Ireland

Seeing the Cliffs of Moher was my main reason for wanting to visit Ireland. One of my closest friends from growing up joined me for a week of drinking Guinness and exploring! Check out our Ireland travel guide below!

How we traveled there

I was visiting Croatia before Ireland, so I flew from Split to Dublin. I went through customs in Dublin (20 minutes) and then rented a car through Hertz to drive to Galway. We used the rental car to drive to Galway and Belfast and then dropped it off at the airport before heading to Dublin. I wouldn’t recommend driving in Dublin given how much traffic there is. In Ireland, the driver sits on the right side of the car and you drive on the left side of the road. Driving on the other side of the road was weird at first but didn’t take long to adjust to.

Where we stayed

Galway
An Airbnb right in the city of Galway. We could hear live music from the living room. There is an elevator to get into the Airbnb but then there are stairs inside the unit to the bedrooms. It is a two-bed, one-bath unit with plenty of room for the two of us.

Belfast
An Airbnb in the Saint Anne’s Cathedral square. It had two comfortable bedrooms, a decent-sized kitchen, and a living room with a small balcony overlooking the square. The Airbnb had a parking garage and elevators. Although there were multiple restaurants in the square, but we didn’t find any bars nearby.

Dublin
The Green Hotel. The beds were very comfortable, the hotel was clean, and it had a 24-hour gym. The cocktails from the bar were very good and they offered a hot breakfast which was a standard hotel buffet. We were a 5-minute walk to Grafton Street and felt safe walking around our hotel.

What activities we did

Galway

• Cliffs of Moher – Instead of parking at the main visitors center, drive to Guerin’s Path and park there. It is €5 instead of €15 per person at the Cliffs of Moher visitors center with a 2-minute walk to the cliffs. They take cash and cards.
  • On the way, we stopped in Doolin at McDermotts Pub for lunch. The burger was tasty!
  • We took N67 from Galway to the cliffs and it was the most narrow road we have ever driven on with many windy roads and cars driving 50mph going the other way. There were multiple times I thought we were going to crash into the stone walls given there was no shoulder between the road and the stonewall. I would recommend taking the M18 route instead which is more highway than narrow roads.
  • I recommend going up to the castle for an elevated view of the cliffs and then walking 30 minutes left (south) of the cliffs to get a view from the other side.
  • The visitor center has golf carts to drive people to the castle for anyone who has accessibility needs. The visitor center has bathrooms, coffee/tea, exhibits, and a restaurant.
  • I would give yourself at least 2 hours at the cliffs and I would make sure you start heading back well before the sun goes down given the national (N) roads are narrow with limited lighting.
  • We arrived at the cliffs at 2:30 pm and they weren’t that busy, however, we were there in October. Summer is when the cliffs are the most crowded. It ended up being a sunny day which gave us a great view.
  • Make sure to bring a rain/wind jacket with you. Even though the sun was out, we needed it.

Belfast

• Titanic Museum – I am not a big museum person but this one was really well done. My favorite part was the history of building the Titanic in the city of Belfast. There is a simulator ride you can take during the middle of the tour. I don’t think it’s worth waiting more than 5 minutes for this.
• We drove to Northern Ireland and saw three sites which were all beautiful
  • Giant’s Causeway – This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I would recommend parking at The Causeway Hotel, right next to the visitor center, for €10 per car instead of at the visitor center which is €13 per person. When we parked, they gave us a €10 voucher at the hotel which has a restaurant, to-go coffee, tea, and snacks. It also had a bathroom and wasn’t an additional walk to the causeway.
    • We took the blue route to walk down to the causeway which took 10-15 minutes. The walk back up is a little steep but doable. There is a bus that will drive people right to the Causeway if you book through the visitor’s center. You can also take the red route which is hiking above the causeway and a little more challenging. It was very windy and drizzling at the causeway, make sure to bring a wind/raincoat and shoes with at least some traction. You should give yourself 1.5 hours there.
• Dunluce Castle – This was a 10-minute drive west from Giant’s Causeway and was shown in Game of Thrones episodes. It’s a crumbling castle right on the coast. It was €6 per person and was not busy (no need to prebook). You can walk all through the castle and it only takes about 30 minutes.
• The Dark Hedges – This is a street where the trees merge together above you which is really beautiful. It was also featured in Game of Thrones episodes. I wouldn’t drive just to see this but it’s worth a stop on the way back to Belfast. Sometimes they charge to park, but it was free when we went. Make sure to walk towards the hotel and follow the signs for ‘The Dark Hedges’ to avoid walking on the street where cars fly around the corner. They have a small cafe which has delicious baked goods.

