By car is the most practical way to explore Ireland outside the major cities. The road network is good on the main routes, and a motorway system links Dublin with Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Belfast. Rural roads, however, are often narrow — sometimes barely one lane wide — so allow more time than the map suggests. Drive on the left. Speed limits are in kilometres per hour in the Republic, miles per hour in Northern Ireland. Rental cars are widely available at Dublin, Cork, and Shannon airports; booking in advance is advisable in summer. Most rental cars are manual transmission (stick shift) — automatics are available but cost significantly more and should be reserved ahead of time.
By train, Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) connects Dublin with Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo, and Belfast. Journey times are reasonable — Cork is about 2.5 hours from Dublin, Galway around 2 hours 15 minutes. Trains are comfortable and generally reliable. The network does not reach many of the most visited tourist areas (Connemara, Donegal, the Dingle Peninsula), so trains work best as a way to get between the main cities.
By bus, Bus Éireann runs an extensive intercity and regional network, reaching towns and villages that trains don't. Journey times can be long and schedules inconvenient in rural areas, but for budget travelers it's a workable option. Expressway services between cities are faster and more frequent. Private operators like Citylink and GoBus supplement the network, often at competitive prices on routes like Dublin–Galway and Dublin–Cork.
Within Dublin, the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is an electric coastal railway that runs along the bay from Malahide and Howth in the north to Greystones in the south, passing through the city centre. Dublin Bus covers the rest of the city, and the Luas tram runs two cross-city lines. Getting around Dublin by public transport is straightforward; Leap cards give discounts across all modes.
Cycling is increasingly well-catered for in Dublin and Galway, with shared bike schemes in the city centres. Long-distance cycling on quiet country roads can be excellent, particularly in the west and along the Greenway routes (dedicated off-road cycling and walking trails that follow disused railway lines). The Great Western Greenway in Mayo is one of the longest in Ireland.