Dublin
- For other places with the same name, see Dublin (disambiguation).
Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath, "Town of the Hurdled Ford") is the capital city of Ireland. Its vibrancy, nightlife and tourist attractions are world renowned and it's the most popular entry point for international visitors to Ireland.
As a city, it is disproportionately large for the size of the country with a population of over 2 million in the Greater Dublin Region (2022); nearly half of the Republic's population lives in this metropolitan area. The central sights can be navigated by foot, with a few outlying sights, and suburbs sprawling out for miles.
The climate is mild, making Dublin a year-round destination. It's seldom freezing in winter, cool in summer and frequently has light showers. For more information, see County Dublin weather chart.
Understand
[edit]History
[edit]Dublin is in a low-lying, fertile area, not boggy by Irish standards, and with good sea access. It became the core of the Gaelic kingdom of Leinster, and the Vikings established a large settlement by what is now Dublin castle, until ejected by Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. This set a pattern that Dublin was fought for, not fought in. The Normans colonised the southwest and Leinster from the 12th century, and further out they battled with the Gaels, but Dublin sat snug within the "Pale" — the defensive palisade. Similarly with the Tudor conquests; then the city fell swiftly to Cromwell so his atrocities were elsewhere, and King William marched in unopposed after the Battle of the Boyne. 18th century Dublin was the second largest city in the British Isles, with a tight little Protestant clique ruling the place to London's liking. Industry and culture flourished, and the city acquired its graceful Georgian streets and squares, but Ireland was ruled as a colony. Britain's other colonies watched with great interest as the independence movement gathered pace.
"The Troubles" of the late 19th and early 20th century involved ethnic conflicts, paramilitary gangs, and savage reprisals by the authorities. The outbreak of the First World War seemed to put a brake on this, with tens of thousands of Irishmen marching away to France and Flanders. Surely one big push on the Somme would win this war - but while the generals were planning this, armed insurrection broke out at Easter 1916. The rebels seized the central Post Office on O'Connell Street, read their proclamation of independence, then were bombarded until they surrendered. Initially they attracted little sympathy or support, especially as they were backed by arch-foe Germany, but the authorities snatched defeat from a quick win by the subsequent court-martials and executions by firing squad. Hundreds were arrested and 15 were shot. This and atrocities such as the Croke Park massacre were fatal to the legitimacy of British rule. By 1921, the Irish tricolour fluttered over a Dublin that was capital of a separate state.
Orientation
[edit]Dublin is divided by the River Liffey. North of the Liffey runs O'Connell Street the main thoroughfare, intersected by numerous shopping streets such as Henry Street and Mary Street. On the south bank are Merrion Square, St Stephen's Green, Grafton Street (the main southside shopping area), Trinity College, Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedrals, the main branches of the National Museum, and many other attractions.
The postal district Dublin 1 is north of the river centred on the Post Office, Dublin 2 is south centred on Trinity College, and so on out to the suburbs. These districts have been incorporated into Eircodes, which cover the whole Republic. Thus D04 followed by four alphanumerics is somewhere around Ballsbridge. These pages state Eircodes wherever possible, as keying them into an online map will drop you onto the exact address. They only apply to addresses that receive mail so a lonely megalithic tomb on a mountainside won't have one, but that's seldom an issue in downtown Dublin.
Visitor info: Several places purport to be tourist information offices, but are simply agencies selling tours. The official source of advice is Visit Dublin, with two walk-in centres:
- Northside at 14 O'Connell St Upper D01 WP59, 200 yards north of the post office, M-Sa 9AM-5PM;
- Southside at 3 Palace St D02 T277, next to City Hall west end of Temple Bar, M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 10:30AM-3PM.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- Main article: Dublin Airport
1 Dublin Airport (DUB IATA) (10 km north of city centre). Dublin Airport has an extensive short and medium haul network, and is the base for Aer Lingus, Aer Lingus Regional, and Ryanair. Terminal 2 handles wide-bodied jets and is used by Aer Lingus (& Regional), American Airlines, Delta, Emirates, Norwegian and United. All others use the older Terminal 1, some 300 m north with a walkway between. Together they offer direct flights from most major cities in the UK (serving all London airports, but most frequently Heathrow) and Europe (including Keflavík, Moscow and Istanbul). North American flights arrive from New York, Newark, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington (with pre-clearance of US customs & immigration westbound) and Toronto. Middle East flights include Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Domestic flights are from Kerry and Donegal; there are none from Belfast, Shannon or Cork. All the main car hire companies have kiosks in Arrivals. There's a better choice here than in the city centre, but book ahead for the best deals. The airport has car parking short-term on-site, long-term off-site, and "meet & greet" services. The currency kiosks are run by ICE with a 10% buy/sell spread, decent value. Radisson Blu and Maldron hotels are at the airport, with a few more at the M1/M50 junction just south and in Swords to the north.
Between airport and city: bus and taxi are the options, there's no rail / metro link.
- Aircoach. Aircoach 700 runs to the city centre from T1 then T2, every 15-30 min,taking 30 min, fare in 2024 is €10 single or €15 return. The last bus to the city is 1:30AM then the next is 6AM. See below for Aircoach 701, 702 and 703 for south side of Dublin. They also run to other cities such as Cork and Belfast. Taxi drivers routinely try to pick up passengers waiting at the Aircoach stop: they're forbidden to do so, but offer a similar rate and get many takers, so they persist.
- Dublin Express runs to city centre and Heuston Station every 10 minutes or so. The last bus to the city is 11PM then the next is 5:30AM. The cost in September 2024 was €8 single. €10 return if purchased online.
- Local buses by Dublin Bus are much slower — allow an hour — but much cheaper at €2.60 in coins, or €2 if paying with a Leap Card (see "Get around"), and may be more convenient for the suburbs. The two routes are:
- Bus 16 via Drumcondra railway station, O'Connell St, George's St and out to the southern suburbs of Rathmines and Ballanteer / Kingstown. It runs from morning until late evening.
- Bus 41 via Drumcondra railway station and O'Connell St, passing near Busáras, to Lower Abbey St. Northbound it runs out to Swords. It runs 24 hours every 20-30 minutes.
- Stops for the local buses are at Terminal 1 through the car park opposite Arrivals exit and then to the right. Pay with exact coins (bus drivers don't accept cards or banknotes, and don't give change). Alternatively, purchase a prepaid Leap Card (see "Get around") from a convenience store in the terminal or near the bus stops. Luggage space is limited on these local buses, and it's not unknown for drivers to turn away travellers with packs that cannot be stored.
- Taxis to city centre might cost €34-40 (July 2024), so they are competitive with the Aircoach for a group of three or more. See "Get around" for rules on taxis.
Other destinations: most buses to other Irish cities run via the airport, see individual cities' "Get in". Within County Dublin:
- Bus 101 runs every 20 min to Balrothery, Balbriggan and Drogheda. This bus runs from Dublin Talbot St via Drumcondra but is not available for journeys just between city, airport and Swords.
- Bus 102 runs from the airport every 30 min to Swords, Malahide, Portmarnock and Sutton near Howth.
- Drumcondra (Bus 16 & 41) has trains from Connolly towards Maynooth.
- Aircoach Bus 700 runs to Leopardstown and Sandyford, 702 to Bray and Greystones, and 703 to Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Killiney.
By train
[edit]The country's railways converge on the city: see Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets, and see also Rail travel in Ireland.
2 Connolly (Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile), Amiens St, Dublin 1 (200 m north of bus station). Ticket office 6:30AM-7PM. This serves the north plus the east coast, with trains from Sligo (3 hr), Belfast via Drogheda (2 hr), and Rosslare ferry port via Wexford and Wicklow (3 hr). From Derry change in Belfast. Connolly is also the hub for local DART trains. It has toilets, ATM and small shops, and a bar and restaurant. The surrounding area is tacky at night; the station is closed between midnight and 5AM M-Sa, 7AM Sunday. Many Irish railway stations are named for those executed for their part in the Easter Rising - the British thoughtfully ensured plenty names to go round - and this one is named for labour organiser James Connelly (1868-1916).
3 Heuston (Stáisiún Heuston), St Johns Rd West, Dublin 8 (2 km west of city centre, on LUAS tram red line). Ticket office 7AM-9PM. This serves all directions except the north or the east coast. Trains run from Cork (2½ hr), Galway (2½ hr), Westport (3½ hr), Limerick (2 hr 15 min) and Waterford (2 hr). There are connections from Ballina, from Tralee and Killarney, from Clonmel and Tipperary, and from Nenagh. Heuston has toilets, ATM, small shops, kiosks and cafes, plus supermarkets on the streets nearby. To reach the centre take the tram. The station is named for railway worker Seán Heuston (1891-1916).
Allow 45 min if you need to transfer between Heuston and Connolly.
By bus
[edit]4 Busáras bus station is just south of Connolly railway station and 300 m east of O'Connell Street. It has Bus Eireann services from most towns in Ireland, such as Belfast (2 hr 30), Cork (4 hr), Limerick (3 hr 30), Galway (4 hr) and Donegal (2 hr 30), all running via the airport. Other operators are Kavanaghs from Limerick and Waterford, and Citylink and GoBus from Galway. Eurolines 871 runs on Saturday evening from London Victoria via Birmingham, Holyhead and the ferry to reach Dublin city centre early Sunday morning; the reverse run leaves Dublin Friday evening. The station has luggage lockers and pay-to-enter toilets in the basement.
Other bus companies don't use this station but leave from stops in the nearby streets.
By boat
[edit]5 Dublin Port has ferries from Holyhead in Wales (Stena and Irish Ferries, 3 hr 30 min), Bootle near Liverpool (P&O, 8 hrs and Douglas, Isle of Man (Isle of Man Ferries, 3 hr 30 min). From Cherbourg in Normandy and Pembroke in Wales they nowadays only sail to Rosslare and not to Dublin.
The port is 2 km east of the centre; the number 53 bus connects the port to the bus station by Custom House in central Dublin. The bus usually only accepts Leap Cards. or coins: occasionally a driver will accept payment by notes or cards, but this is the exception. There is no facility for buying Leap Cards at the port. Foot passengers opting to walk to or from the port should avoid Alexandra Road. The M50 tunnel (toll) allows motorists to disembark at Dublin and drive straight onto the motorway without getting snarled in city centre traffic.
The former ferry port of Dún Laoghaire is no longer used. Another ferry route is the short crossing from Cairnryan in Scotland to Belfast, then by road or rail to Dublin.
By car
[edit]If you're visiting just for a day trip, don't bring a car into the congested centre, use a Park & Ride. From the south, use either Sandyford Luas stop, just off junction 15 of M50 on Blackthorn Rd, or Bray DART stop on Bray Rd. From the west, use Red Cow Luas stop, off junction 9 of M50. From the north east, use Howth DART station. Park & Ride spaces cost €4 all day, though you've the tram or train fare to add on.
Get around
[edit]
You can see much of the city on foot.
By public transport
[edit]Public transport in Dublin consists of trains, trams and buses. Unlike many other European capitals, the rail network in Dublin is quite limited, so buses are by far the main mode of public transport. Public transport is not run by a single agency, but by a number of state-contracted operators, and most information is provided separately on each operator's website. Trains are run by Irish Rail and trams by Luas, while most buses are run by Dublin Bus, except some local buses in suburban areas which are run by Go-Ahead Ireland.
Transport for Ireland (TFI) is the umbrella brand for public transport in Ireland, although its website primarily just directs you to the individual operators websites for information. However, the TFI Journey Planner is a good way to plan your journey across different modes, and the Live Departures provides real time information for all rail and bus stops. TFI also provides a number of smartphone apps including a journey planner and real time departures. Note that the journey planner app also provides real time departures, so you don't need to download both. The TFI Journey Planner and Live Departures are also integrated into Google Transit and are available within Google Maps.
Tickets and Leap Card
[edit]On trains and trams, tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines at the station or stop prior to boarding. Train tickets are valid for the day of purchase and are needed to get through the entry and exit turnstiles at stations. Tram tickets do not have to be validated prior to boarding, but must be used within 90 minutes of purchase. On buses, you can pay the fare to the driver when boarding, but you must have the exact amount in coins. Banknotes cannot be taken, and if you overpay in coins, no change is given.
If you plan to use public transport a lot, consider getting a TFI Leap Card, which you can top up with credit and use to pay fares on all public transport in the city, at a 30% discount. Leap Cards can be purchased from most convenience shops at just €5 for adults and €3 for children (this is actually not a charge but a deposit, and if you register your card online, it can later be refunded to an EU bank account or a number of charities). You can check your credit and top up the card at most convenience shops, at train or tram ticket vending machines, and on your phone with the Leap Top-Up App.
To use your Leap Card on trains or trams, you need to tag-on by holding your card against the turnstile or validator before boarding, and then tag-off again at the turnstile or validator at the end of your journey. You will automatically be charged the relevant fare between the tag-on and tag-off locations. To use your Leap Card on buses, you can place the card on the driver's machine, and tell the driver where you are going, and they will deduct the relevant fare. If you know that you are making a longer journey, you can instead hold your card against the other validator on the right hand side of the door, where you will automatically be charged the highest fare. Unlike trains and trams, you don't need to tag-off when you leave the bus. It's important to note that if you don't tag-on before travelling, you don't have a valid ticket, so you could be fined if a ticket inspector boards and checks your card.
