Lonely Planet Best of Ireland

Ireland may be a small country but it deserves its big reputation: breathtaking landscapes and fascinating, friendly people, whose lyrical nature is expressed in the warmth of their welcome.

Everything youve heard is true: Ireland is a stunner. The Irish need little prodding to proclaim theirs the most beautiful land in the world, and will support their claim with examples, from the brooding loneliness of Connemara to the world-famous scenery of counties Kerry and Cork. Northern Ireland might be a different country, but its very much the same land and youll find its own scenic star turn along the Antrim Coast.

History is everywhere, from the breathtaking prehistoric monuments of Br na Binne to the fabulous ruins of Ireland's rich monastic past at Glendalough and Cashel. More recent history is visible in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast and the forbidding Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. And there's history so young that it's still considered the present, best experienced on a black-taxi tour of West Belfast or an examination of Derry's colourful political murals.

On the plane and along your travels you might hear it said: t Filte romhat (taw fall-cha row-at) you're very welcome. Or, more famously, cad mle filte a hundred thousand welcomes. Irish friendliness is an oversimplification of a character that is infinitely complex, but the Irish are famously warm and welcoming. A hundred thousand welcomes; it seems excessive, but in Ireland, excess is encouraged.

Capital city and the home of Guinness

Ireland's by some stretch is the main gateway into the country, and it has enough distractions to keep visitors engaged for at least a few days. From world-class museums and entertainment, superb dining and top-grade hotels, Dublin has all the baubles of a major international metropolis. But the real clinchers are Dubliners themselves, who are friendlier, more easygoing and welcoming than the burghers of virtually any other European capital.