There is so much to do and see, and I know I have not seen it all during my travels, but my two trips to this spectacular country have been remarkable and unforgettable. I want to share a few special places we have found around the Emerald Isle from castles to pubs and secret fairy forests.
Here are some of the most remarkable places I recommend visiting in Ireland.
Dublin:
Most people fly in and out of Dublin when they travel to Ireland. This is a great launching point for your vacation, but I highly recommend getting out of the city and seeing as much of the country as you can.
When you have had your fill of Dublin (and Guinness), get out of town and travel to one of these quaint, picturesque towns (listed in alphabetical order):
Ballincollig -
Visit the Blarney Castle or walk along The River Lee to view The Ballincollig Royal Gunpowders Mills in the tiny town of Ballincollig. I have explored here more than anywhere else and cannot recommend it enough. The people here are the most kind, but I might be biased, because this is the hometown of some of our friends!
Cork -
Shop at The English Market for some local delicacies, meats, cheeses, and other fine goods before walking the city streets or touring The Kerrygold Butter Museum orBlackrock Castle Observatory. There is so much to do and see in this historic fort city that we recommend a day or two to take it all in!
Glenbeigh -
Checkout one of Ireland’s most scenic beaches at this popular locals’ vacation spot. There are great historic places to check out like The Kerry Bog Village Museum (which you can read more about HERE) along with silly places like the Fairy Forest to explore!
Our horse drawn carriage ride from The Muckross Park Hotel & Spa.
Kinsale -
Kinsale is a colorful fishing town with bright storefronts and delicious restaurants. I recommend before stopping in for a bite to eat, traveling down to the nearby cliffs close to The Olde Head Golf Course.
If you would like to see where to stay in all of these towns, check out my “Best Places to Stay Around Ireland” blog post here!
There are still many places I hope to come back and visit. Here are some of these iconic locations I can’t wait to see one day:
I know I haven’t seen all of Ireland, but what I have seen has been nothing short of magical. I hope this post helps you find just how truly special this place is during your own visits to The Emerald Isle.
See more from our adventures around Ireland HERE:
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We spent three days in this geologically stunning area and only scraped the surface of its plethora of wonders. There are crystals, caves, "vortexes", and so much more tucked inside of these beautiful, red rocks, and even the small portion we saw was mind-blowing.
Here are some of the places we visited during our brief time in this magical locality: Lodging:
Where to Eat:
Hikes:Warning - Sedona is HOT!This fact won't be a shocker if you know anything about The American Southwest, but I wanted to include this warning, because it is unbearably and unsafely hot for most of the summer. I highly recommend that you check the weather and warnings every single day before going out. Not only is heat an issue, but when it does rain, flash floods are also a major concern. Not to mention wildfires which hindered our plan to take a dip in Owl Creek. Sunrise at Airport Mesa Trail:
We followed the AllTrails app to keep us on the right path. See our route here!  From Airport Mesa you can see all of Sedona's famous red rock formations. The views were beautiful for the first half of the hike. While the sun was rising, we traversed the desert landscape, and it lit up with blooming wildflowers and bushes. Later on when the trail approached the airport, there was less to see. Overall, it was a wonderful morning for us to see all of the valley's towering formations we would be hiking throughout the week. Read a more in depth review of our hike around The Airport Mesa Trail here!
Boynton Canyon:
We found “secret caves” and Native American ruins. It was an eventful and easy hike through the desert canyon.
Watch our video from this unreal hike in our blog post here! Devil’s Bridge:
We manage to time the sunrise perfectly, but we did not beat the crowds. When we got to the bridge, there were hoards of people in line to walk across the bridge. It was still worth it even with the amount of people around, the structure is absolutely spectacular especially when the sun rays hit the red rocks, they warm the glow of the bridge. It was magnificent.
Bell Rock:
Read more about our visits to all four energy vortexes in this separate blog post, here! Swimming Holes:Slide Rock State Park:
Watch more from Slide Rock State Park in our video below! Crescent Moon Ranch:
This area is considered to be one of Sedona’s Energy Vortexes - if you are interested in learning more about these mystical places around the town, read our “Sedona Vortexes” post here! Interesting Stops:
Amitabha Stupa:
Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well: We checked out the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well to do a little bit of learning and wondering. This area is deemed to have been an important cultural site to the native peoples of the land. Montezuma Castle is a well preserved Pueblo believed to have been created 1,200 years ago while Montezuma Well Is a nearby water source home to several species that have never been found anywhere else in the world!
Both of these stops were extremely interesting - you can read about the curious sites in our more detailed blog post here. Chapel of the Holy Cross: Another interesting stop we made was Chapel of the Holy Cross. This place of worship was built to mimic the biblical "house on the rock" and it was a beautiful display of craftsmanship. We walked around outside while a mass was being held inside, before we finally went in and saw the stunning crucifixion and stained glass windows.
We cannot wait to come back!It was a great few days spent with family in an absolutely stunning part of the country. We managed to squeeze so much into our trip in just a few days, but we know we only scratched the surface. We cannot wait to come back soon and do some more adventuring! |
Talkin' 'bout Tacos:
I'm Taylor, aka Tacos! I am sharing my journeys and experiences from across the world hoping to inspire travel and adventure in all who read. Archives
June 2024
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