Single fares are around 30% cheaper with a Leap Card than with cash. A 90-minute fare applies, meaning that after you tag onto any mode of transport, you can use the same Leap Card to tag onto any other Dublin regional buses, trams or trains within the next 90 minutes without extra cost. The fares are also capped, so once you reach a certain amount within the same day or week (Monday to Sunday), you can continue to travel for free for the remainder of that day or week. For adults, the daily caps are €5.60 for buses or trams, €7.60 for trains and €8 for all modes. The weekly caps are €22 for buses or trams, €29.60 for trains and €32 for all modes. Child caps are much lower, about one third of the adult caps.
A special Leap Visitor Card is also available for tourists, which allows unlimited use of all public transport for 1 day (€8), 3 days (€16), or 7 days (€32), starting from the time of first use. This can be purchased at arrivals in Dublin Airport (WH Smith and Wrights in Terminal 1 and Spar in Terminal 2) in some city centre tourist offices, or ordered online for delivery. Once your chosen time period expires, you can also top it up with additional time periods at most convenience shops in the city.
By train
[edit]Inter-city, commuter and DART trains use the same track, but vary in the stops they make. For timetables, route maps and fares, see Irish Rail.
- DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is a suburban line along the coast, from Howth and Malahide in the north to Bray and Greystones in the south, via Connolly and other city centre stations, Dún Laoghaire and Dalkey. Trains run 6AM-11PM and the core section between Howth Junction and Bray has trains M-F every 10 min and Sa Su every 30 min. North of Howth Junction, alternate trains head either for Malahide or for Howth. South of Bray, every third train extends to Greystones. Change at Bray for inter-city trains to Wicklow, Wexford and Rosslare.
- Commuter trains fan out to towns within an hour or so of the city.
- - North from Connolly to Drogheda, along the coast via Portmarnock, Malahide, Donabate, Rush, Skerries and Balbriggan. They're hourly, daily, and rush-hour trains extend to Dundalk. Change at Drogheda for Newry and Belfast.
- - West from Connolly to Maynooth via Drumcondra, Castleknock, Clonsilla and Leixlip. There's a branch line from Clonsilla to Dunboyne and M3 Parkway, which is the P&R for the Navan and Trim area. They're hourly, daily; change at Maynooth for Mullingar, Longford, Boyle and Sligo. Another branch line connects Grand Canal Dock with Connolly and Drumcondra.
- - Southwest from Heuston to Portlaoise via Park West & Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown, Hazelhatch & Celbridge, Sallins (for Naas), Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin, and Portarlington. They're hourly M-Sa and every two hours on Sunday. The branch line from Grand Canal Dock also connects M-F via Connolly and Drumcondra, bypassing Heuston to join the route at Park West & Cherry Orchard as far as Hazelhatch & Celbridge.
Connolly and Heuston are the principal stations, see Get in. Others that visitors might use are on the DART line south from Connolly:
- - Tara Street just south of the river for Temple Bar and Trinity College
- - Pearse for Merrion Square and the National Museums
- - Grand Canal Dock for southside dockland and the start of the canal
- - Lansdowne Road for the stadium
- - Sandymount for Ballsbridge
Fares: The short hop zone covers all DART and commuter rail services as far as Balbriggan, Kilcock, Sallins and Kilcoole. As of 2021, a standard single is €2.25-6.20 adult and €1.25-2.55 child. Paying by TFI Leap Card it's €1.70-4.90 adult and €0.80-1.94 child. Day return, 1 day, 3 day, 7 day and monthly tickets are also available. A family all day ticket is €20, for up to 2 adults and 4 children; it's rail-only and doesn't include tram or bus. (See Rail travel in Ireland for other ticket deals, some of which are thoroughly bad value.) Your ticket is valid for any train so if you were at Bray waiting for the Dart service back to city centre, and the inter-city from Rosslare happened to pull in, you could hop aboard.
By tram
[edit]Luas, Irish for "speed", is Dublin's tram system. Trams are modern and reliable, and run frequently from 6AM to midnight. There are two lines:
- Red line is east-west, from The Point in dockland and Connolly Station to Busáras, Abbey Street, Heuston Station, St James's Hospital, Red Cow P&R then either Tallaght P&R or Cheeverstown P&R and Saggart in the southwest of the city.
- Green line is north-south, from Broombridge to TU Dublin Grangegorman Campus, Marlborough St southbound / O'Connell St northbound, Trinity College, St Stephen's Green, Dundrum, P&Rs at Balally, Stillorgan and Sandyford, Leopardstown, Carrickmines P&R and Brides Glen in the southeast of the city.
The lines cross in north city centre, with a 100-m walk from the Abbey Street stop on the Red line to the Green lines north or south, a block apart at that point.
You must buy your ticket before boarding: there are machines by all the stops. Visitors are only likely to use the outer sections for the Park & Rides. For the city centre zone, e.g. between Heuston and Connolly, in 2024 it's €1.70 adult standard and €1.30 by Leap Card. Day return, 1 day and 7 day tickets are available.
By bus
[edit]City network
[edit]An extensive network of 150 bus routes serves most parts of the city and its surrounding suburbs. Most buses in the city centre pass through the O'Connell St area (including Mountjoy and Parnell Squares, Eden Quay and Fleet St) and the Trinity College area (including Pearse St, Nassau St, Dame St and College Green). Services vary from high frequency routes running every few minutes all day, to lower frequency routes running every hour or less, to peak-only limited-stop "Xpresso" routes and weekend-only late night "Nitelink" routes.
Confusingly, the bus network in Dublin is run by two separate companies, with timetables listed on two separate websites, and displayed at stops in two different formats. However, both companies share the same fare structure and Leap ticketing system, and all routes are included in the Transport for Ireland Journey Planner and Real Time apps:
- Dublin Bus operate all cross-city routes, and all routes which run to and from the city centre. The timetables displayed at stops refer to the time the bus leaves the terminus, not the time it will be passing that particular stop, so there is a bit of guesswork required.
- Go-Ahead Ireland operate local routes in the suburbs, as well as orbital routes which avoid the city centre. In contrast to Dublin Bus, all Go-Ahead Ireland timetables displayed at stops refer to the times buses are due to be passing that particular stop.
A detailed map of the entire city network, colour coded by frequency is available here (and for the far outer areas see here).
Cash fares within the city (exact amount in coins only) are €2.15-3.80 adult and €1.00-1.60 child, while if paying with a TFI Leap Card are €1.55-3.00 adult and €0.80-1.26 child. Those paying with a TFI Leap Card can also benefit from a €1 discount if interchanging within 90 minutes, and maximum daily and weekly caps. See Tickets and Leap Card.
At busier stops, an electronic sign lists the next 4 to 6 real-time departures. For all other stops, real-time departures can be checked online or in TFI apps (see By public transport above). All buses display their route number and destination on the front. When you see your bus approaching, hold out your hand to signal to the driver that you want to get on, otherwise they may not stop. If you have a prepaid TFI Leap Card, enter on the right-hand side and tag on by holding your card against the reader. Otherwise enter on the left-hand side to pay the driver.
Inside the bus, small screens display the next stop in both Irish and English, along with an audio announcement in both languages. When you see or hear your stop being announced, press one of the red buttons to signal to the driver that you want to get off.
Principal routes
[edit]Cross-city buses are operated by Dublin Bus and ply every 10 minutes M-Sa and 20-30 min on Sundays:
- Bus 4 from Harristown and Ballymun in the north to Ballsbridge and Blackrock in the southeast.
- Bus 15 from Clongriffin and Artane in the northeast to Templeogue and Ballycullen in the southwest. It runs 24 hours, every 30 min overnight.
- Bus 16 from Dublin Airport and Santry in the north to Rathfarnham and Ballinteer in the south.
- Bus 27 from Clare Hall and Artane in the northeast to Walkinstown and Tallaght in the southwest.
- Bus 39a from Ongar and Blanchardstown in the northwest to Baggot Street and University College Dublin in the southeast. It runs 24 hours, every 30 min overnight.
- Bus 40 from Charlestown and Finglas in the northwest to Ballyfermot and Liffey Valley in the west.
- Bus 41 / 41c operate from Swords, Santry and Drumcondra in the north to Abbey Street in the city centre, with alternate buses (route 41) serving Dublin Airport - this runs 24 hours, every 30 min overnight.
- Bus 46a from Phoenix Park northwest to University College Dublin, Stillorgan and Dún Laoghaire southeast.
- Bus 130 from Abbey Street in city centre to Clontarf, Bull Island and St Annes Park to the northeast.
- Bus 145 from Heuston Station in the inner west to University College Dublin, Stillorgan and Bray in the southeast.
- Bus C1 / C2 from Adamstown and Lucan to Heuston station, the Quays, Ballsbridge and Sandymount. Together they run 24 hours, every 30 min overnight.
- Bus G1 / G2 from Spencer Dock to St James Hospital Ballyfermot then either Red Cow tram terminal or Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. Together they run 24 hours, every 30 min overnight.
Several orbital routes skirt the city centre, run by Go Ahead, usually daily every 20-30 min:
- Bus 17 runs south, from Rialto via Terenure, Rathfarnham and University College Dublin to Blackrock.
- Bus 17a runs north, from Blanchardstown via Finglas, Ballymun, Santry and Coolock to Kilbarrack.
- Bus 18 crosses the inner south, from Palmerstown via Ballyfermot, Kylemore, Crumlin, Rathmines, Ranelagh and Ballsbridge to Sandymount.
- Bus 75 crosses the outer south, from Tallaght via Rathfarnham, Ballinteer, Dundrum and Stillorgan to Dún Laoghaire.
- Bus 175 takes the same route to Dundrum then heads to University College Dublin.
- Bus 76 crosses the west, from Tallaght via Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and Ballyfermot to Chapelizod, with a few extending to Blanchardstown.
At night: in summary the 24-hour bus routes are 41 (the only night bus from the airport), 15, 39a, C1 / C2 and G1 / G2. You pay the normal daytime fare for these.
Nitelink buses are extras from midnight Friday and Saturday to 4AM, on 15 routes radiating from D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street and Aston Quay. They run every hour or two, for instance to Portmarnock, Howth, Balbriggan, Bray and Greystones. You pay a little more for these. Their service is outbound-only then they return to the city empty, so drunks and wastrels can't use them as an overnight doss. As if, in Dublin?
See also individual towns for their overnight services from the city.
By bike
[edit]Hiring a bicycle is a handy way to get around if you want to get outside the very centre of the city and are comfortable cycling in traffic. That being said, the city is not very bicycle-friendly, either in terms of quantity & quality of bike paths, pedestrians and drivers honouring the bike paths, road space available where there is no bike path (i.e. numerous narrow roads), or driver attitudes in general.
When cycling in the city centre, be aware that cycle lanes, where they exist, are generally shared with buses, taxis, motorcycles, and parked cars; cyclists should pay particular attention when approaching bus stops where a bus is pulling out. Motorbikes are not allowed to use the cycle lanes, but many still do so. Passing on the left is also allowed only in limited circumstances but is in fact still common. When cycling in Phoenix Park, while there is a dedicated cycle lane on both sides of the main thoroughfare unfortunately pedestrians also use these.
There are bikes to hire in several locations around the city centre with the Dublinbikes scheme. A 3-day pass (which is the only pass available to non-residents) costs €5 and gives you access to the bikes. They are free for the first 30min, up to 1h rentals cost €0.50 and up to 2 hours cost €1.50, so it is a good idea to return the bikes frequently. You can purchase the 3-day pass only at stations which accept credit cards, but once purchased you can use it to rent bikes at any station. Your credit card will be preauthorized with a security deposit of €150, which will be charged in case of theft or if the bike was not returned within 24 hours. Among others, there is a Dublinbikes bike hire place located at the entrance to the Phoenix Park, Dublin 8.
By car
[edit]Don't drive if you can realistically avoid it. For instance, if you plan to see Dublin before touring the country, take the bus in from the airport and return there a few days later to hire your car. For a day-trip, use the city edge Park & Rides. If you do venture in, you face traffic congestion (even on Sunday), difficulty parking, confusing one-ways or diversions for road repairs, traffic congestion, drunken revellers and phone-entranced jaywalkers veering into your path, ill-signed but rigidly enforced bus lanes, the silent onrush of trams, and traffic congestion, traffic, traffic....
On-street meter parking is in short supply and only for brief periods, and if you over-stay you're likely to be clamped or towed, for a penalty in excess of €100. For a visit say to a museum you need to seek out a multi-storey car park — plan ahead for those you might use. Check also what the deal is with your accommodation; a central place may not have its own parking.
Dublin's outer road is M50, which starts from the port downtown and tunnels beneath the north city (toll) to the airport perimeter, where M1 continues north towards Belfast while M50 arcs round the western city with access to all arterial routes. There's another toll between Junctions 6 (N3 Blanchardstown) and 7 (N4 Lucan). Tolls are about €3, but in rush hour the tunnel is €10. There are no cash booths, you must pay online either in advance or by 8PM next day, else there's a penalty (to which your hire company and credit card will gleefully add). Hire cars may come with an e-tag.
