There are so many things to see and do in Ireland that you definitely won't have enough time to see them on your holiday, unless you keep coming back!

However there are a number of "must sees" to make your trip a memorable one. Ireland is full of history and natural beauty. Castles, museums and galleries are as widely available as patchwork hills, rugged mountains and babbling streams. Because everyone's tastes will be different, it's hard to recommend one or two places that are a must for everyone. Each attraction, town and city, and vista is as different as the people who will visit them.

For example, Derry City is Ireland's only remaining completely walled city. The walls are completely intact with the original four gates that allow traffic in and out of the city center. Bogside is the old all-Catholic community of the city and today can boast the world's only outdoor gallery. The Tower Museum offers a spectacular and creative history of the city and locale.

Dun Laoghaire in south Co Dublin is one of Ireland's oldest established towns, dating back to an official founding in 498AD. Dublin City, of course, is much older as it was originally set up as a Viking setlement and can today boast one of Europe's more extensive collections of Viking artifacts. The National Museum on Kildare Street has an amazing history laid out with millions of archeaolgical finds. Dublin's Medieval history is also long and varied and can be seen at Dvblinia.

In stark contrast, villages such as Doolin in Co Clare offer traditional song and music. Set along the west coast where rolling patchwork pastures meld with the starkness of the Burren and spill into the sea from cliffs and over sandy shores you'll hear the old language spoken by many of the longest residents.

It also depends on what your tastes are. If you are coming to Ireland to see the west then you probably don't want to waste much time in Dublin City. But if you want a well rounded holiday, then there you can arrange your itinerary so that you can stop at a few of them along your way. Check out our attraction pages for a selection of sights around Ireland.

Do I need a travel guide?

We highly recommend that you pick up a copy of a good travel guide. We always recommend the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Ireland, which is published by the Dorning Kindersley Group. In the US the guide runs about $25. In the UK, it's about £20. If you'd like to save 20% off the retail value of the book head over to The Store where you can find a copy of this guide and the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Dublin, also at substantial savings. We work with Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk to offer these savings and to have the guide delivered to your door in a few days.

With this guide you can put together your list of "must sees" for your trip to Ireland. Should you chose to buy one of our travel itineraries this "must see" list will be something we ask from you, so you'll want to have it ready to expedite your order.

Also, knowing the areas that you will be concentrating on will help you in deciding on which airport to arrive into in Ireland. For example, if you intend on spending most of your holiday in the southwest, it will actually be very time consuming for you to fly into Dublin then drive all the way to the southwest, which believe it or not, is over 5 hours...straight...without stops! Flying into Cork or Shannon Airports will allow you to enjoy more of your holiday time.

If you're combining a trip to Ireland with Scotland, we can help you with your Scottish itinerary as well. Our Store also has the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Scotland available.