Ireland

Discover the magic of Ireland with our comprehensive travel guide. Learn about Ireland's changeable weather and find out the best seasons to visit this beautiful country. Get practical tips on traveling around Ireland, whether by car, bus, or train. Explore top cities like Dublin and Galway, along with must-see destinations such as the Cliffs of Moher and Ring of Kerry. Find recommendations for delicious Irish foods to try and secret spots that most tourists never see.

Weather and Best Time to Visit

Visit Dublin and the East from May to September for the warmest temperatures and longest daylight hours. June and July are peak tourist season but offer lively festivals.

The West Coast (Galway, Clare) is best explored from June to August for optimal weather conditions at the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara. September offers fewer crowds while maintaining reasonable weather.

For the Southwest (Kerry, Cork), plan your trip between April and October, with May and September offering mild weather and fewer tourists, perfect for Ring of Kerry drives.

Northern Ireland is most pleasant from May to September, with July and August providing the warmest temperatures for Giant's Causeway visits.

The Midlands are beautiful from April to October, with spring (April-May) showcasing blooming landscapes around the Shannon River.

The rugged Northwest (Donegal) has its best weather from June to August, though it's generally cooler than southern areas.

Ireland has no typhoon season.

How to Get to Ireland

Dublin Airport serves as Ireland's busiest entry point, handling over 30 million passengers annually. On the west coast, Shannon Airport provides convenient access to Limerick and its historic center.

Cork Airport serves southern Ireland, while Ireland West Airport Knock connects travelers to the northwestern counties. 

Northern Ireland is accessible through two Belfast airports:

• 1. Belfast International
• 2. Belfast City, which is closer to downtown.

Smaller regional airports in Kerry and Donegal offer access to less crowded parts of the country. All these airports connect visitors to Ireland's key destinations — the capital Dublin with its rich literary history, Galway with its vibrant music scene, and Cork with its renowned food markets and coastal communities.

How to Get Around

Ireland's roads tell stories across generations. Buses wind through the countryside, stopping at places big and small, where passengers disembark with their bags and disappear into streets that have existed for centuries. The drivers know the routes by heart, often greeting regular passengers by name.

Trains cut across the landscape, offering windows to green fields dotted with sheep and stone walls built by farmers long ago. Passengers chat over coffee as counties slip by outside.

Dublin's buses navigate ancient streets alongside modern avenues. They carry workers, students, and visitors through neighborhoods where you might hear traditional music floating from a pub door as you step off.

Ferries rock gently across waters to Britain or the continent, while smaller boats make their way to islands where people live much as they have for decades, the sea dictating the rhythm of daily life.

Many travelers choose to rent cars, following coastal routes where Atlantic waves crash against cliffs. They stop in villages where a single pub serves as a meeting place, restaurant, and music venue. The steering wheel sits on the right, a constant reminder you're somewhere different.

For getting to and from airports or between cities without the hassle of driving, services like Aircoach or Irish Citylink carry passengers along well-established routes. The drivers often point out places worth returning to later.

Food Scene

In Dublin, try Irish stew the way locals have enjoyed it for generations — chunks of lamb, potatoes, and carrots soaked in rich broth that warms you from the inside. Potato pancakes might remind you of home cooking, even if you're not Irish. 

When in Galway, the oysters come straight from nearby waters and opened right before they reach your table.

Cork's English Market dates back to 1788. The farmers still arrange wheels of cheese and slices of salmon smoked over beechwood. Dublin's Temple Bar Food Market fills with shoppers on weekends, while Galway's Saturday Market brings farmers and food makers together under open skies.

Each area of Ireland guards its own recipes:

• Waterford bakers make blaa — soft, floury rolls perfect for morning butter.
• Kerry produces black pudding with spices that vary from kitchen to kitchen.
• Along the Atlantic coast, Donegal's seafood chowder contains whatever fish arrived at the harbor that morning.
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Hidden Gems

1. Skellig Michael

Monks built their refuge on this rocky island 1,400 years ago, placing stone beehive huts atop steep cliffs where the Atlantic crashes below. Today, visitors climb the same hand-carved steps these devoted men once used daily. 

The journey to reach it becomes part of the experience. Small boats navigate choppy waters from the fishing village of Portmagee between May and September. The limited permits disappear quickly, sometimes months before summer arrives. Those who plan ahead find themselves standing where few tourists go, among structures that have weathered centuries of isolation.

2. Slieve League Cliffs

Atlantic waves pound against these massive cliffs in County Donegal, walls of rock rising nearly 2,000 feet from the ocean. Fewer crowds gather here compared to Ireland's other coastal viewpoints, leaving visitors free to hear the seabirds and crashing water below. 

The small road from Teelin leads to panoramic views that stretch for miles, especially when evening light turns the water gold. The cliffs welcome visitors year-round, though summer brings:

• -Clearer skies
• -Access to the small visitor center
• -Local stories that bring the landscape to life
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3. Glendalough

Between two clear lakes in a Wicklow valley stands a stone round tower, rising above the remains of a 6th-century monastic community. Worn gravestones tilt at angles in the grass, marking generations who lived and died in this sheltered place. Morning mist often hangs over the water, burning away as sunlight filters through the surrounding forest. Spring covers the valley floor with wildflowers, while autumn turns the hills red and gold. 

Buses connect this peaceful spot to Dublin, just an hour away, making it possible to walk ancient pathways and return to city life in a single day.

Scenic Routes

Ireland's landscapes tell stories in every curve of coastal road and fold of green hills. The countryside transforms with the seasons, each bringing its own character to the ancient land.

