Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• St. Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower (Kilkenny)
•
Dunbrody
Famine Ship (New Ross)
• Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre
• Waterford Museum of Treasures
• Old Midleton Distillery (Midleton)
• Queenstown Story (Cobh)
• Blarney Castle (County Cork)
• Burren Centre (Kilfenora)
• Caherconnell Ring Fort (Burren)
• Aillwee Cave (Burren)
• Atlantic Edge exhibit (Cliffs of Moher)
• Clare Museum (Ennis)
• Kylemore Abbey (Letterfrack)
• Strokestown Park National Famine Museum (Strokestown)
• Somme Heritage Centre (near Bangor)
• Titanic Belfast (Belfast)
• Ulster Museum (Belfast)
• Ulster Folk Park and Transport Museum (Cultra)
• Tower Museum (Derry)
• Belleek Pottery Visitors Centre (Belleek)
• Ulster American Folk Park (Omagh)
I favor hotels and restaurants that are handy to your sightseeing activities. Rather than list
hotels scattered throughout a city, I choose two or three favorite neighborhoods and re-
commend the best accommodations values in each, from dorm beds to fancy doubles with
all the comforts. Outside of Dublin you can expect to find good doubles for $100-150, in-
cluding tax and a cooked breakfast.
A major feature of this topic is its extensive and opinionated listing of good-value
rooms. I like places that are clean, central, relatively quiet at night, reasonably priced,
friendly, small enough to have a hands-on owner and stable staff, run with a respect for
Irish traditions, and not listed in other guidebooks. (In Ireland, for me, six out of these
eight criteria means it's a keeper.) I'm more impressed by a convenient location and a fun-
loving philosophy than flat-screen TVs and a pricey laundry service.
