Back Roads Ireland (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

This book (like a few other comparably-themed books) is a "driving tour" approach to Ireland travel. The book is very useful for folks who have realized that there was no way to see all of Ireland in a single trip. Then comes the decision of what to see and how to do it most efficiently. By illustrating some regionally-clustered driving tours, this book presents some options for arranging a less hectic but still satisfying visit. It helped us design a trip that would involve less overall driving and more overall sight-seeing. There is a great detachable roadmap in the back, although I still purchased both the AA and OSi atlases. As is the case with all DK Eyewitness travel books, the photographs are gorgeous and plentiful. Whether or not I should, I tend to pay more attention to Tripadvisor reviews of hotels, B&Bs, and restaurants than those in any travel book. Plus we haven't yet actually made our trip, so I can't comment on the usefulness of the hotel and restaurant reviews.

Love the trip itineraries that are shared, and insights. Would love a 2026 version!

I'm using this book to plan a two week trip to Ireland. This book is awesome, and I ended up buying another copy for my traveling companion. It's broken into 25+ drives around the Republic and Northern Ireland and includes a pull out map, glossy color pages and helpful road tips for those of us from countries used to driving on the right side of the road. :) I also purchased the Rick Steeves travel guide for the trip, and refer to both of the books for different perspectives of the country. This book deserves five stars; however, I didn't give the book the extra star because there hasn't been a new one published in quite awhile. In researching one of the recommended walks in the book online, I learned that the path has since been closed to the public. Even though the publishing date is old for a travel guide, I'd still recommend this to people traveling to Ireland.

We bought both this book and the Eyewitness "Ireland" book and used this one more. We rented a car and wanted to dink around the back roads, the villages, and countryside, so this book was perfect for that. We avoided going into the cities. I don't know why the Irish have a thing against street signs in cities! Where we are used to having a marker at every intersection, there would only be a sign once in awhile! When we did venture into Dublin, we got very lost and left as quickly as possible and never went back!The "Ireland" book would have been the better book for cities, yet nothing can overcome a lack of street signs! I love the close up maps and the photographs. And travel tips. I would buy the Eyewitness books again.

I looked through dozens of travel books about Ireland at the bookstore and this one was by far my favorite. I promptly ordered it off Amazon that night (since it was $10 cheaper than at the bookstore) and got it in a couple days. It's fantastic! It's a great drive-and-sightsee kind of book, perfect for our trip. My friends and I are leaving in a couple months and want to plan ahead for our trip, but unfortunately we only get to spend a week there. Most of the drives are 2-3 days long and include places to stay, but each section also has a "day trip" list of the top things on that drive. The book also has great descriptions of the rules of the road in Ireland as well as a basic driving guide and street sign page. Absolutely a must-buy if you're planning on driving around Ireland to sightsee!

DK books never fail me. I love the quality of the book from the durable glossy cover, the glossy pages, vibrant colors, and organized info. I planned my entire drive trip to Ireland with the book. I'm building my own trip so I had to do PLENTY of research ahead of time and this book is a great guide on how to plan and maximize your time in an area. I love the tips on where to stay, the must sees, and the details on what each town is popular. I normally do not bring travel books with me during my travel because they are just bulky and heavy, but since I am driving all over Ireland, I may just bring this with me. Full folded map included. And this edition has current info on lodging!! a great plus

Took this book to Ireland with me and it had lots of notes that my sister's Rick Steve's book didn't have. It was good to have both books. I liked the way this book is layed out in "drives." You can take as long or as short of a trip in each area as you desire. Because of little details I found in this book, we saw a lot of the out of the way places we would not have found with just the Steve's book. The small maps for each section are good also. It's hard to get good maps of Ireland even from AAA or the car rentals. My son says there are "backroads" books about other countries that he has used and liked them very much.

I thank this book for making our trip to Ireland a fantastic experience. Because of this book, we saw amazing, eye-popping places on our trip to Ireland that we otherwise would not have known about. The maps are great and lead you to safe, easy-to-access roads that are not included on other maps. These roads provide amazing, not-to-be-missed views, historical sights, hikes and real Irish towns (not just the tourist towns) that are just a few miles off unscenic highways.

Un bel libro con tante illustrazioni, ma anche con parecchi buoni consigli. Lo proverò sul campo fra 2 settimane e poi vi farò sapere. Spedizione nei tempi convenuti, tutto ok.

The road trips described in this book were interesting and definitely off the beaten track - though that did mean that we got lost now and then. Not sure whether the authors actually visited all the Locations themselves - the descriptions were not always enough to find everything. It really helped to decide where to go though, there are ideas for almost everywhere - it made me want to stay in Ireland for much longer!

A wonderful look at the sites to see in Ireland. Great detail and pictures. The map at the back is very useful, plus there are good large scale maps of the different scenic routes given. The book is divided into areas of the country, with road touring routes and highlights for each area. The tours include sights to see, the number of days to explore the area, walking tours, and places to eat and sleep. We're going to use the guide for day tours from the cottage we've rented, and will pick and choose the attractions that fit our schedule. The book is compact and light enough that it will travel in our luggage easily. If you are planning a visit to Ireland that includes renting a car, then this book should go with you.

Das Buch würde ich jederzeit weiterempfehlen, vor allem für diejenige, die viel Wert auf Spontanität und Freiheit bei Reisen legen. Das Buch ist sehr gut nach Regionen strukturiert und eignet sich bestens als Nachschlagewerk für schöne Orte, die gleich um die Ecke liegen. Eine Karte ist mitdabei (sie ersetzt aber nicht den üblichen Road Atlas).

Great book that covers wonderful insights to places off the beaten road with excellent routes and details that are not just the classic tourist spots