Tripomatic-Free-City-Guide-Dublin.Pdf
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DUBLIN GUIDE DUBLIN GUIDE MONEY Currency: Euro, €1 = 100 cents 4* hotel (average price/night) – €100 Essential Information Car-hire (medium-sized car/day) – €40 Money 3 Money can be exchanged at all major bus and train stations and numerous exchange offices Tipping Communication 4 The capital of Ireland was originally founded as all around the city. The best exchange rates are In restaurants, If the bill doesn’t state the service a Viking settlement and played an important offered by banks and ATMs. charge or “service included”, a tip of 10-15% is ex- Holidays 5 historical role well until the 19th century. pected. In pubs, tipping is not common. Instead, Visa and MasterCard accepted in 90% of the Transportation 6 Now, the city is far from being called beauti- if you want to appreciate the service after several ful yet it has some special charm that attracts shops. Holders of Amex or Diners Club may en- drinks, you can buy one for the bartender with Food 8 people to travel or even settle down here. The counter difficulties as those cards are generally the “Have one for yourself” line – he will either medieval and Gregorian history is still very tan- not accepted in smaller shops. Information about keep the money or have a drink after work. Cafés Events During The Year 9 gible in the city center, with its cobblestone which cards are accepted is always displayed on and bistros usually have a tipping tray on the bar. streets and tiny houses – not to mention the the door of the establishment. There are no tips expected at hotels or taxis. 10 Things to do imposing Dublin Castle that dominates the city. The impressive history heritage still reflects in Tax Refunds DOs and DO NOTs 11 the cultural offerings, too – there are tens of Non-EU residents are eligible for VAT refund but Activities 15 concerts, shows and staged plays every day! the process is unsystematic and depends on the Not to be missed are also many interesting retailer solely. The most common scheme is that . museums with free admission where you can you will be given a magnetic card recording your learn about the moving history of the Irish and purchases and you claim the VAT by presenting marvel at the artistic masterpieces. Dublin this card together with the goods at the airport. boasts also more profane attractions: How There are other ways to claim your VAT, so always Emergency Contacts about a tour to Guinness Storehouse or Old discuss it with the retailer. Don’t forget to ask General emergency number: 999 or 112 Jameson Distillery? about commissions as they may be quite substan- Irish Tourist Assistance Service: +353 1 478 To enjoy the city as a local does, step out of tive. 5295 the tourist streets and have your beer in one of the tucked-away, charming pubs where you Prices can mingle with the Dubliners easily. Ireland ranks among the ten most expensive cities in Europe. Time Zone Meal, inexpensive restaurant – €12 UTC/GMT (Irish Standard Time), daylight saving Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant, three-courses time UTC/GMT +1 hour March to October. – €65 Combo meal at McDonalds – €7 Contacts Bottle of water at supermarket – €1.25 Tourist Contacts Domestic beer (0.5 liter, draught) – €4-5 Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) – €2 +1 890 324 583 Souvenir t-shirt – €12 +1 850 668 668 Gasoline/ Petrol (1 liter) – €1.55 Hostels (average price/night) – €20 2 3 COMMUNICATION HOLIDAYS Electricity January 1 – New Year's Day The standard electricity supply is 230 volts – 50 March 17 – Saint Patrick's Day Hz AC. You will most probably need at least one Easter Monday adaptor with three square pins – the same as in May Day (the first Monday in May) the UK (British BS-1363). June Holiday (the first Monday in June) August Holiday (the first Monday in August) Languages October Holiday (the last Monday in October) December 25 – Christmas Day The official language is Irish (Gaeilge) and English December 26 – St. Stephen's Day – usually with a heavy accent. Only a few people Offices and some attractions close on these apart from those in the tourist industry are able dates. Shops may have restricted opening hours to communicate in other languages. and public transportation operates holiday-spe- cific schedules. Mobile Phones Ireland uses the standard mobile network (GSM / Opening Hours GPRS / 3G). The coverage is almost 100%. If you Typical business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Banks are coming from a non-GSM standard country, and post offices are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but better check