Ireland's Best Trips

This is the Belfast & the North of Ireland chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

Ireland’s north is made for road trips. Routes swoop from hard, stark hills to soft, sandy shores, and cliff-clinging roads snake into wild lands peppered with loughs, glens and bogs.

• link big cities, big-name sights, hidden beaches and tiny islands on an epic drive around the north
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• sample the best of the northwest on a tour through Donegal: brooding mountains, exquisite beaches, boat trips and tradition
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• embark on an off-the-map adventure, compelling for its heritage, scenery and sheer sense of space, on the Inishowen Peninsula
• discover even more with detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: The North in a Nutshell, Delights of Donegal, Inishowen Peninsula, Northwest on Adrenalin, From Bangor to Derry, The Antrim Coast.

Ireland’s North is made for road trips. Routes swoop from hard, stark hills to soft, sandy shores, and cliff -clinging roads snake into wild lands peppered with loughs, glens and bogs. These epic routes link blockbuster sights.

• discover big cities, big-name sights, hidden beaches, tiny islands – an epic drive
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• explore brooding mountains, exquisite beaches, boat trips and tradition in Donegal
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• discover rich heritage and remarkable scenery from Bangor to Derry
• discover even more with walking tours, detours, and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Belfast, Ballycastle, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Giant’s Causeway, Portstewart, Roe Valley, Derry, Iskaheen, Glenevin Waterfall, Fahan, Rathmelton, Rathmullan, Carrigart, Doe Castle, Horn Head, Meenaleck, Arranmore Island, Narin, Assarancagh Waterfall, Glencolumbcille, Fintown Railway, Rossnowlagh, Donegal Town, St John’s Point, Slieve League, Malin Beg, Ardara, Dunlewey, Tory Island, Dunfanaghy, Ards Forest Park, Downings, Glenveagh National Park, Glebe Gallery, Newmills Corn & Flax Mills, Inch Island, Buncrana, Derry, Iskaheen, Cooley Cross, Greencastle, Inishowen, Cloncha Church, Malin Head, Fort Dunree, Buncrana, Erris Head, Céide Fields, Enniscrone, Sligo Town, Rossnowlagh, Donegal Town, Killybegs, Slieve League, Mt Errigal, Bangor, Mt Stewart House, Hillsborough, Slemish, Cushendall, Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Portrush, Downhill Demesne, Ballymena, Glenariff Forest Park, Cushendun, Fair Head, Rathlin Island, Bushmills, Belfast Walking Tour and Derry Walking Tour.

This is the Classic Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

All of our trips show you the best of the region, but we’ve chosen some as our all-time favourites. Our 3 Classic Trips lead you to the most iconic sights, the top activities and the unique Ireland experiences.

• explore Ireland’s iconic sights, buzzing towns and wild coast
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• discover even more with detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Iconic Ireland, The Long Way Round, Tip to Toe.

The Southwest contains some of Ireland’s most iconic scenery : crenellated coastlines, green fields crisscrossed by tumbledown stone walls, mistshrouded mountains and bogs and the country’s top three peninsula drives – the Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Beara.

• weave your way past jaw-dropping scenery as you circumnavigate the Iveragh Peninsula
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• blitz the best of southwest Ireland’s coast, countryside and cosmopolitan city life
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• sample some of the country’s finest seafood, artisan produce and sociable markets
• discover even more with walking tours, detours, and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes:Killarney, Killorglin, Kerry Bog Village Museum, Rossbeigh Strand, Cromane Peninsula, Valentia Island & The Skellig Ring, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem, Kenmare, Gap of Dunloe, Killarney National Park, Muckross Estate, Ross Castle, Inch, Dingle Town, Slea Head, Dunquin, Dún an Óir Fort, Ballyferriter, Gallarus Oratory, Cloghane, Castlegregory, Connor Pass, Glanteenassig Forest Recreation Area, Blennerville, Tralee, Bantry, Cork City, Fota Wildlife Park, Gougane Barra Forest Park, Blarney Castle, Cobh, Midleton, Youghal, Dungarvan, Durrus, Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Cork City, Baltimore, Ballymaloe House & Cookery School, Belvelly, Mizen Head Peninsula, Bantry, Sheep’s Head Peninsula, Beara Peninsula, Glengarriff, Portumna, Ballina & Killaloe, Limerick City, Adare, Askeaton, Foynes, Tarbert, Kilrush, Kilkee, Loop Head, Bunratty, Clonmel, Cahir, Bansha, Glen of Aherlow, Newtown, Athassel Priory, The Galtee Mountains, Cashel and Cork City Walking Tour.

