus and DART train services close down for the night at 11:30. (A few lines run until dawn on the weekends, and late buses go until 3 AM.) Many taxis run all night, but the demand, especially on weekends, can make for long lines at taxi stands. Many clubs on the Leeson Street strip and elsewhere stay open until 4 AM or later.

Banks & Stores

Banks are open weekdays 10-4 and remain open on Thursday until 5. All stay open at lunchtime. Most branches have ATMs that accept bank cards and MasterCard and Visa credit cards.

Stores are open Monday-Saturday 9-5:30 or 9-6, except on Thursday when they're open until 8. Smaller city-center specialty stores open on Sunday as well, usually 10-6. Most department stores are closed on Sunday.

Museums & Sights

Museums are normally open Tuesday-Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Most pubs open Monday-Saturday at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM on Sunday. They must stop serving at 11:30 PM Monday-Wednesday, 12:30 AM Thursday-Saturday, and 11 PM on Sunday, but take another hour to empty out. A number of bars in the center of the city have permission to serve until 2 AM on weekend nights.

Arriving in Ireland

Clearing customs at major gateway airports is a fairly quick and easy procedure. Duty-free allowances have been abolished for those traveling between countries in the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain [but not the Canary Islands], Sweden, the United Kingdom, but not the Channel Islands or Gibraltar).

For goods purchased outside the EU, you may import duty-free: (1) 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of smoking tobacco; (2) 2 liters of wine, and either 1 liter of alcoholic drink over 22% volume or 2 liters of alcoholic drink under 22% volume (sparkling or fortified wine included); (3) 50 grams (60 mls) of perfume and ¼ liter of toilet water; and (4) other goods (including beer) to a value of EUR180.30 per person (EUR92.70 per person for travelers under 15 years of age).

Goods that cannot be freely imported to the Irish Republic include firearms, ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs, indecent or obscene books and pictures, oral smokeless tobacco products, meat and meat products, poultry and poultry products, plants and plant products (including shrubs, vegetables, fruit, bulbs, and seeds), and hay or straw even used as packing. Domestic cats and dogs from outside the United Kingdom and live animals from outside Northern Ireland must be quarantined for six months.

Additional information is available from Customs and Excise (Irish Life Building, 2nd floor, Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1, PHONE: 01/878-8811, www.revenue.ie).

The electrical current in Ireland is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take plugs with three prongs.

Embassies are open weekdays 9-1 and 2-5.

Australia (Fitzwilton House, Wilton Terr., South of the Liffey, Dublin 2, PHONE: 01/676-1517).

Canada (65 St. Stephen's Green, South of the Liffey, Dublin 2, PHONE: 01/478-1988).

New Zealand (New Zealand House, The Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ, PHONE: 44/207930-8422 /).

United Kingdom (29 Merrion Rd., South of the Liffey, Dublin 4, PHONE: 01/205-3700).

United States (42 Elgin Rd., South of the Liffey, Dublin 4, PHONE: 01/668-8777).

Ambulance, fire, police (PHONE: 999).

Hospital Emergency Rooms

Beaumont (Beaumont Rd., North County Dublin, PHONE: 01/837-7755).

Mater (Eccles St., North of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/830-1122).

St. James's (1 James St., Dublin West, PHONE: 01/453-7941).

St. Vincent's (Elm Park, South County Dublin, PHONE: 01/269-4533).

Doctors and Dentists

The Dublin Dental Hospital (20 Lincoln Pl., South of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/662-0766) has emergency facilities and lists of dentists who offer emergency care.

Call Dublin's Eastern Help Board (PHONE: 01/679-0700) for the names of doctors.

Late-Night Pharmacies

Hamilton Long (5 Upper O'Connell St., North of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/874-8456), a Dublin pharmacy, is open Monday-Wednesday and Saturday 8:30-6, Thursday 8:30-8, and Friday 8:30-7.

Temple Bar Pharmacy (20 E. Essex St., Temple Bar, PHONE: 01/670-9751) is open Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday 9-7, Thursday 9-8.

The Irish are a casual, comfortable lot who aren't too particular about points of etiquette. Handshakes are more common than hugs, although public displays of affection -- in moderation -- are often seen. Two things to note, though, are the great respect of the younger Irish for their elders and the great respect of all churchgoers for the sermon (hence, no talking during the service).

