Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This topic is updated every year, but things change. For the latest, visit
www.ricksteves.com/update
.
For a valuable list of reports and experiences—good
and bad—from fellow travelers, check
www.ricksteves.com/feedback
.
Abbreviations and Times
I use the following symbols and abbreviations in this topic:
Sights are rated:
▲▲▲
Don't miss
▲▲
Try hard to see
▲
Worthwhile if you can make it
No rating
Worth knowing about
Tourist information offices are abbreviated as
TI,
and bathrooms are WCs. To
Like Europe, this topic uses the
24
-
hour clock.
It's the same through 12:00
noon, and then keeps going: 13:00, 14:00, and so on. For anything over 12, subtract
12 and add p.m. (14:00 is 2:00 p.m.).
When giving
opening times,
I include both peak season and off-season hours if
they differ. So, if a museum is listed as “May-Oct daily 9:00-16:00,” it should be
open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. from the first day of May until the last day of October
(but expect exceptions).
For
transit
or
tour departures,
I first list the frequency, then the duration. So, a
train connection listed as “2/hour, 1.5 hours” departs twice each hour, and the jour-
ney lasts an hour and a half.
Sleeping
describes my favorite hotels, from good-value deals to cushy splurges.
Eating
serves up a range of options, from inexpensive pubs to fancy restaurants.
Connections
outlines youroptions fortraveling todestinations bytrain, bus,andplane,
plus route tips for drivers.
Ireland: Past and Present,
at the end of the topic, gives you a quick overview of Irish
history, a look at contemporary Ireland, a taste of the Irish language, and an Irish-Yankee
vocabulary list.
The
appendix
is a traveler's tool kit, with telephone tips, useful phone numbers and
websites, transportation basics (on trains, buses, car rentals, driving, and flights), recom-
mended books and films, a festival list, a climate chart, and a handy packing checklist.
Browse through this topic, choose your favorite destinations, and link them up. Then
haveagreattrip!Travelinglikeatemporarylocal,you'llgettheabsolutemostoutofevery
