Ireland holiday
Travel tips, best time to visit & highlights for your Ireland holiday in Europe
The Emerald Isle enchants with dramatic cliffs, endless meadows, cozy pubs with live music, and a legendary warm hospitality. From the Cliffs of Moher to the Wild Atlantic Way to Dublin's literary culture scene – Ireland is a country full of soul and stories.
Capital
Dublin
Language
English, Irish (Gaeilge)
Currency
Euro (€)
Time zone
UTC+0
Flight time from DE
approx. 2.5 hours
Entry requirements
EU identity card
Top hotels & accommodations in Ireland
Selected hotels and holiday accommodations in Ireland — with images, reviews, and direct booking links with our partners.
Anantara The Marker Dublin
Dublin, Irland
The Shelbourne Dublin, Autograph Collection
Dublin, Irland
Powerscourt Hotel, Autograph Collection
Bray, Irland
Conrad Dublin
Dublin, Irland
Hotel The Westin
Dublin, Irland
The Morrison Dublin, Curio Collection by Hilton
Dublin, Irland
Carton House Hotel
Maynooth, Irland
Hotel O'Callaghan Alexander
Dublin, Irland
Top 5 highlights in Ireland
The places you absolutely must not miss.
Cliffs of Moher
Over 200 meters high cliffs on the Atlantic coast – breathtaking and wind-swept.
Ring of Kerry
179 kilometers of scenic road through mountains, lakes, and colorful villages in the southwest.
Dublin
Temple Bar, Trinity College with the Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse, and a vibrant pub scene.
Wild Atlantic Way
2,500 km coastal road from Donegal to Cork – one of the longest coastal routes in the world.
Giant's Causeway
40,000 hexagonal basalt columns on the northern coast of Northern Ireland – a natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage site.
Hotels in Ireland
Vergleiche tausende Hotels, Apartments und Resorts auf Expedia – mit Bestpreis-Garantie, kostenloser Stornierung und Bonuspunkten.
* Weiterleitung zu Expedia.de. Es gelten die dortigen Nutzungsbedingungen.
Reise-SIM für Ireland
Prepaid-SIM mit Datenvolumen für Ireland. Einfach einlegen und sofort lossurfen – keine Roaming-Gebühren.
* Weiterleitung zu travSIM.de. Es gelten die dortigen Nutzungsbedingungen.
Reiseversicherung abschließen
Rundum-Schutz ab 9,90 € auf TravelSecure.de
Pauschalreisen & Rundreisen
Berge & Meer – 170 Tage Cookie
Best time to visit Ireland
Recommended travel time
May–September
Summer
15–20°C
Winter
4–10°C
How much does a holiday in Ireland cost?
Average cost per person per day (excluding flight)
Budget
60–90€
Hostel, street food, public transport
Mid-range
90–160€
Hotel, restaurant, excursions
Luxury
160–300€
Boutique hotel, fine dining
5 travel tips for Ireland
Insider knowledge to make your holiday better.
Live music is often played spontaneously in pubs – just sit down and enjoy.
Car rental: Driving on the left and narrow country roads require caution.
A Guinness tastes better in Dublin than anywhere else.
A rain jacket and layered clothing are essential year-round.
B&Bs are cozier and more personal than hotels.
Food & drink in Ireland
These dishes you must try!
