Dublin tourist guide 2024

City Center

  • Start on Trinity University and if you have time go in and see the Old Library and Books of Keels
  • Walk Grafton Street and enjoy the vibe and music (on weekends)
  • Have a walk on St Stephen’s Green park
    • This park was the place where there was a major fight against english invaders in 1916. You can find a ton of history there, as this is considered the beginning of Irish independence
  • If you are hungry grab a Perfect Combo and a coffee on the Beanhive Cafe
  • Walk until the George’s Arcade and enjoy the tons of pubs all around and the old Georgian building
  • Walk by the Temple Bar and take some pictures. You can go in and have a pint, Music and ambiance are amazing but the price is quite high.
  • Finish with a walk on the Liffey river

If you have extra time you can:

Eating in the city center:

Coastal Villages

Near Dublin you will find a lot of small coastal towns that are super nice. All of the villages I recommend have access by the Dart (local train). I would recommend doing only 1 of them per day, 2 if they are super close (like maybe Bray and Greystones).

On Sundays the dart has less trains than usual and villages like Greystones and Malahide have the least frequent lines.

You have some options:

  • Dun Laoghaire (it’s pronounced Dun-Liry) is a nice little village on the south. There are a couple of restaurant, a pier and a nice coastal area.
    • You can walk until Forty foot, a nice swimming spot (for those who like cold waters)
    • You can see the a Napolean tower that is a museum for James Joyce
    • Nice restaurants:
      • Belli Dentro - cozy Italian place
      • La Dolce Italia - cozy Italian place
      • Shoe lane - great coffee!
      • Bibi’s - I love their turkish eggs
      • Nunki - great chinese
    • On Sundays you have a people’s market full of tasty food!
    • If you have time you can go to Dalkey and have some beers under a 13th century tower or enjoy one of the many restaurants in the cozy little village. It’s one of the richiest places in Dublin
  • Bray is a costal village. There’s a ton of restaurants and is very busy on weekends.
    • If the weather is good go to the walk by the cliffs from Bray to Greystones (~10km). In this walk, you will follow the train line and there’s several spots for photos
    • You can either go around the Cliffs or up to the Bray Head where you can see some amazing views
    • If you go to Bray, we love Dockyard no 8 for brunches!
    • You can grab a taxi and visit the Powerscourt House & Gardens for a nice day out and even do a small hiking to its waterfall
  • Malahide is a nice little village in the opposite direction of Bray.
  • Howth is another coastal village with a great Irish vibe. There is a beautiful view, some ruins of castles and tons of restaurants.
    • If you are up for the challenge there is a 10km walk on the cliffs around it!
    • The sunset is amazing from the pier
    • If the weather is good you can take a boat and go to a small island that has a beach
    • O’Connels have TVs with sports and nice coquetels

Other places near Dublin or not so easy to go

Where to go

If you only have a day…

Visit the city centre, as it will give you more options and a bigger-city vibe

If you have 2 days…

Take 1 day for the city centre and one day in a costal village. I would recommend Dun Laoghaire if it’s on a weekend day as I love the music and vibe (I lived there for 3 years)

If you have 3 days…

Consider also going to either Malahide or Howth! Go to Howth if you have energy for some cliff walk.

If you have more than 3 days…

Think about going to the countryside. There is a ton of beautiful landscapes like the Cliffs of Moher that you can go on a single day trip (like this one). I looove the Irish countryside.

Some tips

  • Butler’s chocolate is delicious! I particularly like the ones with Gin or Irish cream
  • Irish people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Make sure you experience the local culture.
  • Dublin is very walkable. Bring comfy shoes and a rain jacket to make sure you can enjoy most of the city!
  • There isn’t Uber but Uber will work just fine. It will just call you a taxi!
  • I don’t ever remember not using credit card/Apple Pay for everything. I don’t remember last time I had cash on me!
  • Traffic can get crazy. If you are going to the airport during peak hours, make sure to leave enough time for it
  • You can buy a public transport card for 5 euro. Then you just add money and start using it. You will pay –at most– 2 euro per 90 min of public transportation. If you used it once, you can use any public transportation (LUAS, Bus, Train) for 90 mins with no extra charge. In LUAS and Train make sureyou tap twice always!
  • All National Museums are free of charge, so if you like Viking history I recommend going to the Archaeology museum

Some Pubs I like

❤
Cheers!
Letícia

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