Best Places to Go in Ireland: Where Sheep Outnumber Selfie Sticks (Usually)

The Undeniably Best Places to Go in Ireland (Even When It’s Raining)

When mapping out the best places to go in Ireland, remember that Ireland doesn’t believe in straight lines. Roads meander like drunken conversations, and what looks like a quick jaunt on Google Maps might involve negotiating with sheep for right-of-way. Consider this your reality-adjusted guide to Ireland’s greatest hits, complete with actual prices because fantasy budgets belong in fantasy novels.

Dublin: Where History and Happy Hour Converge

Dublin has mastered the art of being simultaneously ancient and trendy – like your college professor who quotes Aristotle but also knows all the TikTok dances. The city center is gloriously walkable, with Trinity College and its illuminated Book of Kells ($18 admission) sitting just minutes from Dublin Castle, which has witnessed more Irish history than most textbooks cover.

Temple Bar district gets the Instagram glory, but it’s also where pints mysteriously cost $8-9 instead of the standard $5-6 elsewhere. For actual Dubliners drinking actual Irish beer, slip into The Long Hall or Kehoe’s, where locals discuss politics, sports, more politics, and occasionally break into song without warning or apparent reason.

The Guinness Storehouse ($30) offers a masterclass in industrial tourism transformation – they’ve somehow made fermentation fascinating and capped it with a Gravity Bar view that makes Dublin’s otherwise low skyline seem positively majestic. Literary enthusiasts can track Joyce’s Ulysses footsteps on specialized walking tours ($15-25), though reading the actual book remains entirely optional.

Dublin Accommodations: From Splurge to Scraping By

Dublin’s accommodation range rivals its literary output in diversity. The Dean ($200-250/night) offers boutique hipness with turntables in rooms for those who pretend vinyl never died. Buswells Hotel ($150-180/night) provides mid-range comfort with that traditional Georgian vibe that makes Americans feel vaguely colonial. Budget travelers can bunk at Abbey Court ($30-40/night) where you’ll make friends from 17 countries, three of which you might not be able to locate on a map.

For day-trippers, the coastal village of Howth offers seafood fresh enough to still be wearing seaweed and cliff walks that make for perfect “look-how-outdoorsy-I-am” social media updates. Malahide Castle delivers 800 years of history, essentially the Irish equivalent of Rhode Island’s Newport mansions but with ghosts that have significantly more tenure.

Galway: The West’s Cultural Heartbeat

If Dublin is Ireland’s business-casual capital, Galway is its bohemian cousin who studied art in Paris and came back wearing a beret. The city’s Shop Street pulses with buskers, artists, and enough colorful storefronts to make a rainbow look monochrome. Think Austin’s artistic energy but with more rain and fewer food trucks selling artisanal tacos.

Timing matters in Galway. Visit during the Arts Festival (July) or Oyster Festival (September) for maximum cultural immersion but expect accommodation prices to perform their own Celtic miracle by rising 30-40% overnight. The culinary scene ranges from Hooked’s contemporary seafood ($25-35 entrees) to The King’s Head’s traditional fare ($15-25), where potato transforms from humble tuber to gastronomic centerpiece.

Accommodations range from the stately Hotel Meyrick ($180-220/night) overlooking Eyre Square to rental apartments in Salthill ($120-160/night) where ocean views come standard but heating controls remain mysteriously elusive. The trick to Galway dining? Eat before 6 PM or after 9 PM unless standing in line is your idea of cultural immersion.

The Wild Atlantic Way: Nature’s Drama Queen

The Wild Atlantic Way isn’t subtle. This 1,600-mile coastal route doesn’t whisper its beauty – it screams it through crashing waves, towering cliffs, and land formations that look like Earth showing off. Among the best places to go in Ireland, this region tops the list for those seeking nature’s grandeur without the crowds of Yellowstone.

