Dublin is an easy-to-navigate, compact, walkable city. Our best advice is to use the sights as much as an excuse to wander. Adjust activities and days depending on your arrival time.
Length: 3+ days
Transportation: If you don’t leave Dublin, you won’t need a car. Use a bus to get to the city center and most of the city is walking based (or you can cab). If you plan to add on a day or 2, rent a car in downtown Dublin. Or if you don’t want to drive at all, you can take a pleasant organized bus tour out to the Wicklow Mountains or Newgrange.
Film Inspiration: The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Derry Girls, ’71, Bloody Sunday
Best Guide Book:
Day 1
- Fly into Dublin
- Grab a cab, Airlink bus (cheaper) or Aircoach bus (pricier) to downtown Dublin
- Dublin Historic walking tour (leave from Trinity)
- Trinity library
- National Museum
- Drinks – The Brazen Head or Mulligan’s
- Dinner – L Mulligan Grocer, Variety Jones
- Lodging–Latchfords Apartments, Stauntons on the Green, Brooks Hotel, The Merchant House, or Jury’s Inn Christ Church– or if you’re feeling adventurous, The Avalon House hostel was actually pretty nice (night 1/3)
Day 2
- Traditional Irish Breakfast at O’Neill’s Pub & Kitchen or The Woollen Mills
- Grafton street wander
- Saint Stephen’s Green
- Dublin Castle
- Grab a sweet or lunch at Queen of Tarts
- Christchurch Cathedral
- St Patrick’s Cathedral
- Dinner – Delahunt, The Camden Kitchen
- Traditional Irish music pub-crawl or just find a pub offering live music like The Brazen Head
- Lodging–same place (night 2/3)
Day 3
- O’Connell street walk
- GPO Witness history exhibit
- Cab to Kilmainham Gaol
- Epic: The Irish Immigration Museum
- Dinner – The Church
- Lodging–same place (night 3/3)
Day 4+
- Option 1: Day tour Wicklow mountains
- Powerscourt gardens
- Glendalough
- Option 2: Newgrange
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1-3 : Dublin
Day 1
Dublin is an easy-to-navigate, compact, walkable city. Our best advice is to use the sights as much as an excuse to wander. Adjust activities and days depending on your arrival time.
You don’t want a car in Dublin – grab an airport bus (Airlink bus (cheaper) or Aircoach bus (pricier)) to (Airline or Aircoach) or taxi (cost-wise, this only makes sense for a group and fast convenience) to downtown Dublin. Take the bus back to the airport when leaving Dublin and pick up your rental car there.
Adjust your activities around what time you get in and how tired you may be after your flight. We arrange the itinerary presuming you’ll arrive in the morning, so adjust accordingly. Nothing in the main part of Dublin except the historic jail is more than about a 30 minute walk so you can choose from the attractions for a schedule that works for you.
Start your first day with the Dublin Historic walking tour which leaves from Trinity’s main gate. Lead by history graduate students, this is a highly entertaining and interesting way to get oriented to the city and see major sites. After your tour head to the beautiful Trinity library with its historic Book of Kells. Depending on your energy you could see the other attractions in this part of town including the National Archaeology Museum with 4000 years of well preserved Irish history (including bog bodies). It’s right across the street from the library. If you don’t see it today be sure and see it another day.
Grab a pint of Guinness (come on, the country is famous for it) at a historic pub. We recommend either The Brazen Head or Mulligan’s. On that note, we aren’t recommending the tour of Guinness. We love the beer, the tour not so much. Unless you’re really really into commercial beer making, you probably won’t enjoy it (and this comes from people who love breweries).
If you’re still awake, for dinner consider L Mulligan Grocer or Variety Jones for locally sourced Irish fare.
It’s hard to go wrong with lodging in Dublin since it’s decently small, but if you can, try and stay nearby Temple Bar, the Portobello neighborhood, or Saint Stephen’s Green. Places to consider: Latchfords Apartments, Stauntons on the Green, Brooks Hotel, The Merchant House, or Jury’s Inn Christ Church. If you’re feeling adventurous (or are on a strict budget), The Avalon House hostel was actually pretty nice (night 1/3).
Day 2
You can’t possibly visit Ireland and not have a traditional Irish breakfast. What is a full Irish breakfast? Think bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, and grilled tomatoes. At least the first 1-2 times it’s wonderful. After that it’s a bit much. We’re sure you’ll have more opportunities than you want for a full Irish breakfast while in Ireland, but if you want to ensure it, head in the morning to O’Neill’s Pub & Kitchen or The Woollen Mills to partake.
Dublin is a great city for wandering so today consider a walk up Grafton Street (the main pedestrian shopping street) to St Stephen’s Green. St Stephen’s Green is the city’s most famous park. It’s gorgeous and deserves a wander. Wander to the lively Temple Bar area, tour the historic Dublin Castle, and visit the two main Cathedrals – St Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral.
Grab an early (or late) dinner at Delahunt or The Camden Kitchen as this would be a perfect night for your introduction to Irish music. Plan on taking the Irish musical pub crawl tour (leaves at 19:30) or wander around as bars put out signs offering live music sessions (The Brazen Head is a great place for this).
Lodging is the same place (night 2/3).
Day 3
Day three is Irish revolution day. Start with a walk down O’Connell street past statues and monuments to Irish history (there’s a good self-guided walking tour in Rick Steves Dublin). Part way down on the left is the General Post Office. Look for bullet holes in the pillars in front – this was where the 1916 Easter Rising was headquartered and was site of a bloody four day siege. Go inside and visit the GPO Witness history exhibit. Continue down the street making your way past monuments to the Garden of Remembrance.
From here grab a cab or bus and follow the path of the rebel leaders out to the Kilmainham Gaol (reserve ahead). The jail will look familiar as it has starred in several prison movies throughout the years but is most important as the site where the British imprisoned (and often executed) Irish republicans. Virtually all of the heroes of Irish history spent time here courtesy of the British. It helps to read up on (or watch a film) about Irish independence before your trip just to put it all in context.
Head back to downtown Dublin. If you have time afterwards consider a visit to Epic: The Irish Immigration Museum on the north shore of the Liffey (convenient to the O’Connell street walk) which tells the story of the Irish diaspora. Head to the The Church Restaurant for dinner, a bar and restaurant set in an old cathedral.
Lodging is the same place (night 2/3).
Day 4+
Option 1: Not far to the south of Dublin are the lovely Wickow mountains. As you drive through the mountains stop at Sandycove Beach and the James Joyce tower. Next visit the the beautiful Powerscourt gardens, the finest in Ireland. The gardens cover 47 ares of the 700 acre estate – take the 1 hour walk (which takes about 30 minutes). Finish your day with a visit to Glengdalough, one of Ireland’s most impressive monastic settlements, active from its founding by St Kevin in the sixth century until destruction by Cromwell in 1398. The setting is lovely with a couple of scenic lakes perfect for strolling. If you want a bus tour to avoid a rental car, we recommend Wild Wicklow Tours which was great.
Option 2: Alternatively , head north to the remarkable stone age tombs complex at Newgrange 40 minutes or so north of Dublin. This tomb site is 500 years older than the pyramids. It is an impressive site – 250 feet across and 40 feet high, ringed by enormous stones weighing 5 tons, carved with mysterious spirals. As you enter the tomb walk down a 60 foot passageway opening to a central chamber. On the winter solstice light enters through the passageway and illuminates the center of the chamber for 17 minutes. There is another impressive necropolis nearby at Knowth.
With more time do both. Or with an even longer amount of time, look at our itinerary Ireland in Two Weeks.
