10 great theme vacations to Ireland

• PHOTO GALLERY / 10 Irish holiday theme ideas / Click here

Authentic Ireland or the tourist haunts? Every year more and more discerning travelers to Ireland are opting to visit the real country, rather than just climbing aboard the endless bus trails with the tourist hordes and never actually meeting a local.

Sure, paddling your own canoe can present more challenges to begin with – where to stay, how to get there – but the rich rewards make it worth it. The charm of Ireland is its landscape and its people, and the best way to discover them is to go and visit the places they actually live.

Given a choice between a 500-bedroom super-hotel on a private estate or a cozy Irish hostelry in the country with an attentive chef and an open fire, which would you choose?

There’s no question that a lot of tourists find the beaten path and a trusted tour guide just the ticket, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But going your own route rather than relying on a familiar tour operator will actually take you closer to the real Ireland – and the locals - and it often makes good financial sense too.

The good thing about Ireland is that it needn’t be a wrenching decision - there’s a venue for every type of traveler. The fact is that the tourism industry in Ireland has undergone nothing short of a revolution in the past 20 years. In order to compete internationally, the standards have taken off in terms of accommodation, facilities, attractions and dining options. Wherever you go, you’ll be treated like a king.

For these reasons, in survey after survey tourist satisfaction is remarkably high, with international visitors returning to Ireland again and again for an experience they know will be both memorable and terrific value for money (especially now that the recession has dramatically lowered prices).

So, to help you pick a theme for your vacation to Ireland, IrishCentral has created the following list of 10 great Irish holiday suggestions:

1. Gourmet Ireland

You read that right. Ireland is often unfairly lumped in with Britain as the ground zero of truly horrifying cooking. Nothing could be further from the truth. Take a food tour of the emerald isle and you will encounter organically grown, locally sourced vegetables, dairy, breads and meats that a new generation of Irish chefs have sourced and cooked to delight your senses.

http://www.irishtourism.com/self-drive-tours-ireland/gourmet-tours-self-drives.htm

 

2. Historical Ireland

Few small island nations have played a larger role in the history of the world than Ireland. Keepers of literacy and learning during the Dark Ages, the Irish once saved civilization after the fall of the Roman Empire by keeping learning alive and relighting its flame in Europe.

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Nster.com