Ireland was a five-day road trip we took in the spring of 2024 as a quick hop from our summer home in Croatia. In less than a week, we managed to see Dublin, the Wicklow Mountains, the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, and Galway.
We started in Dublin. The Guinness Storehouse is one of those attractions that sounds touristy but is worth doing, especially if it's your first time in Ireland. We don't even drink anymore, so we tried the non-alcoholic Guinness, which tasted pretty much the same as I remembered the real thing tasting. We also spent time exploring Trinity College, seeing the Book of Kells, wandering through Dublin Castle, and visiting EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.
We also spent a day exploring Wicklow Mountains National Park, hiking around Glendalough and taking in a completely different side of Ireland from what most visitors picture when they think of the country.
The biggest scenery day, though, was the drive across the country to the Cliffs of Moher. Photos do a decent job of preparing you for what they look like, but standing at the edge and seeing the cliffs stretch into the distance is still impressive. We paired that with a visit to The Burren before continuing on to Galway, which ended up being my favorite city of the trip.
If I were planning a first trip to Ireland today, I'd still prioritize the Cliffs of Moher, EPIC, and the Trinity College tour. Looking back, five days felt about right for the itinerary we chose. There are certainly more places we could explore someday, but we left feeling like we'd experienced a good cross-section of what makes Ireland special.