Everything you think you know about Ireland is probably true. Rolling fields home to every imaginable shade of green, old stone pubs with pints of Guinness lined up on the bar, crumbling castles in the countryside – they’re all there. But there’s so much more to see beyond the traditional Ireland of castles and trad music.
This is a country where you can surf the biggest waves in Europe, swim in crystal clear lakes and go wakeboarding without even leaving the capital. It’s a land of food trucks, street art and alcohol-free cocktail bars. And, best of all, it’s just a short hop away.
Current travel restrictions and entry requirements
As of right now, there are no travel restrictions between the UK and Ireland, and no entry requirements in place for any traveller. While the Covid restrictions (and various lockdowns) were fairly strict up until recently, there aren’t currently any rules in place, other than the loose advice to wear a mask on public transport. However, there is talk of reintroducing the wearing of masks in shops and public spaces.
Best time to go
Generally speaking, summer is a terrible time to visit Ireland – it’s jam-packed with tourists, meaning the hotel prices skyrocket, and the weather is ironically at its worst. Best, then, to visit in the spring or autumn, when things are a little more sedate and the weather is generally at its best. The months of May and September are always a good bet, with the latter giving us the Galway Oyster Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival and the Electric Picnic (Ireland’s version of Glastonbury). There’s also a lot to be said for visiting in the winter, where you can get those chilly days with blazing blue skies, and a built-in excuse to find a cosy little pub and sit with your book next to a turf fire.
Top cities and regions
Dublin
With loads of free museums, cool cafés and cracking nightlife, Dublin is understandably the first Irish city a lot of visitors encounter. Skip the rowdy, touristy pubs of Temple Bar, and instead explore the little neighbourhoods and villages that make up the true tapestry of the city. It’s there where you’ll find the best street art, vintage shops and food trucks that have a cult-like following. One of the best things about Dublin is its size – you can wander around on foot for the most part, drifting between the city parks lined with Georgian townhouses and the sleek tech-company buildings of the Docklands. If you have an afternoon to spare, head…
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