Discover
Ireland
The Emerald Isle offers dramatic coastal cliffs, ancient castles, and unmatched pub culture.
Top Destinations
Explore our curated selection of landmarks and cities you must visit.
Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland's most visited natural attraction, rising up to 214 meters above the crashing Atlantic waves along 14 kilometers of the Clare coastline. These ancient cliffs, formed over 300 million years ago, offer breathtaking views of the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, and the Twelve Bens mountain range. The visitor experience center, built into the hillside to minimize visual impact, provides engaging exhibitions on the cliffs' geology, wildlife, and cultural significance. Thousands of seabirds, including puffins and razorbills, nest on the cliff faces each spring.
Best Time
May to September
Insider Tip
Walk south along the cliff...
Ring of Kerry
The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometer scenic driving route that loops around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland, showcasing some of the country's most dramatic and diverse landscapes. The route passes through charming villages, ancient stone forts, pristine beaches, and mountain passes with views of the Atlantic Ocean and offshore Skellig Islands. Along the way, visitors encounter Muckross House and Gardens, the Gap of Dunloe, and Ladies' View — a panoramic overlook once admired by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting.
Best Time
May to June (long days, wildflowers)
Insider Tip
Drive the ring counter-clockwise to...
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. According to Irish legend, the columns were built by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill to cross to Scotland and challenge his rival. The hexagonal columns, some reaching 12 meters high, create an otherworldly geometric landscape that must be seen to be believed. The surrounding coastline offers dramatic cliff walks and hidden coves.
Best Time
April to June
Insider Tip
Arrive before 10 AM or...
Trinity College & Book of Kells
Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, is Ireland's oldest and most prestigious university. Its stunning campus in the heart of Dublin features cobblestone squares, Georgian buildings, and the world-famous Long Room — one of the most beautiful libraries on Earth, housing 200,000 of the oldest books in the collection beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The college's greatest treasure is the Book of Kells, a magnificently illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels created by Celtic monks around 800 AD.
Best Time
Year-round (indoor attraction)
Insider Tip
Book the first or last...
Skellig Michael
Skellig Michael is a remote, pyramidal island rising 218 meters from the Atlantic Ocean, 12 kilometers off the Kerry coast. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it preserves a remarkably intact 6th-century monastic settlement, with beehive huts, oratories, and stone crosses perched on narrow terraces high above the crashing sea. The island gained worldwide fame as a filming location for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Thousands of Atlantic puffins nest on the island's slopes between May and July.
Best Time
May to July (puffin season, best weather)
Insider Tip
Only a limited number of...
Guinness Storehouse
The Guinness Storehouse is Ireland's most popular tourist attraction, welcoming over 1.7 million visitors annually to the birthplace of Ireland's most famous export. Housed in the original 1904 fermentation plant at St. James's Gate Brewery, the seven-story exhibition takes visitors through the history, ingredients, and brewing process of Guinness. The experience culminates at the Gravity Bar, a glass-walled rooftop bar offering 360-degree panoramic views of Dublin while you enjoy a perfectly poured complimentary pint.
Best Time
Year-round; weekday mornings for fewer crowds
Insider Tip
Upgrade to the Connoisseur Experience...
Killarney National Park
Killarney National Park encompasses 10,236 hectares of diverse mountain, lake, and woodland habitats, including Ireland's largest remaining area of ancient oakwood. The park is home to the only remaining wild herd of native red deer in Ireland, along with Muckross House, Ross Castle, and the spectacular Torc Waterfall. Three interconnected lakes — Lough Leane, Muckross Lake, and the Upper Lake — reflect the surrounding MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountains in their mirror-calm waters.
Best Time
May to September
Insider Tip
Rent a bicycle in Killarney...
Galway City
Galway is Ireland's cultural capital, a vibrant, bohemian city on the Wild Atlantic Way where traditional Irish music spills from every pub and colorful facades line medieval streets. The Latin Quarter and Quay Street are perpetually alive with buskers, street performers, and artists. The city hosts major festivals throughout the year, including the Galway International Arts Festival, Film Fleadh, and the famous Galway Races. The Spanish Arch and Long Walk along the River Corrib are iconic landmarks.
Best Time
July (Arts Festival) or September (Oyster Festival)
Insider Tip
Head to Tigh Coilí or...
Blarney Castle & Stone
Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold near Cork, famous for the Blarney Stone — a block of bluestone set into the battlements that, according to legend, bestows the 'gift of the gab' (eloquence) upon all who kiss it. The castle dates from 1446 and is surrounded by extensive grounds including the Poison Garden, Fern Garden, and a mysterious Rock Close with druid connections. Visitors must lean backwards over a parapet to kiss the stone — a thrilling experience 26 meters above the ground.
Best Time
April to October
Insider Tip
Arrive when the castle opens...
Dingle Peninsula
The Dingle Peninsula is the westernmost point of Europe, a rugged finger of land jutting into the Atlantic that is home to some of Ireland's most spectacular coastal scenery and richest Gaelic cultural heritage. The Slea Head Drive loops around the peninsula past ancient beehive huts, stunning cliff views, sandy beaches, and tiny fishing villages. Dingle town itself is a charming harbor settlement famous for its traditional pubs, seafood restaurants, and the legendary Fungie the dolphin.
Best Time
May to September
Insider Tip
Drive the Conor Pass for...