The Outer Orbital Route, or M45, is a proposed bypass further out, arcing round from Drogheda to Navan, Enfield and Newbridge. The government keeps confirming this plan but nothing has happened; it would carve through important sites such as Hill of Tara. Meanwhile the same name is also used for the Outer and Inner orbital routes within the M50 semicircle. These are just existing streets interconnecting between the radial roads, confusingly signed and with much zigzagging.
By taxi
[edit]Taxis in Ireland can be identified by the yellow taxi plate placed on the roof of the vehicle.
Fares are nationally regulated and are required to use the meter. Every taxi in Ireland must accept credit and debit card payments (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) as well as cash – it’s the passenger’s choice. Drivers may not charge surcharges on any card payments.
| Applies | Initial Charge | Tariff A | Tariff B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 0.5 km or 85 seconds. | Next 14.5 km or 42 minutes | Thereafter | ||
| Standard Rate | M-Sa 8AM-8PM
(except public holidays) |
€4.15 | €1.30 per km
or €0.46 per minute Up to a total of €23.20 |
€1.65 per km
or €0.58 per minute. |
| Premium Rate | M-Sa 8PM-8AM,
all day Sunday and public holidays |
€4.80 | €1.71 per km or
€0.60 per minute Up to a total of €29.60 |
€2.00 per km
or €0.71 per minute |
| Special Premium Rate | 8AM 24 Dec until 8AM 26 Dec,
8AM 31 Dec until 8AM 1 Ja |
€4.80 | €2.00 per km
or €0.71 per minute | |
There are a number of ride hailing mobile apps which facilitate ordering a taxi, however this typically will include a surcharge on the side of the App, and an additional prebooking charge (€2.00) added to the taxi fare.
These include FreeNow, Uber, and the Bolt app, available on Android and iOS.
See
[edit]
Dublin's top attractions sell out in summer. Buy tickets online in advance if you know you want to see something, especially for the Book of Kells where even early arrivals may find all the day's slots are filled.
The Dublin Pass gives you free and fast track entry to thirty-some attractions in Dublin. Adult prices in 2024 are €79 for one day, €109 for two, €129 for three, €154 for four and €164 for five, child prices about half, and days must run consecutively. You'll struggle to break even on this deal as only the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour and the Jameson Distillery and Guinness tours charge over €25; most are way cheaper. The Pass doesn't include the National Museum sites (free anyhow), the Library and Book of Kells at Trinity College, or any public transport.
North of the river
[edit]- 1 GPO Museum, O'Connell St Lower D01 F5P2, ☏ +353 1 872 1916. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. The GPO is the headquarters of the Post Office in Ireland, built in Neo-Classical style 1814-1818. In 1916 it was occupied by Irish rebels led by PH Pearse, who read the Proclamation of the Republic outside the front door of the building. The interior was burnt out by shelling from government forces against the rebels, but the exterior survived. Subsequently the GPO was restored, reopening in 1929, and remains a busy working post office. The museum within it is a multimedia exploration of the Easter Rising. Adult €17, conc €15, child €8.50.
- O'Connell Street is the broad thoroughfare running north from the river, and the main district for budget accommodation. It was smashed up in the 1916 uprising and subsequent civil war, but rebuilt; then in the 1970s the developers made one sorry mess of it. And their assistants: All along O'Connell Street the pieces flew, up went Nelson, and the pillar too... was the ditty commemorating the 1966 IRA bombing of Nelson's Column. Where it stood, next to the GPO, is now the 121-m pin of the Spire of Dublin; close by on North Earl St is the James Joyce Statue. Northbound trams glide up the street: go a block east for the southbound track. The city council are doing their best to further improve the place but it's a work in progress: pleasant enough by day, but tacky by night.
- 2 St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, 83 Marlborough Place D01 DX9, ☏ +353 1 874 5441. Daily 9AM-5PM. Dublin's Catholic cathedral, built in 1825. Catholicism was always the majority religion in Ireland, but its practice was forbidden until the 19th century. The official cathedral is Christ Church, so designated by the Pope in 1300, but taken over by the Protestants in the 16th century. When the laws relaxed, St Mary's was built in neo-Classical style as a temporary or "pro"-cathedral, until such time as the Pope decrees otherwise or the Protestants hand back Christ Church. Neither event appears imminent.
- National Leprechaun Museum, 2 Mary's Abbey D07 X6R6 (Tram to Jervis), ☏ +353 1 873 3899. Su-Th 10AM-6:30PM, F Sa 10AM-8PM. The "little folk" appeared in lore around 1300 AD but only flourished from the 19th century Celtic revival, dressed in late Georgian garb in an idealised rural past, mending a shoe. They proliferated into the silliest of 20th century Irish tourism, like greenfly upon the Rose of Tralee, and fell out of fashion. This museum is immersive telling of the stories woven around them, with a daytime and darker night show. Day show adult €18, conce €16, child €11.
- Parnell Square is the north end of O'Connell St, where it bends and becomes Frederick St. Here are the Rotunda Hospital, Hugh Lane Gallery, James Joyce Centre, Writer's Museum and Garden of Remembrance.
- 3 Hugh Lane Gallery, Charlemont House, Parnell Square North D01 F2X9, ☏ +353 1 222 5564. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Sir Hugh Lane (1875-1915) was one of the first collectors of modern art. He died in the sinking of Lusitania and this public gallery reflects his Will, which involved about as much negotiation, fudge and compromise as the Treaty for Irish independence. The permanent exhibitions are mostly contemporary Irish artists, plus Francis Bacon's studio, relocated from London in 2001. Charlemont House was built in 1763 and in 1929 its gardens were built over to create the gallery, which is wheelchair accessible. Free.
- Garden of Remembrance across the street from the gallery and museum commemorates those who died in the struggle for Irish independence. Open daily.
- James Joyce Centre, 35 North Great George's St D01 WK44 (Tram to Parnell), ☏ +353 1 878 8547. Tu-Sa 10:30AM-4:30PM. Georgian townhouse with an exhibition of Joyce's life and times. He never lived here himself.
- Saint Saviour is a confident neo-Gothic church on Dominick St Lower, west of the Rotunda. Built in 1853, it's the Priory of the Dominican order, who also worship at St Martin's Chapel on Parnell Square.
- 4 Ha'penny Bridge is the one on all the picture postcards and film locations, a 43 m cast-iron arch spanning the river between Liffey St Lower and Wellington Quay. Officially called the "Liffey Bridge" (Droichead na Life), it was built in 1816 to replace the cross-river ferries, with the right to charge a ha'penny toll for the next century. There were turnstiles at both ends, removed in 1919 after the toll ceased. The bridge was extensively repaired in 2001. Please don't clutter it up with "love-locks" - the last big clean-up removed 300 kg of these, and bear in mind that those repairs were by Harland and Wolff, builders of the Titanic.
- Downstream from O'Connell Bridge the river broadens into dockland and the open sea, with poignant reminders of the Irish people's relationship with that sea.
- 5 The Famine Memorial on Custom House Quay depicts victims of the Great Famine (an Gorta Mór) of 1845-49, when a million died and another million fled the country. Five gaunt figures totter to the docks with their bundles as if to take ship and leave. Or perhaps they hope for scraps from those ships, which during the famine years were briskly exporting food for profit, plenty to feed everyone yet unaffordable to most.
- 6 EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, CHQ, Custom House Quay D01 R9Y0 (Tram to George’s Dock), ☏ +353 1 906 0861. Daily 10AM-5PM. Over the centuries more than 10 million people emigrated from Ireland; this is the story of why they left, where they went and how they shaped the world. Adult €21, child 6-12 €10.50, teen 13-17 €14.50, under 5s free, senior €19.
- The Jeanie Johnston, Custom House Quay D01 KF84 (by EPIC museum), ☏ +353 1 473 0111, info@jeaniejohnston.ie. Daily Apr-Oct 10AM-4PM, Nov-Mar 11AM-3PM. One million Irish people fled Ireland during the famine. 2500 took a gruelling voyage aboard the Jeanie Johnston, and this is a replica. You take a 50 min tour above and below deck. Adult €15, child €10.
- 7 Samuel Beckett Bridge
, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is a harp-shaped cable-stay road bridge of 120 m. It spans the river between North Wall Quay (in Docklands, north bank) and Sir John Rogerson's Quay (near Grand Canal Square, south bank) and the whole contraption hinges through 90 degrees to let ships pass. Daytime it's busy with traffic and is most scenic when floodlit at night. Calatrava also designed the James Joyce bridge upstream.
- 8 Green on Red Gallery, Park Lane, Spencer Dock D01 Y821, ☏ +353 87 245 4282, info@greenonredgallery.com. M-F 10AM-6PM. Commercial gallery exhibiting Irish and international modern art. Free.
- 9 Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, 105 Capel Street D01 R290, ☏ +353 1 873 4999, info@outhouse.ie. Tu 2-9PM, W-F noon-9PM, Sa noon-6PM. Safe space for LGBTQ+ people, with community café, social and cultural events, resources and support services, a queer library, theatre and meeting spaces.
- 10 14 Henrietta Street, 14 Henrietta St D01 HH34, ☏ +353 1 524 0383. W-Su 10AM-4PM. Many Dubliners lived in buildings like this. Built in the 1740s, its first occupant was Lord Viscount Molesworth and his family, and after him came a series of Right Honorable This and Viscount That and Bishop of Wherever. But the union with England in 1801 drained power and money to London, and the neighbourhood went downhill. Rural folk flocked to Dublin after the famine, so the building was broken up into tenements, with 100 living here. From the 1930s the inner city drained out to new suburbs, and No 14 fell derelict in 1970 before being preserved. Visit by guided tour. Adult €10, conc €8, child €6.
- Royal Canal loops around the north city and is navigable to the Shannon.
South of the river
[edit]- Most of Dublin's top sights are a short way south of the river, notably Trinity College, the National Museum archaeology collections, the National Gallery, and the elegant Georgian town through Merrion Square to St Stephen's Green.
- 11 Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2, ☏ +353 1 896 2320, bookofkells@tcd.ie. Kells: May-Sep M-Sa 8:30AM-7PM, Su 9:30AM-5PM; Oct-Apr M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su noon-4:30PM. Trinity College is the fine Georgian campus of the University of Dublin. It's generally open to stroll around in daylight hours, but it is a working university, and most interiors are off-limits to tourists. You can visit the Chapel near the front (west) gate of the College. But the big attraction is the Old Library and Book of Kells. Book online, otherwise buy your ticket from the machines under the Lecky library just south. This is for a timed slot, and at weekends may be booked out. You enter an exhibition hall setting the Book in the context of other monastic writings of its period, circa 800 AD. Next enter the display area: only two pages are displayed at any time, one being richly illustrated with little text (or no text, on the "carpet" pages), and one page being text of the Vulgate Gospels, written in Insular Majuscule Latin. But it's difficult to enjoy, with crowds jostling round the display case. Next, go upstairs into the massive Long Hall of the library, with books and ladders and more books and ladders towering away upwards. Last but not least, exit through the gift shop, which can be entered without a ticket. Adults €25, conc €20, child €15.
- Douglas Hyde Gallery is within TCD next to the Old Library. It displays modern art and is free, open W-Su noon-5PM. Douglas Hyde (1860-1949) was the first President of Ireland.
- Bank of Ireland opposite the College has a small display of early banknotes and memorabilia. This fine building was Ireland's parliament until that was abolished in 1800.
- Listen Now Again within the Bank is a free exhibition of the life and worlds of Seamus Heaney (1939-2013). It's open M-Sa 10AM-4PM and runs to the end of 2025.
- Irish Whiskey Museum, 119 Grafton St, Dublin 2 (opposite Trinity College), ☏ +353 1 525 0970. Daily 10AM-6PM. And not before time. Irish distilleries have for too long pumped out bland commercial fare, though the country has all the ingredients and know-how to produce whiskey of character to rival single-malt Scotch. Standard tour €20.
- Temple Bar is the district just west of the College along the riverside, with wall-to-wall pubs and eating places. Its cobbled streets are thronged with merry-makers, and by late afternoon the hen parties and lads' outings are steaming, raucous and upchucking.
- Irish Rock & Roll Museum is at Curved St, Temple Bar D02 RD26, open daily 10:30AM-4PM, adult €22.
- 12 Molly Malone is the subject of a 19th-century music-hall ballad, pushing her wheelbarrow and crying "cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh" before dying of a fever. She's entirely fictional, though Dublin had many such street-hawkers, and she's not to be confused with Mary Mallon of Cookstown, the all-too-real "Typhoid Mary". Her kitsch statue dates to 1988 and was installed on nearby Grafton Street, but moved to its present spot in 2014 to make way for tram tracks. She's often mocked as "The Tart with the Cart" or "The Trollop with the Scallop" and her breasts (above an unhistorical low-cut dress) have been well polished by passing hands. Alas amidst these misogynist tropes and gropes, we forget the sad fate of the cockles and mussels themselves.
- 13 National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West D02 K303 (another entrance on Clare St), ☏ +353 1 661 5133. Tu W F Sa 9:15AM-5:30PM, Th 9:15AM-8:30PM, Su M 11AM-5:30PM. Impressive national collection of Irish and European Art. In January the gallery displays its watercolours by JMW Turner; the original donor specified that they had to be kept out of the light for the rest of the year. Free.
