Leinster Accommodation Guide | Europcar Ireland

Accommodation Guide to Leinster

Ireland's Leinster Province stretches from the Irish Sea coast to the country's heartland. Its greatest offering is capital city Dublin, but there are several outlying towns and villages worth exploring if you have car rental in Leinster Province.

Dublin itself is the surest hotels base, and guests in this world-class city are on the doorsteps of uncountable historic sites. Museums, cathedrals and Trinity College occupy daytime itineraries. By night, visitors can dig into the pub and nightclub scenes, or they can wander down a side street to a venue playing trad music.

If you hire a car in Dublin, then you'll have the option of seeing the entire country by car. Driving times to other major cities like Cork and Galway aren't daunting, especially if you break them up with layovers in the interior.

These are the counties of Leinster Province:

County Carlow

Hosts the Blackstairs Mountains, where hang-gliding over rustic villages is a favourite pastime.

County Dublin

Is epicentre of all things Irish, and it doubles as the handiest place to pick up a hire car in Ireland.

County Kildare

Lies on the outskirts of Dublin and hosts a growing base of commuters; from travellers' perspectives, it's best known for the towns of Athy and Maynooth.

County Laois

Is prime hire-car countryside, but not only because it features on the drive between Dublin and Cork; the Slieve Bloom Mountains are marvellous.

County Meath

Is where the Book of Kells originated, and its premier tourist enclave is the medieval town of Trim, with a core of buildings that date to the 12th century.

County Offaly

Is a major stopover on the drive between Galway and Dublin; while in the area, it's imperative to see the monastic sites of Clonmacnoise.

County Westmeath

Is quiet and insulated from the rest of Ireland; the main attractions are the ecclesiastical ruins of Lough Ree and the quiet town of Athlone.

County Wexford

Is the site of Ireland's earliest Viking settlements, and the county's Hook Peninsula has snagged countless ships and sealed them away for future divers to explore.

County Wicklow

The ‘Garden of Ireland' is prime weekend retreat territory for Dubliners; hire a car and visit mid-week for a quiet mountain retreat.