Bus Tours

Dublin Bus (PHONE: 01/873-4222) operates a continuous, guided Dublin City Tour that lasts about an hour and 15 minutes if you stay on for the duration, but the ticket allows you to hop on and off at any of 16 stops all day long. Tickets (EUR12.50) are available from the driver or Dublin Bus. The bus departs from O'Connell Bridge every 10 minutes from 9:30 to 5, and every 30 minutes from 5 to 8:30. The company also conducts a 3-hour north-city Coast and Castle Tour that visits Malahide Castle, a South Coast Tour, and others.

Gray Line Tours (PHONE: 01/670-8822) runs city-center tours that cover the same sights as the Dublin Bus itineraries, in addition to half- and full-day itineraries out of town.

Bus Éireann (PHONE: 01/836-6111)organizes day tours out of Busaras, the main bus station, to destinations such as Powerscourt, Glendalough, Wicklow, and the Wicklow Mountains, Kilkenny City, Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, and others.

Train and Carriage Tours

Guided tours of Dublin using the DART system are organized by Views Unlimited (8 Prince of Wales Terr., South County Dublin Bray, PHONE: 01/286-0164 or 01/285-6121).

Horse-drawn carriage tours are available around Dublin and in Phoenix Park. For tours of the park, contact the Department of the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (PHONE: 01/661-3111). Carriages can be hired at the Grafton Street corner of St. Stephen's Green, without prior reservations.

Pub and Musical Tours

At Dublin Tourism Centre (Suffolk St., off Grafton St., City Center, PHONE: 01/605-7700; 1850/230330 [within Ireland], FAX: 01/605-7787, www.visitdublin.com), Dublin Tourism's main information and reservations office, you can pick up a booklet to its self-guided "Rock 'n Stroll" Trail, which covers 16 sites with associations to such performers as Bob Geldof, Christy Moore, Sinéad O'Connor, and U2. Most of the sites are in the city center and Temple Bar.

The Traditional Irish Musical Pub Crawl (Discover Dublin, 20 Lower Stephens St., City Center, PHONE: 01/478-0191) is led by two professional musicians who perform songs and tell the story of Irish music. The tour is given May-October, daily at 7:30 PM; the cost is EUR10. The tour begins at Oliver St. John Gogarty's (Fleet St., Temple Bar) and then moves on to other famous Temple Bar pubs.

The Music and Comedy Coach (PHONE: 01/280-1899) is a nightly hop-on, hop-off tour of Dublin pubs, clubs, and restaurants. There is nonstop entertainment on the bus -- musicians and comics keep everyone happy between pints. A ticket costs around EUR15.

Colm Quilligan (PHONE: 01/454-0228) arranges highly enjoyable evening walks of the literary pubs of Dublin, where "brain cells are replaced as quickly as they are drowned."

The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, a 122-page guide to the Dublin pubs with the greatest literary associations, is widely available in Dublin bookstores.

Walking Tours

At the same time historical and hilarious, the Honest Dublin Walking Tour (PHONE: 01/672-9971), conducted by two well-known Dublin actors who adopt a variety of characters, is an inventive two-hour walking tour of Dublin's major sites. Tours run from June to September, Monday to Friday at 11 AM and weekends at 11 AM and 3 PM. Meet at the front gates of Dublin Castle. The cost is EUR10 and it's worth every cent.

Historical Walking Tours of Dublin (PHONE: 01/878-0227), run by Trinity College history graduate students, are excellent 2-hour tour introductions to Dublin. The Bord Fáilte-approved tours cost EUR10 and depart from the front gate of Trinity College from May through September daily at 11 AM and 3 PM, with special theme tours at noon, and from October through April on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at noon.

A Georgian/Literary Walking Tour (PHONE: 01/496-0641) leaves from Bewley's Oriental Café June-September daily at 11; each tour lasts approximately two hours and costs EUR9.

Trinity Tours (PHONE: 01/608-2320) organizes walks of the Trinity College campus on weekends from March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) through mid-May and daily from mid-May to September; the half-hour tour costs EUR7.60 and includes admission to the Book of Kells; tours start at the college's main gate.

