Travel Budget for County Donegal Visit County Donegal on a Budget or Travel in Style

County Donegal, Ireland

How much does it cost to travel to County Donegal?

You should plan to spend around $79 (€73) per day on your vacation in County Donegal. This is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors.

Past travelers have spent, on average for one day:

  • $17 (€15) on meals
  • $114 (€105) on hotels

A one week trip to County Donegal for two people costs, on average, $1,112 (€1,021). This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

All of these average travel prices have been collected from other travelers to help you plan your own travel budget.

  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    $79
    73
  • One Week Per person
    $556
    511
  • 2 Weeks Per person
    $1,112
    1,021
  • One Month Per person
    $2,382
    2,188
  • One Week For a couple
    $1,112
    1,021
  • 2 Weeks For a couple
    $2,223
    2,042
  • One Month For a couple
    $4,764
    4,377
This data comes from the travel budgets of real travelers - How it works. Put these numbers on your website.


How much does a one week, two week, or one month trip to County Donegal cost?

A one week trip to County Donegal usually costs around $556 (€511) for one person and $1,112 (€1,021) for two people. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

A two week trip to County Donegal on average costs around $1,112 (€1,021) for one person and $2,223 (€2,042) for two people. This cost includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

Please note, prices can vary based on your travel style, speed, and other variables. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the price per person often goes down because kid's tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down. Two people traveling together for one month in County Donegal will often have a lower daily budget per person than one person traveling alone for one week.

A one month trip to County Donegal on average costs around $2,382 (€2,188) for one person and $4,764 (€4,377) for two people. The more places you visit, the higher the daily price will become due to increased transportation costs.




Independent Travel

Traveling Independently to County Donegal has many benefits including affordabilty, freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to control your own experiences.

All of the travel costs below are based on the experiences of other independent travelers.

Is County Donegal expensive to visit?

County Donegal is a reasonably affordable place to visit. Located in Ireland, which is a moderately priced country, visitors will appreciate the relatively low cost of this destination. It is in the top 10% of cities in the country for its affordability. If you're traveling on a budget, then this is a good destination with affordable accommodation, food, and transportation.

Within Europe, which is known to be an expensive region, County Donegal is a reasonably affordable destination compared to other places. It is in the top 25% of cities in Europe for its affordability. You can find more affordable cities such as Novi Sad, but there are also more expensive cities, such as Avignon.

For more details, and to find out if it's within your travel budget, see Is County Donegal Expensive?

How much money do I need for a trip to County Donegal?

The average County Donegal trip cost is broken down by category here for independent travelers. All of these County Donegal travel prices are calculated from the budgets of real travelers.


Category Cost
Accommodation 1 (Double Occupancy) 105 ($114)
Food 2 15 ($17)
Alcohol 2 25 - 75 ($27 - 82)
Accommodation Budget in County Donegal
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

The average price paid for one person for accommodation in County Donegal is $57 (€52). For two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room, the average price paid for a hotel room in County Donegal is $114 (€105). This cost is from the reported spending of actual travelers.


  • Accommodation1 Hotel or hostel for one person
    $57
    52
  • Accommodation1 Typical double-occupancy room
    $114
    105

Hotel Prices in County Donegal

Looking for a hotel in County Donegal? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options.

Find the best hotel for your travel style.

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Food Budget in County Donegal
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • While meal prices in County Donegal can vary, the average cost of food in County Donegal is $17 (€15) per day. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out an average meal in County Donegal should cost around $6.70 (€6.15) per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in County Donegal is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.


  • Food2 Meals for one day
    $17
    15


Alcohol Budget in County Donegal
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The average person spends about $55 (€50) on alcoholic beverages in County Donegal per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.


  • Alcohol2 Drinks for one day
    $55
    50


County Donegal On a Budget
County Donegal Donegal Coast
Bordering the Atlantic Ocean on Northern Ireland's northwestern perimeter, County Donegal is a largely Irish-speaking region known for its castles, rugged coastline, and scenic mountain landscape. Until around 1600, the area was largely controlled by the O'Donnel clan, one of Ireland's richest and most powerful Gaelic ruling families. Their base was located in what is now Donegal Town at Donegal Castle, which still stands today.

Like many areas on the western seaboard of Ireland, Donegal has a world renowned fiddle tradition with songs featuring a distinctive sound that can be heard in just about any village pub. It also has a long literary tradition, beautiful wool textiles, and a largely Catholic population.
Sights
One of the most popular attractions of County Donegal is Glenveagh National Park. It is the second largest national park in Ireland, covering about 170 square kilometers of mountains, raised boglands, lakes, and woodlands. Glenveagh Castle is an architectural highlight of the park, a 19th century castellated mansion crafted from local granite. Its construction in a remote mountain setting was inspired by the Victorian idyll of a romantic highland retreat, and its preserved condition offers a glimpse of a lifestyle belonging to another age. Visitors can take guided tours of the castle.

