The Best Time to Visit Ireland

12.09.2024 - 18:38 / cntraveler.com / Laura Lindsay

The best time to visit Ireland—to see green countrysides and impressive castles, to learn about Celtic history, to rub elbows with friendly and funny Irish folks—is any time of year. Whether you want to visit for the breathtaking beauty of Ireland’s rock formations or medieval architecture, or just to drink a whole lot of Guinness, the key to a good visit to Ireland is to time it just right.

It’s common knowledge these days that shoulder-season travel can offer the savvy traveler a lot of advantage no matter their destination. But to get an expert opinion on the ins and outs of it, I spoke to Siobhan Byrne, the Dublin-based founder and CEO of luxury travel company Adams & Butler, for her insight on the best time to visit Ireland. Read on to learn how to schedule your visit, what to know before you go, and why you might be better off visiting Ireland than Los Angeles for Thanksgiving.

It is best to visit Ireland in the shoulder season months of May, June, and September, when the weather remains pleasant but the crowds have not yet come or already gone.

The best time to visit Ireland are the months of May, June, and September, according to Byrne. These are the months that touch the peak season of summer, so the weather is warm but most of the crowds have yet to arrive or have already gone. That said, even the months of March, April, and October offer pleasant weather.

“I joke—but it's actually true—that, in Ireland, the winter is a cooler version of the summer, and the summer is a warmer version of the winter,” Byrne says. “On any given day in the year, it can be 17°C (62°F). I often do hand-washing on Christmas Day because it can be a wonderful dry sunny day!”

Byrne also notes that the travel time to Ireland from the East Coast of the US is just five and a half hours, so technically it takes less time to get to Dublin than to the West Coast: “So do consider Ireland for a long weekend break during those winter months, that's what people in the know do!

During the shoulder season and winter months, Byrne says travelers can get many transatlantic rates for as little as $300 each way, and that business airfares can be cheaper during these times.

As for the facts and figures: November is statistically the cheapest month to fly to Ireland, according to Laura Lindsay, the destination and travel trends expert at Skyscanner. At this time, in 2023, roundtrip fares cost an average of $404 per person. “It’s one of the quieter months for tourists, with short days and colder weather without the twinkling lights and fairground feel of Christmas markets,” Lindsay says.

Heads up that December is the most expensive time to travel to Ireland, according to Skyscanner data; data says that roundtrip flights in December 2023