Let's Go: Ireland

I bought this book because I am going to Ireland next month for business, but I'll be staying a few extra days to explore and I want to make the most of my short time there. Since I have not gone yet, I can't report on the accuracy of the guide. In 1990, I bought Let's Go Europe and I found that book to be indispensible for my 5 week trip to Europe. That book convinced me that for travelers on a budget and who want to see interesting things, the Let's Go series is probably the best. I'll try to remember to update this review after my trip to Ireland. A friend of mine has a cool web site for Ireland and Scotland [...] It has good photos and descriptions of castles and old ruins.

I spent a month in Ireland this winter, and this book was the best tool for planning the perfect trip!

This book is amazing and unlike any other travel book I've seen. It is geared toward students and young independent travelers and those who really want to get immersed in the culture of the country/area they are traveling to. It focuses on doing things cheaply (but safely) so that you can still have an amazing trip regardless of your budget. This adds to the books overall goal because staying in hostels and B & Bs will allow you to meet more people and learn more about the country you are in. One thing I really like about this book is that it tells you what you absolutely must do/try based on how long you will be in the country, so even if it is a short trip, you can maximize your time there. It also gives you tips on packing, airline tickets, public transportation of the area, advice on car rentals, information on currency and the safest ways to keep your money, and other features standard of any travel book. And at least for this book, it gives you some basic tips on how to fit in with the culture (tipping is condescending, don't make this hand gesture, don't call a money-belt a fanny-pack, etc.) and it gives you some common Irish phrases and how to pronounce them so you can really impress the locals. This book probably isn't the best choice, however, for older, wealthier individuals who don't need to worry about a budget on their trip and/or can afford a travel agent to set them up in nice hotels and guided tours. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's just that most of the fun and usefulness of this book is in planning a budget trip by yourself in such a way that, by the time you leave, you take a piece of Ireland with you.

In preparation for a 2 week trip to Ireland I purchased nearly every travel book I found, but while traveling, this was the one I used most. It seemed to fit my needs best as a budget traveler and had a lot of useful information on places to go and places to stay (i used it together with the Hostels Ireland book to compare reviews of hostels to make sure I was finding the best places possible). The only problem I seemed to have with it was the organization and also the lack of visuals in the book, it's just packed with so much information and so many city profiles that it could become overwhelming at times trying to figure out where to go. My advice would be using perhaps the Eyewitness Guide to help you plan for the trip (where to go, what to see) then find the places in this book and tag or dogear the sections somehow so you can find it later. So, great book to open up if you're in the city, standing on a street corner trying to figure out what to do and where to go, not so good if you're sitting at home in your kitchen mapping out your travel itinerary. I will probably stick with the Lets Go series for any future trips I take abroad.

it is useful as a travel guide as much for giving you the lay of the land and strategies for planning your own travel through maps and descriptions as for specific recommendations, some of which are spot on and some of which are not. one really helpful feature (in 2004 edition, anyway, and I think still included) that I've not found in other guidebooks is the material on bus and rail journey times and connections for most towns. as with any guidebook it's only a sketch of what you'll find when in country but the practical information is good, and a needed addition to the more limited view of Frommer's/Fodor's and the like which assume you'll have a car and a good size budget.