Another important castle of the region is Donegal Castle, located in Donegal Town. As mentioned earlier, it was an important fortress of the O'Donnel clan, has since been restored, and is open to the public for touring and Gaelic cultural events.

Most of the other sites of Donegal County consist of striking natural features. The Slieve League, for example, is a mountain on the Atlantic coast that has some of the highest sea cliffs on the island of Ireland, reaching heights of up to 600 meters. Malin Head is the most northerly point of Ireland, located on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal. This point where the land meets the sea is said to be breathtaking, wild and rugged with plenty of wildlife and an interesting wartime history. As far as the rest of the countryside goes, County Donegal is full of rolling mountains, scenic lakes, and beautiful waterfalls.
Regions
Donegal Town, home to Donegal Castle, is the place that gives County Donegal its name. It is a quaint town with a handful of pubs and inns, and offers easy access to sandy beaches as well as hiking in the nearby Bluestack Mountains. While the pubs do have some nightly traditional entertainment, a better selection of shops and social amenities can be found in other nearby towns.

Letterkenny, for example, is the largest and most populous urban settlement in County Donegal. The town boasts a movie theater, annual music festivals, as well as a lively nightlife with many bars, pubs, and clubs to choose from.

If you seek more of a quaint, but bustling village, Ardara is becoming more and more popular with visitors. There has been some recent growth with pubs and shops featuring local crafts made from wool-as it is the woolen center of County Donegal. There is also a weaving museum, plus music, dance, and art festivals throughout the year.

Bundoran is the most southerly town in County Donegal. A popular seaside resort, the town caters primarily to tourism with a large selection of inns, pubs, and local activities.

Activities
Being home to so many natural wonders, County Donegal is a hub for visitors looking to experience the outdoors of Ireland's unique landscape. From seaside cliffs and crashing waves to rolling mountains, sweeping green valleys, waterfalls, glens, and lakes, County Donegal is full of opportunity for the outdoor explorer. Glenveagh National Park with a wilderness of its own has become a haunt for many interesting plants and animals. You might catch sight of some along any of the park's marked trails, from pleasant walks to mountainous "hillwalking." If you find yourself further north, on the Inishowen Peninsula, a walk to the 40-foot Glenevin Waterfall is also well-worth the journey.

Beyond exploring the unarguable natural beauty, a visit to any of the towns and villages of County Donegal will offer up another range of activities. From souvenir shopping for local crafts like woolen tapestries, blankets, and rugs, to hopping pubs, museums, galleries, and local life, each town of County Donegal is its own little hub of culture. Some of the best activity can be found in popular seaside resort town of Bundoran, as well as Donegal Town and Letterkenny.

As far as history goes, a place like Glencolmcille Folk Village sits as a thatched-roof replica of a rural village, down to the details of period furniture and artifacts. Designed, built and maintained by the local people, the Folk Village is one of Ireland's best living-history museums. Doagh Famine Village, on the other hand, offers another kind of historical experience with guided tours that take visitors through a journey of Ireland's struggles from the great famine up until present day.
Food and Dining
Many are familiar with the traditional Irish favorites beef and Guinness stew, shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage-the list goes on. Plus, one cannot miss some of the domestic brews like Smithwicks, Guinness, and Harp. Northern Ireland, however, also has some of its own unique cuisine, the best known traditional dish being the Ulster fry. It is a breakfast dish prepared with griddle breads like soda bread and potato which are fried until crisp and golden and served with Bacon, sausages, an egg, a tomato and sometimes mushrooms or pancakes. Pubs, of course, are a staple anywhere in Ireland, most featuring nightly entertainment of traditional Irish tunes.

Transportation
The main airport of the region is Donegal Airport, located on the west coast. Flights operate twice daily all year round from Donegal to Dublin Airport, with a schedule four times weekly from Donegal to Glasgow International Airport.

Letterkenny is the largest city in County Donegal. The Bus Eireann Travel Centre in Letterkenny provides bus service to Derry, Dublin, Galway, and many other locations. See their website for schedule details.

Being a fairly rural and large county, the easiest way to navigate the area is by car. Renting a vehicle offers much convenience to see what you want to see with easier access to the more rural towns, and no grueling bus rides.


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We've been gathering travel costs from tens of thousands of actual travelers since 2010, and we use the data to calculate average daily travel costs for destinations around the world. We also systematically analyze the prices of hotels, hostels, and tours from travel providers such as Kayak, HostelWorld, TourRadar, Viator, and others. This combination of expenses from actual travelers, combined with pricing data from major travel companies, gives us a uniqe insight into the overall cost of travel for thousands of cities in countries around the world. You can see more here: How it Works.



1 Categories averaged on a per-item basis.
2 Categories averaged on a per-day basis.
For example, the Food2 daily average is for all meals for an entire day, while Entertainment1 is for each individual purchase. Thus, the overall daily average cost is not a summation of the individual categories.