Ireland is a great place for a multi-stop tour or a nature-filled road trip. It has beautiful countryside, lively cities, good food and beer, and a dramatic coastline. You’re probably right about everything you think you know about Ireland. There are rolling fields with every shade of green you can think of, old stone pubs with Guinness on tap, and crumbling castles in the countryside. But there is so much more to see than just castles and traditional Irish music.
This is a country where you can surf the biggest waves in Europe, swim in lakes with clear water, and wakeboard without even leaving the capital. It’s a place with food trucks, street art, and cocktail bars that don’t serve alcohol. And the best part is that it’s not far away.
Current travel restrictions and entry requirements
As of right now, there are no restrictions on travel between the UK and Ireland, and no one needs a visa to enter either country. Up until recently, the COVID rules (and various lockdowns) were pretty strict. Now, there are no rules, other than the loose suggestion to wear a mask on public transportation. But people are talking about letting people wear masks in stores and public places again.
When it’s best to go
In general, summer is a bad time to visit Ireland because it’s full of tourists, hotel prices go through the roof, and the weather is ironically the worst. So, the best time to go is in the spring or fall, when things are calmer and the weather is usually the best. May and September are always safe bets. September has the Galway Oyster Festival, the Dublin Theatre Festival, and the Electric Picnic, which is like Glastonbury for Ireland. There’s also a lot to be said about going in the winter when the days are cold and the sky is bright blue. This gives you a good reason to find a cozy pub and read a book next to a turf fire.
The best cities and places
Dublin
Dublin is the first Irish city that many visitors see, which makes sense since it has so many free museums, cool cafes, and great nightlife. Don’t go to the loud, touristy pubs in Temple Bar. Instead, check out the small neighborhoods and villages that really make up the city. You can find the best street art, vintage shops, and food trucks with cult-like followings there. One of the best things about Dublin is that it’s not too big. You can get around on foot for the most part, drifting between city parks with Georgian townhouses and the Docklands, which is full of sleek tech company buildings. If you have a free afternoon, go explore the coast. You can get to the beaches of Killiney or the clifftops of Howth by train in less than an hour.
Kerry
If you close your eyes and think of Ireland, you’re probably picturing the landscapes of Kerry. This is a land of huge, deep green mountains, lakes that look like mirrors, and tiny, winding roads where white sheep with wooly coats have the right of way. It’s just as beautiful as you might expect, but in the summer, it gets crowded because of how popular it is. Don’t even think about driving around the Ring of Kerry in August, unless you want to spend most of the day looking at the back of a coach.
Cork
Cork is known as Ireland’s second city by everyone but the people who live there, who think it’s the capital of the country, if not the world. It’s on the southern coast and is known for its great food and artsy vibe. Like Galway, the city is a great place to start exploring the coast, which has white-sand beaches and water where whales and dolphins often swim. If you go out to the Beara Peninsula, you can choose from a lot of beaches. You can go kayaking at night on Lough Hyne, a marine lake near Baltimore, and try to see the magical phosphorescence as you move through the water.
Belfast and the coast of the Causeway
Northern Ireland isn’t always the first place people think of when they want to see Ireland, but the scenery is worth every penny. The drive from Belfast to Derry along the coast is a real treat, with stops at places like the Giant’s Causeway, the ruins on top of Dunluce Cliff, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. If you like Game of Thrones, you can go to the new studio tour where a lot of the show was shot or visit the different places where scenes were filmed.
- Galway
The small city on the west coast has one of the best weekend markets in the country, and traditional music is played in old pubs that are falling apart. But while the city is great, the countryside around it is even better. On a sunny day, the bays of Connemara look like they belong in the Caribbean. Make a beeline for Roundstone, a pretty seaside village where you can eat a dozen oysters and enjoy the seaside atmosphere. What’s best to do?
Take the Wild Atlantic Way.
The Wild Atlantic Way is a 1,500-mile road that runs along the coast and passes sea stacks, blows holes, and small groups of islands. It goes all the way around the west coast of Ireland. To drive the whole thing would be a bit of a rush job, so pick out small stretches along Donegal, Galway, or Kerry and stop whenever you see a jagged bronze waymarker on the side of the road. They show where the most beautiful stops are.
Visit several islands.
Along the west coast, there are a lot of islands. In Mayo’s Clew Bay, there are 365 islands, one for every day of the year. Even though most of them are empty, the larger ones are a dream to explore. If you take a boat to the Aran Islands, you can choose between the larger Inis Mór or the charming patchwork of fields on Inis Oirr, where the island’s feisty resident dolphin will knock your camera out of your hands if you get too close.
Lakelands are worth a look.
In general, Ireland’s coasts are the only places that people visit. But if you go inland, you’ll find just as beautiful scenery without the crowds and higher prices of the most popular spots. There are also more and more cool places to stay, like lodges that feel like American summer camps and bubble domes that let you sleep under the stars.
How to get around
One of Ireland’s biggest problems is that its public transportation system isn’t very good. Even though it’s easy to get from the big cities to Dublin by train or bus, you’ll probably need to rent a car if you want to really see the countryside.
Getting there
The fastest way to get to Ireland is on a flight with Ryanair, Aer Lingus, or one of several British airlines that fly there often. Dublin is the obvious place to start, but Shannon or Knock Airport is better if you want to see the west of Ireland. There are also ferries that go to Belfast, Rosslare, Larne, and Dublin. The port for Dublin is right in the city, which is very convenient. Rail and Sail tickets are a good deal because they include both ferry and train travel from hundreds of stations in the UK.
Money-saving tip
Most of the time, the most expensive thing will be where you stay, so avoid summer weekends, especially in Dublin, if you can. If you haven’t made a reservation yet, try a last-minute booking site like Hotel Tonight, where rooms are often cheaper.
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- How is the weather today?
You’ve probably heard the saying “all four seasons in a day.” In Ireland, however, you can experience all four seasons in just one hour. In general, Dublin and the south coast are warmer and drier than the west, which can get pretty wild.
- Where is the time zone?
GMT.
- How much money do I need?
Euro. Keep in mind that most places accept cards or contactless payments, and since Covid, more and more places don’t take cash.
- What language do people speak?
English and Irish, which are mostly spoken in places called Gaeltacht
