Dublin has been named one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit by Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has named Dublin the seventh best city in the world to visit in 2022 in its lists of the best cities, regions, and countries for travellers next year.

The city’s pedestrianisation plans were mentioned as part of the reason for including Dublin on the list, as well as it being “one of Europe’s most down-to-earth and friendly cities”.

There was a focus this year on sustainable travel experiences, which is one of the reasons Dublin’s move towards prioritising pedestrians helped it score so highly. The city’s “independent artisan shopping scene” as another reason for its position on the list, and we would wholeheartedly agree that the independent shops are one of our favourite things about Dublin. 

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland was delighted with the city’s spot on the list. “The inclusion of Dublin as the number seven city in the world is wonderful news and will surely help to inspire travellers everywhere to put Dublin and Ireland on their holiday wish-list for next year,” he said. 

The number one city to visit in 2022 on the list was Auckland, New Zealand, while Westfjords, Iceland was named as the best region, and the Cook Islands won the best country title. 

Here are the full lists for each category:

Top 10 Cities

1. Auckland, New Zealand
2. Taipei, Taiwan
3. Freiburg, Germany
4. Atlanta, USA
5. Lagos, Nigeria
6. Nicosia/Lefkosia, Cyprus
7. Dublin, Ireland
8. Merida, Mexico
9. Florence, Italy
10. Gyeongju, South Korea

Top 10 Regions

1. Westfjords, Iceland
2. West Virginia, USA
3. Xishuangbanna, China
4. Kent’s Heritage Coast, UK
5. Puerto Rico
6. Shikoku, Japan
7. Atacama Desert, Chile
8. The Scenic Rim, Australia
9. Vancouver Island, Canada
10. Burgundy, France

Top 10 Countries

1. Cook Islands
2. Norway
3. Mauritius
4. Belize
5. Slovenia
6. Anguilla
7. Oman
8. Nepal
9. Malawi
10. Egypt