Top 10 Places to Visit In Ireland - Travel Guide

What's up guys, my name is Ryan and I recently returned from exploring the magical country of Ireland and I want to share with you my favorite places so here is my Ireland top 10. Ireland is easily one of the most enchanting places on earth. From the cliffs of Moher to the daunting Skellig Michael Island, Ireland is a mystical land just waiting to be explored. Let's start this video off at Giant's Causeway. Located in Northern Ireland about a three hours drive from Dublin, Giant's Causeway is one of the most recognizable places in all of Ireland. It's famous for its jagged cliffs and over 40,000 basalt columns. They're these perfect hexagons that cover the coast. According to legend, the causeway was built by an Irish giant so he could cross the northern sea. When I was there we started by hiking above the cliffs and then made our way down to the causeway. I was just amazed by the bizarre rock formations. I had such a fun time walking on them. It's wild to think they were made by nature. Now while you're there you can also hike around to other spots on the coast such as the amphitheater. I really like this one rock formation called the Chimney Stacks on the Cliffs. Now while we're still in Northern Ireland we're going to head over to Carric Arid. It's this scenic bridge that crosses the sea over to this little island. I was just amazed by the water color there. I mean it's just so blue contrasted perfectly with the green cliffs. Now just 20 minutes from there you can visit the Dark Hedges. It's this avenue lined with over 90 beech trees. They were planted almost 250 years ago. Now according to legend there's a ghost called the Grey Lady who wanders the road. Definitely has a spooky vibe especially at night. Now after we're going to leave Northern Ireland to visit the Sleafleet Cliffs. Now located in the county of Donegal about a four hours drive from Dublin. The Sleafleet Cliffs are some of the highest cliffs in all of Europe with a height of 601 meters. I mean they're just absolutely massive. Now when you're there there's plenty of lookout points and there's a path that walks along the cliffs that offers astounding views the whole way. I went there for sunset but if you want to get the best lighting I recommend going for sunrise. The light will hit those cliffs really nicely. Another really beautiful nearby place is the village of Malinbeg. Now it's just a 30 minutes drive from Sleafleet and it's home to one of the best beaches in all Ireland called the Silver Strand. It's this horseshoe shaped beach surrounded by green cliffs. Now if the ocean wasn't so cold you would think you're on a tropical island. Now there's a stairway that walks you down to the beach. I had such a great time walking along the sand and exploring the grassy cliffs. Also in Malinbeg there's this really cool Napoleonic signal tower that was built over 200 years ago and you can also get another vantage point of the Sleafleet Cliffs from there. Now while we're still in Donegal you can visit Mount Aragall. Now it's the tallest peak in Donegal with a height of 751 meters. Now if you're up for a challenge you can make the four kilometer hike to the top to get some phenomenal views of the area. Now afterwards we're going to visit Eagle's Rock. Now located about 40 minutes from Donegal, Eagle's Rock is Ireland's highest freestanding tower with a height of 330 meters. You can hike about six kilometers to reach the top of the plateau and it's really a beautiful area over there. Now afterwards we're going to head back to the coast to visit Downpatrick Head. Now located on the Wild Atlantic Way in North Mayo it's a distinctly shaped headland home to the impressive Dune Bristie sea stack. Now during World War II a lookout post was built here with the markings of Air 64 which was used by American aircraft so they knew they had reached neutral Ireland. I mean I never knew what the purpose of those markings meant. I guess air is the Irish word for Ireland. Anyways just pretty cool history. Afterwards we're going to visit the most famous place in all Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher. Now located on Ireland's west coast about a three hour stride from Dublin, the cliffs stretch over 14 kilometers with the highest reaching 214 meters above the sea. Now when you go to the cliffs you can park at the visitor center. When we were there we parked at this place called Garin's Path. It's about five euros a person and a short walk to the cliffs and not nearly as many people there. Anyways when we reached them I was just amazed by the size of the cliffs. I mean they were way bigger than I imagined and they just drop off straight into the ocean. If you want to walk to the end of the cliffs you can make the trek to Also another cool spot is O'Brien's Tower which was built in 1835. If you can I definitely recommend waiting for sunset as the light hits the cliffs giving it a strikingly orange glow. I mean it's easy to see why it's one of the most popular places in all Ireland. Now another really cool spot right next to the cliffs is Dunagor Castle just like 10 minutes away and