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How about Dublin? A great place for sure if you are an American or EU national. Unfortunately, Ireland does not accept either Schengen or UK visas, which is what everyone who is not an American or EU national usually gets. It is one of those deals where there is a big asymmetry in hassle/reward. Schengen visas are low cost, they are easy to get, the entire process from start to finish takes only a few days and you get over 30 countries. Irish visas are a major hassle, they take eight weeks and you get one country. By teaming up, the Schengen zone countries have been able to put visa centers in many secondary cities. That makes it easy for people who don't live near national capitals or other cities big enough for a consulate to swing by a local center and get a visa. No need to travel to the embassy or consulate. Once you get a Schengen visa issued by any of the Schengen countries it is good in all of them, plus a bunch more that honor Schengen visas. They are very quick to issue multi-year, multiple entry visas so you can come and go as you please over a period of years. Countries in the Schengen Zone: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, plus territories like the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. Not in the zone but accept Schengen visas: Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia. That's a lot of "bang for the buck" for a quick visit to a local center and a wait of a few days and you only need to do that every few years. Compare that to what Ireland asks: eight weeks of processing time, you have to visit the Irish embassy or consulate in person (a long, costly trip) and for all that hassle you only get one country. I think the worst of it is that I know few people who are willing to give up their passport for the two months of processing time. I suppose that is why everybody has a multi-year, multiple-entry Schengen Visa but I don't think I know anybody who has a visa for Ireland. It's not like people have anything against Ireland, it's just that if they are going to pick a travel spot it may as well be one where the paperwork is easy and you automatically get 30 other countries as well. And then once you are in that pipeline it is a lot easier to go to a country where you are already good to go. For those reasons I would suggest one of the Schengen countries. No need for visa hassles when there are so many places to choose from with fewer visa issues.
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