Discover Ireland
5 regions, cities and highlights in Ireland
Cities
Cork
Cork is Ireland's secret capital and the culinary metropolis of the Emerald Isle — a vibrant university city on the River Lee, which proudly refers to itself with a wink as The Real Capital of Ireland. The second-largest city in the Republic is located on an island between two arms of the Lee and spreads over steep hills, from which colorful Georgian terraced houses overlook narrow streets. The English Market, founded in 1788, is one of the oldest covered markets in Europe and the gastronomic heart of Cork: Under the Victorian glass roof, stalls line up with Irish farmhouse cheese, fresh oysters from West Cork, black pudding, handmade bread, and the legendary tripe and drisheen — tripe with blood sausage, a dish that has survived only in Cork. Queen Elizabeth II visited the market in 2011 and made it internationally famous. Blarney Castle, just 8 kilometers north of the city, houses the Blarney Stone: According to legend, a kiss on the stone embedded in the castle wall grants the gift of eloquence (Gift of the Gab). To kiss it, one must lean backward over the parapet — a test of courage at dizzying heights. The gardens and the Poison Garden around the castle are worth a visit on their own. The Shandon Church (St. Anne's Church) with its two-colored tower of red sandstone and white limestone is Cork's landmark: Visitors are allowed to ring the famous Shandon Bells and enjoy a 360-degree panorama of the city from the tower. The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's 2,500-kilometer-long coastal road, begins in Kinsale (25 km south of Cork) and leads along dramatic cliffs, secluded coves, and picturesque fishing villages to the north. Kinsale itself is Ireland's gourmet capital with dozens of award-winning restaurants.
Dublin
Dublin, Ireland's charming capital at the mouth of the Liffey, combines literary heritage, pub culture, and Celtic history into an irresistible mix. The city has produced four Nobel Prize winners in Literature — Yeats, Shaw, Beckett, and Heaney — and James Joyce's Ulysses takes place over a single day in Dublin. Trinity College houses the Book of Kells, one of the most beautiful medieval manuscripts in the world. Temple Bar is the cultural heart with live music in every pub, while the Georgian Quarter, with its colorful doors and elegant squares, provides Instagram moments. The Guinness Storehouse Experience tells the story of black gold with a pint tasting in the Gravity Bar with a 360° view of the city. Dublin is compact enough to explore on foot and lively enough to entertain for weeks — the Craic (Irish fun) is contagious.
Galway
Galway is the soul of the wild west of Ireland — a bohemian, music-filled university town on Galway Bay, serving as a gateway to Connemara, the Aran Islands, and the Cliffs of Moher. The third largest city in the Republic of Ireland has rightfully earned its reputation as European Capital of Culture 2020: Few cities of this size offer so much live music, theater, street art, and festivals per square meter. Shop Street and Quay Street form the vibrant heart of Galway: cobbled streets lined with colorful pubs, boutiques, and street musicians performing everything from Traditional Irish Music to flamenco guitar to beatboxing. On sunny afternoons (which occur more often than one might think), people sit with pints and oysters outside the pubs, enjoying the unique atmosphere. The Aran Islands (Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, Inis Oírr) are accessible by ferry from Rossaveal (40 minutes) and are a time travel into Gaelic Ireland: On Inis Mór, Dún Aonghasa, a prehistoric stone fort from the Bronze Age, sits on the edge of a 100-meter-high cliff overlooking the Atlantic — one of the most dramatic prehistoric monuments in Europe. The Cliffs of Moher, 80 kilometers south of Galway in County Clare, are Ireland's natural wonder number one: 214-meter-high sheer cliffs stretch over 8 kilometers along the Atlantic coast, home to thousands of puffins, razorbills, and guillemots. On clear days, the view extends to the Aran Islands. Connemara, west of Galway, is one of the last true wildernesses in Europe: vast moorlands, lonely lakes, the Twelve Bens mountain range, Connemara ponies, and tiny villages where Irish (Gaeilge) is still spoken as a mother tongue. The Sky Road Drive near Clifden is one of the most beautiful coastal roads in Ireland. The Galway International Oyster Festival (late September) is the oldest oyster festival in the world (since 1954): For three days, Galway Bay Oysters are slurped, Guinness is drunk, and the fastest oyster shucker in the world is crowned.