- 14 National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, 35A Kildare St D02 YK38, ☏ +353 1 677 7444. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su M 1-5PM. Amazing display of Ireland's artefacts from prehistory through the Viking era to independence. The standout is the Treasury (with the 12th century Ardagh Chalice and 9th century Tara Brooch), and the prehistoric jewellery: gold and silver beautifully worked and carved - then chucked into the bog?? And likewise into the bog went bodies, presumably of defeated foes and heinous criminals given the violence of their deaths. Normally when a body is buried, the flesh decays and a skeleton persists. But if you throw a body into a peat bog, the acid dissolves the bones while tannin preserves the hide. The person turns into a handbag. Free.
- Leinster House, Kildare Street D02 TK75, ☏ +353 1 618 3000. This opulent Georgian mansion is in the same block as the Archaeology Museum. Designed by Cassels, it was built in 1745 as the residence of the Duke of Leinster at a time when the southside was unfashionable. It proved an "anchor development" and Dublin's centre of power and culture soon gravitated from the northside. From 1922 it became the temporary base of the Oireachtas, the Irish bi-cameral parliament, and like the Ulster border it remains temporary over a century later. Tours are only available if you're sponsored by a TD or senator.
- 15 National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion St Upper D02 F27, ☏ +353 1 677 7444. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su M 1-5PM. The "Dead Zoo" contains a comprehensive zoological collection presented in a manner unchanged since its establishment in Victorian times. Free.
- 16 Merrion Square
- 17 St Stephens Green
- MoLI the Museum of Literature Ireland is south side of St Stephens, open daily 10:30AM-5:30PM, adult €14.50, conc or child €12.
- 18 Little Museum of Dublin, 33 Pembroke St Lower D02 FK06, ☏ +353 1 661 1000. Daily 9AM-5PM. Their main building on St Stephen's Green is closed for renovation, so this is a temporary home. It displays the 20th-century social, cultural and political history of Dublin city, with many artefacts donated by Dubliners. Visit by guided tour every hour. Adult €15, conc or child €13.
- The Mansion House on Dawson Street is the office of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. You can only get in to see it (eg the plush 1821 Round Room) for special events or on occasional open days.
- Iveagh Gardens are a block south of St Stephens Green: a hidden green space, as they're secluded by buildings.
- 19 Irish Jewish Museum, 3 Walworth Rd, Portobello D08 TD29, ☏ +353 89 426 3625. Su 10:30AM-2:30PM. Exhibiting Jewish life in the cities - as in Great Britain, many were emigres from "White Russia". Their best known member is fictional, Leopold Bloom the protagonist of Ulysses. Donation.
- The Grand Canal marks the southern boundary of the inner city; the Royal Canal similarly loops across the northern city. Both were built in the 18th and 19th century to carry passengers and freight between Dublin and the Shannon and Atlantic. The Grand Canal took 47 years to construct: the expense of crossing the Bog of Allen replicated the prehistoric custom of sinking gold into bogs. And indeed Irish waterways go that far back, as the earliest dwellers could barely get about by land. Waterways Ireland website gives information eg on walks, navigability and fishing on this and the other canals.
West city
[edit]- The original Dublin was in this area, at the confluence of the Poddle (now culverted) and the Liffey. Their peaty waters formed a dark pool, in Irish dubh linn.
- 20 Dublin Castle, Dame St D02 XN27, ☏ +353 46 942 2213, dublincastle@opw.ie. Daily 10AM-5:15PM. Former seat of British rule in Ireland. The guided tour takes in the medieval basements and Chapel Royal, then you see the State Apartments in your own time. You can skip the tour and just see the apartments for less. Guided tour €12, apartments alone €8.
- Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle D02 AD92, ☏ +353 1 407 0750. Mar-Oct M Tu Th-Sa 10AM-5:30PM, W 10AM-8PM, Su noon-5:30PM, Nov-Feb closed M. Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) was an American mining magnate who amassed a fabulous collection of early books and manuscripts and oriental art. He moved to London and collaborated generously with the British Museum, but in 1950 there was a falling-out and he moved to Ireland. He established the library to avoid his collection being split up; it's now in the Clock Tower in the Castle gardens. Donation €10.
- 21 Christ Church Cathedral (Holy Trinity), Christ Church Place D08 TF98, ☏ +353 1 677 8099, welcome@christchurch.ie. Apr-Sep M-Sa 9:30AM-7PM, Su 12:30-14:30PM & 4:30-7PM; Oct-Mar M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su 12:30-2:30PM. A wooden church was built by the Vikings around 1030, and the first stone church was from the 1180s. So this is the oldest building in Dublin, though it underwent a massive restoration in the 1870s. It became Protestant under Henty VIII, apart from a brief Roman Catholic interlude in 1690 when the exiled James II was campaigning in Ireland, and the Vatican still claims it. The oldest part is the large crypt, where amongst the items on display are a mummified cat and rat, which got themselves stuck in the church organ in the 19th century. Adult €11.50, conc €10, child €4.
- Dublinia (Viking Museum), St Michael's Hill D08 V529 (next to Christ Church), ☏ +353 1 679 4611, info@dublinia.ie. Daily 10AM-6PM. Exhibition of life in the Viking settlement and medieval city, child-friendly. Adult €15, conc €13.50, child €8.50.
- St Audoen's Church on Cornmarket near Christ Church is a 19th century neo-classical church built over 12th-century remains. It's now the RC Polish Chaplaincy for Ireland.
- 22 St Patrick's Cathedral, St Patrick's Close D08 H6X3, ☏ +353 1 453 9472. Daily 9:30AM-5PM. Founded in 1191, it became Anglican at the Reformation, so the Protestants had two cathedrals in the same city while the Catholics had none. It feuded with Christ Church over rights and precedence, until 1871 when Christ Church was nominated the senior church for Dublin and Glendalough and St Patrick's for the rest of Ireland. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, was dean of St Patrick's from 1713 to 1745 and is buried here, as is his lady friend Stella Johnson. It was rebuilt in the 1860s into a confident pile of Victoriana, and anything that looks medieval is probably a 19th century concoction. Adult €10, conc €9.
- St Michan's Church on Church St north of the river was built in 1686 on Viking foundations. It has fine interior woodwork and an organ used by Handel. The main draw is the mummified remains in the vaults: a 400-year old nun, a crusader, and the ancient Earls of Leitrim. See these by guided tour M-Th on the hour 10AM-noon, 2-4PM.
- 23 National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb St D07 XKV4 (Tram to Museum), ☏ +353 1 677 7444. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su M 1-5PM. The building is remarkable, a Georgian barracks around a parade square. Displays decorative arts and artefacts over 400 years, from rustic houses through Georgian elegance to "Proclaiming a Republic", the events of Easter 1916 when the interior decor of the Post Office took a sad turn for the worse. Free.
- 24 Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Royal Hospital, Military Road, Kilmainham D08 FW31 (Tram to James's), ☏ +353 1 612 9900, info@imma.ie. Tu-Sa 10AM-5:30PM, Su noon-5:30PM. Modern and contemporary art, housed in the Royal Hospital of 1684. See also the elegant courtyard and formal gardens. Free.
- 25 Kilmainham Gaol, Inchicore Rd, Kilmainham D08 RK28 (3.5 km west of centre, Bus 16 or 79 from Aston Quay or 13 or 40 from O'Connell St), ☏ +353 1 453 5984. Daily 9:30AM-5:30PM. This prison was in use 1796-1924; thousands have passed through, including many convicts transported to Australia. It's best known as the place where the rebels from the 1916 Easter Rising were executed. (Several now lie in Arbour Hill Cemetery just north of the Decorative Arts Museum.) Access by guided tour every 30 min, pre-booking essential. Adult €8, senior €6, child or student €4.
- Irish National War Memorial park and gardens are dedicated to the 49,500 Irish soldiers who died in the Great War. They're on the riverside just north of Kilmainham Gaol.
- 26 Dublin Zoo, Zoo Rd D08 AC98 (Northeast section of Phoenix Park), ☏ +353 1 474 8900, info@dublinzoo.ie. Daily 9:30AM-6PM. Opened in 1830 and extended in 1997, this Zoo has a dozen habitats and is the largest in Ireland. Adult €24, conc or child €18.
- 27 Phoenix Park
- President's Residence (Áras an Uachtaráin) can be visited by free guided tour on Saturdays. Pick up a ticket from the Phoenix Park visitor centre, no booking.
- Grangegorman Military Cemetery is a leafy, reflective space on the northeast flank of Phoenix Park, opposite the fish ponds. Most of those here were fighting under the flag of Britain, not Ireland.
- Farmleigh is an Edwardian mansion off White's Road at the west end of Phoenix Park. It accommodates visiting VIPs but at other times can be seen by guided tour, daily 10AM-4:30PM, adult €8.
- 28 Strawberry Beds is the bosky riverside neighbourhood west of Phoenix Park, which as the name implies was market gardens. It's a pleasant area to cycle or stroll, its pubs include Anglers’ Rest, Strawberry Hall and Wren’s Nest.
South suburbs
[edit]- Ballsbridge is Dublin's embassy district and has Ireland's most expensive properties, especially along Shrewsbury Road and Ailesbury Road. The Royal Dublin Society is based here and promotes many cultural events. Get here on Bus 4 or 7, but it really ought to be an embassy limo.
- Donnybrook is separated from Ballsbridge by Herbert Park and is prosperous rather than opulent. It's best known for Donnybrook Fair, founded in 1204 and lasting until 1855 by which time it was a byword for drunkenness, fighting and hasty marriages. Yes, the bus will do for this area, the 46a.
- Ranelagh and Dartry are also worth a look. Ranelagh is small but affluent, reached by the Luas Green line and with several well-regarded eateries.
- Sandymount, a coastal suburb 3 km southeast of the centre, is an affluent area that was the birthplace of WB Yeats, and features prominently in James Joyce's Ulysses. There is a grand walk from Sandymount across the north end of its beach to the South Bull Wall which reaches a finger well out into the Bay.
- 29 University College Dublin (UCD) is now a "city-within-a-city" on Belfield Campus.
- 30 Rathfarnham Castle, Rathfarnham Rd D14 KT36, ☏ +353 1 493 9462. Oct-Apr W-Su, May-Sep daily 10:30AM-5PM. Built as a fortified mansion around 1583 and prettified in the 18th century, it fell derelict in the 19th but has been restored as a museum. Adult €5, conc €4.
- 31 Pearse Museum, St Enda's Park, Rathfarnham D16 Y7Y5, ☏ +353 1 493 4208. Daily Feb-Oct 9:30AM-5:30PM, Nov-Jan 9:30AM-4PM. Patrick Pearse (1879-1916) saw Irish culture and language as essential for national independence. His one and only case as a barrister was his unsuccessful defence of a Donegal tradesman for using an "illegible" sign, and the verdict effectively made Irish signage illegal. He set up a language school in 1908, which moved here in 1910. He was also a leading Republican, reading the proclamation of independence on the GPO steps in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was court-martialled and shot nine days later. Free.
North suburbs
[edit]- Drumcondra is a relatively affluent Victorian suburb along the valley of the River Tolka (An Tulcha, "the flood", as property owners know to their cost). The Royal Canal bounds it to the south: this has a good towpath and is navigable all the way to the Shannon. (Remarkably, its backers lost even more money than those of the Grand Canal.) On its east side is Croke Park, the centrepoint of Gaelic sports. To the west it runs into Glasnevin, which has the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin Cemetery and good restaurants. Many bus routes come this way, and commuter trains towards Maynooth stop at Drumcondra.
- 32 Glasnevin Cemetery (Reilig Ghlas Naíon), Finglas Rd D11 XA32 (Buses 9, 13, 40 from O'Connell St or 40a/40d from Parnell St), ☏ +353 1 882 6500. Daily 9AM-5PM. This opened as an RC cemetery in 1832, in an era when the Catholics weren't allowed their own parish churches, and their burials were begrudged affairs in Protestant ground. Glasnevin has grown and grown, expanding south across Finglas road into the St Paul's section, but the famous names are north side. You can visit the cemetery free, but to make sense of it go to the visitor centre (daily 10AM-5PM, closed M Tu in winter). Walking tours visit the graves of Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera and many others of historic or architectural interest. A back gate connects to the Botanic Gardens. Tour adult €14, conc or child €12.
- 33 National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin D09 VY63, ☏ +353 1 804 0300, botanicgardens@opw.ie. Mar-Oct M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM; Nov-Feb M-F 9AM-4:30PM, Sa Su 10AM-4:30PM. Extensive gardens favouring alkaline-loving species. The great Palm House was where Wittgenstein often came to warm his lugubrious backside. A gateway leads into Glasnevin Cemetery adjacent. The gardens also manage the arboretum at Kilmacurragh near Wicklow Town. Free.
- Clontarf is a suburb on the north shore of the Tolka estuary. Here on 23 April 1014 was the battle at which Brian Boru defeated Leinster and their Viking allies but was killed himself. Clontarf has a 4.5-km promenade, traversed by Buses 104, 130 and 32X from the city, so it's a popular seaside outing. (Don't take the train, which runs inland.) St Anne's Park was the estate of the Guinness family home, and has ponds, follies, walks and a Rose Garden. Clontarf Island has disappeared beneath the waves, but in 2004 archaeologists were astounded by a Moai or Easter Island statue that now stands near the pier, until they read in the newspapers that it was a replica gifted by the government of Chile.