Newgrange
Newgrange is a prehistoric passage tomb built around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. This massive circular mound, 85 meters in diameter and 13 meters high, contains a 19-meter passage leading to a cruciform chamber. During the winter solstice, a narrow beam of sunlight penetrates the roof box and illuminates the chamber floor for exactly 17 minutes — a feat of Neolithic engineering that still astonishes scientists. The exterior is decorated with megalithic art including the famous triple-spiral motif.
Best Time
Year-round (though the solstice lottery is held annually)
Insider Tip
The winter solstice experience is...
Connemara
Connemara is a wild, windswept region of bog lands, rugged mountains, and isolated sandy beaches in western Galway. The Twelve Bens mountain range provides dramatic backdrop to emerald-green valleys dotted with dry-stone walls and whitewashed cottages. Kylemore Abbey, a stunning neo-Gothic castle on the shore of a mountain lake, is the region's most photographed landmark. Connemara is also one of Ireland's strongest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas, where Gaelic traditions remain vibrantly alive.
Best Time
May to September
Insider Tip
Drive the Sky Road from...
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel is a spectacular cluster of medieval buildings perched on a limestone outcrop rising dramatically from the Golden Vale of Tipperary. The complex includes a 12th-century round tower, a Romanesque chapel with remarkable stone carvings, a 13th-century Gothic cathedral, and a 15th-century tower house. According to legend, the rock was formed when St. Patrick banished Satan from a nearby cave, and the devil bit a chunk from the Slieve Bloom Mountains which landed here. Celtic high crosses in the surrounding graveyard date back over 1,000 years.
Best Time
April to October
Insider Tip
Walk around to the back...
Wild Atlantic Way
The Wild Atlantic Way is the world's longest defined coastal touring route, stretching 2,500 kilometers along Ireland's entire western seaboard from Donegal in the north to Cork in the south. The route encompasses soaring sea cliffs, hidden coves, remote islands, and charming coastal villages linked by winding roads that hug the dramatic coastline. Over 150 discovery points mark the route's highlights, from the Malin Head — Ireland's northernmost point — to the subtropical gardens of Garinish Island.
Best Time
May to September
Insider Tip
Don't try to drive the...
Aran Islands
The three Aran Islands — Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, and Inis Oírr — lie off the coast of Galway in the mouth of Galway Bay. These windswept limestone islands are among the last strongholds of traditional Irish language and culture. Inis Mór, the largest, is home to the prehistoric hill fort of Dún Aonghasa, perched dramatically on the edge of a 100-meter cliff. The islands' distinctive stone-walled fields, thatched cottages, and traditional currach boats represent a way of life that has endured for millennia.
Best Time
May to September
Insider Tip
Stay overnight on Inis Mór...
Powerscourt Estate
Powerscourt Estate encompasses 47 acres of some of the finest gardens in Europe, set against the dramatic backdrop of Great Sugar Loaf Mountain in the Wicklow Mountains. The gardens were laid out in the 1740s and feature Italianate terraces, Japanese gardens, walled gardens, and over 200 varieties of trees and shrubs. The nearby Powerscourt Waterfall, at 121 meters, is Ireland's highest. The Palladian mansion, rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1974, houses a luxury hotel, shops, and the Avoca café.
Best Time
May to September (gardens in full bloom)
Insider Tip
Visit the Japanese Garden and...
Temple Bar
Temple Bar is Dublin's cultural quarter, a cobblestoned neighborhood on the south bank of the River Liffey bursting with pubs, galleries, street performers, and vintage shops. By day, it's home to the Irish Film Institute, the Gallery of Photography, and weekend food and book markets. By night, it transforms into Dublin's most vibrant entertainment district, with traditional music sessions, craft beer bars, and some of the city's best restaurants. The Temple Bar pub itself, with its distinctive red facade, is one of the most photographed buildings in Ireland.
Best Time
Year-round; weekends are liveliest
Insider Tip
Avoid drinking at the famous...
Glendalough
Glendalough ('Glen of Two Lakes') is a glacial valley in the Wicklow Mountains housing one of Ireland's most important early medieval monastic sites. Founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century, the settlement includes a remarkably well-preserved round tower, stone churches, and Celtic crosses set against the backdrop of two serene lakes and forested mountains. The valley offers numerous hiking trails ranging from gentle lakeside walks to challenging mountain circuits, passing through ancient oak woodlands and along dramatic cliff edges.
Best Time
April to October
Insider Tip
Walk past the upper lake...
Burren National Park
The Burren is a unique karst landscape of 250 square kilometers of exposed limestone pavement in northwestern Clare. This otherworldly terrain of grey limestone 'clints' and deep 'grikes' supports an extraordinary flora where Arctic, Alpine, and Mediterranean plants grow side by side — a botanical phenomenon found nowhere else on Earth. Ancient dolmens, ring forts, and holy wells dot the landscape, and the 5,800-year-old Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of Ireland's most iconic images. Underground, the Aillwee Cave system reveals a hidden world of stalactites and waterfall chambers.
Best Time
May to June (wildflower season)
Insider Tip
Walk the Green Road from...
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison that played a pivotal role in Irish history, serving as a place of incarceration and execution for many leaders of Irish rebellions from 1798 to 1924. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed in the prison's stone-breaking yard, an event that transformed public opinion and ultimately led to Irish independence. The guided tour through the dark corridors, individual cells, and the hauntingly beautiful Victorian east wing provides a powerful and emotional journey through Ireland's struggle for freedom.
Best Time
Year-round
Insider Tip
Book online at least two...
Travel Tips for Ireland
- 1.
Rent a car for the countryside
- 2.
Prepare for changing weather
- 3.
Enjoy the traditional music sessions