Short escapes in Ireland
Long weekends, close to home
From an hour down the road to a proper west-coast adventure. Pick where you're travelling from to see drive times, or filter by county.
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Co. Clare · About 2 hours from DublinKillaloe and Lough DergIreland's great Shannon lake: a medieval bridge between two counties, a monastic island, kayak trails and lakeside pubs. A properly restful weekend.
Co. Armagh · About 1 hour 30 minutes from DublinArmagh cityA small city with two St Patrick's cathedrals, an 18th-century library and a planetarium, plus apple blossom, cider and an ancient royal site. Armagh is a hidden gem.
Co. Monaghan · About 1 hour 30 minutes from DublinGlaslough and Monaghan townA castle estate with an eccentric past, a poet's landscape, quiet lakes and forest parks. Monaghan is the gentle, unhurried weekend you didn't know you needed.
Co. Cavan · About 1 hour 30 minutes from DublinCavan town and the lakesLakes in every direction, an island castle, the source of the Shannon and a limestone landscape on the border, plus some of the best food in the north-west.
Co. Dublin · About 15 minutes from DublinDublin city and coastFree world-class museums, Georgian squares, a park full of wild deer and cliff walks a short train ride away. Dublin is worth a weekend of its own.
Co. Limerick · About 2 hours 15 minutes from DublinLimerick city and AdareA castle on the Shannon, a Saturday market, a Georgian quarter and the prettiest village in the country down the road. Limerick is the city break that surprises everyone.
Co. Galway · About 3 hours 30 minutes from DublinLeenane and Killary HarbourA long arm of the Atlantic with mountains rising straight from the water, a silent valley, mussels and the best boat trip in the west. Killary is wild Connemara at its finest.
Co. Waterford · About 2 hours 15 minutes from DublinDungarvan and the Copper CoastA harbour town with a castle, a cycle path through a railway tunnel, a coast of coves and mine ruins and some of the best food in the south. Dungarvan does it all.
Co. Tipperary · About 1 hour 45 minutes from DublinCashelA rock crowned with medieval ruins, a castle on an island and the Galtee Mountains on the horizon.
Co. Antrim · About 3 hours from DublinBushmillsBasalt columns, a rope bridge over the sea and some of the best coastal walking on the island.
Co. Antrim · About 1 hour 45 minutes from DublinBelfastTwo hours up the line from Dublin, with world-class museums, a buzzing food scene and history on every corner. Drive times are estimates, so allow extra time for traffic, especially on bank holiday weekends.
Short breaks in Ireland for every bank holiday
A long weekend doesn’t need a flight. Ireland is small enough that most of the island is a morning’s drive from Dublin, Cork or Galway, and every place on this page works as a two or three night break. Each guide covers how to get there with or without a car, where we’d stay, what to do when it rains and where to eat.
An hour or so from Dublin
For a Friday evening getaway, Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, the Boyne Valley and Carlingford and the Cooley Peninsula are all within about an hour and a quarter of the city. Kilkenny is about an hour and a half away, and the train makes it an easy break without a car.
The west and the Wild Atlantic Way
With three or four days, go west. Galway and Westport and Achill are two and a half to three hours from Dublin, with Connemara and the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher a little further on. Dingle, Killarney and Donegal are longer drives that reward an extra day of annual leave.
The south coast and the north-west
Kinsale and West Cork are the place for a food weekend, and the Waterford Greenway is a favourite family cycle on old railway line. In the north-west, Sligo and Strandhill suit surfers, walkers and anyone who likes a seaweed bath.
How to choose
Pick the town you’re travelling from at the top of the page and every card shows the drive time from there, nearest first if you like. The “Good for” filters narrow it down to beaches, walking, rainy-day options or trips that work without a car. Bank holiday weekends book up early, so check when the next bank holiday is and use the annual leave planner to turn it into a longer break.