- 34 Bull Island
Do
[edit]- So Padraig comes for a job in construction, and the hiring boss says "So can you tell me, what's the difference between a joist and a girder?"
- "Sure, everyone knows that. Joist wrote Ulysses and Girder wrote Faust."
Tours
[edit]- 1 Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate D08 VF8H (Bus 13, 40 or 123, or tram to Heuston), ☏ +353 1 408 4800. Su-Th 9:30AM-5PM, F Sa 9:30AM-6PM. Guinness is brewed in 49 countries and Ireland just happens to be one of them. The St James Gate brewery is still in production, now part of Diageo, and this vast storehouse has become an exhibition (self-guided) on the drink and the Guinness family. Price of entry includes a pint at the seventh floor Gravity Bar, which forms the head of the giant pint of stout formed by the atrium. Outside, touristy-trappy horse-drawn carriages ply for hire, but a stretch limo for the 2 km ride back to city centre might be cheaper. Adult €26, child €10.
- 2 Teeling Distillery, 13-17 Newmarket D08 KD91, ☏ +353 1 531 0888. Daily 11AM-PM. Distillery opened in 2015, primarily for whiskey but with small amounts of poitín. Tasting tour €25 (pointless going for the cheaper "cocktail" tour).
- 3 Jameson Distillery, Bow Street, Smithfield D07 N9VH, ☏ +353 1 807 2355. M-Sa 10AM-PM, Su noon-PM. Jameson whiskey was produced in Dublin from 1780 to 1976, when the business relocated to Midleton near Cork. So the old Bow St distillery no longer makes whiskey but has been converted into a museum about the process and industry. Adult €26.
- The Lazy Bike Tour Company, Drury Street multi-story car park, ☏ +353 1 443 3671, hello@lazybiketours.com. Daily 9:30AM-5:30PM. Two-hour bike tours of the major sights and off the beaten track, with informative guides. e-bike €40, push-bike €35.
- Walking Tours. Dublin city is famous for its characters. A great way to experience and live the city is by learning about it from people who are characters themselves - Dublin Tour Guides. Tours can vary from one to four hours in length and include, as well as the standard sightseeing tour, tours on topics like the paranormal and ghosts, music and song, literature, historical, 1916 Rising, and even Irish mythology. There are various walking tour companies and freelance tour guides available in Dublin. Anyone interested in geeky history should try the Ingenious Dublin tours, that cover history of medicine, Irish inventions (yes, there are lots!), great Irish scientists (lots of those too). They have walking tours and self-guided MP3 tours.
- Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, 'The Duke Pub', 9 Duke St, Dublin 2 (Just off Grafton St). 2. This is the most ingenious crash course in Irish literature, history, architecture and pub bonhomie yet devised... It combines street theatre with the 'craic' that makes Dublin pubs the liveliest in Europe. It is a highly enjoyable evening that gives you the pleasant notion of replacing brain cells as you drown them. The tour is a kind of rough guide to the cultural, religious and political life of the city. Performances by professional actors are central to the experience, not forgetting a fun-filled quiz with prizes for the winners. Can be a bit formal at times but this one's been going a long time and is well worth the experience for such an unusual tour. There's just enough time to stop in each pub for a pint as well. €10-12.
Performing Arts
[edit]- 4 Abbey Theatre (National Theatre of Ireland), 26/27 Lower Abbey St D01 K0F1, ☏ +353 1 878 7222. Opened in 1904, and always at the centre of the Irish drama scene, the Abbey is a good venue for catching local playwrights' work but with a global repertoire. It's intended to replace the current building with two new theatres fronting onto the Liffey. This will mean a lengthy closure, but the work has not started.
- 5 Gaiety Theatre, 46 King St South D02 V097, ☏ +353 1 646 8600. Founded in 1871 so this is the oldest continually operating theatre in Dublin. It hosts popular musical shows, opera, ballet, dance and drama.
- 6 Gate Theatre, 8 Parnell Square East D01 T8K1, ☏ +353 1 874 4045. This has a focus on European and American theatre ranging from classics to modern plays. It was established as a theatre company in 1928 by Hilton Edward and Micheál MacLiammóir.
- 7 National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace D02 N527, ☏ +353 1 417 0077. This offers classical concerts. Frequent performances by the resident orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. The main auditorium seats 1200 and there are three smaller spaces. It was built in 1865 for a trade fair then became an entertainment venue then the core of University College Dublin. It became a concert hall from 1981 when UCD moved to the Belfield campus.
- 8 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (Grand Canal Theatre), Grand Canal Square D02 PA03, ☏ +353 1 677 7999. The theatre offers a wide range of shows featuring ballet, musicals, family shows, drama, concerts, comedy and opera. With a 2100-seater auditorium, the building was designed by Daniel Libeskind and completed in 2010.
- International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival is held in May, celebrating the contribution of gay people to theatre, past and present. The event was founded in 2004 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Oscar Wilde in his native city. It has an emphasis on new International and Irish works with a broadly gay theme or relevance.
Sports
[edit]|
Bloody Sunday
Sun 21 Nov 1920 saw shocking killings in Dublin. Ireland was still part of the UK but had declared independence, and civil war broke out. That Sunday morning, the IRA killed 16 British intelligence officers in Dublin. In the afternoon, Dublin had a Gaelic football match against Tipperary at Croke Park. Police, army and "Black and Tan" paramilitaries arrived mob-handed, officially to search the spectators for suspects. They began firing indiscriminately into the crowd: 12 were fatally shot (including a Tipperary player) and two more were crushed in the stampede to flee. It was a huge blow to the legitimacy of British rule. See Thurles for more on the link between Gaelic football and Irish identity. |
- Gaelic Games: 9 Croke Park Stadium, Jones Rd D03 P6K7, ☏ +353 1 819 2300. This stages Gaelic football and hurling for Dublin County GAA and national competitions, with a playing season April-Sep. The stadium has a capacity of 82,300 yet you may struggle to get tickets for big games. Tours of the stadium and GAA museum are also available, including a chance to try out these sports. You can also take the "skyline walk" across the stadium roof.
- Rugby union: 10 Leinster Rugby, RDS Arena, Anglesea Rd, Ballsbridge D04 AK83 (5 km south of centre, Bus 4, 7, 18), ☏ +353 1 668 0866. Leinster play in the United Rugby Championship, the professional European league, and often win it. The stadium has a capacity of 18,500 and big games sometimes transfer to Aviva stadium.
- 11 Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Rd D04 W2F3 is Ireland's national stadium, capacity 51,700. International rugby, soccer and other big events are hosted here. It's a mile southeast of the centre, take the DART train to Lansdowne Rd or buses towards Sandymount or Ballsbridge.
- Football: the soccer season in the Republic is March-November, with games usually on Friday evenings at 7:45PM.
- 12 Shamrock Rovers, Tallaght Stadium, Whitestown Way D24 FNK6 (Tram to The Square), ☏ +353 1 420 3033. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier. The stadium (capacity 10,500) is on N81 two km west of M50.
- Shelbourne FC also play in the Premier Division. Their stadium (capacity 5700) is Tokla Park in Drumcondra, 5 km north of city centre.
- 13 Leopardstown Racecourse, Leopardstown D18 V9C6 (Follow N11 south, turn right into R113 Leopardstown Road), ☏ +353 1 289 0500, info@leopardstown.com. This has regular meetings throughout the year, flat-racing in summer and jumps in winter. There's a "Pay as you Play" golf course within the racecourse grounds, as well as bars, restaurants and a nightclub.
- Golf: some two dozen golf courses ring the city. Best known is the Royal Dublin on the links of Bull Island.
- Cricket: Ireland plays international matches at Malahide, northeast edge of the city.
Other
[edit]- Cinema: the most central mainstream cinemas are north side: Savoy on O'Connell St, Cineworld on Parnell St, and Lighthouse by the Jameson Distillery.
- Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar D02 PD85, ☏ +353 1 679 5744. Arthouse cinema for independent Irish and international movies.
- Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), 6 Harcourt St D02 VH98, ☏ +353 1 475 7401. Cultural centre where Irish is the first language. They organise events and classes.
Buy
[edit]Dublin is not cheap, but visitors from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT on some goods, which in 2024 is 23%. Ask the shop for details: the refund is usually applied at point of sale, or you may be issued a voucher to claim it on leaving the country. Visitors from Great Britain are eligible, but not those from Northern Ireland. More on VAT refunds can be found on the Irish Government website.
South side
[edit]- Grafton Street is the principal shopping street. It courses south from Trinity College (junction with Temple Bar) for a block to the corner of Nassau St, and beyond it's pedestrianised to St Stephen's Green.
- Brown Thomas, 88-95 Grafton Street D02 VF65, ☏ +353 1 605 6666. M Tu 10AM-7PM, W-F 9AM-8PM, Sa 10AM-8PM, Su 11AM-7PM. Dublin's best-known and expensive department store.
- Nassau Street branches east from Grafton St to form the south boundary of Trinity College. It retails giftware such as Waterford Crystal, Belleek Pottery, Aran sweaters, and other craft items. Easons at #24 is a well-stocked bookstore.
- 1 Kilkenny Design, 6 Nassau Street D02 W865, ☏ +353 1 677 7066. Daily 9:30AM-6PM. Clothing, jewellery and giftware.
- Dawson Street branches off Nassau St to run south parallel to Grafton St. It has clothes, music and book shops, restaurants and Mansion House the Lord Mayor's residence.
- Hodges Figgis, 56 Dawson Street D02 XE81, ☏ +353 1 677 4754. M-F 9AM-7PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10:30AM-6PM. Well-stocked large bookshop, part of the Waterstones chain.
- 2 Powerscourt Centre, 59 South William Street D02 HF95, ☏ +353 1 679 4144. M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM. Attractive shopping centre in a beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse, with clothes, cafes, galleries and jewellers. You're paying premium prices for the elegant location.
- George's Street Arcade (Market Arcade), South Great George's St (block west of Powerscourt Centre). M-Sa 9AM-PM, Su 11AM-PM. A covered red-brick shopping arcade, with vintage clothing, fabrics, unusual accessories, vinyl and club wear. It also has some small cafes.
- Fresh is a gourmet grocery chain with nine city outlets. The most central south-side are on Grand Canal Square and on Lower Camden St.
- Temple Bar has small independent shops along Temple Lane, Crow Street and Fownes Street.
- Markets are held on Saturday on Temple Bar Square and Meetinghouse Square, mostly food items.
- Cow's Lane Design Market is held on the street on Saturday. It's west edge of Temple Bar approaching Christ Church.
North side
[edit]Shopping north of the river is focussed in the quarter bounded by O'Connell Street to the east (for green line trams), Parnell St to the north, Jervis St to the west and Abbey St to the south (for red line trams). Henry Street runs east-west through the quarter, and off it is Moore Street, with a fruit, vegetable and fish market.
- Arnott's, 12 Henry St D01 C3Y9, ☏ +353 1 805 0400. M-F 10AM-7PM, Su 11AM-7PM. A large department store with a long history.
- Jervis Shopping Centre, Jervis St D01 W3X5 (or enter from Abbey St), ☏ +353 1 878 1323. M-Sa 9AM-7PM, Su 11AM-:30PM. Shopping centre with some 50 stores.
- Ilac Centre, Henry St D01 HW54, ☏ +353 1 828 8900. M-Sa 8:30AM-8PM, Su 11AM-9PM. This shopping centre has some 40 stores. The city Central Library is on the first floor.
- Chapters Bookstore, Ivy Exchange, Parnell Street D01 P8C2, ☏ +353 1 879 2700. M-Sa 9AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM. Huge selection of books at keen prices, as well as a large secondhand section.
- Talbot Street runs east from this quarter to Connolly railway station. Lots of little nicknack stores.
Elsewhere
[edit]- The Liberties are in the west city, with small stores and market stalls around Thomas Street and Meath Street.
- Further out are edge-of-city malls. The largest are at Blanchardstown (off N3), Liffey Valley (junction of M50 and N4), The Square Tallaght (off N81), and Dundrum Town Centre (south on Luas green line).
Eat
[edit]
Dublin has a wide range of eating places in all price brackets, though visitors may consider them overpriced by European standards - one factor is VAT of 23%.
Cuisines such as Indian and Chinese were slow to appear as Dublin only had small ethnic communities, but they now have a good presence especially north of the river. Vegetarian, vegan and GF options are also now readily available.
Budget
[edit]- 1 Bewley's Café, 78 Grafton St D02 K033, ☏ +353 1 564 0900. M-F 8AM-6:30PM, Sa Su 9AM-6:30PM. Grand stylish coffee shop, a Dublin institution. It's had some famous regular customers, from Joyce to Geldof, but they'll make you feel just as important.
- 2 Butlers Chocolate Café, 24 Wicklow Street D02 R981, ☏ +353 1 671 0591. M-Sa 7:30AM-7PM, Su 10AM-7PM. Chain of chocolate-themed cafes, Wicklow Street is the original outlet. There are three others in city centre, plus airside in T1 and T2 at the airport. They also ship orders.
- Lemon Crèpe & Coffee Company, 66 South William St D02 FT51 (next to Butlers), ☏ +353 1 672 9044. M-Sa 8AM-5PM, Su 9:30AM-5PM. Good value filled crèpes, they also do waffles and sandwiches.
