Seaside townsIreland2026
Seaside Towns in Ireland
Kenmare, Galway and West Clare were the most booked of the 13 seaside towns in Ireland on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 40,795, 35,576 and 22,433 stays. August is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 4.4 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Ranking
Seaside Towns in Ireland Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the seaside and coastal towns in Ireland with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Kenmare, County Kerry. Includes Killorglin and Cahersiveen. | 40,795 | €210 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Galway, County Galway | 35,576 | €258 |
| 3 | West Clare, County Clare. Includes Kilkee, Lahinch and Spanish Point. | 22,433 | €213 |
| 4 | West Cork, County Cork. Includes Bantry and Clonakilty. | 18,601 | €184 |
| 5 | Conamara, County Galway. Includes Clifden and Roundstone. | 17,733 | €238 |
| 6 | Westport-Belmullet, County Mayo. Includes Achill. | 17,127 | €197 |
| 7 | Glenties, County Donegal. Includes Dunfanaghy, Dungloe and Bunbeg. | 13,834 | €175 |
| 8 | Donegal, County Donegal. Includes Bundoran and Ballyshannon. | 11,192 | €174 |
| 9 | Bandon-Kinsale, County Cork. Includes Garretstown. | 8,228 | €235 |
| 10 | Inishowen, County Donegal. Includes Buncrana and Moville. | 6,956 | €187 |
| 11 | Wexford, County Wexford. Includes Rosslare Strand. | 5,514 | €196 |
| 12 | Wicklow, County Wicklow | 4,080 | €234 |
| 13 | Gorey - Kilmuckridge, County Wexford. Includes Courtown. | 2,352 | €199 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5. Airbnb data files some places as one district or township, so Kenmare and rows like it cover several towns.
Money figures on this page are in euros, converted from US dollars at €0.86 per US$, the typical rate from November 2025 to October 2026.
By region
Stays and Top Town by Region
| Region | Stays | Top town |
|---|---|---|
| County Galway | 53,309 | Galway |
| County Kerry | 40,795 | Kenmare |
| County Donegal | 31,982 | Glenties |
| County Cork | 26,829 | West Cork |
| County Clare | 22,433 | West Clare |
| County Mayo | 17,127 | Westport-Belmullet |
| County Wexford | 7,866 | Wexford |
| County Wicklow | 4,080 | Wicklow |
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
7 of 8 are busiest in August. Galway peaks in September. Among guests who left a review, the United States is the top home country in 3 of the 8. Houses are the largest home type in 7 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Kenmare, County Kerry
Of the 11 seaside towns in Ireland with 200 or more homes, Kenmare (County Kerry) had the most Airbnb homes, at 1,424, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Galway, County Galway
Of the 11 seaside towns in Ireland with 200 or more homes, Galway (County Galway) had the highest nightly rate, at €258, and had the highest occupancy, at 53%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Apartments and condos were the largest home type in Galway, at 48% of homes.
- 4West Cork, County Cork
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Ireland was the top home country for West Cork, County Cork, at 35%.
- 5Conamara, County Galway
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, France was the top home country for Conamara, County Galway, at 21%.
- 6Westport-Belmullet, County Mayo
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Ireland was the top home country for Westport-Belmullet, County Mayo, at 30%.
- 7Glenties, County Donegal
Of the 11 seaside towns in Ireland with 200 or more homes, Glenties (County Donegal) had the highest guest rating, at 4.90, and had the biggest share of houses, at 73%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, the United Kingdom was the top home country for Glenties, at 43%.
- 8Donegal, County Donegal
Of the 11 seaside towns in Ireland with 200 or more homes, Donegal (County Donegal) had the lowest nightly rate, at €174, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, the United Kingdom was the top home country for Donegal, at 25%.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
August, July and September rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the seaside towns in Ireland, and February and January as the quietest. August is the busiest month in 12 of the 13, while Galway peaks in September. Across the 13 towns, nightly rates run lowest in January and February, at about €195, and highest in July and August, at about €224. Across the 13 towns, stays run longest in July, at 5.0 nights, and shortest in September, at 3.4 nights.
August ranks first, January last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August | 4.1 nights | €224 |
| 2 | July | 5.0 nights | €224 |
| 3 | September | 3.4 nights | €219 |
| 4 | June | 4.1 nights | €221 |
| 5 | May | 3.7 nights | €211 |
| 6 | October | 3.5 nights | €200 |
| 7 | April | 4.0 nights | €206 |
| 8 | December | 4.0 nights | €197 |
| 9 | March | 4.1 nights | €202 |
| 10 | November | 3.9 nights | €196 |
| 11 | February | 4.6 nights | €195 |
| 12 | January | 4.6 nights | €195 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 79% come from abroad. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The top home cities among those guests are Dublin, London and Cork. Galway (County Galway) draws the most from abroad, at 90%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
79% from abroad
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 11 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Galway has the highest estimated revenue per home, at €39,044 a year. Of those 11, Galway has the highest occupancy, at 53%, and Donegal has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at €174. The most booked of the 13, Kenmare, earns about €27,709 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 11
A year, AirROI estimate
- Galway €39,044
County Galway
- Bandon-Kinsale €35,343
County Cork
- Kenmare €27,709
County Kerry
- West Clare €25,419
County Clare
- Conamara €24,574
County Galway
Highest occupancy of these 11
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Galway 53%
County Galway
- Bandon-Kinsale 50%
County Cork
- Kenmare 47%
County Kerry
- West Clare 43%
County Clare
County Mayo
Lowest nightly rate of these 11
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular seaside town in Ireland?
By AirROI's estimates, Kenmare (County Kerry) is the most booked of the 13 seaside towns in Ireland, with 40,795 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Galway is second, with 35,576. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable seaside town in Ireland?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among seaside towns in Ireland with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Donegal (County Donegal) (€174), Glenties (County Donegal) (€175) and West Cork (County Cork) (€184). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small seaside towns in Ireland?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 13 seaside towns it lists in Ireland are Gorey - Kilmuckridge (County Wexford) (115), Wicklow (County Wicklow) (122) and Bandon-Kinsale (County Cork) (237). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What seaside towns in Ireland offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among seaside towns in Ireland with 200 or more homes, the highest are Galway (County Galway) (€39,044), Bandon-Kinsale (County Cork) (€35,343) and Kenmare (County Kerry) (€27,709). Among the same towns, Galway (County Galway) has the highest occupancy, at 53%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 861,120 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.