5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Visit Ireland

Ireland is not called Emerald Isle for no reason. Ireland is such a friendly and beautiful country full of beautiful landscape and hidden gems waiting to be explored. In this post, read about some of the top reasons that makes Ireland a compelling travel destination

---

Ireland is one of the countries that you will always want to visit. The green colourful landscape, friendly people, and the many things that Ireland is known for have long attracted people all over the world. Personally, my major influence towards Ireland came from Cecilia Ahern’s books and Gerard Butler.

Through in some Bollywood movies that made me look at Ireland as a “Wow” and completely influenced me to book my holidays despite it being winter.

The idea turned into a plan when the Irish Embassy had waived the visa entry for Indians who travel to or reside in UK.  Initially we was paranoid of travelling there during winter, because you know how the winter weather in UK is.

So we kind of expected the same weather in Ireland too.  We ran through plenty of google materials and travel blogs that supported our decision to visit Ireland in winter.

The more we researched, the more we were convinced that there are indeed some interesting “things to do” in Ireland in winter.  And happily, we started our journey to this beautiful and mesmerizing country – Ireland, also known as Emerald Isle.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. For more information, please check our privacy policy

Getting into Ireland

There are frequent flights that connects New York to Dublin making Ireland more accessible to American counterparts. Ireland can be easily accessed from anywhere in UK and rest of the European cities due to its proximity.  From UK, you can either take a ferry from Holyhead port in Wales, which takes little over 2 hours to reach Dublin Port. Alternatively, you can fly to Dublin from many of UK’s cities. 

Top Reasons to visit Ireland

1. The green countryside and stunning landscape

The green colour of Ireland is the first thing anyone will notice everywhere, more particularly in the countryside. The gentle rolling hills, the cattle grazing, throw in occasional cottages, castles and little towns, Ireland is such an irresistible destination. The undulating landscapes and  pretty coastlines are something Ireland is known for.

Be it the Ring of Kerry, Wicklow Mountains, or Dingle Peninsula, your are in for unspoilt natural beauty in Ireland. Travelling from Scotland which is more brown and rugged, we were quite pleased to see the Irish green even during the winter. 

2. The architecture & history

One of the most prominent features of Ireland is it’s countryside, which is not just about rolling hills and mountains. Megalithic monuments and stone circles that date back to Stone Age, ruined castles from Norman and Anglo-Irish times are still intact and well preserved.

Monastries and churches that were built during the early Christian Era and the medieval castles make Ireland a must-visit destination. Palladian architecture swept through Ireland during the 18th century followed by Georgian and Victorian architecture which built during the British Era. Most of these buildings are intact and is prominent in the cities like Dublin and Cork.  

Also read: Why you should visit Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin

3. Colourful Houses

Yet another distinguished feature of Ireland are the brightly painted houses that you can spot across Ireland. Some of the instagrammable houses in Ireland can be seen in the west end street in Cobh (also known as Deck of Cards), the gorgeous story book town of Kinsale, pretty Killarney town, or Waterford, also known as the crystal city of Ireland.  

ALSO READ: COLOURFUL HOUSES IN IRELAND

4. The Cityscape

Soak into the city vibes of Dublin, do bar hopping, sip the Guinness beer, walk along the grand canal and admire at the gorgeous architecture of the city. That’s not all. Dublin is more than that.

Other cities that you should definitely visit are Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Each of these cities have a certain character that attracts tourists. And they are perfect to base if you want to explore the surrounding countryside of Ireland.   

ALSO READ: GUINNESS STOREHOUSE IN DUBLIN

5. Festivals

Ireland is known to celebrate festivals in style. There are many festivals that are run through out the year, that also includes their world famous Fleadh Cheoil, Irish music festival. While summer is arguably the best time to Visit Ireland, because most of the festivals fall during the months of June, July and August.

But if you are travelling offbeat like us, don’t you worry. Being the birthplace of Halloween (Celtic festival of Samhain), Ireland has some of the best Halloween celebrations throughout. In particular, Derry is the place to be, with events covering six days that includes illuminated parade. Christmas is beautiful in Ireland, not just in its cities, but also in the tiny coastal villages.

There are music festivals and street parties that happen during the new year in Dublin and other cities. However, if you choose to enjoy a quiet traditional new year, you can head to really small villages that do bagpipes and marching. Come March, Ireland takes the festivals to a new level with their St.Patrick’s Day celebrations. To be honest, there’s not a single month without any festival or events in Ireland. 

Ireland Wrap Up

We travelled to Ireland to celebrate New Year, just around Christmas – and the celebrations and decorations were beautiful like any other European towns – thousands of bulbs and lights ornamented the main streets of the cities, towns, villages and why – every little houses.

The cities were full of bars flooded with locals and tourists,  the roads were lit up, shops and malls were filled with locals who were still hunting on the half price sale. The roads and motorways were clearly signposted that you couldn’t miss any tourist attraction or even a tiny town.

The country side and coastal towns are the most beautiful with it’s very own gorgeous green color. Ireland hugs the Irish sea on one side and the warm North Atlantic Ocean on the other side and the drive along any of these coastal routes would remain the best drive of our life.

Houses, shops and bars were tastefully painted with myriad colors.  Plenty of Nature (read Green!), lovely castles, beautiful houses, coastal routes and loads of bar is a package you get when you visit Ireland.

Book Your Stay

Dublin is a great place to begin your journey in Ireland. And being the capital city, Dublin has many choices of accommodations to choose from.

While most of the places are accessible on a day trips from Dublin, it is still best to venture out to places like Cork, Killarney, Dingle, Galway, Sligo to be able to explore the best attractions that Ireland has to offer.

Here’s some of our top recommendations of hotels in Dublin and rest of Ireland. Alternatively, click here to browse through the hotels of your choice. 

CHECK OUT OUR TOP TRAVEL RESOURCES BELOW

✈️ Find the best flights flights with SkyScanner or Jet2
🏡 Find affordable accommodations on Booking.com and Tripadvisor
🚙 Book your car with EuropCar Rentals
🚆 Book your train journeys with Eurail or Interrail
🚌 Check out the best bus fares in MegaBus
💚 Get reliable travel insurance from World Nomads
📷 Search tours from GetYourGuide or Viator
🏖️ Check the latest holiday deals with Jet2Holidays, Lastminute or Logitravel
Check out the latest adventure travel deals on G Adventures
💻 Check your visa requirement on iVisa 

Don’t Miss A Thing!

Subscribe here and keep updated with our latest travels, new posts, travel tips, destination guides and plenty of travel inspiration!

You may also enjoy these posts!

• Instagrammable houses in Ireland
• A visit to Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin
• Top 5 things to do in Cobh

Like It? Pin It!

CONNECT WITH US | FACEBOOK| INSTAGRAM| PINTEREST | YOUTUBE| TWITTER