Two weeks in Ireland is enough time to hear trad music in a snug pub, drive a clifftop road that seems to float above the Atlantic, and watch the sky change six times a day. The number everyone wants first is the budget: how much does a 14-day trip to Ireland cost? The honest answer is a range, because what you spend depends on how you move, how you sleep, and how often you say yes to another round or another castle. The good news is that you can map it out with a few reliable benchmarks.
Here is a clear breakdown of real-world costs, practical ranges, and a few smart moves that keep the trip feeling generous without draining your card.
What shapes the price of a 14-day Ireland trip
- Season: July and August are the priciest months for flights and lodging. Late spring and September are sweet spots for prices and weather. Winter can be a bargain, but rural schedules slim down and days are short.
- Travel style: Renting a car gives you freedom and raises the budget. Buses and trains cut costs but limit tiny villages and remote peninsulas.
- Location: Dublin hotels cost more, especially on weekends. Rural B&Bs offer better value and Irish hospitality is half the fun.
- Exchange rate: Prices on the ground are in euro. When the dollar is strong, you win.
- Activities: Guided day tours, distillery visits, and iconic tickets add up, though many highlights are free.
A quick answer by traveler type
- Shoestring solo using buses and hostels: about 1,800 to 2,400 USD all in, including flights if you catch a deal.
- Mid-range couple sharing rooms and renting a compact car: about 3,200 to 4,800 USD per person, flights included.
- Upscale couple mixing 4 and 5 star stays, premium car, and tasting menus: about 7,500 to 10,500 USD per person.
Those are typical ranges, not extremes. Let’s unpack how they come together.
Flights to Ireland
- East Coast USA to Dublin or Shannon: 500 to 900 USD round trip in spring or fall, 800 to 1,200 USD in summer.
- West Coast USA: 700 to 1,300 USD in spring or fall, 1,000 to 1,600 USD in summer.
- From Canada, fares are usually slightly higher than East Coast USA.
- From Europe, short-haul flights can be under 100 USD one way if booked early.
Ways to keep it sensible:
- Fly midweek and avoid outbound Fridays and inbound Sundays.
- Consider an open-jaw ticket, into Dublin and out of Shannon, to skip a backtrack day.
- Price Aer Lingus, United, Delta, and budget carriers, then compare with one-stop options that may undercut nonstop fares by a few hundred dollars.
Lodging for 14 nights
Ireland has a deep bench of B&Bs, inns, guesthouses, and hotels. For two weeks, you’ll likely mix styles.
- Hostels: 25 to 50 USD per person per night for a dorm bed. Private rooms start around 80 to 120 USD.
- B&Bs and guesthouses: 140 to 220 USD per room per night in most towns, breakfast included. Dublin often runs higher.
- Mid-range hotels: 160 to 300 USD per room per night, breakfast sometimes extra.
- High-end and castle stays: 350 to 600+ USD per room per night. Some special properties run well above that.
How to think about the total:
- A couple averaging 200 USD per night pays about 2,800 USD for 14 nights, or 1,400 per person.
- A solo traveler in hostels averaging 35 USD per night pays about 490 USD for the entire stay.
- Booking 3 to 5 months ahead for peak season can save hundreds. Weeknights in Dublin run lower than weekends.
Getting around: car vs bus and rail
Renting a car
Driving gives you access to tiny coves, loop roads, and trailheads. It also adds real costs that travelers often underestimate.
- Base rental for a compact: 35 to 60 USD per day off-season, 70 to 120 USD per day in summer.
- Insurance: Collision coverage is required. Many credit cards exclude Ireland, so you’ll either:
- Buy the rental company’s coverage, often adding 25 to 40 USD per day, or
- Bring a letter of coverage from your card issuer if allowed. Read the fine print, as an enormous deposit may be held.
- All-in daily price most travelers pay:
- Off-season compact with full coverage: 55 to 100 USD
- Peak season compact with full coverage: 90 to 150 USD
- Fuel: Petrol is typically 1.70 to 1.90 euro per liter. That’s roughly 7 to 8 USD per gallon. A two-week trip with 1,000 to 1,200 miles in a fuel-efficient car often runs 175 to 240 USD in fuel.
- Tolls and parking: Budget 20 to 40 USD for tolls, mostly near Dublin. City parking can be 3 to 5 USD per hour, or 15 to 30 USD for a day rate.
A real-world total for two weeks:
- Rental with insurance: 1,100 to 1,800 USD
- Fuel: 175 to 240 USD
- Tolls and parking: 60 to 120 USD if you spend time in cities
- Trip total: roughly 1,335 to 2,160 USD
Sharing the car splits that number. For a couple, figure 670 to 1,080 USD per person for the whole trip.
Buses and trains
Ireland’s rail network connects major cities. Coaches fill in many gaps and can be comfortable and frequent on key routes.
