LATEST: Tipperary listed among 25 best places in the world to visit

Tipperary has been named one of the world’s top destinations to visit in 2026 by Lonely Planet.

The leading travel media company unveiled the accolade today on Wednesday, October 22, in the prestigious Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 – its collection of 25 destinations and 25 experiences around the globe that travellers should not miss in the coming year.

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Tipperary is described in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2026 as “best for hiking, history and fine food”.

The guide also says that: “In Tipperary, the food is remarkable, the landscapes are generous, and the castles are so casually scattered across the county that you’ll probably stumble across one on your way to dinner. This is the Ireland of postcards, yes, but it’s also a place with a few surprises”.

Welcoming the news, Elmagh Killeen, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Brand and Marketing Communications, said: “We’re delighted that Tipperary has been recognised as one of the world’s top destinations to visit in 2026 by Lonely Planet. This accolade celebrates the county’s incredible hiking trails, rich history and outstanding food experiences. As we look ahead to 2026, this well-deserved accolade will help set us apart from competitor destinations. It will inspire international travellers to come and discover Tipperary for themselves – and to put Ireland on their holiday must-visit list for next year. I would like to extend my thanks to Lonely Planet and my congratulations to all of the tourism and hospitality providers in County Tipperary for helping make this achievement possible.”

Tom Hall, Lonely Planet’s Vice President, said: “The headline reasons for including Tipperary on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 are what our writer summarised as ‘hiking, history and fine food’.

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Best in Travel celebrates icons of Tipperary like the Rock of Cashel and the blue cheese that takes its name from the castle as well as much more of the county’s diverse offering.

Tipperary’s walking trails and tiny village pubs open up a quiet side of Ireland’s largest inland county, and scenic drives make getting round a pleasure in itself.

In a year when the possibilities of travel seem bigger than ever before, we’re excited to be packing our bags for Tipperary.”

Tourism Ireland will take every opportunity to maximise this accolade for Tipperary and Ireland. Activity to spread the good news will include: Global media outreach: a major PR and publicity push targeting top travel and lifestyle journalists around the world; Social media promotion: sharing the news with Tourism Ireland’s millions of fans and followers worldwide, particularly in the United States, Great Britain, Spain and Italy; Spotlighting the accolade in Spain and Italy: a strong focus on promoting the accolade in Spain and Italy, given that both countries are ‘twinned’ with Tipperary as part of Tourism Ireland’s ‘twinning’ initiative, which links or ‘twins’ each overseas tourism market with a specific part of Ireland, to drive regional growth of tourism revenue; Ireland.com: a page on Tourism Ireland’s international website, Ireland.com, with the Lonely Planet Best in Travel logo; and B2B travel fairs: highlighting the accolade at major travel fairs like the upcoming World Travel Market in London, the largest B2B event in the global travel and tourism calendar.

Other locations listed in the top 25 include Botswana, Peru, Cádiz, Sardinia, Tunisia, Barbados, Mexico City, and Finland.