Feeling the urge to get out of town? Make sure to rent a car and see the countryside!
1) Connemara
Connemara is my well-deserved #1. There is a beach, there is magnificent, breathtaking, unique landscapes, cute ponies and donkeys and everything you need for your Instagram feed. You'll find beautiful sunsets and sunrises and will hopefully find some re-energizing powers. Make sure to visit Kylemore Abbey, the Connemara National Park in Letterfreck, Ireland's only fjord and some loughs!
2) Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has faced an incline in tourism ever since Game of Thrones was shot in its premises. If a fan or not, make sure to see the Dark Hedges, Giant's Causeway, Belfast and whatever your ultimate travel guides recommends. Be aware that there is a switch of measurements as soon as you enter the North: they have miles instead of kilometers. Credit cards are widely accepted, you can sometimes pay in euros (esp. in Belfast). There is an invisible border yet to date (pre- Brexit!), however, it is a whole different country. If you have strong political views, avoid Derry/ Londonderry. Also try to avoid it when there are political tensions. It's where the troubles took place and it might still be a bit dangerous from time to time. There is a reason why Belfast has neighborhoods that are separated by walls that are closed at night: the tensions are still a thing.
3) Kerry
Go see the Ring of Kerry and make sure to stay a night in Killarney. It's a beautiful small town at the edge of the famous 200km long road.
4) Donegal
The most astonishing cliffs of Ireland are in Donegal (sorry, not sorry, Cliffs of Moher). No coaches will take you there which makes it less touristic! People have strong accents and you may have to ask them to speak slower.
Please see my blog to find out more about these places. Wondering why there is neither Cork nor Galway or the Cliffs of Moher listed? Simply because you will not need a car to get there! Cork is a day trip from Dublin via train or coach as is Galway (and Belfast, tbh). Book yourself into a daytrip tour that are provided by multiple companies. They usually start in the early morning at around 6:30-7 and will get you back to Dublin by around 19:00. There are nice tours to Cork/ Blarney Castle AND other tours to Galway/ the Cliffs.
