Sligo, Ireland: travel guide
William Butler Yeats — Ireland's greatest poet and Nobel laureate — grew up in Sligo. The flat-topped limestone mountain of Benbulben (526 m) rises dramatically from the plain north of the city, and Yeats is buried in the churchyard at Drumcliff beneath its shadow. Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, just outside town, is Europe's largest collection of Stone Age passage tombs, predating Newgrange by five hundred years. Strandhill beach, 8 km west, offers some of Ireland's finest surf.
- Country
- Ireland
- Currency
- EUR
- Time zone
- Europe/Dublin
- Nearest airport
- NOC
Top places to visit in Sligo
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 1.3 h · entry EUR 5
Europe's largest megalithic landscape — a concentration of 30+ surviving dolmens, passage tombs and stone circles spread across a low-lying drumlin landscape just 3 km from Sligo town. The oldest tombs date to approximately 5,400 BCE —…
Benbulben Mountain
Viewpoint · 4.8 rating · about 4 h
Ireland's most instantly recognisable mountain — a vast flat-topped limestone plateau (526 m) rising sheer and dramatic from the north Sligo plain like a gigantic natural fortress, its vertical cliff faces streaked with scree and its…
Strandhill Beach & Seaweed Baths
Beach · 4.6 rating · about 2 h
One of Ireland's finest surfing beaches — a powerful Atlantic break at the foot of Knocknarea mountain, 8 km west of Sligo town. Not recommended for casual swimming due to dangerous rip currents, but the surf is excellent year-round. Voya…
Sligo Yeats Country Walk
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 4 h
The Yeats Country Walking Trail — Sligo's spectacular literary heritage trail through W.B. Yeats's landscapes, including Drumcliff Cemetery (his grave) and Lough Gill.
Sligo Glencar Waterfall
Waterfall · 4.7 rating · about 1 h
Glencar Waterfall — Sligo's spectacular 15m waterfall immortalized by W.B. Yeats in "The Stolen Child", with the iconic Glencar Lough viewpoint nearby.
Sligo Streedagh Beach
Beach · 4.7 rating · about 2 h
Streedagh Beach — Sligo's spectacular 3km golden sand beach on the Atlantic, with the historic Spanish Armada shipwreck site (three galleons lost in 1588).
Sligo Abbey
Monastery · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h · entry EUR 5
The Dominican friary of the Holy Cross — founded in 1252 by Maurice FitzGerald, Lord Justice of Ireland, and one of the best-preserved medieval abbeys in Ireland. Despite being sacked and burned three times (1414, 1641, 1642), the ruins…
Wild Ireland Animal Sanctuary
Wildlife · 4.7 rating · about 8 h
A day trip along the Wild Atlantic Way from Sligo to Wild Ireland at Burnfoot, County Donegal — an animal sanctuary home to rescued bears, wolves, monkeys and other species in native Irish woodland.
Sligo Yeats Memorial Building
Museum · 4.5 rating · about 1 h
The Yeats Memorial Building — Sligo's spectacular literary centre dedicated to W.B. Yeats, with the historic museum, the famous Hyde Bridge location, and the rich literary heritage.
Sligo Lissadell House
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 3 h
Lissadell House — Sligo's spectacular 1830s Greek Revival mansion, the famous Gore-Booth family home where W.B. Yeats spent his summers, with the iconic walled garden.
Sligo Inishmurray Island
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Sligo to Inishmurray Island — the spectacular abandoned Atlantic island with the famous 6th-century monastic settlement, the historic Carrowmore-related sites.
Things to do
- Strandhill Surf Lesson Sligo Outdoor · 2 h · from EUR 33 per person
- Benbulben Summit Guided Hike Outdoor · 5 h · from EUR 21 per person
Where to stay in Sligo
- Sligo Town Centre about EUR 95 per night
Staying in Sligo town centre puts Sligo Abbey, the Yeats Memorial Building, the County Museum and the best restaurants and pubs within 10 minutes' walk. The bus and rail station is also central.
- Strandhill Village about EUR 85 per night
Staying in Strandhill gives you the best Atlantic surf beach, Voya Seaweed Baths and Knocknarea directly on your doorstep. More peaceful than the town. A car is needed for Sligo attractions.
Hotels
- Markree Castle Sligo 4-star · EUR 200 to EUR 520 per night
- Clayton Hotel Sligo 4-star · EUR 90 to EUR 235 per night
- White House Hostel Sligo 2-star · EUR 15 to EUR 65 per night
Where to eat
- Hooked Seafood Restaurant Sligo Seafood, Modern Irish · about EUR 52 per person
- Lyons Café Sligo Traditional Irish, Café · about EUR 15 per person
- Osta Café & Wine Bar Sligo Café, Wine Bar · about EUR 22 per person
Getting around
- Car Rental Self main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.