Car Hire in Ireland - Tips for Travellers
 Customs
Travellers are not required to pay duty on an appropriate amount of items for personal use during their visit. In addition, the following duty-free allowances apply: no more than 1 litre of liquor and 2 litres of wine; and 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco. Banking & Currency
Banks offer the best exchange rates. Banks are open 10.00am to 3.00pm weekdays but may close from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in rural areas. Hours extend until 5.00pm on Thursdays in Dublin and in most other towns there is one evening per week the bank offers the extended evening hours. This varies from city to city, you will want to double check locally for more information. 'Bureaux de change' and other exchange facilities have extended hours but charge higher commission rates than banks. Many post offices also can exchange currency. ATM machines are readily available in urban areas, and can be found in or around banks in rural Ireland. Tipping
A 10 -15% tip is included in many hotel and restaurant bills. When not included, add a tip of about 10%. Tipping is not customary in pubs. A 10% gratuity is usual for taxi drivers and €0.50 is acceptable for porters and washroom attendants. Business Hours
Museums: Typical hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm weekdays, 10.00am to 1.00pm on Saturdays and 2.00pm to 5.00pm on Sundays. Post offices: 9.00am (9.30am on Wednesdays) to 5.30pm weekdays, 9.00am to 12.00pm Saturdays. Restaurants: Breakfast is served from 8.00am to 10.00am. Lunchtime is from 12.00pm or 12.30pm to 2.00pm. Dinner is usually served between 7.00pm and 9.30pm - but high tea at 5.00pm, followed at bedtime by a snack, is traditional in many B&Bs. Shopping: Stores usually operate from 9.00am to 5.30pm Mondays through Saturdays. Some stay open later on Thursdays and Fridays. Shopping centres may have extended hours daily, and a limited number of supermarkets are now offering Sunday hours as well. Local Tax
The VAT rate in Ireland is 13.5%. With your car hire in Ireland and these practical tips will help your holiday go as planned.
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