Lonely Planet names Ireland as ‘one of the top countries to visit’

Ireland has been named by an annual Lonely Planet guide as one of the top five countries in the world to visit next year, thanks to our "stunning landscape and incredible hospitality".

The guide describes Ireland as “the real deal” and says “the Irish themselves are inevitably at the heart of the best the country has to offer”.

The top countries to visit in 2015 are listed as Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania, Nicaragua and Ireland.

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English city Salisbury is named as being one of the best cities in the world for 2015 as it celebrates the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. Washington DC took the number one spot, followed by El Chaltén in Argentina.

In Ireland, the 1,500km Wild Atlantic Way is described as a scenic drive to rival California’s Pacific Coast Highway and Australia’s Great Ocean Road.

The Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2015 guide hails Ireland's hospitality and says "the cosmopolitan, contemporary Irish are just as friendly and welcoming as their forebears were known to be".

The guide picked cities and countries where there was something special next year to draw travellers or because it regards them as “up-and-coming”.