Known for everything from its picturesque coastlines to welcoming people and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Ireland sees approximately six million tourists come down to the island on a given year.
While the 6.4 million international tourists who came to Ireland in 2025 was a slight decrease from the previous year, the country remains a very popular tourist destination for everyone from Americans interested in reconnecting with their heritage to travelers making it one of their stops on a wider tour of Europe. (National airline Aer Lingus offers a stopover program in which one can move their ticket between North America and Europe to spend up to seven days in Dublin or Shannon without extra fees).
With the modern government travel advisory system established in 1978 as bulletin notices about several countries then popular with American travelers, the U.S. State Department ranks countries on a four-tier system in which level one means a given nation is just as or safer to be in than the U.S. The fourth “do not travel” advisory level, meanwhile, is generally reserved for authoritarian governments and active war zones.
U.S. State Department calls Ireland “generally safe country,” puts out some warnings
Contrary to countries like France and the United Kingdom which are at level two due to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks in their capital cities, Ireland has been at level one’s “exercise normal precautions” for decades.
A March 20 State Department update says that Ireland is “generally a safe destination for travelers” but draws attention to certain petty crimes in popular tourist destinations.
“Most crimes against foreigners are crimes of opportunity, like purse snatching and pickpocketing,” the travel advisory for Ireland now reads. “Large-scale demonstrations related to the local political situation may occur with little notice. Demonstrations may disrupt transportation and other essential services.”
The travel advisory for Ireland is significantly shorter than those given to many other countries but now includes an extensive section on petty crime and pickpocketing in particular.
Ireland is a popular travel destination for millions.
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“Rates of theft and petty crime have risen in recent years”: State Department on Ireland
“Rates of theft and petty crime have risen in recent years, and thieves often target tourists,” it reads further. “In rare cases, these crimes involve physical assault or violence, more commonly in Dublin city center and in popular tourist areas. Rental cars are frequently targeted. They are easily identifiable by the rental company stickers on the rear window of the vehicle. If possible, remove these stickers and always lock your car when leaving it unattended.”
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The standard tips given to travelers to places under the same low advisory are to remain aware of one’s surroundings and have travel insurance that covers unexpected problems and accidents.
Other countries to see travel advisory tweaks in March include Finland, which is also at the lowest “exercise normal precautions” level, and a number of Middle Eastern nations given the spread of the war in Iran.
On March 22, the State Department also issued a global safety alert urging for general caution anywhere abroad given global instability and groups targeting U.S. interests following the joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran.