Where we start
Adare Manor
Co. Limerick
Adare Manor is Ireland's most celebrated hotel, and an estate experience in the truest sense.
The Ireland travel guide
Ireland, edited: every place we would actually send you.
127 places, each with a page of its own. We live here, we book these rooms, we eat in these dining rooms, and we walk these links in the rain. Nothing appears below because it exists. It appears because we would put our own name on the recommendation.
Ireland is small enough to cross in a day and slow enough to take two weeks. That contradiction is the whole planning problem. The regional Edits solve it county by county. This page solves it the other way, by category, so you can decide what kind of trip you are taking before you decide where it happens.
Read it as a shortlist, not a directory. Start with the rooms. The stay shapes the trip more than any other choice, and the dining rooms, pubs and courses worth the detour tend to sit within half an hour of the right hotel.
How we choose: we visit in person, we pay our own way, and we remove anything that slips. Last reviewed .
The short answer
If you only want the one pick per category
- The best hotel
- Adare Manor
Nothing else in Ireland runs at this standard. Service that anticipates, a golf course that hosted the Ryder Cup, and a house that earns the price.
- The best dining room
- Chapter One
Two Michelin stars in a Georgian basement in Dublin, and still the warmest room at that level in the country.
- The best pub
- The Long Hall
Victorian mirrors, a mahogany bar, and a pint poured by someone who has poured a few. No music, no screens, no theatre.
- The best links
- Royal County Down
Blind tee shots under the Mourne Mountains. Regularly ranked the best course in the world, and it plays like it.
- The best distillery visit
- Midleton
The one whiskey tour that teaches rather than performs, in the Cork distillery where Jameson is actually made.
127 of 127
Sleep
The best hotels in Ireland
Castles, country houses and city rooms. The order matters less than the honesty: we say who each one suits and who it does not.
Courtesy of Ballynahinch Castle · Used with permission
Where we start
Ballynahinch Castle
Connemara, Co. Galway
Set in 700 acres of Connemara wilderness, this is Ireland's most romantic escape. A sprawling 19th-century fishing lodge where luxury is defined by isolation, warmth, and the rushing Owenmore River.
Where we start
The Merrion Hotel
Dublin 2
Our preferred Dublin hotel: four restored Georgian townhouses where quiet rooms, the interior garden and warm service soften the city from the moment you arrive.
All 47, alphabetically
Aniar TownhouseGalway, Co. Galway 
Courtesy of Ashford Castle · Used with permission
Courtesy of Ballynahinch Castle · Used with permission
Photograph: Serge Ottaviani / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo courtesy of Culloden Estate & Spa · Courtesy image
Courtesy of Dromoland Castle · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of Glenlo Abbey Hotel · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Harvey's Point · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Hayfield Manor · Courtesy image
Courtesy of Lough Eske Castle · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of Lynham's of Laragh · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Park Hotel Kenmare · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Perryville House · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Rathmullan House · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Rosleague Manor · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of The g Hotel & Spa · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of The Galmont Hotel & Spa · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of The Glendalough Hotel · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of The Marine Hotel, Sutton · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Tinakilly Country House · Courtesy image
Read on: the full stay system, the castle hotels.
Eat
The best restaurants in Ireland
Two-star tasting rooms and harbour seafood bars, treated with the same seriousness. Each page carries what to order and what guests consistently notice.
Photo courtesy of Chapter One · Used with permission
Where we start
Chapter One
Parnell Square, Dublin
Set in the basement of the Dublin Writers Museum, Chapter One has been the city's most celebrated restaurant for over two decades.
Photo courtesy of Aniar · Courtesy image
Where we start
Aniar
Galway City
A Michelin-starred boutique restaurant in Galway serving wildly creative dishes rooted in the Atlantic landscape.
Photograph: ReubenGrayPhoto / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Where we start
Ballymaloe House
Shanagarry, County Cork
The East Cork farmhouse dining room that invented modern Irish cooking, and still sets one menu a night.
All 32, alphabetically
Photo courtesy of Aniar · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Aqua · Courtesy image
Courtesy of Avoca · Used with permission
Photograph: ReubenGrayPhoto / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo courtesy of Bastion · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Café Paradiso · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Chapter One · Used with permission
Courtesy of Fishy Fishy · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of Fontana · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Hunter's Hotel · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of Kai Cafe · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Kinara · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of King Sitric · Courtesy image
Courtesy of Liath · Used with permission
Courtesy of Linnane's Lobster Bar · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of Market Lane · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Mickey Finn's Pub · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of Mitchell's Restaurant · Courtesy image
Photograph: Catherine Cronin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo courtesy of No. 35 · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Noble · Courtesy image
Courtesy of Out of the Blue · Used with permission
Courtesy of Dromquinna Manor · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of The Muddlers Club · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Adare Manor · Used with permission
Photograph: Kenneth Allen / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo courtesy of The Strawberry Tree · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of The Water's Edge · Used with permission
Photo courtesy of The Wicklow Heather · Courtesy image
Photo courtesy of Veldon's Seafarer · Courtesy image
Read on: the food and dining hub, the seafood edit.
