HOME Travel Guide Common Sense Travel
decorative font style
    Travel >> Holiday Travel >  >> Travel Notes

Ireland by Rail: Scenic Train Travel, Local Insights & Stress-Free Tips

Determined to explore Ireland but daunted by driving on narrow, left-side country roads—as a New Yorker hooked on subways and taxis—I booked an 'Ireland by Rail' package the moment it caught my eye.

I initially feared missing the Irish countryside's charm by train rather than car, but that worry dissolved on my first journey from Dublin to Cork. We sped through lush pastures of grazing cows and rolling emerald hills dotted with fluffy white sheep.

An unexpected delight was bonding with Ireland's famously friendly locals. On the 2.5-hour ride to Cork, chatting with two women heading there for the weekend, I gained tips on grabbing a taxi at the station, reaching Blarney Castle, and the revival of the Irish language.

Here are key insights on the Irish Rail system I gathered:

  • Book tickets online at irishrail.ie to reserve seats in advance; otherwise, grab any available spot onboard.
  • Trains between major cities like Dublin, Cork, and Galway run nearly hourly.
  • Open return tickets offer ultimate flexibility: linger at morning sights, then catch any departure without rigid schedules.

Travel Notes
  • Exploring Scotland s Deepest Cave: Uamh nan-Claiggion, the Cave of Skulls

    The depths of a Highland Winter may seem an ill-advised time to embark on exploring the submerged passages of Uamh nan-Claigg ionn, The Cave of Skulls, Scotland’s deepest cave.  But I had a lull in my diary and, besides, after dragging my kit down five vertical drops and numerous constricted crawls, I’d be convincingly ‘out of the wind’. Cave diving in the Scotland is like most of the UK, specialising in tight, serpentine crawls, long abseils and muddy water (or watery mud)… and the sites are

  • Crossing the Chile-Argentina Border: Cyclists Face Swampy Challenges

    “We’ll have to cycle through at least one swamp” announced Tim, suddenly self-satisfied. The three of us frowned whilst we mulled over the prospect of the impending challenge. We had only scraps of information about the remote Patagonian border crossing between Chile and Argentina, most was rumour and hearsay gleaned from other cyclists who had braved the passage before us and whom we all suspected had toyed with the truth by weaving exaggerated tales of hardship. But in amongst the hyperbole

  • Lava Falls: A Fiery Journey Through the Grand Canyon

    Before us was the appropriately named Lava Falls and it was everything I had expected and so much more. Akin to staring into a fire, we looked into the river in front of us and were mesmerised. Our eyes taken on a journey our bodies weren’t sure they wanted to embrace. I was scared and there’s no other way of selling it. We were two weeks into our trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and everything that had gone before seemed to pale into insigni