This is the Cork & Southwest Ireland chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

This idyllic area claims the country’s top three peninsula drives – the Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Beara – as well as a shoal of charming fishing towns and villages that have helped establish the southwest as a gourmet heartland.

• weave your way past jaw-dropping scenery as you circumnavigate the Iveragh Peninsula on the Ring of Kerry
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• explore quaint fishing villages and spectacular beaches on the Dingle Peninsula
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• blitz the best of southwest Ireland’s coast, countryside and cosmopolitan city life on the Southwest Blitz
• discover even more with detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Southwest Blitz, Southwestern Pantry, West Cork Villages, Shannon River Route, The Holy Glen.

A spider’s web of roads– from motorways to tiny rural routes – lead you from Dublin’s city centre to myriad delights. Our collection of itineraries explore historic towns, castles, gardens and monastic monuments, to remind you of Ireland’s breathtaking cultural heritage.

• cut across central Ireland from the cosmopolitan capital to the wilds of Connemara
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• embark on a four-day marathon to explore 4000 years of Irish history, right back to the beginning
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• uncover heritage and history along the spine of eastern Ireland’s most scenic mountain range, the Wicklow Mountains
• discover even more with walking tours, detours, and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Howth, Brú na Bóinne, Celbridge, Blessington, Glendalough, Enniskerry, Sandycove, Powerscourt Waterfall, Dublin, Clonmacnoise, Galway City, Clifden, Inishmór, Kinvara, The Burren, Doolin, Trim, Hill of Tara, Brú na Bóinne, Battle of the Boyne Site, Drogheda, Mellifont Abbey, Monasterboice, Slane, Loughcrew Cairns, Tulsk, Clonmacnoise, Birr, Cashel, Jerpoint Abbey, Tullamore, Slieve Bloom Mountains, Belvedere House & Gardens, Corlea Trackway, Strokestown, Enniskerry, Glencree, Luggala, Glenmacnass Valley, The Wicklow Gap, Glenmalure, Avondale House, Carlow Town, Delta Sensory Gardens, Browne’s Hill Dolmen, Duckett’s Grove, Altamont Gardens, Clonegal, Borris, St Mullins, Kilgraney House Herb Gardens, Bagnalstown, Leighlinbridge, Kilkenny, Bennettsbridge, Kells, Kilree Round Tower & High Cross, Thomastown, Inistioge, Graiguenamanagh, Enniscorthy, Kimore Quay, Tintern Abbey, arthurstown, Waterford City, Saltee Islands, Dungarvan, Ardmore, Youghal, Cappoquin, Mt Melleray Cistercian Abbey, Ardmore, Lismore, The Vee Gap, Ballysaggartmore Towers, Ballyduff Upper, Dublin, Sonairte, Newgrange Farm, Flagstaff Viewpoint, Carlingford, Kilkenny Walking Tour and Dublin Walking Tour.

This is the Dublin & Eastern Ireland Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

A spider’s web of roads – from motorways to winding rural routes – spreads from Dublin’s city centre and will lead you to multiple delights, all within easy reach of the capital.

• cut across central Ireland from the cosmopolitan capital to the wilds of Connemara
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• go from prehistoric monuments to bloody battlefields on the Boyne Valley trip
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• embark on a four-day marathon to explore 4000 years of Irish history, right back to the beginning
• discover even more with detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: East to West, the Boyne Valley, Ancient Ireland, Monasteries, Mountains & Mansions, Wicklow Mountains, Carlow Back Roads, Kilkenny’s Treasures, Wexford & Waterford, Blackwater Valley Drive, Family Fun.

This is the Galway & the West of Ireland chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

Little wonder the west of Ireland is top of most must-see lists. Routes through Mayo offer wild, romantic beauty, without the crowds. Road tripping in timeless Connemara reveals one of Eu-rope’s most stunning corners, with intriguing villages, white beaches and tawny bogs.

