Ireland stopover proves to be quite the deal
Change in author’s plans leads to a trip to delightful Dublin
DUBLIN— In March, I excitedly agreed to a home exchange with a family in Amsterdam for a summer vacation. Pleased with the prospect of two weeks in Europe with no lodging costs, I was shocked to discover that a direct flight from New York to Schiphol in August would cost me close to $1,500.
Multiplied by four, my economical vacation began to seem a lot less economical.
The comparative airfare search engine Kayak yielded a cheaper way to reach my vacation destination: Fly Aer Lingus with a stopover in Dublin, for less than $1,000. Because my husband is of Irish descent and none of us had been to Ireland, we decided to spend the last three days of our vacation in the city before flying home. Our stopover in Dublin not only saved us money, but turned out to be a highlight of the trip.
Costs are different from Canadian destinations, but here are some great ways to enjoy Dublin.
SHAVING COSTS
In the spirit of penny pinching, I used accumulated credit card reward points to book a room at the Westin Dublin (thewestindublin.com), an imposing former bank building steps from Trinity College and Grafton Street shopping. But if I hadn’t had these points, I might have considered staying at Trinity itself, where a variety of reasonably priced dormitory room combinations are available to tourists from late May to midSeptember (from € 58 a night, single, or € 78, double, including breakfast; tcd.ie/accommodation).
I discovered this on a tour of the college, where my ticket included entrance to the college’s Old Library and the Book of Kells exhibit. It was well worth the € 10-charge (a ticket to the Book of Kells alone costs € 9 ) to follow a posh-sounding Trinity student in a Harry Potterstyle academic robe as he described the colorful traditions of the place.
MUSEUMS & SIGHTS
But better culture bargains abound in Dublin, where entrance to all museums, including the National Gallery, the National Museum of Ireland and Trinity’s Douglas Hyde Gallery, is free. After fighting my way to a clear view of the Book of Kells only to be hurried along by a security guard so the next tourist could get a look, it was a pleasure to walk into the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle without paying a cent (cbl.ie). In this lesserknown location, I could examine the enormous collection of rare books and illuminated manuscripts in near solitude for as long as I liked.
TRACKING RELATIVES
The most exciting deal in town: A visit to the National Library’s Geneaology Advisory Service, where specialists are available to help foreign visitors trace their Irish ances- tors (nli.ie). Learning from the librarian that my husband’s surname, Bishop, is actually English, my older daughter speculated that the family must have participated in the Norman invasion and thus she must be distantly related to the Queen. The information was free, the conclusion priceless. It’s a great time to check out your Irish heritage as Ireland is celebrating The Gathering 2013; inviting members of the Irish diaspora or those who just want to come to visit the country for a series of festivals and parties. County Clare, for example, wants anyone named Clare or Claire or Clara or anything similar to come. There also is a gathering of redheads from around the world and lots more. For more information go to thegatheringireland.com.
THEATRE
Our trip to Dublin wouldn’t have been complete without an evening at one of its legendary theatres. We were lucky enough to catch a stylish and exceedingly well-acted production of Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance at the Gate. Used to Broadway prices, the € 35-ticket seemed like the deal of the century (although tickets to Monday evening shows and Saturday matinees can be had for € 25).
SHOPPING
Wallets stuffed with baby-sitting cash, my teenagers dragged me to Topshop (topshop.com), a threestory paradise of jeggings and bedazzled pullovers at the end of the street and across from picturesque St. Stephen’s Green. Maybe because of the sluggish Irish economy, the Dublin branch of the British chain (unlike the chaotic London and Manhattan stores) was almost as quiet as the Chester Beatty. The store’s lovely personal shopper swooped in and whisked us to a private dressing room, ushered me into an armchair, and plied me with macaroons and bottled water when she wasn’t fetching a denim vest for one or the other of the children. We couldn’t have asked for better service if we had been billionaires shopping at Harrods — although the bill was not any more than what we would have spent on a back-toschool trip to Abercrombie.
Most retail goods and services in Ireland have Value Added Taxes (VAT) of up to 23 per cent built into the price, but North Americans can shop tax-free.
Tourists used to collect their VAT refunds by filling out papers by mail upon their return home, but now we can pay less at the register by showing a FexCo Horizon Card to a cashier along with a credit card or cash.
Ask for cards at participating retailers.