Nearly every trip to Ireland involves at least some time in Dublin, and our visit was no exception. This capital city is not nearly as grand or picturesque as some other European capitals, but it is certainly still worth a visit. Depending on your interests, you may not need more than a night or two, but I wanted to help you with a few tips I learned:
- Where to Stay: Central Dublin is luckily pretty small, with most of the stuff you want to see located between St. Stephen’s Green in the south, the cathedrals on the west and the river Liffey on the north (which actually runs through the center of the city, but apparently the north side of the river is ever so slightly more dodgy). We stayed at the end of Grafton Street (the famous shopping pediestrian street w/performers) at the very cool Fitzwilliam Hotel, which we all very much enjoyed. Brooks Hotel was another well-located option we saw that’s a bit more budget friendly but still lovely, or there’s the Davenport (more traditional) and the Alex (which is more modern). The Shelbourne is the grand daddy fancy option, which is beautiful AND a Marriott property, if you’re into that sort of option.
- Where to Eat: There are SO many fun pubs across the city, but there is a growing foodie scene where you can find fresh, locally-inspired food too! We had a lovely evening hearing folklore and a little traditional music in the so-called oldest pub in town, the Brazen Head, but I found the food just average. Fade Street Social and Klaw are two nicer, newer options I heard about, and Farm comes highly recommended by just about everyone. I tried to have lunch at a cute teeny place called Hatch & Sons, but it was too full to wait for a table on my limited time (which was depressing because it smelled amazing!). As for pubs, O’Donahues always has local irish music, super authentically and organically, and I’m sad I wasn’t able to see it. We popped into the Hairy Lemon, which was maybe not as cute as its name but fine, and then Kehoes off Grafton is another fun option. The Bar with No Name is an option for nicer cocktails if you’re not looking for a pub, and if you want afternoon tea (or a fancy post-tea cocktail), the bar at the Shelbourne Hotel is gorgeous.
- What to Do: There are some must-do’s in Dublin, but otherwise there are tons of options that might be interesting to you, or might be skippable depending on what you’re looking for. The must do’s, I think, include the Kilmainham Goal, which gives an amazing overview of Irish history since the Victorian era, and the ridiculously amazing Book of Kells located in the library of Trinity College. You only get to see one page or so of the midieval masterpiece (created by Irish monks over 1000 years ago!), but learning about ancient celtic symbols and how the Christian monks incorporated them into the gospels is interesting, and the “Long Room” upstairs is simply awe-inspiring. Besides that, wandering Grafton Street and hearing some traditional music could do you for Dublin, except there is SO MUCH MORE! A tour of Christ Church Cathedral and it’s awesome “Foxy Friars” tiled floor, belfry, and crypt is pretty good, and of course on the other end of the spectrum you have the Guinness Storehouse. As the #1 attraction in Ireland, it can get incredibly crowded, so definitely consider upgrading your ticket (whether you’re a fan of the beer or not!). The Epic Immigration Museum helps give you a picture of the who/why/where of the MASSIVE wave of immigrants who have left the Green Isle and how all their descendants have then influenced the world (the best section though is the entertainers section, I have to say). There’s also Dublin Castle, many different museums, the General Post Office and other revolution-associated monuments… the list goes on. BUT – remember that the countryside of Ireland is pretty amazing, so you may have limited time in this vibrant city, so choose based on what intrerests YOU.