If you choose the Zozimus Experience (PHONE: 01/661-8646), you'll get an enjoyable walking tour of Dublin's medieval past, with a particular focus on the seedy, including great escapes, murders, and mythical happenings. Led by a guide in costume, tours are by arrangement only and run from the main gate of Dublin Castle from 6:45 PM; cost is EUR9 per person. (Prepare yourself for a surprise.)

Ireland is a very safe country for travel, with virtually no risk of health problems from food, drink, or insects. The weather, however, is another story; be sure to dress for the cold and rain or you may find yourself plagued by a constant cough and sniffles.

Irish (also known as Gaelic) -- a Celtic language related to Scots Gaelic, Breton, and Welsh -- is the official national language. Though English is technically the second language of the country, it is, in fact, the everyday tongue of 95% of the population. Nowadays all Irish speakers are fluent in English.

Irish-speaking communities are found mainly in sparsely populated rural areas along the western seaboard, on some but not all islands, and in pockets in West Cork and County Waterford. Irish-speaking areas are known as Gaeltacht (pronounced gale-taukt). Although most road signs in Ireland are given in both English and Irish, within the Gaeltacht signs are often in Irish only. A good touring map will give both Irish and English names to places within the Gaeltacht.

You really need only know two Irish words: fir (men) and mná (women) -- useful vocabulary for a trip to a public toilet.

Post offices are open weekdays 9-1 and 2-5:30, Saturday 9-12:30. Main post offices are open Saturday afternoons, too (look for green signs that say "An Post"). The General Post Office (GPO) on O'Connell Street, which has foreign exchange and general delivery facilities, is open Monday-Saturday 8-8, Sunday 10:30-6:30.

Postal Rates

Airmail rates to the United States and Canada from the Irish Republic are EUR.60 for letters and postcards. Mail to all European countries goes by air automatically, so airmail stickers or envelopes are not required. Rates are EUR.40 for letters and postcards.

Letters take a week to 10 days to reach the United States and Canada, 3 to 5 days to reach the United Kingdom.

Receiving Mail

Mail can be held for collection at any post office free of charge for up to three months. It should be addressed to the recipient "c/o Poste Restante." In Dublin, use the General Post Office (O'Connell St., Dublin 1, PHONE: 01/705-8833).

ATMs

ATMs are found in all major towns. Most major banks are connected to CIRRUS or PLUS systems; there is a four-digit maximum for your PIN.

Currency

The former local currency, the pound or punt, pronounced poont, ceased to be legal tender in mid-February, 2002. All transactions are now made in euros.

Euro notes come in denominations of EUR500, EUR200, EUR100, EUR50, EUR20, EUR10 and EUR5. The euro is divided into 100 cents, and coins are available as EUR2 and EUR1 and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 cents. The euro can be used in 11 other European Union countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

Exchanging Money

Dollars and British pounds are accepted only in large hotels and shops geared to tourists. Elsewhere you will be expected to use the euro.

Taxes

When leaving the Irish Republic, U.S. and Canadian visitors are entitled to a refund of the value-added tax (VAT), which currently accounts for a hefty 20% of the purchase price of many goods and 12.5% of those that fall outside the luxury category. Apart from clothing, most items of interest to visitors, right down to ordinary toilet soap, are rated at 20%.

Most crafts outlets and department stores operate a system called Cashback, which enables U.S. and Canadian visitors to collect VAT rebates in the currency of their choice at Dublin Airport when they leave the country. Otherwise, refunds can be claimed from individual stores after you return home. You must pick up a refund form from the store whenever you make a purchase, and the form must be stamped by customs before you leave Ireland. Most major stores deduct VAT at the time of sale if goods are to be shipped overseas; however, there is a shipping charge. The VAT paid on accommodations, car rentals, meals, and other services received on vacation is not refundable.

Tipping

In some hotels and restaurants a service charge of around 10% -- rising to 15% in a few plush spots -- is added to the bill. If in doubt, ask whether service is included. In places where it is included, tipping is not necessary unless you have received particularly good service. But if there is no service charge, add a minimum of 10% to the total.

