Westport is one of the few planned towns in Ireland — laid out in the late 18th century by the architect James Wyatt on behalf of the Browne family, the local landlords, to a formal Georgian grid that remains largely intact today. The result is a town of unusual elegance: wide, tree-lined streets, a handsome octagon at the centre, and the Carrowbeg River running through the Mall, a double avenue of lime trees that is one of the most beautiful urban spaces in the west of Ireland. It is consistently voted one of the friendliest and most liveable towns in the country, and it is easy to see why.

Croagh Patrick, the conical quartzite mountain that rises 764 metres above the town to the south-west, is one of the most sacred mountains in Ireland. St Patrick is said to have fasted on its summit for 40 days in 441 AD, and the mountain has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. On Reek Sunday — the last Sunday of July — tens of thousands of pilgrims climb to the summit, many of them barefoot, in one of the largest religious gatherings in Europe. The climb takes about two hours each way and the views from the summit over Clew Bay and its 365 islands — one for every day of the year, according to local tradition — are extraordinary on a clear day.

Clew Bay, the great sheltered inlet on whose shores Westport sits, is one of the most beautiful bays in Ireland. The bay is studded with drumlins — small, rounded hills formed by glacial deposits — that appear as islands at high tide, creating a landscape of extraordinary complexity and beauty. The bay was the domain of Grace O'Malley, the 16th-century pirate queen of Connacht, whose stronghold at Rockfleet Castle on the northern shore of the bay is still standing. The bay is excellent for kayaking, sailing, and wild swimming, and Bertra Beach — a narrow sand spit that stretches out into the bay with water on both sides — is one of the most dramatic and unusual beaches in Mayo.

Westport House, the ancestral home of the Browne family and one of the finest Georgian mansions in Ireland, sits on the edge of the town overlooking the bay. Built between 1730 and 1778, it contains an important collection of paintings, silver, and furniture, and the grounds have been developed into an adventure park with zip lines, a pirate ship, and a log flume — a combination that divides opinion but ensures the estate is busy year-round. The house itself, with its original Georgian interiors and views over the bay, is genuinely impressive.

Westport's food and music scene is exceptional for a town of its size. The concentration of good restaurants, craft pubs, and live music venues on Bridge Street and the Octagon is remarkable — Matt Molloy's pub, owned by the Chieftains flautist of the same name, is one of the great traditional music venues in the west of Ireland and hosts sessions most nights of the week. The town is also an excellent base for exploring the wider county — Achill Island, the largest island in Ireland, is 45 minutes to the north-west, and the ancient Ballintubber Abbey — a 13th-century abbey that has been in continuous use for over 800 years — is just 20 minutes south of the town and one of the most remarkable heritage sites in Connacht.