Set against the backdrop of the Great Sugarloaf Mountain in the Wicklow countryside, Powerscourt Gardens stretch over 47 acres and offer an exquisite mix of formal gardens, cascading terraces, statues and ornamental lakes, secret hollows and rambling walks. Voted number 3 Garden in the World by National Geographic in recent years, the 18th-century gardens were inspired by the Italian Renaissance and the great estates and gardens of France and Germany.