- Dublin to Galway train, advance fare: 22 to 40 USD one way.
- Dublin to Belfast train: 18 to 35 USD one way.
- Intercity coach tickets: often 13 to 25 USD one way if booked in advance.
- Dublin Leap Visitor Card for local transport: about 32 USD for 7 days covering bus, Luas, and DART.
A two-week public transport set of hops for a typical loop runs 150 to 250 USD per person, plus a local transit pass.
Food and drink
- Breakfast: Often included at B&Bs and some hotels. If not, a cafe breakfast is 8 to 15 USD.
- Lunch: 8 to 15 USD for a sandwich, soup, or a light plate. Upscale cafes 15 to 25 USD.
- Dinner: 18 to 35 USD for a casual main, 40 to 80 USD per person in a sit-down restaurant with starters and dessert.
- Pints: 5.50 to 7.50 USD, higher in Dublin city center. Cocktails 12 to 16 USD.
- Coffee and pastries: 2.50 to 6 USD.
Daily food budgets that work:
- Frugal: 25 to 40 USD per person using breakfast-included, market picnics, and pub specials.
- Mid-range: 50 to 80 USD per person with a bistro dinner most nights.
- Upscale: 120 to 200 USD per person with tasting menus and wine.
Tipping is modest. Round up in pubs. In restaurants, 10 percent is common if service was good and not already included.
Activities, tours, and entry fees
- National heritage sites and castles: 6 to 15 USD
- Guinness Storehouse: around 30 USD
- Book of Kells: around 19 USD
- Distillery tours: 20 to 35 USD
- Guided day tours from cities: 45 to 90 USD per person
- Bike rental: 20 to 30 USD per day
- Live music: usually free, though a drink is expected
For two weeks, most travelers spend 120 to 350 USD per person on paid sights and tours.
Other line items people forget
- Travel insurance: 60 to 150 USD for two weeks, depending on coverage and age. Wondering how much does a 14-day trip to Ireland cost? Here are some detailed estimates based on different travel profiles.
- SIM or eSIM with data: 10 to 25 USD for 10 to 20 GB.
- Souvenirs and gifts: 50 to 300 USD. Irish wool is hard to resist.
- Laundry: 10 to 20 USD per wash and dry if you use a service or hotel machines.
- Adapters: Europe Type G in Ireland, a universal adapter runs 10 to 20 USD.
- Bank fees: Use a no-foreign-fee card to avoid 2 to 3 percent surcharges.
Sample budget scenarios for 14 days
Assumptions for the couple: sharing one room, entering mid-range attractions, renting a compact car with full coverage, and eating well without going all-in on fine dining every night.
| Traveler profile | Flights per person | Lodging per person | Transport per person | Food per person | Activities per person | Insurance, SIM, misc | Estimated total per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoestring solo, hostels + buses | 600 to 900 | 490 | 180 to 250 | 420 | 100 to 150 | 120 | 1,910 to 2,330 |
| Mid-range couple, compact car | 800 to 1,200 | 1,100 to 1,500 | 650 to 900 | 700 to 900 | 200 to 350 | 200 to 300 | 3,650 to 5,150 |
| Upscale couple, 4 to 5 star + premium car | 1,200 to 1,800 | 3,000 to 4,200 | 1,100 to 1,400 | 1,800 to 2,400 | 400 to 600 | 300 to 500 | 7,900 to 10,900 |
Notes:
- Lodging per person assumes a couple splits one room. Solo travelers in private rooms will pay more per person than shown for the mid-range couple case.
- Transport per person for the couple splits a single rental car across two people. If three or four share a larger car, per person cost drops.
A practical 14-day route and what it might cost per day
Here is a balanced, popular loop that pairs cities and scenery.
- Days 1 to 3: Dublin without a car. Use the Leap Visitor Card. Budget per person: 120 to 180 USD per day including lodging, local transport, food, and a couple of paid entries.
- Day 4: Train to Galway, pick up car after Dublin. Budget per person: 130 to 200 USD.
- Days 5 to 6: Connemara and Cliffs of Moher from Galway base or spend one night in Doolin. Budget per person: 150 to 220 USD.
- Days 7 to 9: Dingle Peninsula or Killarney. Budget per person: 160 to 240 USD if you add a guided boat trip or jaunting car ride.
- Days 10 to 11: Kinsale or West Cork for food and coastline. Budget per person: 160 to 240 USD.
- Day 12: Kilkenny for craft and castle. Budget per person: 150 to 220 USD.
- Days 13 to 14: Return to Dublin, drop car before entering the city. Budget per person: 120 to 190 USD per day.
This plan keeps car days focused on the west and south, where it pays off most. By picking up the car after Dublin and dropping it before your last Dublin nights, you save parking and a day or two of rental fees.
