Where locals go: where our Irish writers vacation in Ireland

Adam Lubinsky is a poster boy for multimodal travel. When he commutes from Brooklyn to his Manhattan office, he switches effortlessly from a folding bike he has modified to make electric and then onto the subway.

Ireland may be relatively small, but its dramatic coasts, country roads, and historic cities have visitors wishing for more time. To help maximize your trip, we consulted local experts, ranging from food writers to photographers, librarians, and tour guides, for their best bets.

Landscapes as green and lovely as everyone says. Literary giants in Dublin; Titanic history in Belfast. A pint and good craic in a traditional pub. The lure of Celtic legends.

Green fields and hills give Ireland its “Emerald Isle” nickname. But with nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, rivers, and lakes, the island nation is also awash in blue. Rounding out all that unspoiled nature are ancient castles, historic villages, and pubs alive with traditional music. Here’s the best way to experience this colorful corner of Europe.

When most people envision a trip to Dublin, they think of a whirlwind of Guinness, whiskey, and pub hopping—and they’re not wrong. Dublin is home to nearly 800 pubs and bars across the city, and the drinking culture is undoubtedly one of the draws.

Get ready for a 30-mile drive that will take you thousands of years back in time. Starting in Killala, on the River Moy estuary, grab your morning cuppa in The Kiosk Café on Market Street, before exploring the fifth-century Round Tower, a 75ft limestone icon, which you might expect Rapunzel’s hair to tumble down from at any minute. Note the doorway set 11 feet above ground — access ladders would have been pulled inside to protect against marauders.

Strapped to a dramatic stretches of coastline, Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route is a wind-battered swirl of churning seas, shattered cliffs, expansive grasslands and long-abandoned castles. Follow it in any direction, and you’ll soon come to appreciate how this landscape became so closely associated with tales of warriors and giants. Home to many of the country’s most iconic and spectacular sites, including the jagged outcrop of basalt known as the Giant’s Causeway, this endlessly surprising route offers drivers more majesty per mile than almost anywhere else in Europe.

Enter the Pernod Ricard “St. Patrick’s Day” sweepstakes by April 30, 2016, for a chance to win one of six grand prizes: each a trip for two to Ireland, including air, three nights’ hotel, and a tour of the Jameson distillery in Dublin.

If you’re looking to find the least expensive accommodations in a destination regardless of what kind of accommodation it is, you might be surprised to learn that Airbnb isn’t always the cheapest. A new study from Compare the Market shows that hotels can sometimes beat Airbnb prices. The study covered the average Airbnb vs. hotel rates (per night) in 52 important destinations around the world.

Ever wondered what it’s like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, the holiday’s own green-hued homeland? Despite my long line of Irish heritage, my family has never been able to answer that question for me. Some said it’s a religious holiday, others claimed it’s a tourist play hijacked by beer companies, but most admitted they had no idea what exactly Irish locals do for the national holiday.

It’s the opposite of a motorway. As I drive into the Cumeengeera Valley, scraggly summer hedgerows slap my wing mirrors. Punky tufts of grass on the boreen work like brushes, scrubbing the car’s undercarriage. The mountains around me make me feel the size a grain of rice in a giant green bowl.

If there’s one adage that sums up Dublin, it’s “big things come in small packages.” The Irish capital covers less than 45 square miles on either side of the River Liffey, but it’s brimming with enough landmarks, history, and character to fill a much larger city. From Irish literary greats such as James Joyce and Oscar Wilde to musical legends such as Bono, Dubliners have had an indelible impact on world culture, and the city promises to do the same for travelers.