Ireland

Dublin is the natural starting point: a compact capital of Georgian squares, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the Guinness Storehouse and a pub on almost every corner, many with live traditional music. From there, the country opens up in every direction. Cork, in the south, is a foodie city with the English Market at its heart and Blarney Castle nearby. Killarney is the base for the Ring of Kerry and its national park of lakes and mountains.

On the west coast, Galway is a creative, music-loving city at the edge of the Atlantic, and the gateway to Connemara, the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. Our Ireland programme includes city breaks and guided walks, a Christmas market walk in Galway, a Belfast and Dublin rail tour, a ten-night self-drive route from Dublin and private van tours that combine Ireland with Scotland and England.

Food and drink

Irish food has come a long way. Expect excellent beef and lamb, oysters and seafood chowder on the coast, soda bread and farmhouse cheeses. Irish stew and a full Irish breakfast are still well loved. Guinness genuinely tastes different in Ireland, and Irish whiskey distilleries, old and new, welcome visitors across the country.

How to travel

Ireland rewards road trips. Self-drive suits confident drivers who are happy on narrow country lanes, while a private van tour lets everyone enjoy the views. Dublin and Galway both work well as city breaks with day trips, and the train between Dublin and Belfast is the easy way to see both sides of the island.