Christopher Janiszewski is a student at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte and an ISA Featured Photo Blogger. He is studying abroad with ISA in Galway, Ireland.
If you are an adventurous and outdoorsy person like me, then these three places will be the best to visit on the weekends! As you probably know, Galway is located on the midwest coast of Ireland. This geographical placement is perfect for traveling since you will be staying in a central area. Traveling around Ireland is incredibly easy (and cheap) with their efficient bus system. The first two places I am going to list can be done together in one great adventurous weekend (or split up to appreciate it more).
The first place you probably have heard of is the Cliffs of Moher. This is a great place to go because it is only about an hour bus ride away and produces beautiful views. There are two routes you can take to walk the Cliffs. The left, which is a little more dangerous and scary but produces better views, or the right, which brings you to a tower you can pay to go up in. However I recommend the left route because once you are 700 feet u, 30 more feet won’t do much. The views of cliffs alone are spectacular, so I would not recommend to pay to see a little more.
I also love the cliffs because you can take a ferry over to the Aran Islands which personally I believe is the coolest place to visit in Ireland. There are three little islands with populations not acceding 1200. These islands are so great to visit because the people are quite traditional and you truly get an Irish experience. I recommend renting bikes and taking a nice trip around the island. These two places can be done in one tour package that only takes a day.
The second place I want to recommend is Killarney, located in the southern part of Ireland. This small city in the south is my favorite city I have visited in Ireland. It’s a cute town surrounded by mountains and a beautiful park that is part of the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a 179km (125 mile) long road that produces spectacular views of the coast of Ireland. While you stay in Killarney, I recommend you attend the Danny Man pub for the best traditional Irish music.
The third place I am going to recommend is not in Ireland but is close and cheap to get to. I recommend taking a weekend trip to Reykjavik, Iceland. The round trip flight cost about 85 Euros total, however you have to be very mindful of spending while there since everything is incredibly expensive. We stayed at a beautiful and clean hostel called the Odsson which is about a 10 minute walk from downtown Reykjavik. We attended the blue lagoon and took a trip around the golden circle. There are plenty of outdoorsy stuff to do right around Reykjavik and you can research and find what you prefer. Pack a lot of dry food to take with you because meals cost usually over 20 dollars even if it is fast food. This was by far one of the coolest countries I have been to and I recommend you see it for yourself!
The world awaits…discover it.