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Rick Steves Best of Ireland
Hit Ireland's can't-miss sights, bites, and history in two weeks or less with Rick Steves Best of Ireland !
Experience Ireland's legendary warmth and beauty for yourself with Rick Steves Best of Ireland !
Planning a longer trip? Rick Steves Ireland 2018 is the classic, in-depth guide to exploring the country, updated annually.
Experience Ireland's legendary warmth and beauty for yourself with Rick Steves Best of Ireland !
Planning a longer trip? Rick Steves Ireland 2018 is the classic, in-depth guide to exploring the country, updated annually.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
392 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2013
164 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Rick Steves
582 books712 followersRick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 24, 2021
Planning a trip to Ireland? First-time tripper? Check out this great resource from Rick Steves.
September 5, 2019
Five stars for a Guidebook? Yep, totally justified.
After my trip to Ireland, this was absolutely the best of 6 books I read and used in preparation for the trip. The suggestions for what to do and what to skip match my preferences. Some of his suggestions (like his drive around the mountains, which I thought of as just a good way to get to Connemara National Park) may actually be undersold in the book. Every time I took one of the recommendations -- for a B&B, for a drive, for a local-led tour -- I loved the results. Perhaps I picked this up because he was covering thoroughly some places I already knew I wanted to see, but it worked wonderfully for everything from the practical elements (how to get a train ticket) to the surprising (yes, my walking tour of Dublin history really was led by someone with a PhD in Irish History) through the ethereal (every turn in my drive through northwest Ireland). Even in the places where I ignored the book's advice (for example, I only rented a car when I could think of no other way to see what I wanted to see, where the book suggests just doing this from the beginning), I could see the point in the book just that it didn't match my trip.
I bought this one because it was the only guidebook I found that covered my interest in the Aran Islands and the Connemara National Park. I read it cover-to-cover. Steves' style is very readable, and it seems very useful. He suggests ways to save time or money (occasionally both); he argues for some sights more than others (something most guidebooks are loath to do), and it has clear suggestions about what to book in advance and what to do by winging it. Nice checklists, and one of the best "practical information" sections I've ever seen.
Okay, after my trip, even better than I thought.
After my trip to Ireland, this was absolutely the best of 6 books I read and used in preparation for the trip. The suggestions for what to do and what to skip match my preferences. Some of his suggestions (like his drive around the mountains, which I thought of as just a good way to get to Connemara National Park) may actually be undersold in the book. Every time I took one of the recommendations -- for a B&B, for a drive, for a local-led tour -- I loved the results. Perhaps I picked this up because he was covering thoroughly some places I already knew I wanted to see, but it worked wonderfully for everything from the practical elements (how to get a train ticket) to the surprising (yes, my walking tour of Dublin history really was led by someone with a PhD in Irish History) through the ethereal (every turn in my drive through northwest Ireland). Even in the places where I ignored the book's advice (for example, I only rented a car when I could think of no other way to see what I wanted to see, where the book suggests just doing this from the beginning), I could see the point in the book just that it didn't match my trip.
I bought this one because it was the only guidebook I found that covered my interest in the Aran Islands and the Connemara National Park. I read it cover-to-cover. Steves' style is very readable, and it seems very useful. He suggests ways to save time or money (occasionally both); he argues for some sights more than others (something most guidebooks are loath to do), and it has clear suggestions about what to book in advance and what to do by winging it. Nice checklists, and one of the best "practical information" sections I've ever seen.
Okay, after my trip, even better than I thought.
July 23, 2017
Very helpful in setting up our itinerary and planning our trip. The maps and the km breakdown of the Dingle peninsula drive were what put it over the top for us. Easy to navigate from chapter to chapter in the e-book version also.
January 4, 2025
Helpful info for trip planning to Ireland.
June 27, 2019
Thanks Rick and associates. Your tips helped for successful planning and a good time was had by all!!
March 3, 2024
Very good travel guide with plenty of color pictures. I love the town walking guides feature. I love the logistical tips like the best places to park a rental car in each little town. I love the 14 day plan, but I wish it included the connemara area. That part looks very much like the vast rocky, grassy areas you see in TV and movies in Ireland.
