IRELAND - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 318

Shopping for Waterford crystal? Depart Heuston Station via Kilkenny to the town
where it's made—and take money, lots of it!
Tourist Information/Hotel Reservations
• Tourist Information Office: Dublin Tourism Centre, Suffolk Street, Dublin 2; Tel:
00 3531 605 7700; reservations from the United States; Tel: [phone]
2083; www.visitdublin.com ; E-mail: [e-mail]. Hours:
0900-1730 Monday-Saturday, 1030-1500 Sunday.
Dublin is well equipped to offer a wide range of accommodations to visitors. Two
exceptions, however, come during the Dublin Horse Show in early August and St.
Patrick's Day in March. The principal sporting and social event of the year in Ire-
land, the horse show attracts thousands of visitors from all parts of the world. Don't
plan to be in Dublin during the horse show unless you have confirmed reserva-
tions. The city is filled to overflowing at that time. If you are planning a visit to Dublin
on St. Patrick's Day or during the summer months, it would be wise to check well
in advance with the Irish Tourist Board in New York for accommodation arrange-
ments.
Travelers looking for homelike accommodations can purchase the Irish Tourist
Offices' Self Catering Services Guide, which describes apartments or houses for
short-term rent (for a few days, a weekend, or a week). For reservations, contact
the Dublin Tourism Centre.
Bed-and-breakfast establishments are also a viable alternative to large, ex-
pensive hotels. Again, the Irish Tourist Offices maintain current descriptions. Noel
and Deirdre Comer's extraordinary guesthouse, Number 31, at 31 Leeson Close,
Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, is the former home of Sam Stephenson, one
of Dublin's renowned architects. Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone];
www.number31.ie ; E-mail: [e-mail].
For those who wish to experience the ambience of one of Dublin's newest land-
mark hotels, we suggest the Brooks Hotel, 59-62 Drury Street, Dublin 2. Tel: (01)
670 4000; Fax: [phone]; www.brookshotel.ie ; E-mail: reservations@brooks
hotel.ie. Room rates range from standard to superior executive suites, and the loc-
ation places you in the heart of the city, with Grafton Street, Temple Bar, and Trinity
College only a short walk away.
Getting Around In and Outside Dublin