it's a 16th century tower house. I just love its unique shape. Now afterwards we're going to visit the Aran Islands. Now they're located right off the Galway and the Aran Islands are made up of three islands with Inishmore being the largest. Now to get to the islands the best option is a ferry from Roseville. You can also leave from Doolin which is close to the Cliffs of Moher. Now the island is covered in these recognizable stone walls made from limestone. I mean they're just literally everywhere. Now while you're on the island you can rent a bike or just walk around and explore intriguing landscapes and historical sites of the Aran Islands. Now another really cool place on the mainland of Ireland is Derryclare Lock. It's located about an hour's drive from Galway and it's this lake and it has this island with these distinct trees. It kind of reminds me of the island in Harry Potter where like Dumbledore's wand was hidden. Anyways it's just this really scenic site out in the countryside and it's worth a visit especially if you're into photography. Now afterwards we're going to the county Kerry to visit the Gap of Dunloe. Now located in the south western tip of Ireland about a four hour's drive from Dublin. The Gap of Dunloe is this incredibly scenic mountain pass. Now you can drive it if you're comfortable with skinny windy roads. Now we parked at the beginning of the pass near Kate Kearney's cottage and then walked up. Now one of my favorite features of the Gap of Dunloe is its bridges. You can reach the Wishing Bridge with just a short walk from the parking lot. Another thing I really loved about the pass was just the size of the mountains. I mean they were just absolutely massive and they were just covered in this dark green color. Now afterwards we're going to visit the Kerry Cliffs. Now located about an hour's drive from Killarney, the Kerry Cliffs are some of the most beautiful in all Ireland. They are over 300 meters high and many people told me they liked them a lot more than the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs have such a unique color and finger-like sections that extend into the sea. I mean there's plenty of viewpoints and just overall a great place to visit. Now for our final destination we're going to visit the Skellig Islands. Now this was the main reason I wanted to go to Ireland. They're these two islands located off of Kerry and are truly out of this world. The only way to get to the islands is by boat. We went with the company Skellig Michael Voyage. I'll link them in the description below. We left from the town of Portmagee. Now the ride out to the islands was no joke. The sea was rough but it definitely added to the adventure. After about an hour of boating we made it to the island. We got off the boat and I was just so freaking stoked. We just started walking up the island's path until we reached the stairs that lead up to the top to the monasteries. Now the stairs were just beyond cool. There were hundreds if not thousands of puffins burrowed right next to the stairs and on the island slopes. I mean they were just so freaking cute. We reached the midway point at Christ's Saddle and then kept hiking to the top. After climbing the island's 618 stairs we finally made it to the monastery. Now the history of the island is just absolutely fascinating. The monastic settlement dates back to the 6th century where the monks of Saint Fionan lived simple lives on this isolated island. They built these beehive huts completely out of stone. They were precisely designed to make sure no water could get into them. Now it's believed there were about 12 monks that lived here at a time. In the 13th century the monks left the island for mainland Ireland and since then Skellig has become a place for pilgrimage. I mean I can't imagine what it must have been like to live on the island back then. You would have to take a rowboat out there on the turbulent sea and climb up the jagged rocks to reach the top. Those monks were sure ambitious. You know after exploring the monastery we hiked back down. I just couldn't believe how windy it was up there. We got back on the boat and went over to the northern side of the island and then on our way back we stopped at Little Skellig. This island is uninhabited but it's home to one of the largest colonies of northern gannets in the world. I mean I couldn't believe how many birds there were and you sure could smell them. All in all the Skellig Islands were one of the coolest places I've ever been and I couldn't recommend them enough. If you do visit you can either do a landing tour or just boat around the island. Obviously I recommend you do a landing tour. Well that is it for my Ireland top 10. It's one of my new favorite countries and I just love it so much. I'll be back for part two. Let me know where your favorite place in Ireland is in the comments below. I also have a relaxation channel where I make hour-long films to bring some peace and nature in your life. I did a video on Ireland with Celtic music that I know you'll enjoy. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok at Shirley.films. It's Ryan and we will see you later.