Tip taxi drivers about 10% of the fare displayed by the meter. Hackney cabs, who make the trip for a prearranged sum, do not expect tips. There are few porters and plenty of baggage trolleys at airports, so tipping is usually not an issue; if you use a porter, EUR.65 is the minimum. Tip hotel porters about EUR.65 per large suitcase. Hairdressers normally expect about EUR1.30. You don't tip in pubs, but for waiter service in a bar, a hotel lounge, or a Dublin lounge bar, leave about EUR.65. It is not customary to tip for concierge service.

When traveling internationally, carry your passport even if you don't need one (it's always the best form of I.D.) and make two photocopies of the data page (one for someone at home and another for you, carried separately from your passport). If you lose your passport, promptly call the nearest embassy or consulate and the local police.

Entering Ireland

All U.S., Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand citizens, even infants, need a valid passport to enter Ireland for stays of up to 90 days. Citizens of the United Kingdom, when traveling on flights departing from Great Britain, do not need a passport to enter Ireland.

Passport Offices

The best time to apply for a passport, or to renew your old one, is in fall or winter. Before any trip, check your passport's expiration date, and, if necessary, renew it as soon as possible.

Australian Citizens

Australian Passport Office (PHONE: 131-232; www.passports.gov.au).

Canadian Citizens

Passport Office (Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G3, PHONE: 819/994-3500 or 800/567-6868; www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/passport).

New Zealand Citizens

New Zealand Passport Office (PHONE: 04/474-8100 or 0800/22-5050, www.passports.govt.nz).

U.K. Citizens

London Passport Office (PHONE: 0870/521-0410; www.passport.gov.uk).

U.S. Citizens

National Passport Information Center (PHONE: 900/225-5674; calls are 35¢ per minute for automated service, $1.05 per minute for operator service; travel.state.gov/passport_services.html).

What crime there is in Dublin is often drug-related. Sidestreets off O'Connell Street can be dangerous, especially at night. When you park your car, do not leave any valuables inside, even under a raincoat on the backseat or in the trunk; be especially careful parking around the Guinness Brewery and the Old Jameson Distillery. The theft of car radios, mobile phones, cameras, video recorders, and other items of value from cars is common in Dublin.

Ireland's telephone system is up to the standards of the United Kingdom and the United States. Direct-dialing is common; local phone numbers have five to eight digits. You can make international calls from most phones.

Do not make calls from your hotel room unless it's absolutely necessary. Practically all hotels add 200% to 300% to the cost of a call.

The country code for Ireland is 353. When dialing an Irish number from abroad, drop the initial 0 from the local area code.

Directory & Operator Information

If the operator has to connect your call, it will cost at least one-third more than direct dial.

Dial 11811 for directory inquiries in the Republic and Northern Ireland; 11818 for U.K. and international numbers; 114 for operator assistance with international calls; 10 for operator assistance for calls in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the U.K.

International Calls

The country code for the United States and Canada is 1; for Australia, 61; for New Zealand, 64; and for the United Kingdom, 44.

International dialing codes can be found in all telephone directories. The international prefix from Ireland is 00. For calls to Great Britain, dial 0044 before the exchange code, and drop the initial zero of the local code. For the United States and Canada dial 001, for Australia 0061, and for New Zealand 0064.

Long-Distance Calls

To make a long-distance call, dial the area code, then the number.

Access Codes

AT&T Direct (PHONE: 1800/550000 from the Republic of Ireland).

MCI WorldPhone (PHONE: 1800/551001 from the Republic of Ireland).

Sprint International Access (PHONE: 1800/552001 from the Republic of Ireland).

Public Phones

Public pay phones can be found in street booths and in restaurants, hotels, bars, and shops, some of which display a sign saying "You Can Phone from Here." There are currently at least three different models of pay phones in operation; read the instructions or ask for assistance.

To make a local call, dial the number direct. Public phones take either coins (EUR.25 for a call) or cards, but not both. At coin phones, pick up the receiver and deposit the money before you dial the number. At card phones, pick up the receiver, wait until the display tells you to insert the card, then dial. In the Republic, EUR.25 will buy you a three-minute local call; around EUR1 is needed for a three-minute long-distance call within the Republic.

"Callcards" are sold in all post offices and at most newsagents. These come in denominations of 10, 20, and 50 units and range in price from about EUR2.55 for 10 calls to EUR20.30 for 100 calls. Card phones are now more popular than coin phones.

