If you are relatively healthy, able and want to enjoy the best of what the Irish countryside has to offer, think about renting a bicycle for a few days during your next leisure or business trip to Ireland. There are numerous bike rental firms throughout the country offering visitors the freedom to travel at their own pace using a rented bike and Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) as the main transportation mode.

Ardpatrick, Co. Limerick © Tourism Ireland

With their extensive knowledge, bicycle rental firms within Ireland can answer just about any question visitors may have regarding cycling in Ireland. Furthermore, they provide visitors with up to 10 percent off the rental cost if you also take your bike aboard an Irish Rail train, whether renting for an hour, a day or a week.

For visitors planning to bike outside of Dublin, Irish Rail recommends several bicycle rental firms throughout the country, along with information for reserving bike space on your train. For travelers planning to stay mostly in Dublin and wanting to keep a bicycle for a day or week, the best bet is using one of the bicycles from DublinBikes, the city’s popular bike-share program offering residents and visitors an easy-to-use app, where bikers can obtain a paid subscription for daily or multiday bike rental offers from conveniently placed docking stations throughout the city.

© Irish Rail

Some of the best biking experiences in Ireland include Greenway bike paths, of which there are dozens. The Waterford Greenway, the longest in Ireland, is a walking and cycling off-road trail offering a spectacular 28-mile route running from Waterford City to Dungarvan along an old railway line.

Another beautiful ride is The Great Southern Limerick Greenway, an off-road walking and cycling route along another old railway line connecting the three market towns of Rathkeale, Newcastlewest and Abbeyfeale in West Limerick.

Cahore Pier, Co. Wexford © Tourism Ireland

Bringing bicycles on Irish Rail trains is easy, as long as you avoid morning and evening rush hours. For instance, taking a train from Dublin to Galway on Ireland’s West Coast, a journey of about 2.5 hours, is just $25 one way, with several types of discounted fares available for students and seniors. Bike space on Irish Rail should be reserved online when buying a rail ticket. Bicycle space is usually free.