Ireland Guide
Things not to miss
It's not possible to see everything that Ireland has to offer in one trip – and we don't suggest you try. What follows is a selective taste of the country's highlights: natural wonders and outstanding sites, plus the best activities and experiences. They're arranged in five colour-coded categories, which you can browse through to find the very best things to see and do. All highlights have a page reference to take you straight into the Guide, where you can find out more.
1 Georgian Dublin • Elegant squares and boulevards from the city's architectural heyday.
2 The Spike • This tapering, 120-metre-high stainless-steel needle towers over Dublin's O'Connell Street, and is easily the most striking of the city's modern landmarks.
3 Brú na Bóinne • One of Europe's finest prehistoric sites, an extraordinary ritual landscape.
4 Ór in the National Museum, Dublin • Lavish gold ornaments, preserved by the peat bogs since prehistoric times.
5 Croagh Patrick • It's a stiff climb, but the fine views and the mountain's religious and historical connotations make it all worthwhile.
6 The Jack B. Yeats Collection in the National Gallery • A room devoted to Ireland's greatest twentieth-century painter, bursting with raw energy and colour.
7 Traditional music • All across Ireland, many a bar hosts exciting traditional-music sessions, with Hughes's in Dublin, McCollam's in Cushendall, and Ciarán's Bar in Ennis providing some of the best.
8 The Rock of Cashel • Rising high above the Golden Vale, the Rock features an entrancing group of early ecclesiastical remains.
9 Kinsale • Explore the imposing forts and sample some of Ireland's finest cuisine, in a glorious bay-side setting.
10 Connemara • A varied landscape of mountains, lakes and beaches that's great for walking, with some pretty villages to base yourself in.
11 Garinish Island • Sail across from Glengarriff to these magical, otherworldly gardens.
12 The Giant's Causeway • Marvel at the eerie but entirely natural basalt formation of the Causeway.
13 Kilmainham Gaol • A grim encounter with the spartan prison regime experienced by Ireland's freedom fighters, with superb displays on the country's political and penal history.
14 Strangford Lough • Breathtaking scenery, numerous ecclesiastical and historic sites combine in perfect harmony to make this one of Northern Ireland's major lures.
15 Killarney National Park • The grandeur of the lakes and mountains has been drawing visitors to Killarney for over three centuries.
16 Glendalough • This wonderfully remote and beautiful mountain valley shelters an atmospheric monastery.
17 Bantry House • A magnificent setting for some lavish artworks, among formal gardens overlooking Bantry Bay.
18 Skellig Michael • A remarkable and inspiring early Christian hermitage clinging to a mountain summit on a wild, bleak island.
19 The Burren • A barren expanse of cracked limestone terraces, stretching out towards the Atlantic and peppered with a multitude of fascinating megalithic remains.
20 Chester Beatty Library, Dublin • An astonishing collection of manuscripts and artworks from around the world.