Travel Ideas for Ireland in All Four Seasons

Ireland. Just the name alone is enough to conjure up images or rolling green hills, stone cottages and frothy pints of Guinness served at quaint village pubs. Just with any travel destination, visiting Ireland during different times of the year will give you a completely different experience, and it is good to know what seasons might be best suited to what you are looking to do and see.

Spring– Spring marks the beginning of Ireland’s tourism season, which unofficially runs from Easter to the October Bank Holiday. Hotels, B&B’s and tourist attractions are throwing their doors wide open, so there will be no shortage of things to see. If you make it to Ireland by St. Patrick’s Day, head to Dublin to take part in the city’s massive five-day St. Patrick’s Day festival, including a parade. The temperature should be somewhere between 40-50 degrees F; perfect for hikes and outdoor exploring.

Summer-Summer is definitely the height of tourist season, so if you choose to travel to Ireland during the summer months, expect things to be a little bit more crowded. With that said, summertime is the best time of year to visit the breathtaking Dingle Peninsula, once ranked by National Geographic magazine as “the most beautiful place on Earth.” If kissing an ancient stone isn’t something that interests you, go and check out Blarney Castle and its ancient beauty.

Fall– Fall is an ideal time to do an Ireland pub tour. If you want to do an organized Ireland pub tour, you should have no problem finding one through a travel company, and those tend to happen during the months of October, November and December. If you want to plan your own pub and folk tour, look into stopping at destinations like the Abbey Tavern, Bunratty Castle, The Jameson and Guinness Brewery, the Ring of Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher. The fall colors will be beautiful this time of year, and there’s no better time to be enjoying the local food and drink while being ferried down windy roads.

Winter– If you want to have Ireland all to yourself, consider traveling during the winter. Considered the off-season as far as tourism is concerned, you may find that some B&B’s and hotels have shut their doors for the season, as have tourist attractions. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a ton to see and do. Not only will you enjoy much lower travel fares during the winter, you’ll see meal, rental car and entry costs to attractions drop off significantly. Although the daylight fades earlier at this time of year, make it a point to visit the Burren in Clare, the Antrim coast, the Mournes in County Down and the Wicklow hills for some of the best of Ireland’s natural beauty.

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