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• Killarney to Kenmare: The road meanders through Killarney National Park, where mountains rise above lakes that mirror the sky. In late spring, pink and purple rhododendrons dot the hillsides. By car, travelers can pull over whenever a scene catches their eye, perhaps deer grazing in morning mist or sunlight breaking through clouds over the water.

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• Galway to Clifden: Connemara reveals itself along this route, a place where mountains meet the Atlantic, and beaches appear around bends in the road. Summer days stretch long here, with light that shifts and changes from hour to hour. Driving lets visitors discover tucked-away beaches and valleys that don't make it onto postcards.

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• Westport to Leenaun: This journey follows Killary Harbour, a deep inlet carved by ancient ice with mountains standing guard on either side. Autumn brings red and gold to the hills against the dark water. A car journey offers chances to stop at high points where the whole landscape unfolds below.

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• Dublin to Wexford: The east of Ireland unfolds along this route, with its rolling fields and weathered stone buildings that have watched centuries pass. Spring brings a fresh green to the land, and fewer people crowd the historic sites. The train carries travelers through farming country where sheep dot the fields like clouds fallen to earth.

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• Doolin to Cliffs of Moher: From below, the famous Cliffs of Moher show their true scale, towering walls of layered rock that meet the Atlantic in a line of white foam. Early summer brings calm seas and thousands of seabirds swirling around their nesting sites. The ferry reveals perspectives no land-based visitor ever sees.

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Events, Festivals and Local Markets

The Galway International Arts Festival transforms Galway for two weeks each July. Streets fill with theater performances, music spills from venues both traditional and unexpected, and visual art installations pop up throughout the city. Locals mix with visitors, sharing recommendations and favorite shows over pints in the evening.

Horses and riders show their skill and grace at the Dublin Horse Show in Dublin each August. The grounds buzz with the sounds of hooves, applause, and friendly conversation as families watch jumpers clear obstacles with precision. Between competitions, people wander through exhibitions, sample food, and admire the bond between riders and their animals.

When autumn leaves begin to fall, the Cork Jazz Festival brings Cork to life during the October bank holiday weekend. Music echoes through historic venues and cozy pubs. Jazz notes float down narrow streets as performers from across the globe share their craft while audiences tap their feet and nod along to the rhythm.

The St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin turns March into a celebration of Irish heritage. Green-clad crowds line streets to watch the parade on March 17th, cheering for creative floats and performers. Music sessions start spontaneously, traditional dances break out in squares, and stories of Ireland past and present are shared through art and conversation.

Best Places to Visit

1. In Dublin, conversations spill from pub doorways as guitar notes float down cobblestone streets. This capital city holds stories in every corner, from the aged pages of the Book of Kells at Trinity College to the echoing footsteps inside Dublin Castle's stone walls.

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People gather in Temple Bar not just for a pint, but to become part of a centuries-old tradition of storytelling and community. The locals might tell you their favorite hidden bookshop or invite you to join a table when seats are scarce.

Visit during May-June or September when the rain eases somewhat, and you'll share the streets with fewer tourists. The light stretches longer, giving you more time to wander.

Any night of the week, you'll find musicians setting up in pubs, cases open, instruments tuning. The Literary Pub Crawl happens year-round, guides lead you through streets once walked by Joyce and Yeats, stopping for drinks where these writers once sat.

How to get to Dublin

By Air: Dublin Airport connects to over 180 destinations with direct flights

By Ferry: Regular ferry services from UK ports (Liverpool, Holyhead)

By Train: Well-connected rail network from all major Irish cities

2. Galway sits on Ireland's western edge, where Atlantic winds carry salt and stories. Street musicians play on corners while shopkeepers chat with passersby. The medieval streets of the Latin Quarter twist between buildings painted in blues, reds, and yellows.

Standing at the Spanish Arch, you can watch the Corrib River race toward the sea and imagine the ships that once docked here centuries ago. Children feed swans while university students read on grassy banks.

Summer brings the longest days and warmest temperatures, though spring and early autumn mean peaceful mornings with coffee steam rising against cool air.

Every evening, musicians gather in circles at The Crane Bar and Tig Cóilí, making room for anyone who brings an instrument. The Saturday market fills Church Lane with the smell of fresh bread and cheese, vendors calling out as people squeeze between stalls.

How to get to Galway

By Air: Nearest airports are Shannon (1.5 hours) and Knock (1 hour)

By Train: Direct rail service from Dublin (2.5 hours)

By Bus: National bus services connect from all major Irish cities

3. Cork sits in a valley where the River Lee splits and rejoins, creating an island city with bridges connecting neighborhoods. Locals speak with a distinctive rhythm, calling their home "the real capital of Ireland" with knowing smiles.

The English Market hums with conversation as fishmongers wrap fresh catches and cheese vendors offer samples. Bells from St. Anne's Church ring out while students from University College Cork cross the limestone campus between classes.

Between May and September, rain showers alternate with sunshine that brightens the colored Georgian houses climbing the hillsides.

Any evening might find poetry readings at the Triskel Arts Centre or music filling Cork Opera House. The Crawford Art Gallery stands quietly for those needing a moment away from city noise. At Blackrock Castle Observatory, telescopes point skyward while guides explain what lies beyond Earth's atmosphere.

How to get to Cork

By Air: Cork Airport with connections throughout Europe

By Train: Direct rail services from Dublin (2.5 hours)

By Bus: An extensive bus network connects all major Irish destinations

Tips for Traveling to Ireland