Dublin is one of my favorite cities! It’s beautiful with tons to see and do. Spend time walking along the River Liffey, eating and drinking your way through the city and exploring Irish history. I would give yourself at least 2-3 days in Dublin, but if possible, also try to explore as much of the rest of the country as you can. Ireland is small, so it’s relatively easily to see a good portion of it over a 7-10 day trip.
No visit to Dublin is complete without a visit to the Guinness Storehouse. It’s a huge establishment which includes the brewery itself, a museum with lots of Guinness history, a cafe and a dining hall, and the Gravity Bar, where you get your free pint (or a diet coke if you prefer) when the tour ends. I’m not a beer drinker, but it was a cool place to visit and the views of Dublin from the Gravity Bar were beautiful. I would give yourself a couple of hours to explore everything and enjoy your drink. If you plan to eat in the cafe or the dining hall, maybe give yourself another hour or so just so you don’t feel rushed. You can purchase your ticket upon arrival or you can get in online in advance. I have been twice now and when I visited in the late morning, the Gravity Bar was much less crowded, with seating available and better opportunities to take pictures of Dublin from above. But crowded or not, it’s a great time!
I know Northern Ireland is not Dublin (it’s a whole different country!), but I’m including it because it was a day trip from Dublin. Our tour was through Finn McCool Tours which included stops in Belfast proper, the Dark Hedges, the Bushmills Distillery, Giant’s Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The tour was split with people doing the general Northern Ireland tour and people doing the Game of Thrones tour. I didn’t watch GOT until after I was home and feel like I missed out on an opportunity to see some of the places where they filmed the show, because so much is filmed in Northern Ireland. Now that I’m an obsessed GOT fan, I will definitely do the full GOT tour next time I visit!
It was a beautiful, couple hour drive from Dublin to Northern Ireland. It was interesting to hear about the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland. They may share an island but it’s a whole different country, with different road rules, currency and government. Northern Ireland is a part of the U.K., while Ireland is its own country. Ireland is predominately Catholic, while Northern Ireland is predominantly Protestant, which apparently still causes a rift today.
The first stop was Belfast, where we were able to explore the city for an hour or so before heading to the Dark Hedges. The Dark Hedges was a brief stop, but enough time to wander and get a few amazing pictures. This was one of the stops on the tour that was also a GOT stop (think Season 2 premier episode -Arya’s Escape). After a very quick stop at Bushmills Distillery we made our way to Giant’s Causeway.
We had a bit more time at Giant’s Causeway, which was necessary as it’s quite a walk from where the bus drops you. Although it was likely formed by a volcanic eruption years ago, the legend of the giants breaking the ground into many pieces is more popular (and more fun). It’s a UNESCO world heritage site and I can totally understand why. It’s so mysterious and interesting and a great spot for photo ops.
The last stop on the tour was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The actual walk over the bridge was scary, especially because it was raining and slippery, but I’m so glad we did it. When you cross over you get some of the most beautiful views of the rugged coastline, even in the rain. After taking in the views, you then have to cross back over the bridge once more, and it was just as scary the second time. We had wanted to get pictures while crossing the bridge, but unfortunately that didn’t happen because we were holding on to avoid slipping in the rain and plummeting to our deaths. Hopefully next time…
It was such a great day and a nice way to see more of the (Northern) Irish countryside, which was simply stunning. Belfast seemed like a great city, unfortunately we had very limited time to explore. If I am able to go back I’d like to visit the Titanic Museum located there. It was voted best European tourist attraction last year and it’s supposed to be really interesting from what I heard and read. If you are limited on time and based in Dublin, this day trip is a great way to see Northern Ireland.
3 – Irish bars and live music
Give yourself plenty of time to just bar hop, drink beer and cider and listen to all the amazing live music in Dublin. We took lots of breaks from sightseeing to do just that and enjoyed every minute. It’s so fun and an easy way to hear traditional Irish music. Temple Bar is a great neighborhood for a bar crawl, with lots of fun pubs to explore and live music everywhere you go.
Side note: I enjoyed many Irish ciders while bar hopping and along the way learned that Magners Cider, which I frequently enjoy in the US, is called Bulmers in Ireland. Apparently they couldn’t sell it internationally as Bulmers so they re-named it Magners for exportation; but domestically it is still called Bulmers. Learn something new everyday, right?
4 – Grafton Street
Grafton Street is main shopping street in Dublin, south of the River Liffey. Ed Sheeran gives it a shout out in his new song Galway Girl for a reason, it’s great! There are tons of stores (M&S!), restaurants and bars on and around Grafton Street. There are also many talented street performers singing (think the movie and musical Once) to entertain you. It’s a fun street and easily walkable from anywhere in central Dublin.
5 – Irish churches
Ireland is obviously synonymous with drinking, but also with churches. On our bus tour they mentioned that Ireland has more churches per capita than anywhere else (did not fact check this but it seems reasonable to me), however less and less people are actually attending church regularly today, leaving many churches abandoned. Interestingly we learned, they are turning unused churches into distilleries and stores because there are so many. Such a creative way to use, old, beautiful spaces! Fortunately St Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral are still well attended and maintained and should be definite stops when visiting Dublin.
Honorable mention
Caitlin arrived a day after me and needed a quick nap to recover from the overnight flight. While she was sleeping I decided to wander on my own a bit. I grabbed breakfast at a cafe and while looking at my map, saw the Leprechaun Museum and decided it would be something fun to check out. The ticket cost €14 and runs every hour. The museum takes you through the history of leprechauns in Ireland and tells many stories along the way. They have a room where all of the furniture is huge and you feel like the tiny leprechaun which was fun for pictures. It’s something random and interesting to consider if you have an extra hour or so to spare when in Dublin, with lots of Irish folklore and mystery.
Ireland is one of my favorite countries. It’s so beautiful and has so much to offer. Dublin is a really fun city and should definitely be a stop on any trip to the Emerald Isle. And if you have time, try to get out and explore the countryside as well. You won’t be sorry. Sláinte Ireland, I can’t wait to return for another visit!
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