Is Athlone worth an overnight stay or just a stop?
Stay, if your route crosses the Shannon, because Athlone is built for the overnight: it sits near the centre of the island, its castle and old town stand compactly on the west bank, and the river gives the evening somewhere to go. It is also a genuinely useful base for a night between bigger stops: Galway is 65 minutes west by motorway and Dublin 85 minutes east, so Athlone can hold the middle of a cross-country trip without feeling like a compromise. Who should pass through: anyone already sleeping in Galway or Dublin, for whom Athlone is a strong half day, castle, bar and boat trip, rather than a night.
Useful pages: Where to go · Ready-made itineraries · The Wild Atlantic Way road trip · Dublin · County Cork · County Kerry · County Galway · Northern Ireland · Portrush · Visiting Irish castles · Plan your journey · Heritage · Golf in Ireland · Ireland's cities · Ireland in the movies · Best hiking trails in Ireland · The Southwest in 5 Days · The Great Links golf itinerary · Quieter places
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