Dublin

• We walked around Grafton Street where people were playing live music. This is also the main shopping area.
• We walked around Trinity College. The books were removed from the Old Library for restoration (October 2023). The Book of Kells was still open with tours available. Trinity College has been featured in many films including Normal People and Transformers.
• We walked to the Dublin Castle. You can go inside the castle but we just did a quick walk by.
• Guinness Tour – I am not a big tour or museum person but I liked this one too. The tour goes through the process of brewing Guinness beer but my favorite part was the nearly 100 years of Guinness advertising on display.
  • It is a self-guided tour with the option to add an audio tour (didn’t seem necessary).
  • At the top of the building is the Gravity Bar where you can exchange your drink ticket you purchased online for a Guinness, a lager, or a non-alcoholic Guinness. You enjoy your drink while taking in the 360-degree view of Dublin.
  • Tickets do sell out, especially on a rainy day. I recommend booking at least a day or two in advance.
  • If you want to get your face printed on a Guinness you should book ahead. If it is too busy they will turn people away that didn’t pre-book. Book the ticket with the ‘stoutie’ experience. It is worth it! They snap a picture of you and then they send your picture to a beer printer which prints the photograph on the beer foam. It took <5 minutes.
  • The Guinness Academy shows you how to pour your own pint for an additional cost (recommend booking ahead). I didn’t try this one.
  • The tasting room is free and takes less than 5 minutes to go through. You get a small Guinness to drink which was the most flavorful Guinness I have ever had.
  • The 5th floor has a few restaurant options where you can also get Guinness.

Where we ate

Galway

• On the way to Galway, we stopped in a town called Westmeath and had lunch at The Bailey Bar & Lounge. It was a traditional Irish pub and had a really good chicken sandwich.
• Ard Bia – This is a cute cottage vibe on the water. The monkfish and carrots were delicious. In the drawers of the tables, there are notes people have written who have eaten there before. See if you can find mine!
  • After dinner, we stopped at Murphy’s for ice cream which is ice cream made in Dingle, a town south of Galway. The sea salt & gin flavors were my favorite.
• Cava Bodega – Enjoy Spanish tapas at a cozy spot. The mussels, bread, and eggplant fritters were amazing. The only downside is that they did not serve sangria.
• Dela – We went here for brunch and loved everything we ate. They offer Wi-Fi access.

Belfast

• Dumbling Library – we loved their cocktails and food. The soup dumplings were a favorite. This was located in the courtyard of our Airbnb which was convenient.
• Yugo– This is another Asian restaurant that was amazing. The short rib was delicious.
• Established Coffee – This coffee shop was across the street from our Airbnb. They had great lattes and breakfast sandwiches. We went here twice.

Dublin

• Wilde – This is an Irish restaurant in a hotel that overlooks a street in the Grafton area to watch people walking by. We loved the food and the vibe of the place. I recommend a reservation.
• The Fish Shop – You will need a reservation given the restaurant only fits 20 people or less but you can also get takeout. We loved the dressed crab toast and fish and chips.

Where we drank

Galway

• Halfway from the Dublin airport to Galway, we stopped in a town called Westmeath to have a Guinness at Sean’s Bar. This is the oldest bar in Ireland at over 1,000 years old. 
• Tig Chóilí – They had live Irish music, the schedule was posted outside the pub. It was packed with limited seating.
• Taaffes Bar – This was across the street from Tig Chóilí. They also had live Irish music with a singer. There was more space here so we could sit down, which is why I liked it more.

