Dublin is a small industrial city filled with great pubs, live music and all the Guinness and Jameson that you could ever drink. A visit to Dublin isn’t about taking in beauty. The city has its charm, but its not necessarily beautiful in a classical sense like many of the other main draws throughout Europe. It’s the type of city that begs to be photographed in black & white.
This trip isn’t so much about site seeing as its about taking in the vibe. It’s about sitting in a dark pub drinking a Guinness, listening to an old man sing traditional Irish songs and stepping out to eat fish and chips on the sidewalk from a food stand. Go to Dublin for the pubs and the live music and experiencing the tremendously fun people. Leave most the sight seeing for the rest of Ireland.
Where to Stay
Stay on the south side of the river near St. Stephen’s Green. Most things are along the river so the closer to the river the better. We stayed at the Arthaus Hotel and really enjoyed our stay there.
Things to do in Dublin
Guinness Storehouse
The Guinness Storehouse is Guinness’ very touristy experience built at the site of their old storehouse, as the name would suggest. While it is incredibly touristy, it is a really worthwhile experience. The self-guided walking tour takes you up multiple stories through dozens of exhibits. The highlights of which are the tasting experience, The Guinness Academy where you’ll learn the proper way to pour a pint of Guinness and the Connoisseur Experience where you’ll get to try 4 of Guinness’ most popular beers guided by an expert in the brewing process. Make sure to book tickets early, especially if you want to do the Connoisseur Experience, as that tends to book up quickly. Every visit to the Guinness Storehouse ends with a trip to their famous Gravity Bar, where you’ll enjoy another pint of Guinness while taking in an unparalleled 360 degree, unobstructed view of the city below.
Jameson Distillery Bow Street
The Jameson Distillery on Bow Street is much less touristy than the Guinness Storehouse. Instead of massive exhibits they specialize more on smaller personalized experiences. They have a great bar in the lobby, where you can grab a drink while waiting for your tour/experience to start. Choose from experiences such as a 90min black barrel blending class, a 60 min cocktail making class, a 60 min secret whiskey tasting experience, as well as different tours of the distillery itself.
Trinity College
Trinity College is Dublins main university. The campus itself is a decent place to walk around for 30 minutes or so. But, the real attraction is the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of beautiful calligraphy, containing the four gospels of the New Testament created in a Columban monastery around the year 800AD, and the Old Library, both of which can be viewed on the same tour. Buy tickets HERE.
Temple Bar
No trip to Dublin is complete without a stop at one of their many pubs, and the place to find an abundance of these pubs is the area just south of the River Liffey called Temple Bar, not to be confused with the pub named “The Temple Bar” which is one of the most famous pubs in the Temple Bar area of town. This is Dublin’s Bourbon Street, if you will. Pubs and bars line the streets as patrons and live music spill out in every direction. Most of these bars are tacky tourist traps where the prices sneakily increase throughout the night. But, there’s some gems mixed in and you still have to spend a night singing on the top of your lungs to live bands in Temple Bar at least once on any trip to Dublin. Check out our list of the best pubs in Dublin HERE for more advice on where to drink.
Fish and Chips at Leo Burdock’s
There’s fish and chips and then there’s Leo Burdock’s. Leo’s fish and chips form new religions daily. This is simply the best fish and chips that you’ll ever have. There’s no seating, it’s basically just a counter top, so you’ll have to take your meal to go. The good news is there’s a small park bench just across the street that’s a great place to enjoy your fish & chips.
St Stephen’s Green
Simply a garden square/park located within the city center of Dublin. The park is located adjacent to one of Dublin’s main shopping streets, Grafton Street, so it’s a great place to relax either before or after you take a stroll down Grafton. Even if you’re not into shopping Grafton Street is a great place to stroll as it is often lined with some pretty talented buskers.
Dublin Castle
Constructed in the early 13th century on the site of a Viking settlement, Dublin Castle served as the headquarters of English and later British administration in Ireland. Today it serves as a major government building in Ireland and tourist attraction. Open daily from 9:45am till 5:45pm (last admission 5:15pm). Tickets for a self guided visit to the State Apartments, Medieval Section and/or the Chapel Royal are available for purchase HERE. Also worth checking out while you’re there is Chester Beatty Library, home to an excellent Middle Eastern-inspired café and a peaceful rooftop terrace.