- Govinda's, 83 Middle Abbey St D01 EV91, ☏ +353 89 962 1787. M-Th noon-7PM, F Sa noon-8PM. Hare Krishna-run vegetarian restaurant. Filling portions, only order their Special if you're really hungry.
- Leo Burdock is a chain of fish & chips takeaways. Central outlets are Crown Alley off Temple Green and Werburgh St by Christ Church Cathedral, open daily 12:30-10:30PM.
- 3 Pablo Picante, 131 Lower Baggot St D02 Y237, ☏ +353 1 662 9773. M-Sa noon-8PM. Small friendly Mexican eatery, eat in or take away to nearby St Stephen's Green. They also have outlets at Clarendon Market and Dawson St.
- 4 Zaytoon, 44 Lower Camden St D02 YR71, ☏ +353 1 400 5006. Su-W noon-midnight, Th-Sa noon-4:30AM. Casual Persian restaurant. They also have a fast-food cafe in Temple Bar (corner of Parliament St and Essex St).
Mid-range
[edit]- 5 Bad Ass Café, 9 Crown Alley D02 ED77, ☏ +353 1 675 3005. M-Th noon-11:30PM, F noon-1:30AM, Sa Su 9AM-1:30AM. Modern pub and entertainment venue for US-themed food, plus trad Irish beer and live music.
- 6 Balfes, 2 Balfe Street (within Westbury Mall), ☏ +353 1 646 3353, reserve@balfes.ie. M-F 8AM-9:30PM, Sa Su 10AM-9:30PM. Lively seafood restaurant with outdoor terrace.
- 7 Bar Italia, Ormond Quay D01 CA21, ☏ +353 1 874 1000. Daily noon-10PM. Good value Italian with great atmosphere.
- 8 Cornucopia, 19-20 Wicklow St D02 FK27, ☏ +353 1 677 7583, info@cornucopia.ie. M-F 8AM-9:30PM, Sa Su 9AM-8:30PM. Smart modern restaurant for vegan and other wholefood options.
- 9 Dunne & Crescenzi, 16 South Frederick St D02 RK68, ☏ +353 1 677 3815. Daily 8:30AM-11PM. Smart trattoria, rightly popular so get there early.
- FX Buckley Steakhouse, 2 Crow St D08 N228 (Temple Bar), ☏ +353 1 671 1248. M-Th 5-10PM, F-Su 1-10PM. Quality steaks in a friendly and comfortable restaurant. Plus other meat and seafood, but not much for veggies.
- 10 Gallagher's Boxty House, 20 Temple Bar D02 ET66, ☏ +353 1 677 2762. Daily 9AM-10PM. Good traditional Irish fare and not expensive. A boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake filled and rolled up. Also try the Irish stew and the chowder. Small, friendly, traditional Irish decor.
- Elephant & Castle, 18 Temple Bar D02 HY86 (next to Boxty House), ☏ +353 1 533 7563. M-F 9:30AM-10PM, Sa Sun 11AM-10PM. Famous and popular for its chicken wings, you could have a long wait for a table Saturday lunchtime. It's now a national chain but this is the original outlet.
- Peploe's, 16 St Stephen's Green D02 KF34, ☏ +353 1 676 3144. M-Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-11PM. Excellent basement wine bar and bistro.
- Salamanca, 1 St Andrews St D02 R856 (by Molly Malone), ☏ +353 1 677 4799. M-Sa noon-10pm, Su 1-9pm. Good value, tasty and substantial tapas, sized more like raciones.
- 11 TP Smiths, 9 Jervis Street D01 VX66, ☏ +353 1 872 4031. Su-Th 11AM-11:30PM, F Sa 11AM-12:30AM. Good pub food, handy if you're shopping around Henry Street.
Splurge
[edit]- 12 Bang Restaurant, 11 Merrion Row D02 KW61, ☏ +353 1 400 4229. M Tu 5-9:30PM, W-F noon-3PM, 5-9:30PM, Sa 1-4PM, 4-10:30PM. A great cosmopolitan menu. Not cheap, but food and presentation is excellent.
- 13 Brasserie Sixty6, 66 South Great Georges Street D02 YD61, ☏ +353 1 400 5878, bookings@brasseriesixty6.com. Tu W 5-9PM, Th-Sa noon-10:30PM, Su 10AM-8PM. Large, stylish modern European restaurant gets good reviews for food, service and atmosphere.
- 14 Fire Steakhouse, Mansion House, Dawson Street D02 AF30, ☏ +353 1 676 7200. M-F 5-9:30PM, Sa Su 1-9PM. Casual dining restaurant in the former Supper Room of the Lord Mayor.
- 15 L'Gueuleton, 1 Fade St D02 RT92 (behind Hogan's Bar), ☏ +353 87 939 3608. Su-Th 8AM-11:30PM, F Sa 8AM-2:30AM. Pricey but highly-rated and popular place.
- 16 Kites, 15 Ballsbridge Terrace D04 H683, ☏ +353 1 660 7415. Tu-F 12:30-2PM, 5:30-10PM, Sa Su 5:50-9:30PM. Chinese, predominantly Cantonese, also in Szechuan, Peking and Thai style, gets great reviews.
- Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, 21 Upper Merrion St D02 KF79 (opposite Natural History Museum), ☏ +353 1 676 4192. Tu-Sa 12:30-2PM, 7-9PM. Expensive but outstanding restaurant.
- Purple Sage Restaurant is within Talbot Hotel Stillorgan, see Sleep.
- 17 Roly's Bistro, 7 Ballsbridge Terrace D04 DT78, ☏ +353 1 668 2611. Daily 9AM-9PM. Lively bistro offering set menus.
Drink
[edit]
Water in Dublin is fresh and clean from the Wicklow Mountains. The water of Vartry reservoir at Roundwood is commended in Joyce's Ulysses but the characters go boozing instead. Poulaphouca at Blessington was built later, and Sally Gap is the scenic road between the two catchments.
Pubs: it's reckoned that Dublin has over 600. You can but make a start.
In 2021 you might pay €6 for a pint, glass of wine or measure of spirits, somewhat more in Temple Bar. Pubs are generally open Su-Th to 23:00 and F Sa to 01:00 or later. Hours were curtailed during covid, the plus (which will likely remain) was that pubs increased their food offering, which meant they were "restaurants" and permitted to stay open - "You must try our pizza!" became a legally enforceable invitation. Smoking is illegal within all Irish pubs but many have a beer garden or similar outdoor smoking area.
Temple Bar was named for the sand bar and mud flats along the south bank of the Liffey, reclaimed for building in the 17th century. "Temple" was both the name of the landowners, and of the Temple Bar district in London, with Essex St and Fleet St in the same respective positions. It's nowadays a tourist strip of cobbled alleys, drinking places, restaurants, more drinking places, shops, even more drinking places . . . it's very central so those stag and hen parties are probably just in for a quick one before heading to the Book of Kells or the big museums. Take care, but the sheer number of people on the streets gives you a measure of safety.
Traditional Irish
[edit]- Peadar Kearney's, 64 Dame St D02 RT72 (Temple Bar), ☏ +353 1 670 6457. M-Th 11AM-11:30PM, F Sa 11AM-12:30AM, Su noon-11:30PM. Named for Peadar Ó Cearnaígh (1883-1942) who penned Amhráin na bhFiann, Ireland's national anthem, and was uncle to the three Behans, authors and prolific drinkers all. The pub is a great spot for pre- and post-gig drinks next to Olympia Theatre, with a young crowd and live music from up and coming Irish trad bands. Mostly tourists here but a nice spot to talk to other visitors.
- 1 The Cobblestone, 77 North King St D07 TP22 (Smithfield Square), ☏ +353 1 872 1799. M-Sa 2-11:30PM, Su 1-11:30PM. They describe themselves as "a drinking pub with a music problem" and have nightly trad sessions.
- 2 Frank Ryans, 5 Queen St D07 D227, ☏ +353 89 217 3073. M-Sa 4-11:30PM, Su 6-11PM. This pub and pizzeria has friendly bar staff and a mixed crowd of students, law types, trendies and locals. Expect weekly trad nights interspersed with Rockabilly, Country and Soul on the jukebox.
- 3 O'Donoghue's, 15 Merrion Row D02 PF50, ☏ +353 1 660 7194. M-Th 10:30AM-midnight, F Sa 10:30-1AM, Su 12:30AM-midnight. With two bars across a courtyard, it's famous for impromptu live music, and where folk group The Dubliners were formed. They have rooms.
- The Barge (McCafferty's), 42 Charlemont St D02 R593 (by canal and Clayton Hotel), ☏ +353 1 475 1869. Su-W noon-11:30PM, Th-Sa noon-2:30AM. Friendly trad pub with four areas, good food and great decor.
- 4 Hartigan's, 100 Leeson St Lower D02 W023, ☏ +353 1 443 9541. M-Th 12:30-11:30PM, F Sa 12:30-12:30AM. Popular student bar, good choice after international rugby matches.
- 5 The Brazen Head, 20 Bridge Street Lower D08 WC64, ☏ +353 1 679 5186. Daily noon-11:30PM. Surely the oldest pub in Dublin, founded in 1198 - Ireland's oldest, in Athlone, is from 900 AD. Wonderful on warm, dry summer nights. Live trad music and friendly atmosphere. One of the bars is covered in signed currency notes, there's quite a collection but lacking any bitcoins.
- Ned O'Shea's, 12 Bridge Street Lower D08 Y271 (opposite Brazen Head), ☏ +353 86 040 5763. M-Th noon-11:30PM, F-Su 8AM-midnight. Decent food and live music and dancing. Ned O’Shea (1937-2018) was a famous trad musician from Kerry.
- John Fallon's (Capstan Bar), 129 The Coombe D08 Y8CP (opposite St Patrick's Cathedral), ☏ +353 1 454 2801. Su-Th 12:30-11:30PM, F Sa 12:30-12:30AM. Small friendly local pub.
- The Oval, 78 Middle Abbey St D01 RW24 (corner with O'Connell St), ☏ +353 1 872 1264. M-Th 10:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10:30AM-12:30AM, Su 12:30-11PM. Good for drink and food, does an excellent Irish stew. Attracts a mixed age group. Lots of pictures of old Irish celebrities with a tribute to the Quiet Man.
- 6 John Kavanagh's (The Gravediggers), 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin D09 CF72 (by Glasnevin cemetery). M-Sa 10:30AM-10:30PM, Su 12:30-10:30PM. Mournfully authentic pub from 1833 and little altered, where you toast the departed in the next-door cemetery.
- Bowe's Lounge Bar, 31 Fleet St D02 DF77 (by Trinity College), ☏ +353 1 671 4038. M-Th 12:30-11:30PM, F Sa 12:30-12:30AM, Su 3-11PM. Victorian pub with a huge selection of whiskey.
- Mulligans, Poolbeg St D02 TK71 (by Tara St station), ☏ +353 1 677 5582. Su-Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa 11AM-12:30AM. Busy pub with great Guinness and plenty of history, having been frequented by James Joyce among others.
- 7 Nancy Hands, 30 Parkgate St D08 W6X3, ☏ +353 1 677 0149. Su-Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-12:30AM. Family-friendly restaurant and bar by entrance to Phoenix Park.
- Ryan's, 28 Parkgate St D08 CH93 (next to Nancy Hands), ☏ +353 1 677 6097. M-Sa noon-10PM, Su 12:30-9PM. Beautiful Victorian pub, part of Buckley Steakhouse chain. A good place for a pint or meal before getting a train out of Heuston.
- Palace Bar, 21 Fleet St D02 H950 (Temple Bar), ☏ +353 1 671 7388. Su-Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-12:30AM. Trad bar with interesting decor complete with "snug" (small private booth). Live music upstairs.
- 8 The Long Hall, 31 South Great Georges St D02 DV744, ☏ +353 1 475 1590. Daily noon-11:30PM. Atmospheric bar with Victorian decor, one of the last "long hall" bars in Ireland.
- 9 Kehoe's, 9 Anne St South D02 NY88, ☏ +353 1 677 8312. Daily M-Th 10AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10AM-12:30PM, Su 11:30AM-11PM. An excellent spot for a pint or a meal after a days' sight-seeing or shopping. Several snugs downstairs.
- 10 Kennedy's, 30 Westland Row D02 DP70 (rear of Trinity College), ☏ +353 1 679 9077. M-Th 10:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10:30-12:30AM, Su noon-11PM. Trad-style pub serving good food and drink with plenty of friendly atmosphere.
- O'Neill's, Suffolk St D02 KX03 (by Molly Malone), ☏ +353 1 679 3656. M-Th 10:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10:30-AM-12:30AM, Su 11:30AM-11PM. Excellent atmosphere in a Victorian style pub. They have great food with weekend lunchtime carvery.
- 11 The Stag's Head, 1 Dame Court D02 TW84 (off Great Georges St), ☏ +353 1 679 3687. M-F noon-midnight, Sa 11AM-1AM< Su 11AM-11PM. Trad Victorian pub, no TV, just great ales and conversation.
- 12 Dawson Lounge, 25 Dawson St D02 XT59, ☏ +353 1 671 0311. M-Th 4-11:30PM, F Sa noon-12:30AM, Su 12:30-11PM. Probably Dublin's smallest pub - 20 customers and it's packed.
