Ireland

Ireland Information
to the beauty of the
Aran Islands, Galway
CONTENTS
59 GENERAL
INFORMATION
& KEY TRAVEL FACTS
62 TRAVELING TO
IRELAND BY AIR
63 TOUR OPERATORS
66 IRELAND’S REGIONAL
& INTERNATIONAL
ACCESS
67 MAP OF IRELAND
call +353 91 568903
visit aranislandferries.com
Railtours_Ireland_Mag16_HalfP_USA_HR.pdf 1 8/21/15 12:04 PM
IRELAND
KEY TRAVEL FACTS
IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER
TO GET TO IRELAND NO
MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE
IN THE UNITED STATES
C
Car Free Care Free
Explore More with Railtours Ireland First Class
SMOKING RESTRICTIONS
Smoking is banned in all public places.
CUSTOMS
Customs operate green and red channels at most ports
and airports. If you need to declare goods over the
duty and tax-free allowances for non-EU visitors you
must use the red channel. Pass through the green
channel if you have nothing to declare. The United
States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) facility
at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport is a purpose-built facility
that allows US-bound passengers to undertake all
immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections at
Dublin prior to departure. Shannon Airport also has
pre-clearance facilities available.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
The metric system is used in the Republic of Ireland (not
strictly enforced at times); imperial in Northern Ireland.
MONEY
Higher denomination notes such as €100, €200 and
€500 will not normally be accepted in retail outlets, so
bring cash in lower denominations when you’re coming
to Ireland.
VAT (SALES TAX) AND REFUNDS
In the Republic of Ireland, tourism services such as
restaurant meals and accommodation benefit from
a lower VAT (sales tax) rate of 9%. Visitors to Ireland
from non-EU countries can claim back sales taxes on
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Chicago
Boston
Hartford
New York
Newark
Philadelphia
Washington DC
Charlotte
Atlanta
Orlando
For details of airline services to Dublin, Belfast,
Shannon, and Cork, please see page 62
Donegal
Ireland West Knock
Kerry
Shannon
Cork
City of Derry
Belfast
International
George Best
Belfast City
Waterford
Dublin
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
MY
K
RAILTOURS
IRELAND
First Class!
· See a lot of Ireland in one or more days! · Daily departures year round
· Reserved seats on the train
· Tours starting in Dublin and London
· Fully hosted by our Railtours Ireland hosts · Modern, comfortable and spacious trains
RAILTOURSIRELAND.COM | T: 1-877-451-4783
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2016
New Year’s Day Holiday Jan 1
St Patrick’s Day Holiday Mar 17
Good Friday (NI only) Mar 25
Easter Monday Mar 28
May Bank Holiday May 2
Spring Bank Holiday (NI only) May 30
June Bank Holiday (ROI only) June 6
July Public Holiday (NI only) July 12
Aug Bank Holiday (ROI only) Aug 1
Aug Bank Holiday (NI only) Aug 29
Oct Bank Holiday (ROI only) Oct 31
Christmas Day Dec 27
St Stephen’s Day (ROI) Dec 26
Boxing Day (NI) Dec 26
Good Friday is not an official public holiday in the
Republic of Ireland, although most shops and businesses,
and all pubs are closed.
purchases made in Ireland; shopping in Ireland is subject
to a sales tax of 23%. Always look for the “Tax-Free
Shopping” sign in the windows of participating stores.
To avail of your tax refund, complete a valid tax refund
document, which you can get from participating stores.
Present this and goods to customs on departure from
the EU, and you can receive your refund on the spot at
some airports; otherwise, you can mail your tax refund
document to the store and a refund will be issued.
Selected shopkeepers will offer you the Horizon Tax-Free
Shopping card, a new paperless method of getting tax
refunds brought to you by FEXCO Tax-Free Shopping.
With each purchase, the card is swiped and tax-free
eligible items are logged. At the end of your trip, hand in
the card to the FEXCO Tax-Free Shopping desk at Dublin
or Shannon Airport. You can apply for a card online at
shoptaxfree.com
For details on how to claim tax back on goods bought
in Northern Ireland, please visit
gov.uk/tax-on-shopping/taxfree-shopping
Tourism Ireland’s Official Magazine Ireland 59