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Dublin Travel Guide
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Dublin Travel Guide Dublin travel guide

Dublin Travel Guide

Our ultimate Dublin travel guide - where to go, what to eat and how to make the most of your money.

What you'll find in this guide:

Top things to do in Dublin

Some facts about Dublin

Getting to Dublin

Getting around Dublin

Dublin's best attractions

What to eat in Dublin

Top things to do in Dublin

  • City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tour
    ACTIVITIES

    City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tour

    The bus will take you to some of the most fascinating landmarks and buildings which make Dublin a very unique city. From books to art, from prisons to beer, there's so much to uncover!

  • The Best of Dublin tour
    ACTIVITIES

    The Best of Dublin tour

    Discover the best of Dublin with a professional guide and discover its intriguing history, architecture and stories right back to its Viking and Medieval origins.

  • musement_Dublin_haunted_places_and_ghost_stories_city_game
    ACTIVITIES

    Dublin haunted places and ghost stories

    Explore the most frightful places in Dublin, with their stories of restless spirits, cruel murders and menacing ghouls.

  • Old Dublin guided walking tour
    ACTIVITIES

    Old Dublin guided walking tour

    On this tour, you will circumnavigate the old city of Dublin established by the Vikings over a thousand years ago, and follow the line of the old Norman city wall from the 13th century.


You can find more great video content on our YouTube channel

Holiday Extras Travel Guides

What time zone is Dublin in?

GMT

What currency do they use in Dublin?

Euro EUR

What language do they speak in Dublin?

English and Gaelic

What power adaptors do you need for Dublin?

Type G (same us UK)

What is the average flight time to Dublin?

1hr 20

Some facts about Dublin

Sitting on the east coast of Ireland on the banks of the River Liffey, Dublin may be small for a capital city, but it more than makes up for it in character and atmosphere. At just an hour's flight from London or a seven-hour ferry from Liverpool, it has long been popular with tourists looking to get away for a good time in one of the city's hundreds of pubs and bars.

And while Dublin is famous for its world-class pubs, there's so much more to the city than its tipple. It has a long and rich history waiting to be discovered, beautiful arts and architecture and even the largest walled park in Europe, Phoenix Park.

Getting to Dublin

One of the great things about Dublin is how easy it is to reach from the UK, and there are plenty of options available when it comes to transport. Let's take a look at some of the easiest.

By ferry

Dublin is accessible from the UK via ferry. You can hop on at many UK port towns, with Liverpool and Holyhead tending to have the most regular services. The upside of hitting the high seas is that you can take your car with you, making it easier to venture further out of Dublin once you arrive, but do bear in mind that ferry crossings can take a lot longer than flying, and are also often more expensive.

By plane

Flights from London to Dublin take roughly an hour and a half, and are generally the quickest way to reach the city. Dublin Airport is 10km outside the city centre, making it easy to hit the town in no time. From here your choices for transport to the centre is the bus or a taxi, as there's no train station at the airport.

  • Greece Aqualand TUI megaday

    Dublin Airport Transfers

    Book your Dublin Airport transfers, with prices starting from under £8 and free cancellations up to 3 days before travel.

  • Dublin Car Hire

    Dublin Car Hire

    Book your Dublin Airport car hire, with free cancellations.

  • Dublin Ultimate Experiences

    Dublin Ultimate Experiences

    Make the most of your trip and pre-book the top Dublin experiences for you and your family before you fly.

  • Dublin Travel Insurance

    Travel Insurance for Dublin

    Whatever you're doing in this stunning city, you'll want a reliable travel insurance policy for your trip to Dublin.

Getting around Dublin

Now that you've arrived at your hotel and recharged with an Irish coffee, it's time to take a look at the best ways to get around Dublin.

On foot

As with any destination, we think if you're able to, it's the best way to really appreciate and soak in the culture. Dublin city centre is compact, which means that if you're staying in the centre you'll be able to walk to pretty much everything. From Trinity College all the way to the Guinness Storehouse is only about 25 minutes on foot.