Tourist Offices

In Dublin

Dublin Tourism (Suffolk St., off Grafton St., City Center, PHONE: 01/605-7700; 1850/230330 [within Ireland], FAX: 01/605-7787, www.visitdublin.com), a state-sponsored membership organization made up of tourism-related businesses in the Dublin region, operates six information and reservations centers. The main one, Dublin Tourism Centre, on Suffolk Street, is open July-August, Monday-Saturday 9-7, Sunday 10:30-3, and September-June, Monday-Saturday 9-5:30. Also in the city center, a location at 14 Upper O'Connell Street is open all year Monday-Saturday 9-5 and one at Baggot Street Bridge Monday-Friday from 9:30-noon and 12:30-5.

Other Dublin Tourism locations: Dublin Airport, open daily 8 AM-10 PM; Ferryport, Dun Laoghaire, open Monday-Saturday 10-1 and 2-6; The Square Shopping Centre, Tallaght, Monday-Saturday 9:30-noon and 12:30-5.

At Home

For information on travel in Ireland, North and South, contact the Tourist Ireland, the overseas representative of both the Irish Republic's tourist board, Bord Fáilte (pronounced board fal-cha), and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board; its Web site is www.irelandvacations.com.

In the United Kingdom: (Ireland House, 150 New Bond St., London W1Y 0AQ, PHONE: 020/7493-3201, FAX: 020/7493-9065),

In the United States (345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154, PHONE: 212/418-0800 or 800/223-6470, FAX: 212/371-9052).

Summer remains the most popular time to visit Ireland, and for good reason. The weather is pleasant, the days are long (daylight lasts until after 10 in late June and July), and the countryside is green and beautiful. But there will be crowds in popular holiday spots, and prices for accommodations are at their peak. As British and Irish school vacations overlap from late-June to mid-September, families, backpacking students, and other vacationers descend on popular coastal resorts in the South, West, and East. Unless you are determined to enjoy the short (July and August) swimming season, you would be well advised to take your vacation in Ireland outside peak travel months.

Fall and spring are good times to travel (late September can often be dry and warm, although the weather is unpredictable). Seasonal hotels, restaurants, and accommodations usually close from early or mid-November until mid-March or Easter. During this off-season, prices are considerably lower than in summer, but your selection of hotels and restaurants is limited, and many minor attractions also close. St. Patrick's Week in March gives a focal point to a spring visit, but some American visitors may find the saint's-day celebrations a little less enthusiastic than the ones back home. Dublin, however, welcomes American visitors on March 17 with a weekend-long series of activities, including a parade and the Lord Mayor's Ball. If you're planning an Easter visit, don't forget that most theaters close from Thursday to Sunday of Holy Week (the week preceding Easter), and all bars and restaurants, except those serving hotel residents, close on Good Friday.

If you want to feel like the only tourist in town, try a winter visit. Many hotels arrange special Christmas packages with entertainment and outdoor activities; horse races and hunting trips abound. Mid-November to mid-February is either too cold or too wet for all but the keenest golfers, but some of the coastal links courses are playable in almost any weather. There are cheerful open fires in almost all hotels and bars, and, with extra time on their hands, people tend to take an added interest in visitors.

Weather Chart

The following are the normal daily temperature ranges for Dublin:

January 34-47°F (1-8°C); February 36-47°F (2-8°C); March 38-50°F (3-10°C); April 40-56°F (4-13°C); May 43-59°F (6-15°C); June 49-65°F (9-18°C); July 52-68°F (11-20°C); August 52-67°F (11-20°C); September 49-63°F (9-17°C); October 43-58°F (6-14°C); November 40-50°F (4-10°C); December 38-47°F (3-8°C).

Holidays

Irish national holidays are as follows: New Year's Day; St. Patrick's Day (March 17); Good Friday; Easter Monday; May Day; the first Mondays in June and August (summer bank holidays); the last Monday in October (autumn bank holiday); and December 25-26 (Christmas and St. Stephen's Day). If you plan to visit at Easter, remember that theaters and cinemas are closed for the last three days of the preceding week.

Traveling around Dublin by public transportation is comparatively easy, although a car is useful for getting to the outlying suburbs. If you're just planning to visit city-center Dublin, do it without a car.

