Where to base yourself
- South city centre (Grafton Street, St Stephen’s Green, Merrion Square): the most convenient and the most expensive. Everything is walkable.
- Temple Bar: central and noisy until the small hours. Fine if nightlife is the point.
- North city centre (O’Connell Street, Smithfield): better value, close to the Luas; choose your street with a little care at night.
- Docklands: modern hotels near EPIC and the 3Arena, quiet at weekends.
- Ballsbridge and the canals: leafy and calm, 20–30 minutes’ walk or a short bus ride from the centre.
Eating and drinking
Dublin’s food scene is international and inventive, with good-value lunch and early-evening menus. Look for seafood chowder, oysters, coddle (a Dublin stew of sausage and bacon) and modern Irish cooking. For pubs with character, try the Victorian bars around Grafton Street, Baggot Street and Stoneybatter. For traditional music, O’Donoghue’s on Merrion Row and The Cobblestone in Smithfield are long-standing favourites. A whiskey distillery tour — there are several in the Liberties — makes a good wet-afternoon plan.
Saving money
- Free museums: the National Museum (archaeology, with its gold hoards and bog bodies), the National Gallery, the Chester Beatty and the Hugh Lane Gallery charge nothing.
- Heritage Card: covers Kilmainham Gaol and Dublin Castle among OPW sites — worthwhile if you are also touring the country. You still need to reserve a Kilmainham time slot.
- Dublin Pass and combined tickets can pay off if you plan several paid attractions; add up your list first.
- Leap Card fares are well below cash fares and are capped.
- Drink outside Temple Bar, where prices are highest.
Safety and practicalities
Dublin is a safe city by international standards. Watch for pickpockets and phone snatchers in crowded areas, and take ordinary care around O’Connell Street and the boardwalk late at night. Shops generally open until 6 or 7 pm, later on Thursdays. The currency is the euro and cards are accepted everywhere.
Sample plans
One day
Trinity College and the Book of Kells at opening time; walk via Grafton Street to St Stephen’s Green; the National Museum (Archaeology) or National Gallery; afternoon at Dublin Castle and St Patrick’s Cathedral; evening in a traditional pub.
Two days
Day one as above. Day two: Kilmainham Gaol in the morning (pre-booked), lunch nearby at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Guinness Storehouse in the afternoon, then back along the quays to Temple Bar.
Three days
Add EPIC and the Docklands, then the DART to Howth for a cliff walk and fish and chips on the pier — or a day tour to Glendalough or Newgrange.
