Do you want to travel to Ireland, but you don’t have a lot of money? Or do you just want to save money while also seeing an amazingly beautiful country? I travelled to Ireland on a under 70€ per day budget, as a student. This is my itinerary.

Galway, Ireland

Dublin, Ireland

Limerick, Ireland

10 Days Ireland on a Budget

From Limerick to Dublin I booked a train ticket for 11,49€, then took the 787 bus to the airport for another 8€.

I flew from Hamburg, Germany to Dublin, Ireland with Aer Lingus. When flying from Germany they 
have a basic price of 30,51€ for most airports to go to Dublin. You can 
take a carry-on-sized bag for free, but you will have to check it in. A 
small carry-on, like a purse, a small backpack or a laptop bag are also 
included in the ticket price.

In Limerick I didn’t really find good cheap accommodation? There are some which are more inexpensive than others, but I didn't find any room for under 50€ per person.

The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin offers free admission. All four locations: Decorative Arts & History, Country Life, Natural History, Archaeology. 

Other free museums include the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland located at Trinity College.

The National Photographic Archive, located in the famous Temple Bar district in Dublin can also be visited for free.

At the Teeling Whiskey Distillery you can join a tour of their facility, including a tasting of three of their whiskeys for 25€ or a tour with a tasting of one Whiskey and a Whiskey Cocktail for 20€.

On the way to the distillery or on the way back into the city you can stop and admire St. Patrick's Cathedral and its surrounding park. A ticket to see 
the inside was 8€ and I had another cathedral on my list for this 
vacation, so I decided that my budget was better allocated elsewhere.

The Kilmainham Gaol Jail is
 a former prison, where many Irish revolutionaries, including leaders of
 the Easter Rising in 1916, were imprisoned and later executed. But the 
oldest cells date back much further than that. The prison was built in 
the 17-hundreds and some of the very old cells serve as a reminder of 
the horrible conditions prisoners faced back then. 

The best value for money accommodation in Dublin is the Abbey Court Hostel. A bed in a dorm is affordable and breakfast is included.

In Galway, there are some good Hostel options. The Nest Boutique Hostel
 is the cheapest option for a 6-bed-dorm. There are 
cheaper options (in 12-bed-dorms), but they are rated worse and the 
location of the Hostel is excellent to explore the city on foot as I did. On top of that it is 
modern and has a really cool interior. 

King John's Castle offers student discounts to any student with a valid ID.

Two more important places in Irish history are hidden in plain sight close to the castle: the Treaty Stone on the shore of the Shannon River and the Milk Market.

In Dublin, you can find good international food for a low price 
(under 15€ with a drink). For example Han Sung Asian Market in the city 
centre where you can find Han Sung Korean Restaurant in the back of the store and get good Korean food for a low price. Or Masa Tacos where you can get Mexican Tacos near Dublin Castle.

When choosing where to stay during your travels you should pay close attention if it includes breakfast, because that can save you a lot of money when you don’t have to worry about one meal of the day. For dinner I usually went for a sandwich from Tesco or Dunnes, while going out for something nicer to eat for lunch. I included the places below. 

I stayed here for 30,33€ / night, for 3 nights.

I stayed here for 34,25€ / night, for 3 nights.

I stayed at the Old Quarter Townhouse Hotel for 119€ / night, for 1 night.

Coqbull is a local
 a restaurant specializing in chicken dishes and beef burgers. They were
 voted best burgers in Ireland 2019.

Leap Visitor Card - Leap Card

For transport I bought a Leap Card for Dublin which costs 19,50€ / 72 hours.

On the way from the airport to the inner city you can stop at the National Botanical Gardens of Ireland about half way. Admission is free and the paths are paved and flat, so you can bring your luggage.

From Dublin to Galway I booked a train ticket for 11,49€.

Ireland rail travel information - Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail

From Galway to Limerick I booked a train ticket for 4,49€.

Skip the Line: Teeling Whiskey Distillery Tour and Tasting in Dublin Ticket

From Galway you can take a bus directly to the Cliffs of Moher. Of course you can join a guided tour, but it is totally possible to do this by yourself. 

If only walls could talk, 
the walls of King John's Castle could tell some stories. But even without talking walls the 
museum in the castle does a fantastic job of showcasing the history of 
this place. With multimedia-assisted expositions and interactive screens
 and displays, they manage to entrance you into history and package even
 the more gruesome parts suitable for all ages. 