The Cliffs of Moher ($8 admission) are Ireland’s version of California’s Big Sur, except with more dramatic drops and fewer guardrails. Visit during early morning to avoid tour buses disgorging passengers by the hundreds. The nearby Burren’s limestone landscape (free access to most areas) could double as a sci-fi movie set – its lunar-like pavements have supported plant life for millennia and confused tourists for decades.

The Dingle Peninsula offers Ireland’s most photographed beach at Inch, the best seafood chowder in the country at Murphy’s Pub ($12), and mysterious tales about Fungie the dolphin’s 2020 disappearance that locals discuss with the gravity of a true national crisis. The peninsula’s single-lane roads with two-way traffic provide Americans with anecdotes about near-death experiences that improve with each retelling back home.

Accommodation strategy: Use hub towns like Doolin or Dingle as bases rather than constantly relocating. BandBs averaging $80-120/night offer not just rooms but also proprietors who serve as unofficial regional historians, weather prophets, and genealogists who might connect you to Irish relatives you didn’t know existed (or might not actually exist).

Cork and The South: Ireland with an Attitude

Cork proudly carries its reputation as Ireland’s rebellious second city, where they’ll tell you everything Dublin does, Cork does better – except perhaps traffic jams and overpriced coffee. The English Market (dating to 1788) offers a food hall experience where you can sample local delicacies without committing to full meals. The Crawford Art Gallery (free admission) provides cultural credentials, while the Butter Museum ($5 entry) proves the Irish can create fascinating exhibitions about, yes, butter.

Blarney Castle ($18) delivers more than just the stone-kissing ritual that supposedly grants eloquence. The poison garden and extensive grounds deserve at least two hours, but avoid the 11 AM to 2 PM window when coaches arrive en masse. The castle’s narrow spiral staircases serve as excellent filters for those with claustrophobia or anyone who opted for the all-Irish-breakfast option that morning.

Coastal towns provide character in concentrate. Kinsale’s rainbow-hued buildings and seafood restaurants (try Fishy Fishy, $30-40 entrees) make it the perfect small-town Irish experience. Cobh, the Titanic’s final port of call, combines tragedy tourism with gorgeous harbor views and a cathedral that makes Episcopalians feel architecturally inadequate.

For whiskey enthusiasts, the Jameson Experience in Midleton ($23) offers more personalized tours than Dublin’s whiskey attractions. The comparative tasting session scientifically proves that Irish whiskey is superior to Scotch and bourbon, though the proof methodology involves getting slightly tipsy at 11 AM.

Northern Ireland: The Complicated, Captivating North

Crossing into Northern Ireland means switching currencies (pounds replace euros), road signs (miles replace kilometers), and subtle cultural signifiers that visitors rarely notice but locals consider identity-defining. This region represents some of the best places to go in Ireland for travelers seeking both beauty and complexity.

Belfast has transformed from troubled city to tourism success story. The Titanic Belfast museum ($25) turns maritime disaster into architectural triumph with interactive exhibits explaining why the “unsinkable” ship had such a short career. Black Cab political tours ($30-40 per person) offer perspective on The Troubles from drivers who lived through them – history delivered with personal anecdotes beats textbooks every time.

Game of Thrones transformed Northern Ireland’s tourist map, with the Dark Hedges (free, but arrive before 8 AM to avoid being photobombed by tour groups) and Ballintoy Harbour drawing fantasy fans. Meanwhile, the Giant’s Causeway ($15 National Trust entry) presents 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns that look like nature’s version of a geometric obsession. Insider tip: parking at nearby businesses and walking in can save the entry fee, though the interpretive center explains why the scientific formation story is far less interesting than the giant-fighting legend.

Throughout Northern Ireland, you’ll find some of the most dramatically beautiful and significantly less crowded landscapes among all the best places to go in Ireland. The Antrim Coast Road delivers views that require frequent stops for photography and occasional stomach settling for those prone to motion sickness.