Peak season vs shoulder season math
- Flights:
- Shoulder: often 200 to 400 USD less per person than July or August.
- Lodging:
- Shoulder: 10 to 25 percent lower, plus better selection.
- Car:
- Shoulder: 20 to 40 percent lower rates, better odds of getting an automatic without a surprise upcharge.
A couple traveling mid-May or late September can save 800 to 1,500 USD over a mid-July trip.
Smart savings without cutting the good stuff
- Book a refundable car early, then recheck rates monthly. Rebook if the price drops.
- Stay in a B&B every other night. Irish breakfasts keep you full, so you can grab a light lunch.
- Front-load Dublin on a weekday. Friday and Saturday nights soar in city centers.
- Pick two paid marquee attractions in Dublin and two in the west, then fill the rest of your days with sea cliffs, walks, and music.
- Use supermarkets for snacks and picnic lunches. Spar, Tesco, and SuperValu are everywhere.
- Bring a contactless credit card with no foreign fees. Pay in euro, not dollars, when offered a choice at terminals.
- Plan one splurge night in a manor or castle, then balance the rest with family-run inns.
Car insurance clarity
It is common for Ireland car rental desks to require proof of coverage if you decline their insurance. If your credit card covers Ireland, carry a letter of coverage dated within the last month, the card itself, and the primary driver’s name must match. Expect a large deposit hold and strict rules on what is and isn’t covered. Many travelers pick the rental company’s full coverage to avoid stress and holds. That usually raises the daily rate, but removes almost all liability and simplifies pickup.
Sample line-item budget for a mid-range couple
Per person, 14 days, shoulder season, a realistic middle:
- Flights: 900
- Lodging: 1,260
- Car, insurance, fuel, parking: 740
- Food and drink: 770
- Activities and tours: 250
- Local transport in Dublin: 20
- Insurance: 80
- SIM: 20
- Miscellaneous: 150
Total per person: about 4,190 USD
Shift to July and the same plan can land closer to 4,700 to 5,000 USD per person due to flights, lodging, and car rates.
Cash, cards, and small logistics
- Cards are widely accepted, including in most pubs and rural shops. Keep a small float of cash, say 50 to 100 euro, for farmers markets or tiny cafes.
- VAT is included in posted prices. Non-EU visitors can claim VAT refunds on eligible retail purchases over certain thresholds. Keep receipts and use the kiosks at the airport.
- Standard tipping: round up in cabs, 10 percent in sit-down restaurants if service was good and not included. No tips at the bar when ordering pints, but a friendly word goes far.
Weather gear and packing that saves money
- A waterproof shell and comfortable waterproof shoes keep you outside when showers pass, which they do often.
- A compact umbrella is handy in cities, less so on windy coasts.
- Quick-dry layers let you carry less and do laundry once.
- Bring a universal adapter and a short extension cord. Many heritage buildings have limited outlets.
Staying comfortable means you won’t bail on a planned hike or coastal drive, which makes the trip feel bigger without costing anything.
A two-minute checklist for setting your number
- Pick your month. Check flight prices before fixing dates.
- Decide car or no car. If yes, plan your city days at the start or end without it.
- Reserve lodging with free cancellation. Aim for 60 to 70 percent of nights booked early, leave a few flexible if you like surprises.
- List the 4 to 6 paid experiences you care most about.
- Set a daily food target that fits your style, then add two splurge meals.
- Add a buffer of 10 percent for the unexpected.
Once those pieces are set, the total cost becomes clear, and tweaks are simple. If the number feels high, drop the car for a few days, slide your dates into shoulder season, or trade two hotel nights for B&Bs.
Quick FAQs
- Do I need an international driving permit? Not for U.S. or Canadian licenses. Your valid license is fine.
- Automatic or manual? Automatics are common but cost more and sell out first. Book early if you need one.
- Is two weeks enough without a car? Yes, if you anchor in Dublin and two regional hubs like Galway and Killarney and use day tours.
- Are pubs expensive? City center pints cost more. Neighborhood pubs and rural spots are friendlier to the wallet.
- Can I drink tap water? Yes, it’s safe and tastes good. Carry a reusable bottle.
Putting it all together
A clear, grounded estimate for a 14-day Ireland trip looks like this:
- Solo backpacker: 1,900 to 2,400 USD; so how much does a 14-day trip to Ireland cost, really?
- Mid-range couple, per person: 3,600 to 5,100 USD
- Upscale couple, per person: 7,900 to 10,900 USD
The spread comes from flights, your bed, and whether you drive. Everything else is adjustable. Choose your month carefully, use a car only where it pays off, and let B&B breakfasts and free coastal walks do the heavy lifting. That approach keeps the spend in line while leaving plenty of room for the moments you’ll remember.