Dublin has an extensive network of buses, most of which are green double-deckers. Some bus services, including the smaller "Imp" buses, run on cross-city routes, but most buses start in the city center. Buses to the north of the city begin in the Lower Abbey Street-Parnell Street area, while those to the west begin in Middle Abbey Street and in the Aston Quay area. Routes to the southern suburbs begin at Eden Quay and in the College Street area. A number of services are links to DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) stations, and another regular bus route connects the two main provincial railway stations, Connolly and Heuston. If the destination board indicates "An lár", that means that the bus is going to the city center. On all major routes, late-night buses run to 3 AM Monday to Saturday; the fare is EUR3.80.

Museumlink is a shuttle service that links up the Natural History Museum, National Museum, and Collins Barracks. You can catch it outside any of the three museums.

Timetables (EUR3.20) are available from Dublin Bus (59 Upper O'Connell St., North of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/873-4222), staffed weekdays 9-5:30, Saturday 9-1.

Fares begin at 80p and are paid to the driver, who will accept inexact fares, but you'll have to go to the central office in Dublin to pick up your change as marked on your ticket. Change transactions and the city's heavy traffic can slow service down considerably.

Traffic in Ireland has increased exponentially in the last few years, and nowhere has the impact been felt more than in Dublin, where the complicated one-way streets are congested not only during the morning and evening rush hours but often for 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 guest house for clear directions to get you out of town).

Car Rentals

Renting a car in Dublin is very expensive, with high rates and a 12½% local tax. Gasoline is also expensive by U.S. standards. Rates in Dublin for an economy car with a manual transmission and unlimited mileage, including tax, begin at EUR34.30 a day, EUR177.75 a week (January-April and November-December 15); EUR44.45 a day, EUR222.20 a week (May-June and September-October); and EUR57.15 a day, EUR304.75 a week (July-August and December 16-31) a week for the smallest stick models, like a Ford Fiesta. Dublin has many car-rental companies, and it pays to shop around and to avoid "cowboy" outfits without proper licenses.

Both manual and automatic transmissions are readily available, though automatics will cost a bit extra. Typical economy car models include the familiar Toyota Corolla, Ford Mondeo, and Nissan Micra. Luxury cars such as Mercedes or Alfa Romeos are available for about EUR190.45 a day, and four-wheel-drive vehicles such as a Jeep Cherokee can be rented for a price of EUR120.65 a day. Minivans are also available for about EUR127 a day.

Local Agencies

Avis (1 Hanover St. E, South of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/677-5204; Dublin Airport, North County Dublin, PHONE: 01/844-5204).

Budget (151 Lower Drumcondra Rd., North County Dublin, PHONE: 01/837-9802; Dublin Airport, North County Dublin, PHONE: 01/844-5919).

Dan Dooley (42-43 Westland Row, South of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/677-2723; Dublin Airport, PHONE: 01/844-5156).

Hertz (Leeson St. Bridge, South of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/660-2255; Dublin Airport, North County Dublin, PHONE: 01/844-5466).

Murray's Rent-a-Car (Baggot St. Bridge, South of the Liffey, PHONE: 01/668-1777; Dublin Airport, North County Dublin, PHONE: 01/844-4179).

At Home

Alamo (PHONE: 800/522-9696; www.alamo.com).

Avis (PHONE: 800/331-1084; 800/879-2847 in Canada; 0870/606-0100 in the U.K.; 02/9353-9000 in Australia; 09/526-2847 in New Zealand; www.avis.com).

Budget (PHONE: 800/527-0700; 0870/156-5656 in the U.K.; www.budget.com).

Hertz (PHONE: 800/654-3001; 800/263-0600 in Canada; 020/8897-2072 in the U.K.; 02/9669-2444 in Australia; 09/256-8690 in New Zealand; www.hertz.com).

National Car Rental (PHONE: 800/227-7368; 020/8680-4800 in the U.K.; www.nationalcar.com).

Requirements

In Ireland your own driver's license is acceptable. An International Driver's Permit is a good idea; it's available from the American or Canadian Automobile Association and, in the United Kingdom, from the Automobile Association or Royal Automobile Club. These international permits are universally recognized, and having one in your wallet may save you a problem with the local authorities.

