Ireland's most-visited tourist attractions of 2018 have been revealed by Fáilte Ireland, and it's no surprise who has taken the top spot once again.

Next time you find yourself in the middle of a group of European students all trying to squirm your way onto a packed Dart, just remember that they're here to fuel our economy and visit some of the best attractions that Ireland has to offer.

Every year Fáilte Ireland publishes their list of the top attractions that tourists flock to every year, and 2018's top spot will come as no surprise to Irish consumers. That's right, the home of the black stuff, the Guinness Storehouse has earned itself the number one spot on Ireland's paid sightseeing experiences for its third year in a row. The venue earned over 1.7 million visitors last year.

The capital hosted three of the top five tourist attractions of this year, with both Dublin Zoo and the Book of Kells in Trinity College earning spots three and four on the list. County Clare's Cliffs of Moher and Meath's Tayto Park took places two and five, respectfully. No doubt our great Irish customer service, as well as our spectacular and unique views keep the tourists coming back each and every year.

The top 10 paid tourist attractions for 2018, including numbers of visitors are below.

1.  Guinness Storehouse - 1,736,156
2. Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience – 1,580,000
3. Dublin Zoo – 1,230,145
4. Book of Kells – 1,057,642
5. Tayto Park – 700,000
6. St Patrick’s Cathedral – 627,199
7. Kylemore Abbey & Garden – 561,657
8. Muckrose House – 550,649
9. Powerscourt House Gardens and Waterfall – 472,523
10. Blarney Castle & Gardens – 460,000

 

Fáilte Ireland also released the top attractions that tourists flocked to for free in 2018. Topping this list was the Kilkenny Castle Parklands with nearly 800,000 visitors, while The National Gallery of Ireland came in a close second with over 775,000 visitors.

Here's the top ten free attractions for 2018 listed here.

1. Kilkenny Castle Parklands – 799,032
2. The National Gallery of Ireland – 775,491
3. Glendalough Site – 732,824
4. National Botanic Gardens – 655,609
5. Castletown House Parklands – 642,278
6. Irish Museum of Modern Art – 505,891
7. Doneraile Park – 490,000
8. National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, 466,038
9. Farmleigh House Estate – 389,932
10. Battle of the Boyne/Oldbridge Est – 355,608

 

If you're struggling for things to do in the last few weeks of the summer holidays, it might be a great idea to head along to some of these attractions and see why tourists love our locations so much.

Source - Fáilte Ireland