The capital city of Ireland has a reputation for great night life and being party central for St Patricks Day celebrations. It’s also full of amazing historical and cultural activities that can keep you busy. Whether you’re heading there to party or not, we’ve got some great recommendations of how to fill your time on a budget.
Temple Bar Neighbourhood
Cost: Free
Temple Bar is a cool neighbourhood in central Dublin, not to be confused with the Temple Bar Pub that sits within. It is the most popular part of Dublin and is the tourist hot spot of the city. The origin of the name may have been the Temple family who built a house in the area in the 1600s. It seems more likely however that it was named after an old area of London with the same name.
Shopping
The area is known for its great vintage stores, so it’s a really great place for some shopping. If you happen to be in Dublin on a Saturday, don’t miss the Temple Bar Food Market. The market is in Meeting House Square every Saturday from 9:30am-4pm and has a wide variety of locally made goods. They sell everything from take home produce, to ready to eat food and baked goods.
Art and Music
There’s also some great street art, mainly on Icon Walk which is a community led art project and Love Lane which covers the walls of Crampton Court.
If you’re a film lover then the Irish Film Institute is a great place to visit as it hosts indie films and film festivals all the time. For music lovers there are a couple of great music venues. The Workman’s Club and 3Olympia Theatre are both popular, as is the music being played at the pubs every night.
Pubs
If you’re hungry there’s heaps of great bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes to grab a bite to eat or drink. The most famous part of Temple Bar is the actual Temple Bar pub. This is a beautiful red building with flowers lining the top and is a great photo spot. Inside there is live Irish music playing 24/7 and wonderful Irish food and beer. And head next door to the Temple Bar Distillery Store for Irelands largest whisky collection.
With so many loud bustling pubs you can see why this area is the centre of Dublin night life. However if you prefer not to drink, there’s still more than enough to keep you entertained here. Definitely a must visit when you come to Dublin!
George Street Arcade and Shopping Spots
Cost: Free
Located between Temple Bar and St Stephens Green is the George Street Arcade. In a Victorian market style building that has been serving Dublin since 1881, this is a great place to visit for some shopping and food. Here you can find vintage stores, jewellery, trendy clothing, collectables, souvenirs, and lots of food options.
Another great place for shopping is Henry Street across the river, which apart from shops also has a great view of the Spire of Dublin. This 120m tall stainless steel pin was chosen to replace the Nelson’s Pillar monument that was bombed in 1966. It was chosen from an international competition and has stood in Dublin since 2003.
For more shopping, head to Grafton Street right near George Street Arcade for some great shops. St Stephens Green shopping centre is another great shopping spot, and is also a really cool looking building. And if you’re a book lover don’t miss the famous Hodges Figgis which is a huge 4 story bookstore in the city.
Parks
Cost: Free
Dublin has some lovely parks to have a bit of a break from the busy city. St Stephens Green is a great little park, located right in the city near Temple Bar. It’s got a nice lake to bird watch, a playground and lots of shaded places sit and relax. It’s not a super large park so is just a great place to go when you’re wandering around the city and need a bit of a break.
Dublin does have one of the largest public parks in any European capital city though. Just outside the main city is Pheonix Park, an old hunting park from the 1600s where you can still spot wild deer. There are heaps of walking paths and places to relax but you can also visit the park visitor centre and a biodiversity information centre. The Dublin zoo can be found in the park as well as a Victorian flower garden, a cafe and a tea room so there is heaps to keep you busy!
Pheonix park is open 24 hours a day every day and is either a 45 minute walk from the centre of town or a short bus.
Trinity College
Cost: Free to visit or between $9.50 and $65 for tours
This is Ireland’s oldest university and is one of Great Britain and Ireland’s seven ancient universities. It houses the largest library in the country and has had the Book of Kells since 1661.
Being over 400 years old, the building is absolutely beautiful and is the main draw for most visitors. You can enter for free and walk around, but there are paid activities on campus too. There are six eateries on site offering everything from breakfast food, to quick bites, to fine dining experiences. There is also a gift shop to buy all your favourite Trinity College merch.
To see more of the college, you could book one of the four paid tours through their website. The first one is a guided tour of the campus but this does not include entry to the Book of Kells. This tour runs for 45 minutes and costs €16 per adult. You can also buy a self guided tour for only €5 and this also does not include entry to the Book of Kells.
If you’d like to see it, there is a Book of Kells experience that costs €25 per adult or €20 for students. This runs for 90 minutes and gets you entry to the Book of Kells, the library, and an immersive digital experience. The last option is a ticket to both the Trinity guided tour and the Book of Kells experience combined. This costs €33.50, includes the 45 minute guided tour and then self guided time in the library and the Book of Kells experience.
Trinity College Accommodation
If you’re looking for cheap accommodation in Dublin, you can also stay at Trinity College while the students are away. Stays can be booked here and there are rooms from as little as €93. There are single rooms, double rooms, rooms with ensuites and 2,3 and 4 bedroom apartments available. You can even book breakfast at one of the restaurants on site!
So whether you’re just wandering the grounds for free, taking one of their tours or staying the night, there’s definitely some great reasons to add Trinity College to your Dublin itinerary.
Dublin Castle
Cost: $15.50 or free to visit the garden
Like most European cities we’ve visited, there is a castle to visit. Dublin Castle was first built in 1204 but most of the current building is from the 18th century. The current building was used as the base for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland’s government. Since 1922 it has been fully Ireland owned and used as a government building and tourist attraction.
The castle sits just outside the Temple Bar neighbourhood and is open 9:45am – 5.45pm every day. Inside there are two museums, state rooms, a library, and a cafe. Self guided tours are available on their website for €8 each and take about 40 minutes.
If you’re not interested in going in the castle, you can wander into the courtyard for free and look around. Next door is the Dubh Linn Garden which is free and has a great view of the castle. It’s also just a lovely little place to sit in the sun and has a great view of the Coach House art Gallery.
Day trip to Howth
While Dublin is great, our favourite day was our day trip to Howth. It’s a cute sea side village on a peninsula to the east of Dublin and is really worth a trip!
It’s super easy to get to Howth from Dublin as DART trains run every half an hour from Dublin Connolly station, and the H3 bus runs every half hour from Busáras station. Once you’re in Howth, there are some great walks you can do, amazing shops to visit, and some great food that you can try! The town is known for its seafood, so it’s worth stopping in at one of the many restaurants for some fish and chips for lunch!
The best thing about Howth is that it’s home to some cute harbour seals including one who’s almost always around. You should see them from the lighthouse as well as anywhere around the harbour.
We hope some of our tips have given you some great ideas of what to do when you visit Dublin. If you have any extra time, we hope our recommendation on Howth helps you have a lovely sea side break! No matter what you do, we’re sure you’ll have a wonderful time in this bustling capital city.
If you want to see everyting we got up to, you can check it all out in our vlog:
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