Ireland — Hidden Gems

Are there Hidden Gems in Ireland?

Ireland offers some of the best sights, including castle ruins, dramatic cliffs, and golden sand beaches. But the end result is that there are too many tourists in high season.

Are there any hidden gems in Ireland? If there are so many Europeans and locals who travel here, is there any place that has not been previously discovered?

Read on to find out alternatives to the overcrowded famous sights — decide which places you should visit, as well as get links to our custom Google maps and itinerary planning information.

Author & Photographer: George Mitchell

Our content and advice are derived from our personal experience and knowledge, gained from living in Europe for seven years and studying its art and architecture. Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we do not have any. 

All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps, which is based on the opinions of everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our posts and our custom maps is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).

What is a Hidden Gem?

One Irish woman on social media wrote, “No hidden gems? What on earth are you on about? There [are] multiple things of interest even in my small village with no tourists. I can go for a walk in the woods and mountains and pass nobody. The whole of Ireland has something of interest every few kilometres“.

But, in our opinion, a hidden gem is not a place with no people. A tourist trap is not a place with lots of people. Let us define the meaning of tourist trap and hidden gem.

Tourist Trap

A tourist trap is a place that attracts and exploits tourists. These places are heavily promoted to extract money from tourists. They are overpriced and do not offer good value. Examples are Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and tuk-tuk rides in Thailand that detour to a shop hoping for sales.

Examples in Ireland are Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle; overpriced pubs in the Temple Bar area of Dublin; and the €20 fee to see the Book of Kells for 20 minutes before you are kicked out. You can’t really have a good look because of the crowds.

On the other hand, a tourist trap is not a place that has many tourists. Florence and Rome, where we lived for four years, are not tourist traps just because there are lots of tourists during the high season. These are legitimate, famous and historic cities.

Hidden Gem

A hidden gem is a place that is not well-known. But having no people is not enough. It has to have something exceptional or special. The hill towns in Italy are hidden gems.

Generally, I feel other tourists want to see hidden gems that could be alternatives to the well-known, over-touristed places. For instance, there are many places to see cliffs and coastlines that are beautiful but not named Moher.

What do you mean by Hidden Gem?

Visitors to Ireland should seek out places that are unique to Ireland, that are Quintessential Ireland. This is especially true when you are visiting for less than two weeks.

On the other hand, what each person considers unique or special may differ. We lived in Rome for 4 years, London for 3 years and travelled around the world for 3 years. We have very different ideas of what is unique or special from other people who have not travelled as much. Thanks to our experiences, we love art and architecture. Most tourists just get templed out after a couple of hours. Many tourists often visit places solely due to “name recognition”.

We have hiked from the Rockies to the Himalayas. So a pleasant walk in a forest with no views or other special features would not be exciting. On the other hand, we felt the Giant’s Causeway Trail (not the over-touristy part) was spectacular. Some other people we heard said it was boring. Wow! Chacun a son propre goût!

What are the Hidden Gems in Ireland?

Do you want to get off the tourist path and into authentic Ireland? If you find the number of tourists oppressive, then there are a couple of things you can do. The first is to not travel during the summer high season. The second is to seek out less-visited places. Most of these places are not really hidden but are just less visited.

I have divided the suggestions into categories that are based on the features that make up Quintessential Ireland.

Irish Cliffs

If you want to see Irish cliffs but are turned off by the overpriced entry fees and the number of tourists at the Cliffs of Moher (G4.7 €12 per person), then you can go to:

• Slieve League (G4.9) – free: supposedly great, but we were fogged out!
• Downpatrick Head (G4.9) – free: easy walk on top of cliffs
• Cliffs of Kerry (G4.8) – small cost: dramatic cliffs in a small area
• Horn Head (G4.8) – free: two easy hikes to views
• White Rocks (G4.8) – free: massive vertical cliff
• Giant’s Causeway Trail (G4.7) – free: best hike with views of cliffs and green pastures

As you can see, all of these places are rated as high or higher by all people (locals and tourists) according to the Google Map ratings. Most people go to the Cliffs of Moher due to name recognition. You will not miss anything if you skip Moher in favour of one or more of the above places. Rome is an essential must-see in Italy – the Cliffs of Moher, not so much.

Irish Coastlines

If you want to see Irish coastlines but are turned off by over-touristed Killarney and Ring of Kerry or ROK (G4.7), then you can go to:

• Real Ring of Kerry — Kenmore to Ring of Skellig – provides better views than the ROK, like Derrynane Beach (G4.8), Cliffs of Kerry (G4.8), and Geokaun Mountain (G4.8).
• Galway to Gurteen Bay (G4.8) and Sky Road Viewpoints (G4.8): provides dual crescent beaches, coastal views, pine island view of the Connemara mountains.
• Amazing Achill Island – drive the west coast along sheep-strewn Highway L1405 to Cloughmore Viewpoint (G4.8), Keel Beach (G4.8) and awesome Keem Bay (G4.9).
• Downpatrick Head (G4.9): easy walk on top of cliffs.
• Mullaghmore Head (G4.8): easy drive along rugged coastline
• Antrim Coast: must get off main highway to see the coast; e.g. White Rocks (G4.8), Dunluce Castle, Giant’s Causeway Trail…

