#29 best destination in the world

 

Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

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Best time to travel: June-Aug
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Storehouse surrounded by a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness
  • The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar with views of Dublin and where visitors can drink a pint of Guinness

Dublin Castle

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Best time to travel: June-Aug
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Major Irish government complex, that until 1922 was the seat of the British government’s administration in Ireland
  • Most of the current construction dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland
  • The castle was built by the dark pool (“Dubh Linn”) which gave Dublin its name
  • When the castle was built, the Liffey river was much wider, and the castle was effectively defended by both rivers
  • The Poddle today runs under the complex

Blarney Castle

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Best time to travel: June-Sept
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Medieval stronghold in Blarney dating back to 1446
  • Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond

Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park

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Best time to travel: Feb-April, Aug-Oct
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • 111 miles circular route located in Killarney National Park, providing a scenic drive with plenty of viewpoints and popular points along the way

Cliffs of Moher

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Best time to travel: April-Sept
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • 9 miles of sea cliffs, reaching 390 ft above the Atlantic Ocean
  • During the time of their formation, between 313 and 326 million years ago, a river dumped sand, silt and clay into an ancient marine basin
  • Trace fossils are abundant, comprising two main types: (1) feeding trails left by as-yet-unidentified invertebrates, and (2) circular features preserved as casts of burrows once occupied by as-yet-unidentified marine creatures

Rock of Cashel

Best time to travel: May-Sept
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion
  • In 1101, the King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church
  • The complex is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe
  • Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries

Kylemore Abbey, Connemara

Best time to travel: May-June, Sept-Oct
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway
  • The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I