Rick Steves' Ireland 2014 Paperback – December 3, 2013

On a family getaway trip to Ireland (two geezers, i.e., my wife and I) and our son and daughter (in their thirties) found ourselves consulting Steves' book time after time, and found him right on the money. The writer for this book is an Irishman with a feel for the tourist's interests, and he doesn't pull punches when he feels a place (like the Blarney Castle/Blarney Stone) is an over-hyped tourist trap. Good detailed info on how to access things that are sometimes inaccessible, like Skellig Michael. The book gives names and phone numbers for the ferry boat companies that take you there, f'rinstance.There's the usual and basic stuff about USD-to-Euro conversion, when to use a debit card as opposed to a credit card, some background on the many sites with huge historical significance, lists of current and classic Irish novels, music, musical performers, etc. These are the stuff of most tourist guide books, and truthfully, others might do as well, but I found the Steves book consistently accurate. It's probably important to get the most current book you can (we had the 2014 edition), especially in a case where the economic situation of the nation overall is in a state of flux.We did not use any of the Steves book suggested tours--had our own agenda, driven by particular interests and ancestral ties, so I can't comment on his suggested one-week or two-week mapped-out tours. At a glance, thought they looked pretty good.We found a few inaccuracies about where/when to get in on ceilidhs (music sessions) at pubs in various cities, but we did some scouting about and find them on our own. I suppose the musical groups drift about from time to time, so it would be hard to keep current on such things. A "hardware-store-plus-pub in one town turned out to be a tiny bar with a rack of hardware on one wall--not quite the way it seemed in the book.We didn't get into the north of Ireland at all--had ancestor connections in the southeast and mid south, and toured the southern peninsulas of the West Coast--so I can't comment on the book's treatment of Ulster, etc.--but we spend a month in the Irish Republic and found the Steves book worth the price and then some.

Background: Newlywed couple with limited international travel experience and never stayed in a B&B before. We are both healthcare professionals.We liked rick steve's much better than Back Roads Ireland DK travel and here is why:-RS had things to do and you plan own trip-RS had the sites/interests scored by impressiveness-BRI would be good if you are literally really OCD and stay on the trail all the time or just want to do one area of ireland-RS had better esoteric and useful accessory information, such as phrases in gaelic and where the best or cheapest pubs wereAnd finally and most importantly:-BRI did not save us any money on the trip and therefor was not worth the money-BRI map was better quality than RS but still you need a much better map for actual travel such as the ordinance ones-RS was fun to read and lead us to great spots, and saved us over 100 euros in April 2014 on our trip personallyWe would buy the RS again, not the BRI.

I have read several travel guides, and feel this one is the best one to use, when planning your trip. Rick Steve's Ireland has an easy layout to follow for both republic of Ireland and north Ireland. He also gives you an opinion on what one should definitely see and what can be left for a second trip or not a definite see, which other guidebooks do not emphasize. My only criticism is that he often leaves out some of the nicer hotels/restaurants and does not mention castle accommodations in his guide book (for those who want to splurge on such experiences.) In these cases, tripadvisor is a nice secondary resource for reviews, etc. Overall, I am happy with this purchase and will be definitely taking this along with me, while traveling.

If you travel to Europe and do not use Rick Steve's you are doing yourself a great disservice. His books have enhanced our trips SIGNIFICANTLY, from finding quality reasonable hotel rooms, places to eat depending where you currently are within particular towns, entertaining step by step walks through the most interesting parts of a town or even within some of the specific sights and an abundance of insight including tips to avoid standing in long lines.As he puts it, his book is a $20 investment which will enhance a several thousand dollar trip. It is as close as you will ever get to having a friend who is expert tour guide and you get to pick his brain as you research your trip, as well as while you are there. I cannot recommend his books highly enough. And we travel quite frequently......

We are planning a self-driving tour of Ireland later this year and purchased this book to assist us in planning our dream vacation. The information is invaluable in helping us organize our trip...besides the usual of what, where, and when that most travel books cover, his insight as a world traveler (both professionally and personally) is most helpful. We are learning about places and sights we hadn't thought about including and are able to weed through the list of places we thought we might like to see...while we won't be able to see and do all that we would like in the time allotted, we will definitely make the best use of our time and enjoy the trip more for having read this book.The book will be packed in our luggage and well used during our stay in Ireland.

I am hoping to go to Ireland this year to visit my pen pal that I have had for fifty six years. We sort of grew up together and have kept in contact all these years, but have never met in person. We both lost our significant others around the same time and since we are both getting older, I would like to meet him in this world. The ironic twist to this story is that I am a female and people think it is amazing that we have kept in touch all these years. This is why I purchased this book and I have found it very helpful in attempting to plan a trip