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Dublin named third best city to visit in 2016 by Lonely Planet

Dublin is the fifth most expensive holiday destination in Europe. (Picture: iStock Images)

DUBLIN has been named in the top three cities in the world to visit in 2016 by the Lonely Planet.

The Irish capital was beaten only by Kotor in Montenegro and Quito in Ecuador to be named a must-see city for next year.

Dublin outstripped the only British city on the list by six places – Manchester came in eighth on the list.

And ahead of next year’s landmark 1916 centenary commemorations, the Lonely Planet gave Dublin a glowing review.

“Dublin has a healthy hue – with people embracing its inner green spaces and exploring the wild outdoor arenas along the coast and ‘beyond the pale’,” it said.

Key sites of the 1916 Rising, such as the GPO, Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Gaol were high up on the Lonely Planet’s must-see list in Dublin.

The news was welcomed by Ireland’s tourist board.

“This is a fantastic achievement for Dublin,” said Orla Carroll, head of Dublin at Fáilte Ireland.

“Lists like this will quite literally put Dublin, and Ireland, on the map and more importantly in the mind’s eye of thousands of potential visitors. More than that, it reinforces Dublin as a ‘must-visit’ destination which offers an incredible variety of experiences to its visitors.”