My one quibble is just the overwhelming, constant history throughout the entire book. All the sights and things to do include paragraphs of the history, every beginning of every town talks about the history and there is a whole history section. I just want to know if the sight is worth it, what kinds of things it includes, and more logistical stuff about how to get there and where to park and best times to get there.
The main takeaway I learned is that if you want to see Ireland, you should plan for 14 days minimum, plan on renting a car and plan on driving that car around 3-6 hours most days, book 7 or 8 different hotels for 1 or 2 nights ahead of time, and there will be rain and you may not be able to see something on you itinerary if it rains. You could just stay in Dublin for a few days, but you'll miss out on the beautiful landscapes and ruins spread throughout the country. So bottomline: you need a travel book and you need to spend a lot of time putting together an itinerary and planning each day.
My one quibble is just the overwhelming, constant history throughout the entire book. All the sights and things to do include paragraphs of the history, every beginning of every town talks about the history and there is a whole history section. I just want to know if the sight is worth it, what kinds of things it includes, and more logistical stuff about how to get there and where to park and best times to get there.
The main takeaway I learned is that if you want to see Ireland, you should plan for 14 days minimum, plan on renting a car and plan on driving that car around 3-6 hours most days, book 7 or 8 different hotels for 1 or 2 nights ahead of time, and there will be rain and you may not be able to see something on you itinerary if it rains. You could just stay in Dublin for a few days, but you'll miss out on the beautiful landscapes and ruins spread throughout the country. So bottomline: you need a travel book and you need to spend a lot of time putting together an itinerary and planning each day.
August 15, 2022
I used this travel book extensively on my trip to Ireland for Study Abroad in the summer of 2022 (May-June). It was quite informative on things to do and places stay/eat in locations like Dublin, Galway, Belfast and more. I specifically used this book to plan a solo day trip to Kilkenny from Dublin, along with an Aran Islands ferry ride. The maps in this book were generally pretty good, but it depended on the location. For instance, the Dublin maps gave a detailed view of the city center, but remote places like UCD were completely out of the picture. I reverted to Google Maps for the month I was in Dublin. Lastly, I appreciated how there was some Irish history in this travel book; it was definitely helpful to understand the significance of a site before visiting it. This also made it easier to produce a descriptive Google Photo album of my trip.
June 28, 2019
Although trip advisor and other internet travel sites and services offer a wealth of information and crowd sourced reviews I still enjoy travel advice and experience of people like Tony Bourdain (for the exotic places and food) and Rick Steves for his folksy, practical, culturally focused, been-there and done-that guides.
In advance of a 10 day trip to the motherland (actually the great grandmother land of my ancestors) I picked up this guide and adjusted my travel plans accordingly. Steves tells you where to go (when time is short), how to go (his kilometer by kilometer trips around the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula are terrific), where to stay and what to avoid (such as the Blarney stone and Bunratty Castle and Folk Park).
In advance of a 10 day trip to the motherland (actually the great grandmother land of my ancestors) I picked up this guide and adjusted my travel plans accordingly. Steves tells you where to go (when time is short), how to go (his kilometer by kilometer trips around the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula are terrific), where to stay and what to avoid (such as the Blarney stone and Bunratty Castle and Folk Park).
August 5, 2022
Informative, good itineraries, beautiful photos.
October 16, 2022
Great book that helped us plan a wonderful trip!
December 8, 2022
Great book with pictures and maps of Ireland. It's been very helpful in planning our trip!
January 1, 2023
Steve’s guidebooks are the very best. Right amount of detail and great suggestions. Very insightful. I love them!
February 10, 2024
Rick Steves never disappoints!
May 31, 2018
While in Ireland, I found this book really helpful in finding places to see, eat, and visit. A nice, slim guide.
September 7, 2019
I love anything Rick Steves. Its like reading how a dad would write about traveling. Clear amd easy to read. Lots of helpful planning options to choose from particularly if you are a novice traveler. I like that Rick views traveling with a purpose and his expression of it as also a political and social act. We had a great time in Ireland thanks to the tips I learned in this book.
May 5, 2017
Loved it! seems very helpful and I'll probably purchase a copy before visiting Ireland. He includes some mile by mile self guided tours along with other suggestions and insights.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews