Ireland Travel Guide Overview
Ireland Travel Guide Overview
Dramatic Landscapes | Rich History | Lively Culture |
Ireland is known for its breathtaking scenery, from the Cliffs of Moher and rolling green hills to wild coastlines, lakes, and peaceful countryside views. | Ancient castles, historic ruins, and sites like Newgrange and the Rock of Cashel reveal Ireland’s deep history, legends, and cultural heritage. | From traditional music in cosy pubs to friendly towns and cities like Dublin, Galway, and Cork, Ireland offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere full of character. |
Ireland is one of the world's most warmly welcomed destinations — and the warmth begins the moment you arrive. From the wild, cliff-edged coastlines of the west to the rolling drumlin countryside of the midlands, the ancient monastic sites of the interior to the vibrant, literary streets of Dublin and Galway, Ireland packs an extraordinary variety of landscapes, culture, and character into a relatively small island.
Whether you're a first-time visitor drawn by the scenery and the craic, or a returning traveller seeking out hidden valleys and traditional music sessions in unassuming pubs, Ireland rewards every kind of explorer.
Cork is Ireland's second city and a place of enormous cultural confidence, outstanding food, one of the most celebrated markets in the world, a pub and live music scene that rivals Dublin's, and a county of such remarkable coastal and landscape variety.
It is located at the head of the Lee Valley on the south coast of Ireland, built on an island between two channels of the River Lee, and it spills uphill in every direction through a city of Georgian terraces, Victorian churches, independent coffee shops, and the kind of hilly streets and harbour views that give Cork a distinctly Mediterranean quality on a sunny day.
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Dublin is the capital of Ireland and one of Europe's most characterful cities, where Viking foundations, Georgian architecture, revolutionary history, and a pub culture of global reputation coexist in a compact urban centre. It sits at the mouth of the River Liffey on the east coast of Ireland, located roughly 100km south of Belfast and 480km from London by the shortest sea crossing.
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Galway is the bohemian capital of Ireland's west coast. It is a city of cobbled medieval lanes, vibrantly coloured shopfronts, and one of the most exuberant festival cultures of any city in Europe. Galway lies at the point where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay on the western edge of Ireland, looking out across the Atlantic towards North America, and behind it is a landscape of such beauty that Galway has become the epicentre of Ireland's 2,500km Wild Atlantic Way coastal route.
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Rosslare sits at the south-eastern tip of Ireland, in County Wexford, known for being the sunniest county in the country, receiving more hours of sunshine per year than any other part of the island. It is a place of two distinct but complementary characters: Rosslare Strand, the long-established seaside resort with a 6.5km Blue Flag beach of white sand and shallow water, and Rosslare Europort, Ireland's second largest passenger ferry terminal and the country's primary gateway to continental Europe, with direct connections to Wales, France and Spain.
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The Wild Atlantic Way is the longest coastal touring route in the world, stretching 2,500 kilometres from Kinsale in County Cork in the south to Malin Head in County Donegal in the north. Opened in 2014 and immediately recognised as one of the most spectacular driving routes on earth, it follows the entire western seaboard of Ireland along roads that have always been there but are now connected and signposted as a single continuous journey.
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Ireland is one of the most welcoming destinations in Europe for pet owners. Whether you are heading for a weekend away in Dublin or a scenic road trip along the Wild Atlantic Way, taking the ferry to Ireland is by far the easiest way to bring a pet on your travels.
Find out more about travelling Ireland with your pet
Ireland is one of the greatest driving destinations in Europe, best known for the famous Wild Atlantic Way. Taking your own vehicle to Ireland by ferry is the most convenient way to explore the country, whether you are visiting for a long weekend break in Dublin or crossing on a motorbike for a touring holiday along the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry.
Find out more about travelling Ireland with your vehicle
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