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Visitor Information - General basic Ireland visitor information.
We have outlined some visitor information that will be useful for you prior to and after your arrival. Ireland has a wealth of attractions and plenty to offer the visitor, we hope you will find this guide helpful when planning your travels. For additional information please use the links on the left.
CURRENCY INFORMATION
The currency of Ireland is now the EURO. The note denominations are: EUR5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000. The coin denominations are: EUR 1Cent, 5, 10, 20, 50, 1EUR, 2EUR. As a rough guide 1 Euro is equivilent to 0.75 US $. or 1 USD is equal to 1EUR 27 cents. 

For comparision to other currencies, please this Currency Converter
BANKS, MONEY EXCHANGE & CASH MACHINES
Banks in Ireland are open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm (in rural area's most Banks close at 3pm or 4pm). Many Banks operate a Bureau De Change for converting currency.

Banks in larger towns usually have cash machines. However, non Irish cards may not work at all banks particularly the small building societies which are equivalent to American savings banks. Cash machines at the large banks (Allied Irish, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank) are part of the international networks and will accept most major debit cards. The exchange rates at cash machines are usually as good or better than at the exchange desks. But this is often dependent upon your own bank and you will not know the rate until you receive your statement.
WEATHER
For the latest weather report we recommend the Irish Times Weather section. For general weather statistics, click here. Temperates in Ireland are usually given in Celsius. A rough rule of thumb for converting from Celsius to Fahrenheit is to double the Celsius number and add 32 to get a good estimate of the Fahrenheit temperature. Rainfall is often shown in millimeters. The rough conversion is to divide the millimeters by 25 to get inches. 75 millimeters is about 3 inches.
HOTEL GRADING
Hotels are graded by Bord Failte - The Irish Tourist Board, and are allocated stars according to their facilities. A 5* Hotel is the Highest Grading and will have Luxurious facilities. A 4* Hotel will have High to Luxurious Facilities and a 3* Hotel will be well appointed but with less luxurious facilities.
There are several 4* and 3* Guesthouses which are really smaller hotels but are well appointed and have good facilities. Check our Accommodation Links for the best deals
RESTAURANTS & FOOD

Ireland has some of the best restaurants and hotel catering in Europe. Most hotels include excellent restaurants, some of the best in the country. European, continental and international cuisines as well as Irish specialties and our superb seafood are all available. If you have arranged your own holiday, you will be free to choose from our many restaurants, pubs and eateries during your stay.

Most accommodations include breakfast but if you do not always fancy a large traditional Irish breakfast, you can usually choose from a variety of fruits and cereals in a continental breakfast. Many restaurants offer vegetarian options and some that specialize in vegetarian food are excellent. If you have these or other special food requirements it best to check ahead with the hotel or restaurant.
Very few Irish hotels, guesthouses or B&Bs have kitchen facilities in the room though many will have an electric teapot for your own afternoon spot of tea. If you would like to stay in accommodations that include kithchens, check our Accommodation Links for the best deals
CONTACTING HOME
There are plenty of payphones in every town and village around the country. You can either use a coin phone or card phone. Phone cards can be purchased from nearly all newsagents, tourist locations or telephone centres in the main Cities and Towns. Dial 11811 for Directory Enquiries from any telephone. The call is Charged. Dial 10 for operator services, 114 for international calls (ex Britain)

A full list of International dialing codes is available in each phone box. If you call home from a hotel you will pay a higher rate for your call than from a public payphone. You can also purchase prepaid calling cards from Sprint, Call Home and a number of other companies. These cards offer Cheaper rate calls than Eircom (The state telephone company) and are available from Newsagents and most service stations nationwide.

Most European mobile phones will work in Ireland if you have the appropriate agreement with your service provider. American mobile or cell phones do NOT work in Europe including Ireland because they are based on different standards. One exception is Motorla phones connected through the Nextel system. These still require the appropriate service agreement with Nextel.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Emergency services can be contacted by dialling 999 or 112 on any payphone, Irish Telephone or Mobile Telephone. The call is free. You must state your name clearly, location and the emergency service you require.
ELECTRICAL, VCR & AUDIO STANDARDS
Our Electrical current is 220V - 240V AC. Travel electrical converters are available at most tourist shops or at any Airport or Ferry Terminal. Some hotels have adapters for Telephone, PC and Standard electrical appliances for your use. Many portable personal computers include power supplies that will work directly of of European current with a simple plug adapter. Check your documentation or with the manufacturer. Our Video Format is PAL which will not work on most American VCRs.
Audio cassettes and CDs are based on international standards and are therefore compatable. Bring some Irish music home!


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