By public transport

If you'd prefer to zip around Dublin quickly, there's plenty of public transport options available. Luas is Dublin's tram system, which is comprised of two lines, red and green. Red runs from the south west to the north east of the city and the Green runs from south east to the centre. When you're planning your travel, be aware the two lines do not connect to each other and the walk from the end of the Green line to the Red line is about 15 minutes. You can pay as you go on the Luas, but if you plan on making multiple journeys we recommend getting a Leap Card. It's Dublin's pay-as-you-go public transport smart card which you can pick up at the airport or any shop displaying the logo. It'll give you 72 hours of unlimited travel for less than €20.

To save yourself time, you can manage your Leap Card online and top up on the website. And don't forget to always tap in and out, otherwise you'll get charged the maximum possible fare.

Where to go in Dublin

Now that you know how to get about, it'd probably help to know where you're going. Let's take a look at where some of the best tourist attractions in Dublin are, so that even if you're stumbling home with the beer goggles securely fastened, you'll have no excuse for getting lost.

Dublin is bisected by the River Liffey, which runs from east to west across the city. Back in the day, there used to be a pronounced cultural divide across the river with the working class to the north and the middle and upper classes to the south. However, that's no longer the case and these days we can split Dublin into several distinct districts.

The Medieval Quarter

For history buffs, the Medieval Quarter is a must. The oldest part of Dublin, it's here that you can find both Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick's Cathedral. While walking through this district, make sure to keep an eye out for the street names as they can reveal many secrets about their past - Cook Street, Cornmarket and Fishamble Street can be discovered here, to name a few.

The Georgian Quarter

This is where you'll find Dublin's famous Georgian architecture, including St Stephen's Church, more commonly known as 'The Pepper Canister'. The district starts at Trinity College and continues up to the canal.

Dublin Docklands

Dublin Docklands is where lots of the world's biggest tech companies have offices, including Google, Facebook and LinkedIn. This area has seen significant revitalisation in the recent past and has become home to one of Dublin's most cosmopolitan scenes.

The Cultural Quarter

If you're looking for a good time on your Irish getaway, then look no further than the Cultural District. This is where you'll find Temple Bar, the home to pubs, clubs, markets and Dublin's most energetic nightlife.

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Dublin's best attractions

Guinness Storehouse

The Storehouse is a seven-storey monument to the history, production and advertising of Ireland's most famous export. Inside you'll be able to pour your own pint of the stout, learn about how Guinness can be used in some traditional Irish cooking, discover some of the secrets that go into the brewing process and finally enjoy a free pint in the panoramic Gravity Bar on the top floor.

Guinness Storehouse

Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced 'kil-MAIN-am jail'), the former prison that held many of Ireland's revolutionaries of the past, in particular the leaders of the 1916 Easter uprising. Abandoned in 1924, it was restored in the 1960s and now acts as a museum where you can come to learn about the history of Irish independence. The gaol is 3.5km out of the city centre so you'll need to get the Luas or the bus here. The museum can only take a limited number of people at a time, so booking ahead is the only way to guarantee entry on the day.

Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo is the most popular family attraction in Ireland. There are over 400 animals here, spread across 28 hectares split into zones such as Asian Forests and the African Savanna. However, what we really like about the zoo is it's involved in lots of conservation projects across the globe. It works together with many others to maintain breeding programmes and reintroduce endangered species into the wild. It's had particular success with animals such as the golden lion tamarin and the scimitar-horned oryx.

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What to eat in Dublin

We're happy to report that the food on offer in Dublin is fantastic; there's so many great places to eat that we couldn't possibly hope to cover them all. But, if there's one thing that Dublin and Ireland arguably do better than almost anywhere else in the world it's seafood. Especially the oysters.

When it comes to drink, Guinness is obviously what Dublin is best known for, and if you haven't tried the stuff in its homeland, you don't know what you're missing. You can visit the Guinness Storehouse to see how it's made, discover its history and even pour your own pint. However, Dublin has much more than just the black stuff.

Despite being really touristy, Temple Bar is where you'll want to go at least once during your time in Dublin. There's always some live music and a good atmosphere, although the prices can be higher than in other parts of the city. If you're looking for something away from the crowds, there's no shortage of bars to discover throughout Dublin, ranging from charming locals to hip craft beer pubs.

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