Frommer's Ireland 2001

I purchased the book for my mom for Christmas and she loves it. She is visiting Ireland for the first time later this year.

My family used Frommer's Ireland 12th Ed. extensively before, during ,and after our trip to Ireland in July of 2002. The first two chapters Best of..., and Planning your Trip... were worth the purchase price alone. All of the Best of tips we followed were excellent choices. The large fold out map that was included served very well during our driving tour of Ireland. Using the county and town maps that were included in the local sections kept us right on track. Distances are deceptive however. It takes longer to get anywhere you go than it would appear from reading the map. The Irish road system is not built for speed ( nor comfort for that matter) so plan accordingly. It takes a long time to drive across the country, or from county to county. More could have been made of this issue in the guide. Our biggest mistake was trying to do too much.The up to date information on Dublin was very helpful, as were the frequent tips throughout the guide on ways to avoid the summer crowds. I used the web addresses that were included for lodging and found them very helpful for checking availability and booking our rooms quickly. Don't go without it!

My wife and I traveled around Ireland for two weeks this summer, and Frommer's Ireland was an amazingly helpful tool. Realizing this would probably be the last time we'd be traveling abroad for a while, we decided to mix it up a bit --"inexpensive" to "moderate" accommodations and restaurants in most places, with a few dabbles in the "expensive" (and even one "very expensive") splurges along the way. Across the board, the recommendations in this book were outstanding. What to see and do, where to stay, where to eat and shop.....all were presented in a very down-to-Earth way. The eye for small detail and nuances throughout the book made us feel we were getting advice from a local expert who REALLY knows her stuff.I can't say enough about how helpful this guide was to us -- it really made our trip a memorable one. The fold-out map got us around most of the country with no trouble....once a nice gentleman in a petrol station showed me how to get my rental car into reverse.All in all, a terrific book.

On a tour with many other students everyone wanted to look at this book, why? Because every time we did anything the description in this book was dead on the money.

I had previously purchased "Frommer's Ireland on $50 a Day" for my first trip in '96 so I had a good idea of what to expect. Frommer's delivered once again. It has everything; top attractions, accommodations, shopping, night life, out-of-doors activities, places to eat and, of course, to drink. Each of these categories is then divided price-wise into Very Expensive, Expensive, Moderate and Inexpensive. There are phone numbers, dates and hours places are open, accurate prices and any relevant web addresses. For each major town, Frommer's includes basic facts (such as, where the tourist and post office is or where to go if you need a pharmacy), how to get around and a map. The book starts with a "Best Of" list then moves to all that you need to know to plan your trip. It also includes a new section of web addresses which is most helpful if you've never booked an on-line ticket or don't wish to search through Ireland's many web sites for the best ones. The next chapters go through the country almost county by county then concludes with all the same sort of information listed above about Northern Ireland. The last chapter of the book is dedicated to a deeper understanding of Ireland through it's history, people and art.If you want a to get away with spending less money on your trip or you are on a tight budget then get "Frommer's Ireland From $60 A Day". It has all the same info but a bigger selection of less expensive places to eat and stay. It also gives data on where it would be worth your while to splash out a little.Do not buy "Frommer's Postcards 2001" for its pictures - it only has about 8 pages of color photos - but for the metric ton of information it contains. No other guide is needed.