Carlingford sits at the foot of Slieve Foy, looking out over Carlingford Lough toward the Mournes. The village is small enough that you can walk every street in an afternoon, and old enough that the streets still trace the Norman plan from the 12th century. King John's Castle stands at the harbour, the Tholsel still arches over the road into the square, and the medieval Mint and Taaffe's Castle are within a few hundred metres of each other.

People come for different reasons. Some come for the oysters and the seafood, which are pulled from the lough an hour before they hit the plate. Some come for the activities, hen and stag groups especially, and Carlingford has more of those than any village its size in the country. Some come for the walking: the Tain Way circles the peninsula, and Slieve Foy gives you the lough on one side and the Cooley hills on the other.

The village is a fifty minute drive from Dublin Airport and forty minutes from Belfast. There is no train station, but buses run from both cities every couple of hours.