Travel in Ireland

Alice Mansergh is spending St. Patrick’s Day 2024 in Washington, D.C., to participate in a longtime tradition. It involves delegates from Ireland presenting the current U.S. president with a bowl of shamrocks to mark this Irish holiday.

I've lived in New York City for almost four years, but I have never been to McSorley's, the oldest Irish pub in the city.

Although Downtown Halifax tends to be the popular first choice for most folks visiting Nova Scotia for the first—or second—time, there’s just something about the unobstructed city views and the pleasant ocean breeze that make Downtown Dartmouth just as appealing once you arrive.

Why compromise between your love for travel and your passion for golf when you can indulge in both in one luxurious package?

Not only does Ireland have amazing scenery, incredible sights, and notoriously fun citizens, but the people also have a certain way with words. 

Irish Canadians make up an astonishing 20 percent of the population in Nova Scotia—the highest per capita in Canada aside from neighbouring Newfoundland—so it should come as no surprise that the province is brimming with great watering holes for grabbing a pint or listening to live traditional Irish (and maritime) music.

Editors' note: JetBlue provided TPG with a free one-way business-class ticket for the inaugural Dublin route. All opinions expressed here are the author's alone and were not subject to review by JetBlue.

Last September, my husband and I left our kids with their grandparents and set off to Ireland. Our $2,132 itinerary took us from Minneapolis to Toronto to Dublin on tickets booked on United Airlines through Expedia but ultimately operated by Air Canada, a United partner. We had boarded our connecting flight in Toronto (and I was already dozing in my seat) when the captain announced an operator had crashed the jet bridge into the starboard engine. We were given hotel vouchers and told we would be rebooked for the next day. Checkout time came and went without a word, so we went to the airport and were told to call Air Canada customer service. An agent booked us a flight for that evening, and we printed out boarding passes at an airport kiosk. But when we tried to board, we were told the boarding passes were invalid. Eventually, we were offered two options for the next day: Fly to Dublin via Newark, or return to Minneapolis. We cut our losses and went home after staying the night in Toronto at a hotel. But United refunded us only $1,087, barely half of what we paid. Air Canada did reimburse us for the second hotel and other expenses, but we believe the airlines owe us not only a full refund, but also 400 Canadian each ($295 apiece) under Canadian law for denied boarding. Both refused. Can you help?

With a diaspora in the millions, Ireland’s national holiday has become an international phenomenon. 

Independent visitors to Ireland have historically counted on renting a car to get around the country.

In this series, Lonely Planet's team of writers and editors answers your travel problems and provides tips and hacks to help you plan a hassle-free trip. A question about where to find authentic and traditional pubs in Dublin that locals love has prompted Dublin-based Digital Editor, Sasha Brady, to weigh in.

It’s a quiet Thursday evening in Ireland’s rural midlands, and Mee’s Bar in Kilkerrin, County Galway, is hardly buzzing. The large space is mostly dark, the stools are mostly empty, and out front, on the only road through town, most cars roll by without stopping — foreboding features that have marked many an Irish country pub for dead.

In December and January, China brought in visa-free entry for citizens of seven European countries and Malaysia. 

Digital nomadism has shot up in popularity recently. While many destinations have simple citizenship requirements in place, the country a person hails from can still significantly impact their travel opportunities.

Let's assume you're planning a trip to Europe and want to include a visit to the United Kingdom. Should you plan to visit London at the start, in the middle or at the end of your trip? Does it even matter?

For those looking for a wild adventure on their next vacation, the editors of Forbes Travel Guide have rounded up some of the best lodges where guests can enjoy exotic animals in their natural habitats. From Tanzania to Texas, here are 14 luxury wildlife hotels featuring giraffes and jaguars—and a Noah’s ark of creatures.

Decades ago, your vacation most likely began with a visit to a travel agent, who relied on a combination of expertise and connections to find the best deals on plane tickets, hotels, tours and more. Since then, the internet has turned most of us into our own travel agents, and artificial intelligence software is making research and self-booking even easier. But for some trips, that special insider knowledge can still make a big difference.

MADEIRA IS, FOR THE 10TH TIME, THE BEST ISLAND DESTINATION IN EUROPE. PORTO SANTO IS THE BEST BEACH DESTINATION AND THE MADEIRA PROMOTION ASSOCIATION THE BEST TOURISM ENTITY. Funchal will host two international World Travel Awards galas in November this year.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nadia Crevecoeur, a 26-year-old project manager from New York who traveled to and lived in many countries, including China, Portugal, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, and Italy, before moving back to the US in 2023. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

China has announced a 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of six additional European countries: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

What makes one passport more powerful than another? The best-known passport ranking, from London-based investment migration consultancy Henley & Partners, focuses solely on visa-free travel. Essentially, the more countries a citizen can visit without a visa, the better. In that ranking, six nations—France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain—tie for the top position, with 194 visa-free destinations apiece. (In 2024, the U.S. is tied for sixth, with 189.)