Irish Beaches

Are you turned off by cars parked on Benone Beach (G4.8) or high “parking” fees at Port Stewart Beach (£6.20 per person)? Then try these usually empty and free beaches:

• Gurteen Bay (G4.9): great picnic place with dual crescent beaches
• Keem Beach (G4.9): beautiful turquoise water laps a golden crescent beach
• Cullenamore Beach (G4.8): beautiful, expansive beach near Sligo with no people
• Portacloy Beach (G4.9): beautiful turquoise water laps a golden beach with no people
• Killahoey Beach (G4.9): expansive beach with no people
• Marble Hill Bay Beach (G4.7): beautiful beach comes with headlands and a great cafe and gelato shop
• Ballymastocker Beach (G4.9): beautiful triple beach with no people
• White Rocks Beach (G4.8): expansive beach backed by cliffs

Irish Castles/Sites

If you want to see Irish castles and archaeological sites but are turned off by over-touristed and expensive Blarney Castle (G4.7, €22) and Bunratty Castle (G4.6, €17), then you can go to these places:

• Trim Castle (G4.7) – OPW: one of the best castles to learn about the Normans and the significance of the date 1066
• Bective Abbey (G4.7) – free: great picnic spot on the verdant grounds of a destroyed abbey
• Cahir Castle (G4.6) – OPW: good views from the outside
• Hore Abbey (G4.6) – free, VG views of Rock of Cashel

The following sites are really well-known rather than hidden. But we did not find them that overcrowded in May. They are definitely worth visiting.

• Glendalough Site (G4.7) – OPW: one of the best sites of a medieval monastic village
• Rock of Cashel Site (G4.5), Viewpoints (G4.7) – OPW: one of the most scenic places for photography
• Kilkenny Castle (G4.6) – OPW: built in the medieval era, but its most memorable hall was the Picture Gallery, built in the 1860s
• Dunluce Castle (G4.6) – £6: one of the most atmospheric castles on top of a cliff – actually, it is very well known

OPW (Office of Public Works) is the government department that runs Heritage Ireland sites. Each site costs €8, or an annual Heritage Card pass costs €40 for all sites for as many times as you want. If you plan to visit 5 of their sites, then the card is worthwhile. Many of the sites include a free guided tour, and the OPW interpreters were all superb and definitely worthwhile.

Irish Quaint Villages

If you want to see typical Irish life, then bypass over-touristed Killarney, Cork, Dublin, et al. Instead, find quaint villages like:

• Kinsale — colourful pubs
• Kenmare — much quieter than Killarney
• Dingle — great food, activities in a pleasant village
• Ballyvaughn — a non-touristy village with some thatch-roofed houses near the Burren
• Roundstone — a non-touristy village near Gurteen Bay
• Clifden — a non-touristy village near Sky Road
• Killybegs — a non-touristy village near Slieve League
• Donegal — a non-touristy town near Slieve League

N.B.: Google Maps rates points of interest, accommodation, and restaurants, but it does not rate towns or cities.

Travel Guidelines

Here are some basic principles to follow when you travel in Ireland.

• Give up on trying to see everything. It can’t be done.
• Some places may be better to visit than others, but getting from A to B is just as beautiful as destination B.
• Tour one concise geographic region each week.
• Meet the people — one of the most important “destinations”.
• Use 75 km per hour to calculate average (not actual) driving time. Ignore Google travel time based on ridiculous 100 kph speed limits on Irish two-lane roads, not properly built for that speed.
• Avoid travelling to a new city every day. Too many tourists think they can drive all day and then see their destination as well.
• You need to factor in travel, sightseeing, and activity time.

Final Comments

Yes, there are hidden gems that are less-visited places. These places are as highly rated as the so-called famous places. The nature and scenery of Ireland is beautiful.

If you want to have a less tourist-infested trip in the summer, then do our Best Places for Two Weeks in North Ireland itinerary. This is an action-packed itinerary where you can get away from the crowds of tourists who head to sites that are famous because of name recognition. The places are all highly rated by the people, as shown by the high Google Map Ratings. Remember, the most important “destination” is meeting the people.

Do you want more information? Then subscribe for free.

What things fascinate you? How long is your trip? What questions do you have?

Itinerary Maps & Resources

Two-Week Ireland Itineraries

We have prepared two ready-made itineraries for those who want a quick answer. These itineraries were based on the features in the Quintessential Ireland post. One two-week route covers Southwest (SW) Ireland, the other covers the North of Ireland.

Custom Ireland Itineraries

We have also prepared five detailed itineraries — one for every region. They are introduced on the Discover Ireland web page below. Each itinerary comes with its own itinerary map.

Final Comments

Ireland is a beautiful and safe country to visit. It is also a modern country, so just relax and enjoy.

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What things fascinate you? How long is your trip? What questions do you have? If you have been to Ireland, share your experiences with us. 

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Google Maps Ratings

Google Maps provides a rating from 0 to 5 for all sights, hotels and restaurants (but not cities). All of our recommendations are appended with the rating (prefixed with a G) from Google Maps. As it is based on feedback from tourists and locals, it is much more reliable than travel booking websites. We consider a score of 4 to 4.39 to be Very Good; 4.4 to 5 to be Excellent.

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