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Practicalities
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The
bus
and
train stations
are on Southern Station Rd, north of the centre. The
tourist office
(May to mid-Oct Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm; tel 0902/94630) is in the castle in Market Place. Both the
post office
and a
laundry
are situated on Pearce St. Boats of all sizes can be rented locally. Much good rod
fishing
can also be done just past the weir, where you'll often see a line of anglers; rod and reels are for rent from the Strand Tackle Shop in the Strand (A?5/a?¬6.35 per day).
Bike rental
is available from Hardiman's, 48 Connaught St (tel 0902/78669).
Athlone has one budget accommodation option: Lough Ree Lodge (tel 0902/76738), a ten-minute walk from the centre on the Dublin Rd, opposite the college. If you have a few extra pounds to spend then The Bastion , situated above a trendy clothes shop on Bastion St (tel 0902/94954, bastion@iol.ie ; A?33-40/a?¬41.90-50.79) is a must: the traditional wooden interior and idiosyncratic decoration give the place a slightly bohemian feel, while the breakfast of croissants, freshly ground coffee and various cheeses and fruit is a welcome relief from standard fried B&B fodder. Other recommended B&B's are Villa St John (tel 0902/92490; A?33-40/a?¬41.90-50.79) and Bogganfin House , both on Roscommon Rd (tel 0902/94255; A?33-40/a?¬41.90-50.79), and Cluain Inis on Galway Rd (tel 0902/94202; A?33-40/a?¬41.90-50.79). The Left Bank Bistro on Bastion St (tel 0902/94446; closed Sun), cafA© by day and restaurant by night, serves imaginative, flavoursome Mediterranean meals at low prices, while A Slice of Life on High St dishes up cheap pasta dishes. In the same street, Pavarotti's Italian restaurant has a cosy wine bar and serves excellent pizzas (Thurs-Sun 11pm-2am); and there's good lunchtime bar food at Gertie Brown's . The Olive Grove (tel 0902/76946) restaurant on the east side of the bridge serves excellent Mediterranean food at reasonable prices - the Greek salad is especially recommended. If you want a romantic setting and aren't concerned with cost, investigate the varied menu at Le Chateau (tel 0902/94517), which is located in a converted church on St Peter's Port. For a quick, cheap sandwich the place to go is Ollies , a tiny cafA© on Barrack St.
The best
pub
is
Sean's Bar
, tucked away behind the castle and easily identified by its four Ionic columns. It has popular
traditional music
sessions on a Tuesday (pipes and violin), Thursday (violins), and Sunday (open session). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Ireland,
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