Regions
Ireland
Ireland is the green soul of Europe – an island whose landscapes are as dramatic as its history and whose people are as warm-hearted as its legendary whiskey. From the breathtaking cliffs of the west coast to the lively pubs of Dublin and Galway, and the tranquil lakes of Killarney: Ireland touches every visitor with its unique blend of wild nature and human warmth. The west coast is Ireland's crown jewel. The Wild Atlantic Way stretches over 2,500 kilometers from the Donegal Peninsula in the north to the Ring of Kerry in the south and is considered one of the most spectacular coastal roads in the world. The Cliffs of Moher, rising 214 meters straight above the crashing waves, are a natural spectacle that leaves one speechless. The Aran Islands off the coast of Galway preserve a way of life with their stone walls and Irish-speaking inhabitants that has endured for centuries. Dublin pulses with energy – Temple Bar, the Georgian Merrion Square, Trinity College with the Book of Kells, and the Guinness Brewery are just the beginning. Galway on the west coast is Ireland's most creative city, with street musicians on every corner, colorful facades, and a vibrant food scene. In the southwest, the Ring of Kerry circles the Iveragh Peninsula with panoramas that shift between emerald green hills, lakes, and Atlantic bays. Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of 40,000 basalt columns, is one of Europe's geological wonders. The Dingle Peninsula enchants with its Beehive Huts, the Slea Head Drive, and the memory of Fungie, the legendary dolphin. From Germany, it takes just under two hours to fly to Dublin, Cork, or Shannon. A rental car is the best way to explore the island – be careful, they drive on the left! The best time to visit is from May to September, with the Irish summer rarely exceeding 20°C. Rain is as much a part of Ireland as Guinness – but the sun breaks through time and again, and that is what creates the magical light of this island.
Killarney & Ring of Kerry
Killarney and the Ring of Kerry in the southwest of Ireland combine everything that the Emerald Isle has to offer: lakes that lie like mirrors in wooded valleys, mountains that constantly reinvent themselves in changing light, ancient monastery ruins on misty islands, and a coastal road that is among the most spectacular in Europe. Killarney National Park, Ireland's oldest national park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is a landscape of almost supernatural beauty: Three lakes — the Upper, Middle, and Lower Lake — lie in a valley framed by purple mountains and the last remaining primeval forest in Ireland. The oak forest of Derrycunnihy and the Muckross Peninsula are home to plants and mosses that have been growing here since the last Ice Age — a piece of original Ireland that has survived nowhere else. Muckross House, a Victorian mansion on the shores of Muckross Lake, is one of the most visited buildings in Ireland — but the true magic lies behind it: A ride in a traditional Jaunting Car (horse-drawn carriage) to Torc Waterfall and further through the Gap of Dunlö — a narrow mountain pass road lined with rocks and lakes — is one of the unforgettable experiences. The Ring of Kerry, a 179-kilometer coastal road, circles the Iveragh Peninsula and offers a new panorama at every turn: Rugged cliffs plunge into the Atlantic, prehistoric stone circles crown hills, and tiny villages with colorful pubs and live music invite you to take a break. Those who want to avoid the tourist buses can take the Skellig Ring route to the Kerry Cliffs — with the dramatic view of the Skellig Islands, whose beehive-shaped monastic cells have become world-famous since "Star Wars."
Complete guide for Ireland
Regions, attractions, food, routes, costs & practical tips — all in one digital guide.
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Plan a holiday in Ireland
Ireland is one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe, offering Nature, Pub, Road trip and much more. The best time to visit Ireland is May–September, when the weather is ideal for exploration and relaxation. With a daily budget starting from 60–90€ (Budget) to 160–300€ (Luxury), Ireland is suitable for various travel budgets.
From the capital Dublin, Ireland can be excellently explored. The official language is English, Irish (Gaeilge), and the currency is Euro (€). From Germany, you can reach Ireland in approx. 2.5 hours. Whether you want to try culinary highlights like Irish Stew, Soda Bread, Full Irish Breakfast, visit top attractions, or simply enjoy the atmosphere: Ireland has something for every type of traveller.
Use our free travel tools to prepare your Ireland holiday perfectly. With the holiday finder, you can discover if Ireland is the right destination for you. The budget calculator helps you plan costs realistically, and with the packing list, you won't forget anything.
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