There’s no doubt about it – the Irish love kids, and Ireland is a wonderfully welcoming place to visit for families with children. Most public places and visitor attractions cater for those children, with changing facilities, children’s menus, high chairs and ramps for pushchairs commonplace. 

Getting around

Republic of Ireland

On the trains: Children under five travel free, while children from five to 15 years old pay half fair. Irish Rail also offers Family Ticket Deals to visitors from overseas.

On the buses: Children under 16 are charged fares at such special child rates as may be specified from time to time. One child under three will be carried free if accompanied by and in the charge of a fare-paying passenger, provided that the child does not occupy a seat to the exclusion of another passenger. Check out Bus Éireann for more information.

Where doubt exists as to the eligibility of a child for a reduced fare, it’s the responsibility of the passenger claiming the child fare to produce evidence of age. 

Northern Ireland

Information about family tickets for unlimited travel in Northern Ireland by bus, Metro and rail are available from Translink. Children under 16 pay half fare on all routes. 

Children’s activities

Throughout the summer, there are lots of clubs for kids with special activity breaks from sports to arts and cookery. There’s also an abundance of zoos, wildlife parks, castles, caves, boat rides and much more to do while you’re here, so check out our list of family friendly  activities across the island of Ireland.

Family Fun Guide 

An invaluable resource for anyone who has to amuse the children while keeping an eye on the budget, this Family Fun Guide covers the entire island, taking in the major tourist sites as well as dozens of lesser-known attractions.

Produced by Rough Guides in association with Tourism Ireland, The Rough Guide to Family Fun in Ireland is exclusively available through Tourism Ireland and selected partners and is perfect for families who want to get the most out of their holiday while keeping an eye on the budget. 

Order the Family Fun Guide by calling 02 0015 9101 to order your FREE copy of Family Fun in Ireland – remember this book is not available anywhere else!