The worst feeling of any bank holiday? Realising on the Wednesday before that every hotel within 50 kilometres of the sea is full, and the only room left is above a nightclub in a town you’ve never heard of. The fix is simple: book things in the right order, at the right time. Here’s a timeline that works for any bank holiday weekend, at home or abroad.
3 to 6 months before: leave, flights and the hotspots
This is when the big decisions happen, and when the best rooms and fares are still around.
- Book your leave. Everything else depends on it. Our annual leave planner shows which days get you the longest break.
- Book flights for the busy weekends: Easter, August, October and Christmas. Our guide to the cheapest bank holiday to fly shows which weekends fill up first.
- Book a room in the hotspots. Galway, Dingle, Killarney, Kilkenny, Westport and Kinsale are full on most bank holiday weekends, and festival weekends go months ahead.
- Pick a free-cancellation rate when you can. It costs a little more and lets you change your mind if the plan changes.
6 to 8 weeks before: the details
- Book the activities that sell out: boat trips, popular tours, distillery visits and the big heritage sites with timed tickets.
- Book dinner for the Saturday night anywhere popular. The good restaurants in small towns fill up fast on a long weekend.
- Sort transport. Car hire, ferries to the islands and train seats are all cheaper and easier booked ahead.
- Check events. A festival can make or ruin a weekend, depending on whether you wanted it.
2 weeks before: check, don’t panic
- Look at the long-range weather and have a rainy-day plan. Our escapes list wet-weather options for every place.
- Confirm your bookings and check-in times, especially for small B&Bs that may not have someone on the desk late.
- Check what’s open. Some attractions and restaurants keep different hours on bank holidays. See what’s open on bank holidays.
The week of: pack and go
- Leave early or late. Friday between 4pm and 7pm is when every road out of Dublin is a car park. Saturday morning is calmer and you don’t lose much of the weekend.
- Pack for four seasons. This is Ireland. Sun cream and a rain jacket are not a contradiction.
- Plan the trip home. Monday afternoon is the rush back. Have a long lunch and come home after it, or stay the extra night if you’ve the leave.
Going abroad? Book in this order
For a city break the order changes slightly, because flights move faster than hotels. Book the leave, then the flights, then the room, ideally on the same evening. Cities have plenty of rooms, so there’s less panic there, but the good-value, central ones still go early on a bank holiday weekend, especially when the UK has a long weekend at the same time.
- Check flight times before price. A cheap 6am flight that needs a 3am taxi isn’t cheap.
- Stay central. On a three-night trip, an extra €20 a night to walk everywhere is worth it.
- Book the one thing you’d hate to miss. A famous museum, a football match, a restaurant you’ve wanted to try for years. Everything else can wait until you’re there.
Ways to pay less for a bank holiday stay
- Go Sunday to Tuesday. Friday and Saturday nights are the dear ones. If you can take the Tuesday, the same room often costs less.
- Look one town over. The village ten minutes from the famous one is usually cheaper, quieter and has a pub with a fire.
- Try a self-catering place for groups and families. Splitting a house usually beats two or three hotel rooms.
- Book direct and ask. Small hotels and B&Bs sometimes have a better rate or an extra perk if you ring them.
Left it too late? Here’s what still works
Don’t give up: last-minute trips can be great, they just need a different approach.
- Go where the crowds aren’t. Skip the famous towns and look at the quieter places nearby: the next peninsula, the inland lakes, the town with a good pub and no tour buses.
- Shift the dates. Arriving on Saturday or staying Monday night instead of Friday can open up rooms.
- Try a city. Cities have far more rooms than seaside towns, so they rarely sell out completely.
- Stay home and do it properly. A local hotel for one night, a long walk and a big dinner is still a long weekend.
Where to go
Our escapes in Ireland show the drive time from your town for every place, and our city breaks cover the best places for a short flight. If you’re still deciding which weekend, start with every Irish bank holiday.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I book a hotel for a bank holiday weekend?
For popular places like Galway, Dingle, Killarney and Kilkenny, three to six months ahead is safest, and earlier for festival weekends. Quieter places and cities usually have rooms closer to the date.
Is it cheaper to book a bank holiday weekend last minute?
Rarely in the popular spots, where prices tend to rise as rooms fill up. Last-minute deals are more likely in cities and quieter areas.
Should I book a refundable room?
For anything booked months ahead, yes if the difference is small. Plans change, weather turns and leave gets moved, and a free-cancellation rate lets you rebook without losing money. Closer to the date, a cheaper non-refundable rate makes more sense.
What should I book first for a bank holiday weekend?
Your annual leave, then whatever is hardest to replace: flights for a trip abroad, or the room in a popular town for a trip at home. Restaurants and activities come next, about six to eight weeks out.
When is the worst time to drive on a bank holiday weekend?
Friday evening leaving the cities and Monday afternoon coming back. Leaving on Saturday morning or coming home on Monday evening or Tuesday avoids most of it.
More planning help: Annual leave planner What's open on bank holidays Escapes in Ireland
