Ireland was named top travel destination for 2011 by Frommer’s Guide poll in November last year. In the words of Patricia Tunison Preston, who has authored 15 travel books on the country, Ireland is one of the most romantic destinations on earth.”
From stunning array of quiet country roads, glistening rivers and lakes to uncrowded dune-filled beaches, meandering gardens and charming little towns with cozy pubs and manor houses, Ireland has everything Irish, according to Preston.
While the country prepares for St. Patrick’s Day festival in March 2011, here's a list of Ireland's top 5 tourist attractions that are mesmerizing in every possible way:
This tourist attraction is one reason to visit what’s arguably the Emerald Isle’s most famous castle (Blarney Castle), according to CIE Tours International, a travel company that offers a choice of 25 different escorted tours, along with a dozen different types of independent self-drive vacations, with stays at pre-booked hotels and deluxe and castle hotels in Ireland. Legend has it that puckering up or kissing the stone leaves you with the gift of a silver tongue, but the fortress’ majestic gardens will take your breath away. Moreover, the Badger Cave and dungeons are not to be missed. stock.xchngDonegal offers great outdoors and backdrop for horseback riding—beaches, countryside and mountains. Plus, there’s sailing off of Ireland’s West Coast and sea kayaking in West Cork. stock.xchngMusicians play Irish traditional music in a pub in central Dublin.Frommer’s calls pubs “the social heart of every village and town” in Ireland. But the literary-minded should head to Dublin’s Davy Byrnes Pub for a hot whiskey to see where Leopold Bloom, the main character in James Joyce’s 'Ulysses,' had his lunch. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughtonStrolling through a bog in the Slieve Bloom Way is an incomparable experience to have in Ireland. This circular route takes the walker through the wild Slieve Bloom Mountains - an area comparatively untouched by man. Behold its waterfalls, its scampering foxes, and contemplate the meaning of life. stock.xchng
