Ireland travel essentials you’ll actually need on your Ireland vacation

A carefully curated list of Ireland travel essentials: what you need to pack for your Ireland adventure, whatever the season.

Packing for a trip can be an exciting time, full of anticipation of days to come and outfits to wear.

However, if the country you are packing for is Ireland, it can also be a stressful time.

With the weather as moody as the changeable Irish one, how can you make sure you pack the right things?

This is where I can help!

I have been living in Ireland for 15 years and I have been helping people plan their trip to the Emerald Isle for just as long.

This is my list of Ireland travel essentials: it is a long list but it is a comprehensive one, studied so that you don’t have to second guess if you left something behind or what you may need.

Depending on your specific Ireland itinerary and plans you may need all or just some of these items: my best advice is to print this list and tick them off as you go.

Happy packing!

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Ireland travel essentials for all seasons

Ireland travel essentials: documents

• Passport (one per traveler, including kids) 
• Visa if needed. Please be advised that Ireland is outside the Schengen area and you may need an additional/different visa to enter. You can check requirements for your nationality on the Irish official immigration website or, if you are from the US, here
• Kids’ birth cert: I like to bring it when traveling alone with my kids, who have a different surname from me. While not consistently, I have been asked for it so now I recommend everyone to have it on them 
• Travel insurance
• International driving license 
• Prescriptions: Ireland has rules for prescriptions that can be significantly different from those back home. I recommend you bring prescriptions for all your needs and also a note with the generic name of the medication you need, to speed up the buying process in Ireland should you need to get anything while here 
• All your booking confirmation (car rental, tickets, accommodation), apps are usually ok

Ireland travel essential: health and well being

• All your prescriptions, with the generic name of the medication, should the commercial name differ from back home
• Paracetamol or equivalent for fever or pain (ask your doctor if now sure about dosage and best medication for you)
• Protective face cream with UV filter to protects you from sun, wind and cold
• Lip balm
• Sunglasses (the sun in Ireland, when it comes out, can be very strong)
• A well-stocked first aid kit with, at least: bandages and plasters, burn cream scissors, rehydrating salts, painkillers and fever medication, insect bite anti-allergy cream, disinfectant wipes for skin and surfaced, hand gel

Need to know: in Ireland, you can buy medications in pharmacies and, to a limited extent, in supermarkets. Supermarkets mostly stock paracetamol, vitamins and supplement. Please note that there are rules on the number of paracetamol boxes you can buy in any given transaction. This applies to other medications too, ask the pharmacist/ supermarket staff for details. Buy only what needed.

Essential clothing for your Ireland trip

• Comfortable walking shoes (sneakers are ok), ideally rainproof. Boots for the winter
• Socks
• Underwear
• Pants / skirt /dress
• Long sleeve tops
• Short-sleeve tops
• Cardigan / sweater
• Thermal top for winter
• Light jacket for summer
• Warm jacket for winter
• Windbreaker for summer
• Hat,scarf and gloves for winter
• Pajama /nightgown
• Light scarf for summer
• Sunglasses for summer
• A nicer outfit if staying in a castle or elegant hotel

Essential toiletries

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
• Face and body wash
• Hydrating body cream
• Deodorant
• Blades and shaving cream
• Sanitary pads
• Tweezers
• Nail clipper
• Comb/brush
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Makeup and makeup remover
• Hairbands and pins

Travel tech for Ireland and useful gadgets

• Camera + extra memory card
• Phone
• Phone charger
• Travel adapter for Irish 3 pin socket
• Power bank with several charging ports
• Local sim card (or a good roaming contract with your phone providers
• Google maps app on your phone
• Booking.com, AirBnB, Airline App, Car rental app downloaded on your phone
• Binoculars for birdwatching

A note about umbrellas: you may have noticed that I haven’t included an umbrella in my list. This is not an oversight! Ireland is very windy and umbrellas are often more a hindrance than an aid. If you go for one, make sure it is compact and wind-resistant.

Travel essentials for families visiting Ireland with young kids

• Child car seat
• Travel stroller
• Baby carrier
• Changing bag/mat
• Baby wipes
• Diapers for the first day (they are widely available in Ireland, you don’t need to stock up)
• Specific medications and prescriptions as needed

Useful books and maps

• Lonely Planet Ireland
• Paper map of Ireland

I hope you found my list of travel essentials for Ireland useful. Safe travels!