Most visitors to Ireland start and end in Dublin, but the east coast has far more to offer than a quick overnight before heading west. Give Dublin at least two days, then explore the surrounding counties for a side of Ireland most visitors miss entirely.
Dublin
Dublin rewards time. The obvious attractions - Trinity College, Temple Bar, the Guinness Storehouse - are all worth seeing, but the city’s real charm is in its neighbourhood pubs, its food scene, and the conversations you’ll have with locals who are genuinely interested in where you’re from and what you think of their city.
Day Trips from Dublin
Glendalough in Wicklow is an hour south - an early Christian monastic site in a glacial valley that’s one of the most photogenic spots in Ireland.
Kilkenny is a medieval city with a stunning castle, excellent craft beer scene, and some of the best food in the southeast.
The Boyne Valley in Meath has Newgrange - a 5,000-year-old passage tomb that predates the Egyptian pyramids by 700 years.
