• Chester Beatty Library (Dublin, County Dublin): Not just a library, this is one of Ireland’s best museums, with a wealth of books, illuminated texts, and small art objects. Its collection of rare religious manuscripts is among the most unique in the world. 
  • National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology (Dublin, County Dublin): Ireland’s National Museum is split into four separate sites, of which this is far and away the best. The collection dates back to the earliest settlers, but it’s the relics from the Viking invasion and the early Christian period that dazzle the most.
  • Irish National Famine Museum (Strokestown Park, County Roscommon): This reflective museum, part of a grand historic estate, does a brilliant job of making the darkest period in Irish history seem immediate and real, including a collection of heartbreaking letters from destitute tenants to their callous landlords. 
  • Titanic Belfast (Belfast, County Antrim): Belfast is incredibly proud of having built the most famous ocean liner in history, despite its ultimate fate—though, as they’re fond of saying, “She was alright when she left here.” This gleaming, high-tech museum is the best of several Titanic-related attractions in Belfast.
  • Ulster Folk & Transport Museum (Cultra, County Antrim): Ireland has several so-called “living history” museums, where stories of people and times past are told through reconstructions of everyday life. This one, just outside Belfast, is one of the liveliest and most engaging.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.