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Ireland is world renowned for a few things. Extremely friendly people, lush emerald green scenery, a lot of rain, Conor McGregor, pubs galore and of course, that Guinness beer! There are so many places to see within Ireland and they definitely couldn’t all be covered during one trip, but if you use your time wisely, you will be able to see a lot of what the country has to offer its visitors. Most people come to Ireland and expect to be shrouded in cloudy skies and rainy days, but when I was there, my friend and I were greeted with sunny skies and we even got sunburnt, yes…in Ireland out of all places! The majority of visitors to the Green Isle make their way across this island nation via road tripping by car, but we opted for train travel, which ended up being stress-free and much cheaper on the wallet and helped us save some extra Euros for those quintessential Irish pub crawls.
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During our travels, we were able to cover quite a bit of the country. Making our way to Dublin, Northern Ireland, Cork, Killarney and Galway in just a week! Ireland was never at the top of my “must visit places” to go to, but I did enjoy the train journey through the countryside as we made our way from city to city and the friendliness of the Irish people really made me feel welcomed wherever we went. Not to mention that driving The Ring of Kerry (even in the fog) was super pretty and I do have to say that the fogginess made it seem pretty magical!
Read more: Dublin, Ireland – Things to do & places to see while exploring this charming city
Read more: Cork, Ireland – How to spend 48 hours exploring this hip & compact city
Read more: Killarney, Ireland – Exploring the Ring of Kerry
The unique charms of each individual city stood out for their own reasons. Dublin is not only the capital of Ireland, but also the largest city in the country. With its cobblestone streets and classic pubs, you will never be bored in Dublin. There are many landmarks, buildings and monuments dating back hundreds of years within this bustling city. Cork may have a small town vibe to it, but don’t let that fool you. This city, most commonly referred to as the “Second city of Ireland”, is full of bustling pubs and tiny little shops on every corner. With a growing hipster vibe to it, with fancy coffee shops and social beer gardens, there is something for everyone, including the younger student crowds that seem to gather at the local drinking holes to gossip about their days. Make sure to take a stroll down Oliver Plunkett Street for some of the best pub grub in town. Killarney is a modern day mecca for tourism and was my favourite place during our trip. Tours such as the Ring of Kerry dominate the “Top 5 things to do” lists of every tourist’s itinerary and rightfully so. The roads along the Ring of Kerry are a motorcyclist’s dream come true, with winding curves and epic scenery, it’s definitely a sight to see. Galway may arguably be the “most Irish city in Ireland” to some. A ton of shops sell cozy, traditional Aran sweaters and others selling handcrafted Claddagh rings, which originated in Galway. Make sure to sit back and relax with a gelato in hand within Eyre Square in the city centre. It’s a welcome open green space with sculptures, pathways and just a place to chill out after a big pub lunch. Don’t forget to visit Northern Ireland as well. This area is extremely under credited in my personal opinion. Places such as The Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Giant’s Causeway and Belfast make for a great day trip from Dublin.
Read more: Galway, Ireland – How to spend a day exploring the city
Read more: Crossing the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Enough rambling…here are 25 photos to inspire you to visit Ireland and may even get you dancing to some Irish Trad music and drinking Guinness (I promise it DOES taste better over there). 😉
Whether a visit to The Green Isle is on your European bucket list, or not, you’re bound to have a good time while travelling within the country and you can guarantee that because the Irish won’t let you have a bad time! 😉
Have any of you guys visited Ireland? If so, what areas did you visit and what did you like the most about the country? What didn’t you love? Let me know in the comments below! xo
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