Top Tourist Attraction Places in Ireland

1. Cliffs of Moher

On the west coast of Claire, just north of Lahinch, you can stand on top of Europe's highest cliffs and feel really small and retiring as you watch the open Atlantic deep below. Truly majestic scenery with boats looking like toys on the waves below. You can easily get a feeling you are standing at the end of the world. The cliffs where once the site for watch towers looking out for invading Vikings. Tips! Stop and listen to the girl, who plays the beautiful Irish harp, on the steps up to the look out tower.

2. Killarney

Visit the lagoon Hotel in Killarney, County Kerry, and have a dinner watching the stunning view of the Killarney Mountains and its lake system. Must be one of the most romantic settings in the world. Here you can also take a horse and carriage tour. Then take a trip to the Victorian Muckross House situated at the middle lake, visited by Queen Victoria in 1861. More than a century after her visit, much remains the same in this fine Victorian mansion, set in the spectacular outlook of Killarney National Park.

3. Giant's Causeway

Thousands of perpendicular polygonal basalt columns, hexagonal in shape, tightly filled together in form of a giant pathway disappear out in the sea. At a first glance this remarkable geological formation appears to be man made. It is not hard to understand the birth of the myth, saying it was the giant Finn McCool, who started building this pathway, to cross the sea to deal with a rival giant called Fingal in Scotland

4. Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry

For those who seen the film "Ryan's Daughter" knows regarding the endless beaches on the Dingle peninsula. There is also a big "pirates cave" on one of the beaches figuring in the film. The film "Far and Away" with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was also shot on the peninsula. If you make the Slea Head drive around the peninsula you must have a look at the steep zig-zag walk down to the harbour Dunquin, where you can take a boat over to the Blasket islands. The town of Dingle has its own celebrity resident dolphin, that you are almost guaranteed to se on the guided tours that foliage from the harbour.

5. Skellig Islands

Skellig islands wound up like two black pyramids circled by birds in the Atlantic Ocean. These islands are the blue print for all magic mystical islands, the place you would imagine home for pirates, but in fact a monastic outpost of the Early Christian period. The archaeological value of the islands is as well known as it is well-preserved. To reach them is a one and a half hour boat trip leaving from Valentia during April to late September. The islands are also home for many varying birds species.

6. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Antrim Northern Ireland

23 meters over the Atlantic you cross over a little rope bridge, traditionally erected by salmon fishermen. Carrick-a-Rede Island is the home of Fulmars, kittywakes, guillemots and razorbills which breed on the islands close to the rope bridge. Be prepared for a vertigo sensation as you look down or out on Rathlin Island and Scotland. A short coastal footpath leads to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. On the way, there are wonderful vantage points to stop and take in the natural beauty.

7. Glendalough, County Wicklow

Glendalough is a gasp taking glacially sculpted green valley with steep mountains coming down to two tranquil lakes. As a true Oasis in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, Glendalough is one of the most visited locations in Ireland, within distance from Dublin. The site sports a Round Tower in a monastic settlement, established by St Kevin, a reclusive monk, who for seven years enjoyed a simple and solitary existence, with animals and birds as his only companions. You can clearly understand why he chooses to settle down here when you visit. Enjoy one of the many walking trails of unreliable difficulty round the lakes. Maybe you will catch a glimpse of the Oscar winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis who lives in the Wicklow Mountains.

8. Garnish Island

Garnish Island is Located in the protected harbour of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay, in Southwest Ireland. The island enjoys a warming oceanic influence of the Gulf Stream the climate is in some respect almost subtropical. The island is open to visitors each day from 1st March to 31st October and only accessible by boat through a small archipelago occupied by sunbathing seals. On the Island resides the garden of Ilnacullin which is a fairytale postcard with the Kerry Mountains as a backdrop.

9. Croagh Patrick

Challenge the Peak of Croagh Patrick 764 metres over the sea exterior Westport in County Mayo. Croagh Patrick has been a site of pilgrimage, since Saint Patrick reputedly fasted on the summit of Croagh Patrick for forty days in the fifth century and built a church there. The walk to the summit might seem easy but be prepared for a two hour climb. On the top you can enjoy a magnificent view over the Clew bay, with its many islands, where John Lennon reputedly once was rumoured to settle down to live a hippie lifestyle away from the hectic music industry.

10. Newcastle, County Down

A lesser known pendant to Kilarney is located at the base of the Mourne Mountains. Have a dinner at the famous Slieve Donard Hotel, looking out over the majestic Slieve Donard Mountain, while listening to the grand piano in the hotel restaurant. The Hotel once harboured Charlie Chaplin among one of its many famous guests. The town has recently benefited from a multi million upgrade which makes it a high quality seaside attraction. Many visitors walk in the Mourne Mountains, made famous by Percy French in the song "Mountains of Mourne", You can also play golf at Royal County Down (venue for the 2007 Walker Cup), or to just turn up the prom and relax on the beach. Also visit Tollymoore Forrest Park.

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Top tourist Attraction places in Belgium

1. Antwerp

The river at this point is some 500m/550yds wide and, in spite of the distance from the sea, still experiences a tidal choice of over 4m /13ft. Antwerp is the capital of the region of Antwerp and the second biggest harbor in Europe. Thanks to its harbor Antwerp was a main center of trade and commerce even before records began. In addition to its long recognized traditions in banking and insurance, the repeated expansion and modernization of the port has seen the emergence of a multitude of trades and industries processing imported raw materials on the spot.

