If you are looking for a reason to visit the Emerald Isle, active holiday specialist Walkers’ Britain & Europe chooses below five of the best trips to Ireland to book for 2026… and why:
Follow new trails at the recently expanded Connemara National Park
From Galway City, where lively pubs and traditional Irish music set the scene for the days ahead, take the ferry to the remote Aran Islands, where Gaelic traditions and dramatic cliffs have endured for centuries – a setting so unique that it formed the backdrop for the Oscar-winning film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. Back on the mainland, follow an old pilgrim trail through the Mamturk Mountains along Ireland’s Western Way, passing through the glaciated valleys and lakes of Connemara. Since early 2025, Connemara National Park has been undergoing a major expansion and upgrade project that aims to increase its size by over 12 per cent and double the network of walking trails from nearly 8 km (5 miles) to over 16 km (10 miles).
Mark the 30th anniversary of a hidden gem in west Cork
In the southwest corner of Ireland, the undiscovered Sheep’s Head Peninsula (Rinn Mhuitir Bhaire) is a narrow finger of land that offers some of Ireland’s most beautiful coastal trails. Officially launched in 1996, the Sheep’s Head Way winds west along rugged coastal paths before crossing the peninsula and returning east. As you walk the best sections of the trail, you will step back in time as you walk past lighthouses, old copper mines, abandoned villages and the ruins of a school for Gaelic poets dating back to medieval times. The narrow peninsula means that you are never far from the Atlantic Ocean, while the balmy climate warmed by the Gulf Stream means that the area offers an abundance of local produce sold at local markets.
Explore the newly crowned ‘Ireland’s Greenest Place’
Follow the most scenic section of the Dingle Way, Ireland’s best-loved National Trail that traces the coast of the Dingle Peninsula, recently awarded the prestigious title of ‘Ireland’s Greenest Place’ for 2025. Bohemian, artistic and friendly, the town of Dingle (An Daingean) is a great place to start your trip. Heading west toward the Atlantic along beaches and quiet tracks, past ancient forts and early Christian sites, views extend to the Blasket Islands and the Skelligs; you can learn more about life on these remote islands at the award-winning Blasket Island Centre. Dunquin and Ballyferriter make for pleasing overnight stops, while hiking between the Slieve Mish mountains and the sea you are in the cradle of early Christian civilisation.
Collect more stamps than ever before for your Wicklow Way Passport
A series of new additions earlier this year mean that there are now nearly 50 stamping locations on the Wicklow Way Passport Trail, which features local businesses, attractions and landmarks along the popular route; it only takes 15 stamps to become a ‘Wicklow Ambassador’! Situated on the outskirts of Dublin, County Wicklow is home to a network of unspoilt mountain trails that cut through one of the most scenic parts of the ‘Emerald Isle’. Following a series of way-marked paths, the Wicklow Way attracts walkers from across the world eager to experience this stunning patchwork of landscapes, which include country estates, heather-covered granite mountains, picturesque valleys, rolling green hills and tranquil forests.
Mark 40 years of Giant’s Causeway as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hike along the Causeway Coast and the Glens of Antrim, considered by many Northern Ireland’s best-kept secret. From the Antrim village of Cushendall, surrounded by the rolling hills of the Nine Glens, follow the Moyle Way through woodland, lakes and waterfalls; spot puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes at Rathlin Island; and continue to the famous Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, recognised for its exceptional natural beauty and geological significance. Walk across the iconic Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge for an extra thrill, visit the cliff-perched ruins of Dunluce Castle, a ‘Game of Thrones’ filming location, and toast your travels at the Bushmills Distillery, the oldest in Ireland established in 1784.
