Ireland plays host to some of the best landscapes in Europe, with a wild coastline and endless green fields. The Emerald Isle may be rained on a fair bit, but there is a lot of variety on this one island, which makes it a desirable place for tourists and travellers. Getting around Ireland is easy if you are driving, and it allows you access to the more remote villages and towns. Holiday Autos is a good place to browse car hire options and can easily be arranged online; however there are also plenty of coach and bus services to take you from town to town. Have a look at HostelBookers for a list of hostels you can check into as you travel that won’t be as pricey as local bed and breakfasts. Alternatively, you can look for Dublin hotels at Hotel 247.

You could start your trip at Connemara in County Galway for some stunning scenery that is hard to beat, with mountains and white-sanded beaches, one of the prettiest being White Strand Beach. Some areas keep Gaelic as their spoken tongue and Catholocism is literally imbedded in the hills. Driving through the twisty roads you can expect to see statues of the Virgin Mary standing in the mouths of the rocks. To get into the spirit of Gaelic nightlife, try one of the small, but fun bars in the town like Aras na Gael on Dominick Street for fiddles, dancing and general good-time ‘craic’.

Galway Bay is a little further along the coast and just as awesome as Connemara, It was much loved and romanticised by the Irish poet Yeats, who drew inspiration for his work from the landscape. You should certainly try and arrive in time for the Oyster Festival, which happens every September. You can join in with the rowdy Mardi Gras party, watch the Guinness World Oyster Opening Championship and sample the dozens of delicious oysters served up.

In the northeast is Tuam, a small town that dates back to the Bronze Age, when it was used as a burial ground. The St. Mary's Cathedral is one of the iconic buildings worth seeing - it was mainly built up in the nineteenth-century, but its ruins go all the way back to the twelfth-century. The tell-tale signs are in the Romanesque arch and ornamented cross near one of its doors. Nightlife isn’t as cosmopolitan as some Irish towns, as Tuam is fairly remote, but there are some small pubs with lots of charm. Head to the centre and try Maloney’s Bar and Restaurant where you can sit at the bar and await your pint of expertly-poured Guinness in a fun, local setting.

Try not to forget your travel insurance when you’re trekking around this countryside - make it part of your pre-planning and browse AA Travel’s website for a variety of insurance packages to suit different holidays. To get to Ireland by air, check out Aer Arann, who have direct flights to Dublin, to get you settled in at Ireland’s central point.