🇮🇪

Ireland

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📖 Full guideLast updated: 12/08/2026☀️ Heat escape 🏞️ Nature & mountains 🏛️ History & culture

The Emerald Isle: mighty Cliffs of Moher, the Wild Atlantic Way, endless green castles and lively literary Dublin — dramatic nature and a refreshingly cool summer.

ℹ️ General information

Capital: Dublin

Language: English, Irish

English among locals: Primary language

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Time zone: UTC+00:00

Weekend: Saturday–Sunday

🛂 Visa for Saudi passport

Visa required — 90 days

Ireland is outside Schengen — a separate Irish visa is required in advance. The BIVS scheme lets you enter on a short UK visa (and vice versa) — verify current terms.

Official source ↗

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.

🕓 Last officially verified: 12/08/2026

🗓️Best time to visit

Ireland is an oceanic climate moderated by the Gulf Stream, so there is neither hot summer nor hard winter — the whole annual range sits roughly between 5 and 20°C. There is no dry season: rain is possible on any day and usually arrives as repeated short showers rather than steady downpour, with the local rule that four seasons can pass in one afternoon. May–September is the season (14–20°C), with light past ten in the evening in June, and it is a genuine escape from Gulf heat for anyone who wants landscape rather than sun. The west (Kerry, Connemara) is markedly wetter and windier than Dublin.

🕌 For the Muslim traveler

Halal food: Available in Dublin (Pakistani and Middle Eastern spots); limited rurally.

Prayer places: Dublin Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland.

Friday is an official holiday: No

🌙Ramadan & Eid

Dublin's Islamic Cultural Centre holds taraweeh and iftar.

🎭Culture tips

Drive on the left. Pubs anchor social life, but family restaurants are an easy alternative.

💳Cards & payments

Contactless everywhere. Apps: Leap card, Free Now.

📲Apps & internet

Everything works but Uber hails licensed taxis only — FreeNow is standard. Leap Card (or app) for Dublin transit.

🚗Driving there

Traffic keeps to the LEFT side of the road — opposite to the Gulf! (steering wheel on the right) IDP advised; rural roads are very narrow — rent small and take full insurance.

💵Tipping culture

10–12% customary at restaurants; not expected at pubs.

📶SIM & eSIM

Vodafone and Three — prepaid (~EUR 20). eSIM available.

🚇Getting around

A rental car is near-essential outside Dublin (narrow rural roads); trains cover main cities only.

💰 Approximate cost

Dublin is dear: good hotel EUR 150–280, meal EUR 18–35. The countryside is kinder.

ℹ️ Prices are approximate and subject to change

🛡️ Safety

Safe with famously friendly people; nothing to flag except changeable rainy weather.

⚠️ Key laws before you travel

Left-side driving with mirrored roundabouts — practice before rural roads. [verify] drink-drive limits are lower than Britain's.

ℹ️ Laws change — verify with official sources; this is not legal advice.

💊 Restricted medications

Ireland is stricter here than the Gulf: ADHD meds (Ritalin/methylphenidate, Adderall, Vyvanse) are Schedule II controlled drugs, and melatonin is prescription-only, unlike OTC use elsewhere. Codeine and tramadol need a doctor's letter; OTC codeine (Solpadeine) is pharmacist-supervised, 3-day max. Cannabis/CBD is effectively banned for travellers — check HPRA's medicine search first.

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.

🆘 Emergency & your embassy

Emergency: 999 or 112

Your embassy (🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia): طوارئ السعوديين بالخارج / Saudi emergencies abroad: 00966920033334 — الرقم الموحد للخدمات / services: 00966920011114 — أقرب سفارة وأرقامها المحلية / nearest mission & local numbers: saudiembassy.sa + تطبيق MOFA

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.