- McDaids, 3 Harry Street D02 NC42 (opposite Bruxelles), ☏ +353 1 670 4395. M-W 2-11PM, Th noon-midnight, Su noon-11PM. This trad pub was a regular place for Brendan Behan and Oscar Wilde to ponder life.
- 13 Grogan's (Castle Lounge), 15 William St South D02 H336, ☏ +353 1 677 9320. M-Th 10:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10:30AM-12:30AM, Su 12:30-11PM. Wonderful trad pub, no music or TV. Great Guinness and a mixture of tourists and locals, with a hotchpotch of interesting art on the walls.
Modern
[edit]- The Bailey, 1-4 Duke St D02 ET99 (off Grafton St), ☏ +353 1 670 4939. M-Th noon-11PM, F-Su noon-12:30AM. Contemporary bar with tapas, presided over by a portrait of James Joyce. Nice outdoor seating, very busy on summer afternoons and evenings.
- The Lotts, 9 Liffey St Lower D01 E3F9 (100 m north of Ha'penny Bridge), ☏ +353 1 872 7669. Su-Th 11AM-8PM, F Sa 11AM-midnight. Cafe bar, elegant interior with chandeliers, a marble bar and comfortable leather seating. Live music many nights. Small outside seating area.
- 14 Market Bar, 14a Fade St D02 A368 (in George's St Arcade), ☏ +353 1 613 9094. Su-Th 12:30-11:30PM, F Sa 12:30PM-1:30AM. Spacious bar and tapas restaurant with a good value menu.
- 15 The Odeon, 57 Harcourt St D02 VE22, ☏ +353 1 478 2091. Tu W noon-11:30PM, Th F noon-2:30AM, Sa 3PM-2:30AM. This attractive bar at the top of Harcourt St is in a converted railway station.
- 16 Pygmalion, 59 South William St D02 HK51 (in Powerscourt Townhouse shopping centre), ☏ +353 1 633 4522. M-W 5PM-3AM, Th F 3PM-3AM, Sa 1PM-3AM, Su 1PM-1:30AM. Busy bar and restaurant with Med food, best book if you hope to eat.
- Café en Seine, 39 Dawson St D02 X067 (100 m north of St Stephens Green), ☏ +353 1 677 4567. Su-Th 11:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM-2:30AM. Swish megapub on 3 floors, pricey.
Micro-breweries
[edit]- 17 Against the Grain, 11 Wexford St D02 HY84, ☏ +353 1 470 5100. W-F 4PM-midnight, Sa noon-1AM, Su 1-11:30PM. Owned by a Galway brewery, this has a wide variety of Irish micro-brews and world beers. No generic commercial beers on tap. A vibrant pub with an eclectic clientele.
- Bull and Castle, 5 Lord Edward St D02 P634 (next to Christ Church), ☏ +353 1 475 1122. M-Sa noon-10PM, Su 12:30-9PM. Gastropub and beer hall with a large selection of micro-brewed and international beers. Part of Buckley Steakhouse chain.
- JR Mahon's, 1 Burgh Quay D02 F243 (by O'Connell Bridge), ☏ +353 1 670 5777, info@jrmahons.ie. M-Th 10:30AM-midnight, F-Sa 10:30AM-1AM, Su noon-11PM. Spread over two stories, they produce a very good stout quite different to Guinness, fresher and more complex, plus their own ale and lager. Also has good cafeteria-style lunch.
- Porterhouse, 16 Parliament St D02 VR94 (Temple Bar), ☏ +353 1 679 8847. M-W noon-12:30AM, Th-Sa 11AM-1:30AM, Su 10AM-11:30PM. Indigenous brews including an oyster stout, plus an extensive Belgian and international beer list. Also does reasonably priced food. Has sister pubs on Grafton St and in Bray and Phibsboro.
Bars
[edit]- The Foggy Dew, 1 Fownes Street, Temple Bar D02 WP21, ☏ +353 1 677 9328. M-Th noon-midnight, F Sa noon-1AM, Su 2PM-midnight. Popular central Victorian-styled pub.
- 18 Bruxelles, 7 Harry Street D02 KX36 (next to Westbury Hotel), ☏ +353 1 677 5362. Su-W noon-1AM, F Sa noon-2AM. Lively pub founded in 1886. Spread over 3 bars the music is loud and the atmosphere is buzzing. Outside is a statue of Phil Lynott, from Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. For metal, rock and indie music go downstairs.
- 19 The Duke, 9 Duke St D02 NR76, ☏ +353 1 679 9553. M-Th 11AM-11:30PM, F Sa 11AM-12:30AM, Su noon-11PM. Great after-work bar and Fridays it's packed to the door.
- 20 O'Donoghues, 15 Suffolk Street D02 C671, ☏ +353 85 241 7790. M-Th 10:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10:30AM-12:30AM, Su 11AM-midnight. A comfortable bar with live music and TV sport. It's also a hang-out spot for some of the city's most well-known musicians, actors and DJs.
- Fibber Magees, 80-81 Parnell Street D01 CK74, ☏ +353 1 445 5115. Daily noon-2:30AM. A heavy metal bar, handy for Rotunda Hospital.
- O'Reillys, Tara St Station, Dublin 2, ☏ +353 1 671 6769. M-W 4-11:30PM, Th-Sa 4PM-12:30AM. Victorian Gothic pub beneath the DART station, with Hell Club Saturday late-night music.
Clubs
[edit]- Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar D02 RD26, ☏ +353 1 670 9202. One of Dublin's top clubs and live venues. Main venue has 550 capacity, Crowbar is both a theatre bar and a 60-person venue itself.
- The Workmans Club, 10 Wellington Quay D02 VX36 (next to Clarence Hotel), ☏ +353 1 670 6692. Daily 6PM-3AM. From 1888 to 2003 this was the city's Working Mens Club, turning into a live entertainment venue in 2010. It's on two floors, the main live room is 300 capacity and beside it is the venue bar. It's friendly, relaxing and well-run.
- The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey St D01 W573, ☏ +353 1 539 2927. This is primarily a live performance venue, and Friday and Saturday are clubbing nights.
- Copper Face Jacks, 29 Harcourt St D02 XV58, ☏ +353 1 425 5300. M-Sa 10AM-2:30AM, Su 10AM-1AM. Legendary club, a post-pub meat-market. Over 20s only, some of the clientele hoping to cop off are going on 120. Rooms available for private events.
- The George, 89 South Great George's St D02 R220, ☏ +353 1 478 2983. M-F 2PM-2:30AM, Sa Su 12:30PM-2AM. The oldest gay bar in Dublin, with late-night drag shows, karaoke, bingo and DJs.
Sleep
[edit]Camping
[edit]- Dublin is not well-served for camping or caravaning. The nearest to the city centre is beyond the M50 to the southwest.
- 1 Camac Valley Caravan and Camping Park, Naas Rd, Clondalkin D022 DR60 (10 km west of city on N7 Naas Rd), ☏ +353 1 464 0644, info@camacvalley.com. Friendly well-run site on bus route to city. Tent €12, hook-up €40.
Budget
[edit]- There are a huge number of youth hostels, bed & breakfasts and hotels. Cheaper accommodation is north of the river around Busáras the bus station; south of the river is more expensive.
- Abbey Court Hostel, 29 Bachelors Walk D01 AX90, ☏ +353 1 878 0700, info@abbey-court.com. Clean well-run hostel just off O'Connell St. Bunk €35 ppn.
- 2 Ashling House, 168 Drumcondra Rd D09 XH90, ☏ +353 1 837 5432. Basic accommodation in leafy Drumcondra. Decent rooms but it's not a B&B. Double (room only) €140.
- DCU Summer Rooms, ☏ +353 1 700 5736. Dublin City University offer spare accommodation to the public all year, with most availability June - September. Their three campuses are Glasnevin, All Hallows in Drumcondra, and St Patrick's in city centre.
- Jacobs Inn, 21-28 Talbot St D01 W5P8 (100 m north of bus station), ☏ +353 1 855 5660. Nice, clean budget hostel with keycard security. Ensuite shower and bathroom as well as an additional washroom at the end of each hall. The bunks are pods so there's extra privacy. Pod €35 ppn.
- Lyndon House, 26 Gardiner Place D01 Y103, ☏ +353 1 878 6555. Basic but clean B&B near the James Joyce Museum and the Custom House. B&B double €130.
- Travelodge Dublin City Centre, 44 Townsend St D02 DY01, ☏ +353 1 525 9500. Reliable chain 3-star, clean and efficient. There are three other Travelodges in the city and one at the airport. B&B double €200.
- Premier Inn Gloucester Street South, 29 Gloucester St South D02 WC98, ☏ +353 1 636 9060. Value-for-money chain hotel. There are three other Premier Inns in the city and one at the airport. B&B double €150.
- Trinity College, TCD Campus, ☏ +353 1 896 1177. TCD accommodation is available May-Sep in single, double or apartment rooms, some en suite. There is limited access to the campus after midnight, which can result in a long walk from the main gate to some of the residences.
- Generator Dublin, Smithfield Square D07 F2VF (by distillery), ☏ +353 1 901 0222, dublin@generatorhostels.com. Smart hostel. Open social spaces but also a bar and a café to its guests. There are male and female shared rooms that come with all facilities, plus private rooms. Group bookings and private hires available. Bunk €40 ppn.
Mid-range
[edit]- Albany House, 84 Harcourt St D02 Y045 (100 m south of St Stephens Green), ☏ +353 1 475 1092. Good central 3-star, some noise in street-facing rooms. Shower and taps take 5 min to run hot, keep running and have faith. B&B double €180.
- Ariel House, 50-54 Lansdowne Rd, Ballsbridge D04 DD27 (by Aviva Stadium), ☏ +353 1 668 5512. Comfy welcoming B&B near Aviva stadium. No dogs. B&B double €180.
- Baggot Court Townhouse, 92 Lower Baggot St, D02 KV77 (300 m south of Merrion Sq), ☏ +353 1 661 2819. Decent 3-star Georgian townhouse. B&B double €220.
- Belvedere Hotel, Great Denmark St D01 W1C0 (100 m north of Rotunda), ☏ +353 1 873 7700. Swish hotel in a Georgian townhouse. B&B double €250.
- Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge, Merrion Rd D04 P3C3 (opposite Intercontinental), ☏ +353 1 668 1111. Splendid hotel in 19th-century school building, 3 km south of centre. They have three other hotels in town and one at the airport. B&B double €230.
- Buswells Hotel, 23-27 Molesworth St D02 CT80 (100 m south of TCD College Park), ☏ +353 1 614 6500, info@buswells.ie. Cosy Georgian hotel, small rooms but friendly staff, good location. B&B double €200.
- Castle Hotel, Great Denmark St D01 R640 (200 m north of O'Connell St), ☏ +353 1 874 6949. Welcoming Georgian hotel with 130 bedrooms all en suite. Restaurant & bar with live Irish music every weekend. B&B double €250.
- Dublin Citi Hotel, 46-49 Dame St, Temple Bar D02 X466 (next to Central Bank), ☏ +353 1 679 4455, reservations@dublincitihotel.com. Friendly hotel in a busy central spot, all rooms en suite, with Trinity Bar. B&B double €200.
- Handel's Hotel, 16-18 Fishamble St, Temple Bar D08 E7R0 (off Dame St), ☏ +353 1 555 3587. Central hotel in the west end of Temple Bar, cleaning could be better. B&B double €200.
- Fitzwilliam Townhouse, 41 Upper Fitzwilliam St D02 PW71 (200 m south of Merrion Square), ☏ +353 1 662 5155. Georgian house with many original features. All room en-suite with free Wi-Fi. Decent place, you're paying for the great location. B&B double €200.
- Fleet Hotel, 19-20 Fleet St, Temple Bar D02 WP97, ☏ +353 1 670 8124. Central hotel, most rooms comfy, some a bit worn. B&B double €220.
- Leonardo Hotels (formerly Jury's Inn). Mid-range chain with two locations: Christchurch, facing Christ Church Cathedral and Temple Bar, and Parnell St, junction with Granby Row. B&B double €180.
- Maldron Hotel Parnell Square, Parnell Square West D01 HX02 (200 m northwest of Rotunda), ☏ +353 1 871 6800. Clean welcoming hotel, the area is a bit rundown. Maldron have three other hotels in the city and one at the airport. B&B double €200.
- Morehampton Townhouse, 78 Morehampton Rd, Donnybrook D04 WV96 (Bus 38 from Trinity College), ☏ +353 1 668 8866. Creaky old building with all 22 room en suite, wi-fi, car parking. B&B double €250.
- Sandymount Hotel, Herbert Rd D04 VN88, ☏ +353 1 614 2000. Slick friendly hotel in Ballsbridge 200 m southeast of Aviva Stadium, sizeable rooms and good bar. B&B double €130.
- 3 Talbot Hotel Stillorgan, Stillorgan Rd, Blackrock A94 V6K5 (5 km south of city centre on N11, bus 145 or 46a), ☏ +353 1 200 1800. Upmarket hotel with spa, restaurant, bar and free car park. B&B double from €180.
