How many towns to visit: Four to six towns is the right number for a trip of one to two weeks. Fewer than that and you miss the contrast between regions. More and you spend the days waiting for buses and the nights re-packing a damp bag. At two nights each, you have time to walk the main street twice, find the pub where locals actually sit and still get a proper morning breakfast.
Which kind to prioritize: If music and nightlife matter, favor the larger, livelier towns with several pubs and regular sessions, where a pint and a fiddle fill the evening. If you want walking, coast and quiet, pick smaller west-coast and northwestern places, where the street ends in a headland and the soundtrack is wind. For history, choose the old walled and market towns of the east and south, where a castle …
read more 👉 How many towns to visit: Four to six towns is the right number for a trip of one to two weeks. Fewer than that and you miss the contrast between regions. More and you spend the days waiting for buses and the nights re-packing a damp bag. At two nights each, you have time to walk the main street twice, find the pub where locals actually sit and still get a proper morning breakfast.
Which kind to prioritize: If music and nightlife matter, favor the larger, livelier towns with several pubs and regular sessions, where a pint and a fiddle fill the evening. If you want walking, coast and quiet, pick smaller west-coast and northwestern places, where the street ends in a headland and the soundtrack is wind. For history, choose the old walled and market towns of the east and south, where a castle or a ruined abbey sits a few minutes from a coffee. Mixing one of each keeps the trip from feeling samey.
What it costs: Ireland is expensive. A backpacker can manage on about €60 to 90 a day, with a hostel dorm at €25 to 45 (more in summer), a pub meal at €14 to 22, a pint at €5.50 to 7 and a cafe breakfast at €8 to 12. Local buses between towns usually run €8 to 25 per ride, and booking ahead can trim that. Entry fees for castles, heritage sites and museums run roughly €5 to 20, and a guided walk or tour typically adds €10 to 30. Budget around €15 to 40 per attraction visit, including transport to reach it, and the Heritage Card (about €40) pays for itself after a few state-run sites.
Safety and etiquette: Towns here are very safe, and violent crime against visitors is rare. Petty theft from cars and unattended bags happens, so leave nothing visible in a parked vehicle. Rural roads are narrow, with no shoulder and fast local drivers, so walk facing traffic and wear something bright after dusk.
Culturally, buying a round is a real custom, so join in or politely say you will get the next one. Pubs run on conversation, and a friendly comment about the weather will start one. Tipping is modest, about 10 percent for table service, and Sunday closures and early shop hours are normal in small places. A waterproof jacket, which you will wear, is the one item worth spending money on.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.