Explore the Emerald Isle! Flight Centre's own Alan Han took a stylish, epic road trip across Ireland, and his travel story makes us want to book a trip there right now.
Céad míle fáilte from Eire. A hundred thousand welcomes from Ireland!
This was my first visit to this beautiful land. I didn't know what to expect, but I looked forward to what was to be discovered.
Ireland conjures up many images: leprechauns, shamrock, sheep, sheep and more sheep, and basically - anything green. And she doesn't disappoint because Ireland is all this, with many more amazing sights, sounds and flavours.
It takes roughly six hours to drive from one end of the island to the other, which was just enough time to see many of Ireland's major sites and attractions over a short period of time. This is exactly what my husband and I planned to do over the next seven days.
To get our Irish adventure off to the right start, we needed a ride, something we could pull-up in style with. We went with a BMW 5-series. We tried to picture cruising the country's scenic winding roads from castle to castle in an economical hatchback, but ultimately decided against it. In hindsight, as stylish as we appeared, navigating the narrow, two-lane roads may have been easier in a smaller car. Nonetheless, we began our journey and drove about an hour-and-a-half from Dublin to the breathtaking Cabra Castle.
The next day, we drove three hours to Northern Ireland. As Game of Thrones fans, we couldn't pass up the chance to visit Castle Ward, where you'd recognize scenes from Winterfell. Castle Ward is also Ireland's only preserved castle that combines Classical and Gothic architecture. As legend goes, the original Lord and Lady of the castle had a big fight and divided their castle in two, with the Lord's half designed in classical architecture and the Lady's half in Gothic.
As you continue on from Castle Ward, you will pass some of the most breathtaking coastal landscapes, from Giant's Causeway in the north, to the Cliffs of Moher in the west.
If you love breathtaking scenery that stops you in your tracks, good hearty cooking, and exploring ancient castles, then you will love Ireland.
Love road trips? Who doesn't?! Read more about some amazing driving adventures in Spain, California, Route 66 and our Top 10 Road Trips in Europe! For more information on travelling to Ireland, contact us online, by phone at 1-866-816-7702, or in-store.
Alan's post originally appeared December 29, 2015.