- Clarence Hotel, 6-8 Wellington Quay D02 HT44, ☏ +353 407 0800. Owned by Bono and The Edge from Irish band U2, buzzing happening sort of place... code for, you may get a lot of noise from Temple Bar, and "cool" means the showers are a tad lukeish. Overall it's a good central 4-star for 5-star prices: you're paying for the rock associations. B&B double €230.
- Waterloo Lodge, 23 Waterloo Rd, Ballsbridge D04 P526 (2 km south of centre, bus 39a), ☏ +353 1 668 5380. 3-star in quiet area. All 20 rooms are en-suite, free car parking. B&B double €180.
- Waterloo Townhouse, 10 Waterloo Rd, Ballsbridge D04 T651 (opposite Waterloo Lodge), ☏ +353 1 660 1888. Pleasant B&B in a quiet area. No dogs. B&B double €200.
- 4 Aspect Hotel Parkwest, Nangor Road Park D12 F2V4 (Park West Business Campus), ☏ +353 1 642 9100, res@aspecthotelparkwest.com. Edge of city hotel next to Park West & Cherry Orchard railway station and near Exit 9 of M50. Comfy, good service. B&B double €120.
- 5 Premier Suites Sandyford, Ballymoss Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate D18 DHR0 (Tram to Stillorgan), ☏ +353 1 292 0200, info@premiersuitesdublinsandyford.com. Serviced apartments available for short stays.
- 6 Maldron Hotel Smithfield, Smithfield Market D07 RF2Y (Tram to Smithfield), ☏ +353 1 485 0900, info.smithfield@maldronhotels.com. Pleasant modern hotel just north of distillery. 92 rooms including family rooms, sleeping up to 6 people. B&B double €150.
Splurge
[edit]- InterContinental Dublin, Simmonscourt Rd D04 A9K8 (Bus to Ballsbridge), ☏ +353 1 665 4000. Great reviews for comfort and service. B&B double €450.
- Hampton by Hilton, 25 Chancery St, Smithfield D07 KX21 (Tram to Four Courts), ☏ +353 1 658 2355. Boxy modern place in the legal quarter. B&B double €180.
- 7 Hilton Dublin, Charlemont Place D02 A893 (Tram to Charlemont), ☏ +353 1 402 9988. Pleasant, modern hotel 1 km south of centre, clean and quiet. B&B double €200.
- The Morrison, Ormond Quay D01 K5X5 (north end of Millennium Bridge), ☏ +353 1 887 2400. Comfortable stylish hotel, central for sights. Part of Hilton chain. B&B double €300.
- Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane D08 VRR7 (200 m south of castle), ☏ +353 1 898 2900. Business-type hotel in a modern building, swish comfy interior and good location. B&B double €300.
- 8 Radisson Blu St Helen's Hotel, Stillorgan Rd, Blackrock A94 V6W3, ☏ +353 1 218 6000. Upscale hotel in grand old mansion in southern suburbs, on bus route to centre. B&B double from €250.
- The Morgan, 10 Fleet St, Temple Bar D02 AT86 (off Westmoreland St), ☏ +353 1 643 7000. Stylish accommodation in standard rooms, suites or penthouse apartments. All characterised by clean, modern design. B&B double from €200.
- The Shelbourne, 27 St Stephen's Green D02 K224, ☏ +353 1 663 4500. Plush hotel overlooking St Stephen's Green, part of the Marriott chain. Fine old building from 1824. B&B double from €500.
- Alex Hotel, 41-47 Fenian St D02 H678 (opposite Davenport Hotel), ☏ +335 1 607 3700. Gets great reviews for comfort and dining. B&B double €220.
- Spencer Hotel, Excise Walk, IFSC D01 X4C9, ☏ +353 1 433 8800. Chic, luxurious five-star hotel in the docklands. The quay outside is busy, rooms at the back are quieter. B&B double from €250.
- 9 Mont Hotel, 1-4 Merrion Street Lower D02 H525, ☏ +353 1 607 3800, info@ocallaghancollection.com. Slick central hotel, some street noise. B&B double €180.
- 10 Green Hotel, 1-5 Harcourt St D02 WR80, ☏ +353 1 607 3600, info@ocallaghancollection.com. Comfy spacious hotel at the west corner of St Stephen's Green. B&B double €200.
- 11 Davenport Hotel, 8-10 Merrion Street Lower D02 DX57, ☏ +353 1 607 3500, info@ocallaghancollection.com. Great reviews for this elegant hotel at the heart of Georgian Dublin. B&B double €250.
Airport
[edit]- Dublin Airport is north of the city near the town of Swords. Hotels listed here are so close to the airport that you'd travel that way to reach them, even if you weren't flying, and many inter-city buses run via the airport. Those closer to Swords town centre are listed on that page along with other amenities: they're much cheaper than their airport or city centre equivalents.
- Maldron Hotel, Corballis Way, Dublin Airport K67 T6P6, ☏ +353 1 808 0500. Mid-price hotel opposite Radisson Blu. B&B double €200.
- Radisson Blu Hotel Dublin Airport, Corballis Way, Dublin Airport K67 H5H9 (200 m east of T2), ☏ +353 1 844 6000. Comfy accommodation within the airport complex just minutes from the passenger terminals. B&B double €240.
- 12 Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport, Stockhole Lane, Swords K67 X3H5 (At jcn M50 / M1 exit for R139 Malahide, don't take airport off-ramp), ☏ +353 1 871 1000, info.dublinairport@claytonhotels.com. Convenient mid-range hotel with free shuttle to the airport. B&B double €200.
- Holiday Inn Express next to the Clayton in 2024 is refugee accommodation.
- Carlton Hotel, Old Airport Rd, Cloghran K67 P5C7 (1 km south of airport), ☏ +353 1 866 7500. Mid-price hotel with free shuttle to the airport. Bar-food menu and a restaurant on the top floor. B&B double €180.
Stay safe
[edit]- Dublin is a safe city by day, but keep your wits about you, especially as night draws on. The emergency number for all services is 999 or 112.
- Traffic: the city is congested, avoid bringing a car yourself, and never leave valuables on display in a car.
- Motorists often ignore pedestrian crossing lights. Maybe they're preoccupied with searching for a parking spot.
- Street life: Buskers, drunks and down-and-outs are all part of the picaresque Dublin scene, and An Béal Bocht - "the poor mouth" - has a noble literary tradition. A polite "sorry" should see them off.
- Gardaí (police officers) are happy to assist or give directions. If you fear for your safety and can't find or phone a Garda, head to the nearest shop, bar etc where you will be safe and can call. Pub doormen and bouncers will likewise call the police for you, they want to forestall trouble on their street.
- LGBTQ+ travellers: Dublin is usually not only safe but welcoming, however 2022 saw a 29% increase nationwide in hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people. Each Garda station has a Diversity Officer on duty, and the police are vigilant against all forms of hate crime. Support can also be obtained from Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre on Capel Street, tel +353 1 873 4999.
- Rough areas: Boardwalk, Lower Abbey Street and around Connolly station are tacky rather than unsafe by day, worth a swerve at night.
- You have simply no reason to be in down-at-heel outlying districts such as Ballymun.
Cope
[edit]Medical
[edit]You should only go to the hospital if you're too ill to get there, so to speak. For immediate treatment of minor ailments try one of the Walk-in Medical Centres. The most central are Dame Street Medical at 16 Dame St in Temple Bar, Abbey Street Centre at 71 Middle Abbey St, and 24Doc at North Wall behind the Customs House. They're private so an EHIC / GHIC card won't help. Expect to pay €60 for a consultation, plus the cost of any prescription or other treatment.
Embassies
[edit]Argentina, 15 Ailesbury Drive, Ballsbridge D04 KF50, ☏ +353 1 269 1546. M-F 9AM-5PM.
1 Australia, Level 3, 47/49 St Stephen's Green D02 W634, ☏ +353 1 664 5300. M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM.
Austria, 93 Ailesbury Road D04 W205, ☏ +353 1 269 4577, dublin-ob@bmeia.gv.at.
Belgium, 1 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge D04 Y9K4, ☏ +353 1 631 5283, Dublin@diplobel.fed.be. M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-3PM.
Canada, 7-8 Wilton Terrace D02 KC57, ☏ +353 1 234 4000. M-F 9AM-4:30PM.
Chile, 44 Wellington Road, Ballsbridge D04 KD23, ☏ +353 1 667 5094. M-Th 9AM-1:30PM, 2:30-5:30PM, F 9AM-2PM.
China, 40 Ailesbury Road D04 YR83, ☏ +353 1 219 6651, dublin@csm.mfa.gov.cn. For visas, passports, notarization & legal affairs contact the consulate at 118 Merrion Rd.
Cuba, 32B Westland Square, Pearse Street D02 VY43, ☏ +353 1 671 8300. M W Th 9:30AM-1:30PM.
Denmark, 7th Floor, Block E, Iveagh Court, Harcourt Road D02 YT22, ☏ +353 1 475 6404. M-F 9:30AM-3PM.
Finland, Russell House, Stokes Place, St. Stephen's Green D02 KD93, ☏ +353 1 478 1344. M-F 9AM-noon, 1:30-4PM.
2 France, 66 Fitzwilliam Lane D02 HP38, ☏ +353 1 277 5000. M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-3PM.
Germany, 31 Trimleston Avenue, Booterstown A94 TX94, ☏ +353 1 277 6100. M-Th 8AM-5PM, F 8AM-2PM.
3 Greece, 1 Upper Pembroke Street D02 V250, ☏ +353 1 676 7254, fax: +353 1 661 8892. M-F 10AM-2PM.
Hungary, 2 Fitzwilliam Place D02 K227, ☏ +353 1 661 2902. Tu W 9AM-4PM, Th 9AM-noon.
India, 69 Merrion Rd D04 ER85, ☏ +353 1 206 0932. M-F 9AM-noon, 4-5PM.
Israel, 23 Shelbourne Rd D04 PY68, ☏ +353 1 230 9400. M-F 10AM-1PM.
Italy, 63 Northumberland Road D04 VA89, ☏ +353 1 660 1744. M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-4PM.
4 Japan, 3rd Floor, Nutley Building, Merrion Centre D04 RP73, ☏ +353 1 202 8300. M-F 9:30AM-1PM, 2-5PM.
Mexico, 19 Raglan Road, Ballsbridge D04 TX89, ☏ +353 1 667 3105. M-F 9AM-1PM.
Netherlands, 160 Merrion Road D04 T283, ☏ +353 1 269 3444. M-F 8:30AM-4PM.
5 Norway, Ferry House, 48 Mount St Lower D02 PT98, ☏ +353 1 662 1800, emb.dublin@mfa.no. M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-4PM.
Pakistan, 1-B Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge D04 PR68, ☏ +353 1 261 3023, info@pakembassydublin.org. M-F 10AM-1PM, 4-5PM.
Poland, 5 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge D04 W221, ☏ +353 1 283 0855.
Portugal, 70 Upper Leeson Street D04 N968, ☏ +353 1 669 9100. M-F 9AM-1PM.
Romania, 26 Waterloo Road, Ballsbridge D04 Y654, ☏ +353 1 668 1150, dublin@mae.ro. M-F 9:30AM-3:30PM.
6 Russia, 184 Orwell Road, Rathgar D14 X6R3. Closed.
South Africa, Alexandra House, Earlsfort Terrace D02 W773, ☏ +353 1 661 5553. M-Th 9AM-5PM, F 9AM-2PM.
South Korea, 72 Merrion Square South D02 TW54, ☏ +353 1 609 9111. M-F 9AM-noon, 1:30-5PM.
Spain, 17A Merlyn Park, Ballsbridge D04 HF53, ☏ +353 1 269 1640. M-F 9:30AM-1:30PM.
Switzerland, 6 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge D04 W205, ☏ +353 1 218 6382, dub.vertretung@eda.admin.ch.
7 United Kingdom, 29 Merrion Road D04 P272, ☏ +353 1 205 3700.
8 United States, 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge D04 TP03, ☏ +353 1 668 8777. M-F 8:30AM-5PM.
Connect
[edit]As of July 2024, all of the city and its approach roads have 5G from all Irish carriers.
Dublin has over 20 public libraries. These have free wifi and internet access, but you need to register as a user to access. This may be possible for non-residents with extended stays.
Go next
[edit]Almost all of Ireland is within 2-3 hours travel from Dublin, and the transport routes converge on the city. People even make day-trips to the Aran Islands out west or Giant's Causeway in the north, a mad way to experience them. Those listed here are all within an hour of the city.
- - Dun Laoghaire is the city's former harbour, and Dalkey is a prosperous seaside suburb with Riveria architecture.
- - Howth is a scenic peninsula. Boat trips sail to Ireland's Eye, teeming with bird life.
- - Malahide has a fine castle. A walk along the coast brings you to Portmarnock beach.
- - Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park has the megalithic tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth.
- - Enniskerry has the gardens of Powerscourt and the highest waterfall in Ireland.
- - Glendalough is a remarkable monastic village in a scenic mountain valley.
| Routes through Dublin |
| N |
→ merges with | |
| Derry ← Ashbourne ← | N |
→ END |
| Cavan ← Navan ← | N |
→ END |
| Sligo ← Maynooth ← | W |
→ END |
| merges with |
N |
→ Bray → Wexford |
| W |
→ END |
| Routes through Dublin |
| END ← | W |
→ |
| END ← | W |
→ |
| END ← | W |
→ |