In January I took a trip with 3 other people that consisted of five days in Dublin, Ireland to five days in Edinburgh (apparently pronounced Ed-in-brah), Scotland and back to Dublin, Ireland for another five days. As far as accommodation and travel, we stayed in fairly priced, beautiful Airbnbs, and the flights between these two major cities are quite affordable if you travel light. If money isn’t a huge constraint on your trip, I highly suggest taking tours. We went on a couple of Paddywagon tours where we learned an incredible amount of history, facts, and tales while transiting between our destinations. The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, while the tours themselves seemed very well thought out and perfectly planned. Whether you plan to take tours or not, I’ve put together a list of my favorite sights and experiences from out Ireland + Scotland adventure.

Ireland:

1. Guinness Storehouse
2. City of Dublin
3. Trinity College Library
4. Dublin Zoo
5. City of Cork
6. Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral
7. Kissing the Blarney Stone
8. Blarney Castle
9. Town of Wicklow
10. Guinness Lake/Estate
11. S. I Love You bridge
12. Horseback tour
13. Urquhart Castle- Loch Ness
14. Fanore (mini Cliffs of Moher)
15. Glen Coe
16. Rock of Cashel
17. Cliffs of Moher

Scotland:

18. Edinburgh Castle- War Memorial
19. Camera Obscura + World of Illusions
20. Montpeliers Restaurant (best pancakes ever!)

 

In both of these beautiful countries, make sure to just walk around, order a Guinness at the local pubs (or if your me and drink tequila instead of beer, just know that tequila shots come with lemon instead of lime! So weird), and admire some of the magnificent architecture all around.