• embark on the ultimate tour of Ireland’s west westerly sights
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• take a ride down County Clare’s hottest trad music spots
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• tour Connemara’s wilderness and cultivated villages
• discover even more with detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Best of the West, Musical Landscapes, Mountains & Moors, Loughs of the West, North Mayo & Sligo, Sligo Surrounds, County Clare.

Little wonder the West of Ireland tops most must-see lists. Mayo offers wild, romantic beauty, timeless Connemara: bogs, valleys, beaches and villages, Westport and Galway: fun and frolic, Clare: cosy bars, The Burren and Aran Islands, Kerry and Cork: Ireland’s iconic scenery.

• embark on the ultimate tour of Ireland’s best westerly sights
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• ride round County Clare’s hottest trad music spots
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• take a historic tour of poet WB Yeats’ backyard in Sligo
• discover even more with walking tours, detours, and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Céide Fields, Westport, Croagh Patrick, Leenane, Galway City, Clarinbridge & Kilcolgan, Adare, Dingle Town, Glengarriff, Castletownshend, Union Hall & Glandore, Cork City, Ennis, Miltown Malbay, Ennistymon, Kilfenora, Lisdoonvarna, Doolin, Inishmór, Inisheer, Spiddal, Patrick Pearse’s Cottage, Roundstone, Gurteen Bay & Dog’s Bay, Glassilaun Beach, Kylemore Abbey, Oughterard, Lough Corrib, Cong, Pigeon Hole, Ballinrobe, Tourmakeady, Delphi, Connemara National Park, Omey Strand, Inishbofin, Achill Island, Ballycroy National Park, Killala, Ballina, Enniscrone, Easkey, Aughris Head, Lough Gill, Sligo Town, Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, Riverstown, Strandhill, Rosses Point, Drumcliff, Grange, Mullaghmore, Ballyvaughan, Inishmór, Inishmaan, Inisheer, Cliffs of Moher, Loop Head, Kilrush and Galway City Walking Tour.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Ireland, Ireland Highlights, If You Like, Need to Know, Dublin City Guide, Galway City Guide, Belfast City Guide and Cork City Guide and Ireland By Region chapters from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

Start your planning here. We reveal the ultimate road-trip list for Ireland PLUS the highlights you’ll discover on the way and practical advice to kick-start your trip.

• trip highlights: the best experiences and the road trips to take you there
• classic trips: check out the routes that you simply must drive
• expert advice: discover even more with our guides to Dublin, Galway, Belfast and Cork plus practical need-to-know information

Coverage includes: Welcome to Ireland, Ireland Highlights, If You Like: Ancient Monuments, Great Views, Hidden Treasures, Traditional Music, Good Food or An Adrenalin Rush, Need to Know, Dublin City Guide, Galway City Guide, Belfast City Guide and Cork City Guide and Ireland By Region.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Ireland, Ireland Highlights Map, Ireland Highlights, If You Like, Need to Know, City Guide: Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Ireland By Region chapters from Lonely Planet’s Ireland’s Best Trips guidebook.

Your journey to Ireland’s Best Trips starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus info on the best spots for traditional music.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about Dublin, Belfast and Cork
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Ireland, Ireland Highlights Map, Ireland Highlights, If You Like: Ancient Monuments, Great Views, Hidden Treasures, Traditional Music, Good Food, An Adrenalin Rush, Need to Know, City Guide: Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Ireland By Region.

Getting the basics right – from hiring a vehicle to knowing the road rules – is a must for any road trip. This chapter contains all you need to know before you go, plus some handy hints for while you’re on the road.

• information on hiring a car or bringing your own
• tips on insurance, road rules and driving licenses
• information on accommodation, visas and travellers with disabilities
• language guide

Coverage includes: Ireland Driving Guide, Driving Licence & Documents, Insurance, Hiring a Car, Bringing Your Own Vehicle, Maps, roads & Conditions, Road Distances, Road Rules, Parking, Fuel, Safety, Border Crossings, Radio and Road Trip Websites, Ireland Travel Guide and Language.