Most rental companies require you to be over 23 to rent a car in Ireland (a few will rent to those over 21) and to have had a license for more than a year. Some companies also refuse to rent to visitors over 70.

Children under 12 years of age are not allowed to ride in the front seat unless in a properly fitted child seat.

Road Conditions

Most Irish roads are paved and make for easy travel. They are classified as M, N, or R. M are the new double-lane divided highways with paved shoulders; N, or national, routes are generally undivided highways with shoulders. R, or regional, roads tend to be very narrow and twisty, and if you are not accustomed to driving on the left-hand side, try to avoid them.

Watch for traffic at rush hour in Dublin, which lasts from about 7 AM until 9:30 AM and 5 PM to 7 PM; special events such as football or soccer games will tie up traffic around the city.

There are plenty of pedestrians in Dublin, and jaywalking is common, so be careful -- particularly at intersections. In the winter, fog and black ice can be a problem. Fog lights on cars are handy for dealing with fog. For winter driving, keep an eye on the temperature, and reduce speeds when traveling over bridges or in shaded areas where ice is likely to accumulate.

Rules of the Road

The Irish, like the British, drive on the left-hand side of the road. Seat belts must be worn by the driver and all passengers, and children under 12 must travel in the back unless riding in a car seat. It is compulsory for motorcyclists and their passengers to wear helmets.

Drunk-driving laws are strict. The legal limit is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Ireland has a Breathalyzer test, which the police can administer anytime. If you refuse to take it, the odds are you'll be prosecuted anyway. As always, the best advice is don't drink if you plan to drive.

Parking can be a problem, even in towns where traffic is relatively light. Signs with the letter P indicate that parking is permitted; a stroke through the P warns you to stay away or you'll be liable for a fine of EUR19.05-EUR63.50; however, if you get towed, the fine is EUR190.45. In Dublin, parking lots are your best bet, but check rates first; they can vary wildly.

Army checkpoints are a thing of the past between the North and the South, though there are some border checkpoints for cattle (in an effort to contain BSE-contaminated livestock).

Official licensed taxis, metered and designated by roof signs, do not cruise. You'll find taxi stands beside the central bus station, at train stations, O'Connell Bridge, St. Stephen's Green, College Green, and near major hotels; the Dublin telephone directory has a complete list. The initial charge is EUR2.30 with an additional charge of about EUR2 a kilometer thereafter. The fare is displayed on a meter (make sure it's on). You may, instead, want to phone a taxi company and ask for a cab to meet you at your hotel, but this may cost up to EUR2.55 extra. Hackney cabs, which also operate in the city, have neither roof signs nor meters and will sometimes respond to hotels' requests for a cab. Negotiate the fare before your journey begins. Although the taxi fleet in Dublin is large, the cabs are nonstandard and some cars are neither spacious nor in pristine condition.

Taxi Companies

Cab Charge (PHONE: 01/677-2222) has a reliable track record.

Metro (PHONE: 01/668-3333) is one of the city's biggest but also the busiest.

VIP Taxis (PHONE: 01/478-3333) usually has a car available for a longer trip.

An electric railway system, the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit; PHONE: 01/836-6222), connects Dublin with Howth to the north and Bray to the south on a fast, efficient line. There are 25 stations on the route, which is the best means of getting to seaside destinations, such as Howth, Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey, Killiney, and Bray.

DART service starts at 6:30 AM and runs until 11:30 PM; at peak periods, 8-9:30 AM and 5-7 PM, trains arrive every five minutes. At other times of the day, the intervals between trains are 15 to 25 minutes. Call ahead to check precise departure times (they do vary, especially on bank holidays). Tickets can be bought at stations, but it's also possible to buy weekly rail tickets, as well as weekly or monthly "rail-and-bus" tickets, from the Irish Rail Travel Centre. Individual fares begin at EUR.85 and range up to EUR1.65. You'll pay a heavy penalty for traveling the DART without a ticket.

Other suburban train services run from Heuston Station to Kildare Town west of Dublin via Celbridge, Sallins, and Newbridge. From Connolly Station you can catch a train to more distant locations like Malahide, Maynooth, Skerries, and Drogheda to the north of Dublin and Wicklow and Arklow to the south.