Outdoors
The area surrounding Letterkenny is renowned for its natural beauty; spanning beaches, lakes, forests and rugged mountains. Within easy driving distance of the city is Glenveagh National Park, covering 16,000 hectares that include the dramatic Derryveagh Mountains and the 19th century Glenveagh Castle. You could happily spend weeks hiking around the national park, travelling from vast lakes to the peatlands of Lough Bara bog.
Whether you're a keen angler or a first-time fisher, Donegal Angling Centre offers the best guidance on those looking to take advantage of the many rivers and lakes in the area – full of salmon and trout. For something a little less wild, Lurgybrack Farm is a great place to take the family, where kids can come face to face with a number of different animals before relaxing beside the river with a picnic.
The vast outdoor landscape surrounding Letterkenny make is an ideal place to play a round of golf. Letterkenny Golf Club offers one of Ireland's 18-hole courses, set in magnificent parkland.
Indoors
To learn about the history of the area head to Country Donegal Museum, featuring an exceptional range of exhibitions containing a wealth of over 8,000 different artefacts. With objects ranging from the prehistoric to the present day, you could easy spend a few hours exploring the museum.
If you're travelling with family, Arena7 has an impressive amount of entertainment on offer, from laser quest and indoor play areas to bowling and karaoke bars. Tropical World @ Alcorns is another great destination if you have kids in tow, with 1,000 square metres to explore and an enormous variety of butterflies, reptiles, tortoises and birds to encounter. Dizzy Rascals has plenty of indoor play areas for kids to enjoy and Letterkenny Karting Centre is one of the longest Go Karting tracks in the whole of Ireland.
Shopping
Letterkenny is an ideal destination if you're looking for a spot of retail therapy, with three main shopping centres: the Courtyard Shopping Centre, the Forte Shopping Centre and the Letterkenny Shopping Centre. If boutique shops and independent stores are more your thing, Main Street has a range of unique retailers to peruse.
Nightlife
When the sun sets Letterkenny's nightlife comes alive. Offering some of the best bars and clubs in County Donegal, the city is a mecca for local partygoers and lovers of live music. Voodoo Lounge is one of Ireland's leading music venues, while The Central Bar is a welcoming place to unwind with a pint of Guinness. If you're looking to dance late into the night, The Pulse Niteclub has multiple dance floors and Ink Nite Club attracts some of the biggest names in music.
Further afield
A short drive east and across the border into Northern Ireland will take you to Derry, the second largest city in Northern Ireland after Belfast. Travelling west into the countryside will put you within easy reach of a number of national parks and nature reserves, from Glenveagh National Park to Meenmore West Bog.
