Every destination, rated honestly

Direct from Irish airports, scored out of seven blue dots. Pick your airport.

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Under 3 hours direct from Dublin Clear

Faro and the Algarve

Portugal · 2h 45m direct22°6/710° warmerthan home8/10Worth the bother? Sure why not.“Golf, grilled fish and a sunburnt man from Mullingar. Grand.”

Alicante

Spain · 2h 40m direct21°6/79° warmerthan home7/10Worth the bother? Worth a look.“Sun, sea and a castle on the hill. Benidorm is down the road if you are feeling brave.”

Valencia

Spain · 2h 40m direct21°6/79° warmerthan home7/10Worth the bother? Worth a look.“Paella’s home town, a city beach and futuristic buildings. Like Barcelona without the elbows.”

Murcia and the Costa Cálida

Spain · 2h 50m direct21°6/79° warmerthan home7/10Worth the bother? Worth a look.“The Mar Menor, endless golf and sunshine that rarely takes a day off. Retirees know something.”

Málaga

Spain · 2h 55m direct23°6/711° warmerthan home7/10Worth the bother? Worth a look.“A proper city with a beach attached. Tapas portions are not a meal.”

Barcelona

Spain · 2h 20m direct18°6/76° warmerthan home6/10Worth the bother? Could be tempted.“Gaudí, tapas and a beach in the city. Mind your phone on Las Ramblas.”

Majorca

Spain · 2h 30m direct19°7/77° warmerthan home6/10Worth the bother? Could be tempted.“Mountains, coves and a cathedral that shows off. Something for everyone, including the stag in seat 14C.”

Salou and the Costa Dorada

Spain · 2h 30m direct19°6/77° warmerthan home6/10Worth the bother? Could be tempted.“Golden beaches, PortAventura rollercoasters and chips if you want them. Families, this is your spot.”

Ibiza

Spain · 2h 35m direct19°5/77° warmerthan home6/10Worth the bother? Could be tempted.“Yes, the clubs. But also quiet coves, good food and sunsets that make grown adults clap.”

Lisbon

Portugal · 2h 40m direct22°6/710° warmerthan home6/10Worth the bother? Could be tempted.“Gorgeous, cheap-ish and built entirely on hills. Bring the good runners.”

Seville

Spain · 2h 45m direct25°6/713° warmerthan home6/10Worth the bother? Could be tempted.“Flamenco, orange trees and the best tapas in Spain. Do not go in August unless you enjoy being roasted.”

Madrid

Spain · 2h 35m direct17°6/75° warmerthan home5/10Worth the bother? Ah… maybe.“Late dinners, world-class art and a city that never seems to go to bed. Your liver will need a siesta.”

Rome

Italy · 2h 55m direct16°7/74° warmerthan home5/10Worth the bother? Ah… maybe.“Three thousand years of history and the best pasta of your life. You will walk 20,000 steps and regret nothing.”

Porto

Portugal · 2h 15m direct23°6/711° warmerthan home4/10Worth the bother? Think about it.“Port wine, pretty bridges and a riverside built for long lunches. Your legs will remember the hills.”

Nice and the Riviera

France · 2h 20m direct19°6/77° warmerthan home4/10Worth the bother? Think about it.“Pebbles instead of sand, rosé instead of water and Monaco a bus ride away. Very civilised.”

Biarritz and the Basque Coast

France · 2h 05m direct12°6/7Same as home3/10Worth the bother? I wouldn’t.“Surfers, grand hotels and Atlantic waves. Classy, breezy and only slightly posh.”

Bilbao and the Basque Coast

Spain · 2h 10m direct16°6/74° warmerthan home3/10Worth the bother? I wouldn’t.“Pintxos, the Guggenheim and green hills. It rains a bit, so you will feel right at home.”

Venice

Italy · 2h 35m direct17°7/75° warmerthan home3/10Worth the bother? I wouldn’t.“Unreal. Absolutely unreal. Also absolutely heaving, so get up early.”

Tuscany and Pisa

Italy · 2h 40m direct14°7/72° warmerthan home3/10Worth the bother? I wouldn’t.“Florence, Siena, rolling hills and cypress trees. Yes, it really does look like that.”

Split

Croatia · 2h 55m direct19°6/77° warmerthan home3/10Worth the bother? I wouldn’t.“People live inside a Roman emperor’s palace. The islands are right there. Your camera roll will be full.”

Zadar

Croatia · 2h 55m direct15°6/73° warmerthan home3/10Worth the bother? I wouldn’t.“A sea organ, the best sunset in Croatia and national parks on the doorstep.”

Paris

France · 1h 40m direct12°6/7Same as home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Yes, it is as good as the films. Yes, the coffee is dear. No, you do not have to climb the Eiffel Tower.”

Copenhagen

Denmark · 2h 10m direct10°5/72° colderthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Bikes, pastries and Nyhavn’s colourful harbour. Gorgeous, but your wallet will cry.”

Toulouse

France · 2h 10m direct12°5/7Same as home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“The pink city: rugby, cassoulet and sunshine. Like Cork, if Cork had better weather.”

Lyon

France · 2h 15m direct10°6/72° colderthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“France’s food capital. You will eat too much and not regret a single bite.”

Milan and the Lakes

Italy · 2h 20m direct16°6/74° warmerthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Fashion, a ridiculous cathedral and Lake Como an hour away. Dress up a bit, they notice.”

Turin

Italy · 2h 25m direct16°6/74° warmerthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Italy’s most underrated city: elegant, delicious and nowhere near as busy as Rome.”