2. Bouillon

In the south of the Belgian area of Luxembourg, close up to the French border, Bouillon nestles attractively in a loop of the River Semois, surrounded by the wooded heights of the southern Ardennes. Dominated by its impressive castle, the small town is a well-liked summer resort and makes a energetic center for excursion into the surrounding countryside. Outdoor behavior such as hiking, biking or canoeing is popular. Bouillon is closely linked in name and by history with Godfrey of Bouillon (Godefroy de Bouillon), the "most Christian of all knights”.

3. Bruges

Bruges (Flemish Brugge, French Bruges), the old capital of Flanders and an arch bishopric since 1559, is situated on the little river Reie 12km/7.5miles south of the port of Zeebrugge to which it is connected by the Boudewijn-Kanaal. Other canals attach Bruges with Ostende, Nieuwpoort, Veurne, Ghent and Sluis Despite the addition of new building and the loss of its old town walls, Bruges with its entirely sealed medieval town center remains a tourist dream, a attraction drawing more than two million visitors a year. Bobbin lace, for which Bruges has long been famous, continues to be main. Complementing all this industry is a strong service sector which makes a significant contribution to the local economy.

4. Brussels

Brussels, capital of Belgium and principal seat of the Belgian Royal Family, is located at the geographical center of the country. It occupies rising ground on the border of the valley of the Senne, a tributary of the Scheldt, at a End where the hills drop away to the plain of Flanders. Brussels is also host to the headquarters for NATO, the Western European Union and EUROCONTROL. In addition, there are numerous other international organizations and corporations within the city. The city is also highly regarded as a host of international conferences.

5. Ghent

Ghent is the biggest industrial conurbation in West Belgium. For centuries the most important industry was textiles which made Ghent into a "Manchester of the European mainland". Thus, today factories in and around Ghent produce paper, chemicals, cars, optical, engineering, electrical and electronic components with a large steelworks being the major industry. Many of these companies are on the Ghent-Terneuzen canal, exploiting the advantages of the waterway network. Together with Antwerp and Zeebrugge, Ghent is one of the three most important sea ports in Belgium

6. Leuven

Leuven (French Louvain) lies on both banks of the Dijle east of Brussels. The many Different industries are based mainly in the north of the town along the canal which relations the Dijle with the Rupel. Despite heavy bombardment in both world wars the university buildings, which are discrete throughout the town, provide a good impression of architecture from the 15th C. onwards. Some examples include the Gothic syle Town Hall, Saint-Anthony's Chapel, and the Linen Hall that now serves as a University Hall, the University Library and St Peter's Church. Leuven is well known for its summer rock festival Marktrock and orchestras, such as the famous Arenberg Orchestra.

7. Liege

Liege (Flemish Luik), the third biggest town in Belgium, is located on the confluence of the Meuse (Maas) and the Ourthe. Liege has shown some signs of economic revival with borders opening up within the EU, new shopping centers being built and important nightlife that attracts residents and tourists alike. Liege was one of the first places on the continent to start mining coal, thereby creating the base for the coal and steel industry, to which has been added a range of other manufacturing industries.

8. Mons

Mons (Flemish Bergen) stands on a ridge between the two rivers Haine and Trouille and owes its name to this position. It is the administrative seat of the region as well as a commercial and supply center of the Borinage, one of the biggest mining and industrial regions of Belgium. Mons is also an important junction on the railroad between Brussels and Paris, and has considerable cultural and scientific institutions including the University Center, founded in 1965, the Royal Music Conservatory, an academy of fine arts, a mining academy and a research institute for nuclear technology.

9. Namur

Namur (Flemish Namen) is located at the joining together of the Sambre and the Meuse and is the ideal base for visiting the picturesque Upper Meuse Valley. It is the capital of the province of the same name, the seat of a bishop, a university town and a significant communications connection for railroad, inland shipping and road transport. Industries contain glass, porcelain, paper and steel factories which are principally situated in the suburb of Jambes.

10. Ostend

Ostend (Flemish Oostende, French Ostende) on the North Sea coast is the home of the biggest high seas fishing fleet in Belgium and the place of three technical schools of fishing. It is the most significant ocean and ferry harbor in the country and deals with a large part of the ferry traffic to Great Britain. In addition, Ostend is the biggest Belgian beach resort and one of the most popular in Europe and can look back on a fashionable past; since 1933 the town also is able to call itself a spa.

11. Spa

Within the town boundary are two springs and in the surroundings another seven which are alkaline and contain iron. It is to these springs that Spa owes its fame as the "town of waters" ("Ville d'Eaux") and it was for a long time an elegant health resort attract visitors from all over Europe for the relief of circulatory diseases, stomach and intestinal disorders as well as gout and rheumatism. The word "spa" became synonymous for health resort in English.

12. Tournai

Tournai (Flemish Doornik) lies on both banks of the Scheldt (French Escaut) near the Belgian/French border. As the managerial capital of an arrondissement, a seat of a bishop and of a Chamber of Industry and Trade and of a law court, Tournai is of more than decision-making and cultural Significance and possesses major industries. A number of beautiful but mostly reconstructed buildings testify to the prosperity of the old generous residence and Episcopal town. Most of the works of the celebrated medieval school of painting were however cracked by the iconoclasts in 1566.

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