St Patrick’s Cathedral is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland and one of two of Dublin’s main tourist attraction cathedrals. St. Patrick’s Cathedral often hosts candlelit classical concerts in the evenings.
Christ Church Cathedral
Standing at the heart of Dublin’s City Centre for over 1000 years, Christ Church Cathedral is one of Dublin’s most stunning buildings. Originally constructed as a Viking church, the church today holds some of Ireland’s great treasures including Strongbow’s final resting place, the heart of St. Laurence O’Toole, a rare copy of the Magna Carta as well as an odd collection of mummified animals.
Ha’penny Bridge
Named for the half penny toll that used to be required for crossing, the Ha’penny Bridge connects the north and south banks of the River Liffey at the Temple Bar region. There’s nothing extra special about this small pedestrian walkway, but it’s picturesque and quite famous, so you might as well walk across and get a great view of the river and the surrounding city of Dublin.
Avoca Wool and Cafe
One of the finest (and most famous) goods that comes out of Ireland is their wool and mohair products made from the local sheep scattered around the hills and valleys of Ireland. Although the actual wool mill is located just outside of Dublin in the small town of Avoca, the company also sells their wool at various Avoca shops around Dublin.
For those who can’t get out of the city, stop by the shop near the Dublin City Center to purchase some original handwoven luxurious scarves, sweaters or blankets made out of local Irish mohair. Make sure you go upstairs to visit their café, where you can enjoy a light lunch, tea or dessert of local Irish cuisine.
Whiskey Museum
If you’re interested in trying some Irish Whiskey, you can visit the Whiskey Museum where you can take a tour to learn about Irish whiskey and at the end of the tour you get to try 3 types of whiskey.
Day Trip to Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s biggest tourist attractions. They’re on the complete opposite end of the island (on the west coast as opposed to Dublin which is on the east). It’s about a 3.5 hour drive from Dublin, so if you don’t mind driving on the left side of the road, just rent a car and head out there. The drive is easy, almost entirely highway (so the left side driving isn’t a huge ordeal) and there’s plenty of parking at the Cliffs. There’s enough to see and do at the Cliffs to spend an hour or two, but not much more than that. And, there isn’t much else around the Cliffs besides some small fishing towns. The best thing to do is to spend a night in Dingle, Galway, the cute coastal towns of Doolin and Lahinch or Limerick afterwards. But, if you just want to take a day trip and don’t want to drive, there are plenty of tour buses that take daily trips out there.
Howth Cliff Walk
If you enjoy nature and want to get out of the congested Dublin city center for an afternoon, the coastal town of Howth should be tops on your list of places to visit for a day trip. The Howth Cliff Walk is a famous hiking area with unrivaled views of Irelands east coast. The Howth Cliff Walk is suitable for all fitness levels, but just make sure the weather isn’t too wild. There are also guided walking tours if you’d like to join a group. For advice on how to do the cliff walk yourself, check out this great blog HERE for advice.
In the coastal fishing town of Howth, you’ll find an adorable fishing village, some of the best seafood in Dublin and weekend markets perfect for finding that special souvenir. It’s easy to reach by bus or rental car. Simply plug Howth into your GPS and park in town for the afternoon and walk around.
George’s Street Arcade
This Victorian market has been going strong since the 1800s. It’s a great place to go walk around during lunch and sample food from the collection of stands selling their wares.
Take a Food Tour
Delicious Dublin Tours works exclusively with independent businesses where they curate personal food tours focusing on great food and how it relates to the story of the Irish food scene.
See Live Music at Whelan’s
This intimate music venue frequently hosts up and coming acts before they rocket to stardom. If you’re lucky you might find the next Jeff Buckley, Ed Sheeran or Hozier (all former regulars).
Best Pubs in Dublin
Best Cocktail Bars in Dublin
Best Restaurants in Dublin
