I spent a year traveling across Ireland. There were 4 popular spots I loved, and 2 that didn't live up to the hype.

I loved the colorful, artsy town of Kinsale.

Nishtha Chaudhary I spent a year living in Dublin and traveling across Ireland as a student.

During that time, four spots — including Howth and Kinsale — stood out to me as must-visit places.

However, I found Blarney Gardens and the Cliffs of Moher a bit underwhelming.

When I moved to Ireland in 2022, I had two specific goals in mind.

I wanted to step inside Trinity College's gorgeous library, and I also hoped to finally see the Cliffs of Moher, a place many readers might recognize as the site of Voldemort's Horcrux cave in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Once I arrived, though, Ireland surprised me.

It was far more beautiful than I expected, and I wanted to explore much more of the country than I'd originally planned.

Over the course of a year, I traveled across Ireland by train and bus — and found four places that were genuinely worth it and two that didn't live up to the hype.

Howth was one of my favorite day trips from Dublin. captiontk howth cliff walk Nishtha Chaudhary Howth is just a 6-euro, half-hour train ride from Dublin's city center, but it feels like a completely different place.

It's a small fishing village on Dublin's northeast coast, and the harbor's eateries serve some of the best fish and chips I had in Ireland.

The real highlight, though, is the iconic Howth Cliff Walk.

There are multiple routes to choose from; I mostly followed the Cliff Path Loop, which is relatively easy, can be done in two hours, and delivers incredible views of the Irish Sea.

Bog of Frogs Loop is also a great choice for a more challenging route.

Kinsale is where I fell in love with Ireland's small-town charm. caption tk Nishtha Chaudhary Kinsale is a colorful harbor town near the city of Cork.