Drink
The best pubs in Ireland
No stag parties, no plastic shamrock. Snugs, slow pints, and in a few cases a hardware shop that also serves porter.
Photograph courtesy of The Long Hall, Dublin · Courtesy image
Where we start
The Long Hall
South Great George's Street, Dublin 2
Dublin's most beautiful Victorian pub, unchanged since 1881.
Photograph courtesy of Dick Mack's, Dingle · Courtesy image
Where we start
Dick Mack's
Green Street, Dingle, County Kerry
A former cobbler's shop with a whiskey cabinet where the leather used to be.
Photograph: Serge Ottaviani / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Where we start
Sean's Bar
Main Street, Athlone, County Westmeath
Dated to around 900 AD and recognised as the oldest bar in Ireland.
All 13, alphabetically
Photograph courtesy of Dick Mack's, Dingle · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of Foxy John's, Dingle · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of Garavan's, Galway · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of Kehoe's, Dublin · Courtesy image
Photograph: Serge Ottaviani / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Courtesy of Sin É / Cork Heritage Pubs · Used with permission
Photograph: William Murphy / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph courtesy of The Long Hall, Dublin · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of The Mutton Lane Inn, Cork · Courtesy image
Read on: the Dublin pubs guide.
Play
The best golf courses in Ireland
Championship links and the quieter ones we prefer. Tee times, wind, and whether the course is worth building a week around.
Where we start
Ballybunion Old Course
Co. Kerry
Tom Watson called it one of the finest courses in the world. The Atlantic cliffside holes are among the most dramatic in golf.
Where we start
Royal County Down
Newcastle, Co. Down
Consistently ranked the world's #1 golf course. The Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.
Photograph courtesy of Carne Golf Links, Belmullet · Courtesy image
Where we start
Carne Golf Links
Belmullet, Co. Mayo
Eddie Hackett's masterpiece in the wild northwest. The dunes here are the largest in Europe.
All 15, alphabetically
Photograph courtesy of Carne Golf Links, Belmullet · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of Connemara Golf Club, Ballyconneely · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of Galway Bay Golf Resort, Oranmore · Courtesy image
Photograph: Joseph Mischyshyn / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph courtesy of The European Club, Brittas Bay · Courtesy image
Photograph courtesy of Tralee Golf Club, Co. Kerry · Courtesy image
Photograph: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Read on: golf in Ireland, golf trip packages.
Make
The best food producers and makers in Ireland
Smokehouses, fishmongers, cheesemongers and the knitters on the Aran islands. The people the restaurants above buy from.
Courtesy of Burren Smokehouse · Used with permission
Where we start
Burren Smokehouse
Lisdoonvarna, County Clare
An oak smokehouse and visitor centre on the road between the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.
Where we start
Sheridans Cheesemongers
Churchyard Street, Galway
The shop that saved Irish farmhouse cheese, and the best counter in Galway for anything to carry home.
Courtesy of Inis Meáin Knitting Company · Used with permission
Where we start
Inis Meáin Knitting Company
Inis Meáin, Aran Islands
The middle island's knitting house, nearly fifty years old, where the Aran vocabulary is executed at the level of couture.
All 13, alphabetically
Courtesy of Aran Sweater Market · Used with permission
Courtesy of Burren Smokehouse · Used with permission
Courtesy of Gannet Fishmongers / Eat More Fish · Used with permission
Courtesy of Inis Meáin Knitting Company · Used with permission
Photograph: Andreas F. Borchert / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Courtesy of Kish Fish · Used with permission
Nicky's PlaiceWest Pier, Howth, County Dublin 
Courtesy of Standún · Used with permission
Courtesy of Ummera Smokehouse · Used with permission
Courtesy of Walter Ewing Seafoods · Used with permission
Read on: the fishmongers, the Aran sweater essay.
Distil
The best whiskey distillery tours in Ireland
Whiskey tours range from theatre to genuine education. These are the ones we would give an afternoon to.
All 4, alphabetically
Read on: the whiskey edit.
See
The best things to see in Ireland
The famous ones, with the timing advice that decides whether you enjoy them or queue through them.
All 3, alphabetically
Read on: the experiences hub.
Common questions