The Old Quarter Pub
 is a gastro pub open to the public, right underneath the Old Quarter 
Townhouse. They serve pub food from a small menu and drinks, beers and 
cocktails from a larger menu. While they are very popular and it is 
recommended that you come early or reserve a table in advance they try 
to fit in the hotel guests even without a reservation. 

The Milk Market
 is an old market with a long tradition in Limerick, where farmers and 
producers sell fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, baked goods and
 handicrafts. It was an interesting place to visit, but when you don’t 
want to buy produce and are instead looking for something to eat, this 
is not that kind of market. 

St. Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick is one of several churches in the city. The church does charge an admission of 5€ but also has some of the more extensive explanations in the church of the interior and the stained glass windows. On top of that, the church is an interesting architectural mix of gothic and romanesque styles.

M. Cahill & Son is one, if not the
 oldest shop in Limerick. They sell tobacco, cigars, tea, shaving 
utensils, lighters, leather goods and more. So if you are looking for 
something unique to bring home, or just want to get a whiff of history, I
 recommend checking this one out.

In Limerick only the old buildings and bridges 
give you an idea of how much history is hidden in this city between the 
time of King John and the modern day. The Limerick Museum
 covers the history of the city with a special focus on the pre-and 
industrial era. Many artefacts tell the story of Limerick silver, 
Limerick lace, examples of local printing and media, as well as military
 artefacts and much more. 

Admission is free and I would recommend this 
museum to everyone who visits Limerick as it shows very impressively how
 fleeting everything is and how quickly a town can drop from 
international importance, no matter how famous it was at one point.

From the bus station in Galway you take the 8 AM bus 350
 towards Ennis. The route of the bus takes you along coast, on the Wild 
Atlantic Way. One way of the trip takes about 2 hours. On the way there 
you can see the Aran Islands in the distance and on the way back you can
 get a great view of Galway Bay. 

Java’s Cafe & Creperie serves French cuisine.

The station you need to disembark at is
 named “Cliffs of Moher”. Once you are there, take a walk along one of the cliff-paths and take in the breathtaking scenery and don’t miss out on the Visitor Centre either.

Beware that the last 350 bus leaves at the cliffs at 6:14 PM!


Tuco’s Taqueria serves Mexican food. I had the Tacos Carnita (twice) and a Lemon Soda, which I can 
both recommend. 

The Galway City Museum offers free entry. The museum covers the archaeology, history and culture of the city of 
Galway like most city museums do, but here the text is in Gaelic and 
English, with the Gaelic text first, as it is still the official 
language of the nation. 

Inside the cathedral, they set up a line of informative plaques which tell the history from the first stone of the foundation until the renovations made between 2014 and the present day. There are explanations all over the church under the stained glass windows, statues of saints and other peculiarities of this church. The ceiling of the central dome of the cathedral is painted blue and illuminated day and night. 

Grab a Coffee at Kali Coffee Bar, before continuing on to Salthill Promenade.
 Kali is a cute little cafe with not much room inside, but benches right
 outside the door and a garden. They focus on speciality coffee and 
sustainability, feature different local artists in their cafe.

Hooked is
 a seafood restaurant with several locations in Galway, which had been 
recommended to me by a person from the Kylemore Abbey tour. They have won several awards for their cooking over the years. 

The Latin Quarter in Galway is marked by historic building and cobblestone streets. Here you can feel the charm of centuries of history surrounding you.

The building of the Archeology Museum
 is still the same as over a century ago when it was built and is worth a
 visit just by itself. The artifacts are sorted by date or rather time 
period and the audio guide is very pleasant to listen to as you follow 
the numbers through the exhibitions. 

The Kilmainham Gaol Jail Museum offers student discounts to any student with a valid ID.

Most of the windows of the National Gallery are bricked up, except
 for the entryway and stairwell to protect the colours of the old 
paintings. A lot of the time I don’t make the time to go to national 
galleries, since to me everyday objects from different time periods are 
much more interesting than paintings. 

But it is very 
impressive to stand in front of a painting like “The Battle of the 
Boyne” by Jan Wyck spanning over 3m horizontally.

At the edge of the quarter the Ha’Penny Bridge crosses the Liffey river. This pedestrian bridge is named after the half penny it cost once upon a time to cross it.

10 Days Ireland on a Budget

Buy to unlock full guide