Salzburg and the Austrian Alps

Austria · 2h 30m direct7°7/75° colderthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Mozart, The Sound of Music and ski slopes an hour away. Winter wonderland or summer meadows.”

Vienna

Austria · 2h 45m direct8°6/74° colderthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Palaces, cake and coffee houses. The most civilised city in Europe, with Christmas markets to match.”

Budapest

Hungary · 2h 50m direct10°7/72° colderthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Thermal baths, ruin bars and the Danube lit up at night. Two cities for the price of one.”

Zagreb

Croatia · 2h 50m direct10°5/72° colderthan home2/10Worth the bother? Would ya bother?“Croatia without the beach, and without the crowds. Come for Christmas.”

Amsterdam

Netherlands · 1h 30m direct13°5/71° warmerthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Canals, museums and 800,000 bikes, all of them coming straight for you. Look both ways. Twice.”

Frankfurt

Germany · 2h direct11°4/71° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Skyscrapers, a bank on every corner and apple wine. Underrated, but not for the sun-seekers.”

Basel

Switzerland · 2h 05m direct8°5/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Swiss, spotless, and you swim in the river. Bring your wallet and your cop-on.”

Oslo

Norway · 2h 10m direct10°5/72° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Fjords, saunas and design. You will love it right up until you buy a round.”

Geneva and the Alps

Switzerland · 2h 15m direct8°6/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Lake views, chocolate and the gateway to the French and Swiss Alps. Ski-trip central.”

Prague

Czechia · 2h 15m direct7°7/75° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Castles, bridges and beer cheaper than water. Possibly the most beautiful city you can reach in two hours.”

Berlin

Germany · 2h 20m direct9°6/73° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“History on every corner, clubs that never close and currywurst at 4am. Cool, not cute.”

Memmingen

Germany · 2h 20m direct6°4/76° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A small airport in Bavaria, a very nice old town and the Alps on the doorstep. A gateway more than a destination.”

Zurich

Switzerland · 2h 25m direct7°5/75° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Gorgeous, spotless and on a lake. Bring a second mortgage for the pints.”

Munich

Germany · 2h 30m direct6°6/76° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Beer halls, lederhosen and the Alps on the doorstep. Bavaria does not do things by halves.”

Poznan

Poland · 2h 30m direct9°5/73° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Charming old square, mechanical goats and croissants that have a whole festival. Easy and cheap.”

Wroclaw

Poland · 2h 30m direct9°6/73° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A beautiful market square, hunting for tiny bronze dwarves, and pints that cost less than a coffee at home.”

Stockholm

Sweden · 2h 35m direct8°6/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Islands, a museum with a whole ship in it and prices that make you look at your phone twice.”

Kraków

Poland · 2h 40m direct7°7/75° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A fairytale old town, cheap pints and pierogi everywhere. One of the best-value city breaks from Ireland.”

Lodz

Poland · 2h 40m direct7°5/75° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“An old textile city turned art city, with a street of murals and a very long main drag. Unfussy and cheap.”

Bratislava

Slovakia · 2h 45m direct8°5/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A pocket-sized old town and cheap pints. Vienna is an hour away if you get bored.”

Katowice

Poland · 2h 45m direct7°4/75° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Industrial roots, a very good music scene and Krakow about an hour and a half down the road.”

Warsaw

Poland · 2h 45m direct8°5/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A rebuilt old town, great food and vodka that costs less than water. Seriously underrated.”

Helsinki

Finland · 3h direct9°5/73° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“Saunas, sea and silence. A city break for people who find city breaks a bit much.”

Kosice

Slovakia · 3h direct10°5/72° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A pretty Slovak city with the biggest church in the country and a main street that is all cafes.”

Rzeszow

Poland · 3h direct8°4/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“A small, friendly city in the south-east and the gateway to the Carpathians. Bring walking boots.”

Swidnik

Poland · 3h direct8°4/74° colderthan home1/10Worth the bother? Stay where you are.“The airport is in Swidnik, the real prize is Lublin 10 minutes away, a lovely, quiet old town.”

Brussels

Belgium · 1h 40m direct10°5/72° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“Chips, chocolate, waffles and 300 beers. Diet starts Monday.”

Dusseldorf

Germany · 1h 45m direct9°5/73° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“Posh shops, an old town full of pubs and a very short flight. Cologne's smarter cousin.”

Cologne

Germany · 1h 50m direct9°6/73° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“A cathedral you can see from the airport, small beers and the best Christmas markets for the money.”

Luxembourg

Luxembourg · 1h 50m direct7°5/75° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“A tiny country with a postcard old town, free public transport and prices that say 'banker'.”

Hamburg

Germany · 1h 55m direct9°6/73° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“Ships, canals and a very good night out. It rains, but so does Dublin, and Hamburg has a concert hall.”

Reykjavík and Iceland

Iceland · 2h 40m direct10°7/72° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“Northern Lights, geysers and hot springs. Colder than Kerry, and somehow even more dramatic.”

Vilnius

Lithuania · 2h 55m direct7°5/75° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“A baroque old town nobody talks about, with prices that make you order dessert.”

Kaunas

Lithuania · 3h direct7°5/75° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“Lithuania's second city, a lot of 1930s architecture and nobody else there.”

Riga

Latvia · 3h direct9°6/73° colderthan home0/10Worth the bother? Cop on.“Art nouveau, a huge market and good beer at good prices. Underrated, which suits us.”

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