Belfast

• We drank at the restaurants we were eating at. We enjoyed the cocktails at Dumpling Library and Yugo.

Dublin

• The Celt – This was our favorite Irish pub with the best live Irish music we experienced. It was spacious and had a homey feel. 
• The Porterhouse Brewery – This is a 4 story pub in the Temple Bar area that had live music on the 2nd floor. They were playing mostly American music but we heard that they play Irish music too.
• Temple Bar – It was crowded, but they were the only place in the Temple Bar area that had live music when we were there during the day. 
• Fidelity – It was a block from The Fish Shop where we had dinner and had the best cocktails and vibe. There was a great DJ playing but everyone was sitting down and not dancing. A great place to stop in for 1-2 drinks. 
• Oscars – It was close to The Fish Shop and Fidelity. It was a standard pub with a great old-fashioned cocktail.  
• There are numerous amounts of Irish pubs to explore. I recommend walking around and stopping in a pub where the music and energy suit you!

What we recommend knowing/preparing

• If you are flying back to the US from Dublin you will go through customs in Dublin instead of in the US. Once you go through US customs in the Dublin airport, you are technically in the US and they won’t let you back into the main airport area. Grab food before you go through customs since there is only a convenience store and a small bar with prepacked sandwiches on the other side. Once you land in the US you don’t go through any additional customs checks (so don’t plan a longer layover than you need).
• At the Dublin airport, you can pay about €10 to fast track through security. You can book it ahead of time. My friend did this and got through security in 5 minutes. She was glad she booked it since she noticed the regular security line was pretty long. I went through regular security without the fast track in 5 minutes since the airport wasn’t busy when I was there.
• Driving
  • Driving on the right side of the car instead of the left didn’t take long to adjust to. Even going through roundabouts wasn’t difficult to figure out.
  • Many of the roads in Ireland are extremely narrow. Roads that start with M are ‘motorways’ (highways) and have the most room. When we drove on motorways we had no issues. Some of the N roads, which are national roads, are very narrow. There is no room for error. It was a very nerve-wracking experience.
  • If there is no credit card machine at the gas pump, you pump the gas first then go inside and pay for it.
  • The line dividing traffic going both ways is white whereas in the United States, it is yellow. That could throw you off to think it’s a multi-lane road.
• We were lucky with just a light drizzle in Belfast and Galway but it poured rain most of our visit in Dublin. I would bring a raincoat, water-resistant shoes, and an umbrella. Make sure to have a few rainy-day activities ready (Guinness Tour in Dublin and the Titanic Museum in Belfast are great options).
• If you drive up to Belfast you are entering the United Kingdom (UK). There are no border checks to drive through and we never had to show our passports anywhere.
• Everywhere we went took credit cards. Belfast is in the UK and uses the pound while Galway and Dublin are in Ireland and use the Euro.
• Everyone we encountered was very nice and we felt safe as two females traveling.
• Belfast was more industrial than I was expecting. City-wise, I liked Galway and Dublin over Belfast.

What we didn’t do but looked into

• Dingle was a small town that many people recommended. It is in southwest Ireland.
• The Long Room (Old Library) at Trinity College – currently the books are not on the shelves due to a restoration project (October 2023).

What we packed

I went to Ireland in October and it was getting cold. I packed pants, sweaters, and jackets. I should have packed a winter hat and gloves too. I would also try to pack more boots and thick socks. I brought a raincoat shell which wasn’t warm enough so I’d recommend bringing a heavier raincoat. Expect rain and wind almost daily. Check out our recommendations for travel clothing and essentials.

We hope you enjoyed our Ireland travel guide. Leave a comment below or contact us for any questions. If you are looking for more adventures, then you should also check out our post on Iceland.

~Elyse