your cell phone for compatibility. closed on the weekends and public holidays. The international dial code for Ireland is +353, the The museums follow general opening times and area code for Dublin is 1. open at noon on Sundays. Some museums close on Mondays or during public holidays. The same Internet opening hours apply to all the major attractions. Free internet connection is quite common in bars and cafés. McDonalds and Starbucks also offer The shopping hours vary; shops generally open an opportunity to connect to the internet. There’s between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. also free Wi-Fi on selected public transport. Malls have extended shopping hours, open till 8 p.m., with Sunday and public holiday opening Internet Resources times between noon and 6 p.m. Dublin Tourist Board (www.visitdublin.com) Official Dublin Website (www.dublin.ie) The gas stations are usually open 24/7. Official Ireland Tourist Website (www.discoverireland. ie) 4 5 TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION Public Transportation the times when the bus departs the terminal sta- Cities – 50 km/h Light rail: called luas; it is a convenient and re- tion. Congestion can be really bad so the arrival Regional and local roads (R-roads, L-roads) – liable way to get around central Dublin. Its two times are hard to predict. 80km/h lines are not interconnected. Tickets can be pur- Open roads (N-roads) – 100 km/h chased at machines and need not be validated on Dublin Bus (www.dublinbus.ie) Motorways (M-roads) – 120 km/h board. Blood alcohol limit – 0.8 pro mille Taxis Always follow the speed limits – there are A single ticket for one zone costs €1.60, while the It is very easy to get a taxi in Dublin – there are many radars and speeding is heavily fined. return ticket costs €3.10. A seven-day ticket for thousands of them. All taxis are equipped with Wearing a seat belt is mandatory. both lines costs €12.70. meters and leaflets where the fare system is ex- The traffic rules do not differ significantly from plained thoroughly. Expect a receipt. You can get UK ones – drive on the left. Luas (www.luas.ie) a taxi by hailing them from the street, at taxi ranks Note that there are tolls on some of the motor- or by phone (Hackney cabs). ways and the only means of payment is cash. Trains: The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) ser- You may also register your number plate online vice covers the suburbs. The minimum fare is €4.10 and then €1.03 for (http://www.eflow.ie) and the fee will be conve- every kilometer (€4.45/€1.35 at night). Addi- niently charged to your credit card. Many Irish DART service (www.irishrail.ie) tional charges apply for additional passengers roads are very narrow and winding, demanding and for pre-booking. There is no additional fee a driver’s full attention. Sheep and other animals Bus: Dublin is densely covered by bus lines. Un- for luggage. The airport pick-up is expensive even wandering across the road is not uncommon. fortunately there are several providers and the though there are also no additional fees – you are Fortunately, the roads are usually in a good con- whole system is a bit chaotic. You need to tell better off using the public transport. dition, but the signposting sometimes fall behind. the driver your destination and have the ex- act amount in coins ready for the machine. If Phone numbers: When driving in Dublin, it is strongly suggested you don’t, and you enter more than the ticket +353 1 6772222 A to B Cabs to avoid going through the city center and use price, you will get an extra change receipt that +353 1 6080900 Ballsbridge Taxis the Inner Orbital Route and Outer Orbital Route can be exchanged at 59 Upper O`Connell Street +353 1 8343434 Checkers Cabs encircling it – the journey may seem longer but Dublin Office. To avoid this nuisance, you can pur- +353 1 80202020 Eight Twenty Cabs will actually take less time as it avoids the conges- chase prepaid tickets: A 3-day ticket for €14.20 tion of the inner city streets. There are also many allows for unlimited travel with Dublin Bus in- Regional Transportation one-way streets and limited, expensive parking. cluding the Airlink. If you want to include the Irish Rail (www.irishrail.ie) – reaches the majority Hop-On-Hop-Off tourist bus service, you need to of towns and cities. If you book your tickets well Walkability purchase the Freedom Adult Tourist Ticket for in advance, the prices are quite reasonable. For tourists, the city is best discovered on foot as €28.00 (€12.00 for children under 14 years). A the historical core is built on flat terrain in a very 1-day ticket costs €6.50 and a 5-day ticket €23.00.