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🇮🇪Things to Do in Ireland
From the Cliffs of Moher to Dublin's literary pubs - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Ireland rewards a driving trip more than a city-hopping one - the coastal roads between its dramatic cliffs, its scattered ancient sites and its small towns are as much the point as any single stop. Dublin makes a natural start or end, with a loop around the west coast as the classic route beyond it. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Cliffs of Moher
Sea cliffs rising over 200 meters above the Atlantic on the west coast, with a visitor center built into the hillside itself. Windy weather is common - dress for it regardless of the forecast.
📍 County Clare
🚉 Bus Eireann route 350 runs along the coast from Ennis and Galway to the visitor centre; the nearest railway station is Ennis, about an hour away by that bus.
Dublin & Temple Bar
Trinity College's Book of Kells, the Guinness Storehouse, and Temple Bar's pub district anchor most first days in the capital. The Guinness Storehouse's rooftop bar gives a free-with-admission view over the city.
📍 Dublin
🚉 Nearest stop: Temple Bar or Jervis on the Luas red line, with Tara Street and Pearse DART stations a few minutes away across the river.
Ring of Kerry
A 179km coastal driving route through County Kerry's mountains, lakes and villages. Most tour buses run clockwise, so driving the route counter-clockwise means fewer oncoming buses on the narrow roads.
📍 County Kerry
🚉 The ring is a driving route: Bus Eireann 279A links Killarney with Cahersiveen and Waterville a couple of times a day, but most visitors drive it clockwise or take a coach tour from Killarney station.
Giant's Causeway
Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Northern Ireland coast, formed by ancient volcanic activity and wrapped in local legend about a giant named Finn McCool.
📍 County Antrim, Northern Ireland
🚉 Nearest station: Portrush or Coleraine on the Northern Ireland Railways line from Belfast, then Translink bus 172 or the seasonal Causeway Rambler to the visitor centre.
Blarney Castle
Home to the Blarney Stone, which visitors kiss (leaning backwards over a gap, held by a castle attendant) for the legendary gift of eloquence. The castle gardens are worth the visit even without kissing the stone.
📍 Blarney, County Cork
🚉 Bus Eireann route 215 runs from Cork's Parnell Place station to Blarney village every 20 minutes, taking about half an hour; Cork's Kent station connects the trains from Dublin.
Aran Islands
Three islands off Galway Bay where Irish (Gaelic) remains the primary spoken language, with prehistoric stone forts and dry-stone-walled fields as the main draws on Inis Mor, the largest of the three.
📍 Aran Islands, Galway Bay
🚉 Ferries leave from Rossaveel, an hour west of Galway by connecting bus, and from Doolin in season; Aer Arann flies from Connemara airport in under 10 minutes.
Galway
A lively university city on the west coast, known for traditional music sessions in its pubs and as the gateway to Connemara's mountains and the Aran Islands.
📍 Galway
🚉 Nearest station: Galway Ceannt, in the middle of town beside Eyre Square, with direct trains from Dublin Heuston in about two and a half hours.
Connemara
A rugged region of bogs, mountains and lakes in County Galway, with Kylemore Abbey (a 19th-century castle turned convent) as its best-known single stop.
📍 County Galway
🚉 Bus Eireann route 419 and Citylink coaches run from Galway to Clifden through the Twelve Bens, about 90 minutes - the national park's trails start a short walk from Letterfrack.
Mark Ireland, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Ireland?
A week suits Dublin plus a loop of the west coast (Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Ring of Kerry). Ten days lets you add Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway without rushing.
What's the best time to visit Ireland?
May-September has the mildest weather and the longest days, though rain is possible year-round regardless of season - Ireland's weather is famously changeable at any time of year.
Is Ireland good for a first-time visit?
Yes - English is the primary language, and a rental car makes the scenic coastal routes far more rewarding than trying to cover them by public transport.
Do I need a visa to visit Ireland?
Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area and sets its own rules. Many nationalities, including the US, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays; other nationalities need a visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: irishimmigration.ie.
What are some things to do in Ireland on a tight budget?
Walking Dublin's Trinity College grounds and most of the city's Georgian squares costs nothing, the Cliffs of Moher and Giant's Causeway coastal paths are free beyond parking, and traditional music sessions in local pubs are usually free to watch if you buy a drink.
Can I rent a car in Ireland, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and the Ring of Kerry, Connemara and the Wild Atlantic Way all reward it. EU, EEA and UK licences are valid as issued; licences from the US, Canada, Australia and most other countries are accepted for visits, with an International Driving Permit needed only if yours is not in English. Minimum age is usually 21 to 25, and several companies refuse drivers over 75. Traffic drives on the left, rural roads are narrow with stone walls hard against them, and automatic cars are scarce and worth booking early. The Road Safety Authority publishes the rules at rsa.ie; cars come from Hertz, Avis and Europcar.