Things to do in Dublin
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Dublin
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: dry, long daylight in June, mild September with a stacked cultural calendar.
Peak: warmest and busiest, hotel prices at their worst, coast at its best.
Worst: short days, coldest windy rain, cheapest hotels, excursions suffer.
What's on
- St Patrick's Festival around 17 March
Parade and citywide party, with the year's worst crowding and hotel prices.
- Bloomsday 16 June
Joyce fans in Edwardian dress retracing Ulysses.
- Dublin Pride late June
Pride celebrations in late June.
- Dublin Fringe September
Fringe festival in September.
- Dublin Theatre Festival late Sept-mid Oct
Theatre festival from late September to mid October.
- Culture Night mid-September
Venues open free and late.
- Bram Stoker Festival late October bank-holiday weekend
Festival sharing the late October bank holiday weekend with the marathon.
- Dublin Marathon late October bank-holiday weekend
Marathon on the late October bank holiday weekend.
- TradFest late January
Traditional music festival that lifts the darkest month.
- Six Nations rugby Feb-Mar
Rugby weekends at Aviva Stadium fill the city and spike prices.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Dublin
Kilmainham Gaol
Guided tour of the jail where 1916 Rising leaders were held and executed: bleak, moving and essential.
Trinity College Dublin
See the Book of Kells and the Old Library Long Room in Ireland's oldest university.
Guinness Storehouse
Seven floors of brewing theatre ending with a pint and a panoramic view in the Gravity Bar.
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology
Free treasure house with the Tara Brooch, Ardagh Chalice, Viking Dublin and the bog bodies.
National Gallery of Ireland
Free national collection anchored by Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ and strong Irish rooms.
14 Henrietta Street
Georgian townhouse turned tenement told on a guided tour: Dublin class history in one staircase.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Twenty interactive galleries on why the Irish left and what they did in the world.
Chester Beatty
Free, quiet museum of manuscripts, Japanese prints and Islamic art hidden in the Castle gardens.
Where to stay in Dublin
St Stephen's Green / Georgian Quarter
first trip, all-round base
Merrion Square, the Green, Grafton Street and Trinity in walking distance, safest feeling at night.
Ballsbridge / Donnybrook
quiet, leafy, families and repeat stays
Embassy row and Herbert Park, affluent and quiet, 35 minute walk or short ride to the centre.
Ranelagh & Rathmines
repeat visitors, food-led trips
Village main streets of cafes and wine bars where young Dublin eats, 15 to 20 minutes out.
Smithfield & the Liberties fringe
value, groups, budget
Characterful and cheaper on the Luas red line, near Smithfield square and the Cobblestone.
Docklands / Grand Canal Dock
theatre and arena nights, modern hotels
Glass and water Silicon Docks, quiet at night, 15 minute walk to Trinity.
Think twice about
- O'Connell Street, Parnell Street and Talbot Street
Persistent visible street problem: open drug use, aggressive begging and feeling unsafe at night. Pass through by day, do not base here.
- Temple Bar as a base
Not dangerous but a poor night's sleep: stag and hen crowds, pub noise until late and the city's highest prices.
- Residential suburbs far west and south-west
No visitor reason to base in places like Tallaght or Ballymun: higher crime statistics and long commutes into Dublin.
Best restaurants in Dublin
Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen
Two star modern Irish French tasting menus, finished with a famed Irish coffee.
D'Olier Street
One star, 12 course counter led tasting menu by Trinity: the hottest fine dining room.
Variety Jones
One star open fire cooking in a relaxed sharing format that feels like a dinner party.
Bastible
One star neighbourhood bistro with seasonal tasting menus at great value for a starred room.
Kicky's
Mediterranean leaning bistro: rabbit pappardelle, crab on toast, Irish coffee tiramisu.
Shouk
Middle Eastern mezze and shawarma in a northside room Dubliners cross the city for.
Brother Hubbard
Brunch institution with Middle Eastern inflected breakfasts and superb coffee.
BIGFAN
Acclaimed Chinese small plates, loud and fun, made for groups ordering everything.
Best bars in Dublin
The Long Hall
Victorian pub that locals rate first: a proper Dublin room a few streets from Temple Bar.
The Stag's Head
Hidden Victorian pub down Dame Court, a locals' consensus classic.
Mulligan's
The journalists' pub, famed for its Guinness and high turnover pints.
Kehoe's
Classic Victorian pub, one of Dublin's essential local rooms.
Grogan's
Artists' pub known for toasties and a well poured pint.
John Kavanagh The Gravediggers
Pub by Glasnevin Cemetery for a coddle and a pint after the cemetery tour.
Outdoor things to do in Dublin
Howth Cliff Path Loop
Signposted cliff loop past Baily Lighthouse with harbour seafood to finish: the easiest great excursion.
Portmarnock Golf Club
Pure championship links, long time Irish Open host, visitors in season only.
Royal Dublin Golf Club
Harry Colt links on a nature reserve island, half Portmarnock's price and close to the centre.
Glendalough
Sixth century monastic city in a glacial valley between two lakes, with trails for every level.
The Forty Foot
Beloved year round sea swimming rock: cold, no lifeguards, confident swimmers only.
Phoenix Park
Huge walled park with deer herd, zoo and the President's residence: best explored by bike.
Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk
Seven kilometre cliff path along the railway from Bray Head to foodie Greystones.
Cliffs of Moher
Big west coast cliffs on a long coach day: worth it only with no west leg of your own.
Best hotels in Dublin
The Merrion
Converted Georgian townhouses, Dublin's consensus number one luxury hotel.
The Shelbourne
The grande dame hotel on St Stephen's Green itself, the historic address.
Brooks Hotel
Small, well run four star on Drury Street, a local recommendation staple.
InterContinental Dublin
Five star fixture for embassy row Ballsbridge.
Herbert Park Hotel
Mid range Ballsbridge pick beside Herbert Park.
Ariel House
Mid range guesthouse style stay in Ballsbridge.
Pembroke Townhouse
Charming Georgian guesthouse, the independent option in Ballsbridge.
Waterloo Lodge
Budget guesthouse named for residential, wealthy Ballsbridge.
Is Dublin expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €215 a person |
| Splurge | €420 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Kilmainham Gaol: weeks ahead
- Trinity College Dublin: a few days ahead
- Guinness Storehouse: a few days ahead
- Glasnevin Cemetery: a few days ahead
- Portmarnock Golf Club: months ahead
- Royal Dublin Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Glendalough: a few days ahead
- Cliffs of Moher: a few days ahead
- Kilmainham Gaol tickets drop 28 days ahead at midnight Irish time and sell out.
- Book of Kells and Guinness Storehouse use timed online tickets, days ahead in summer.
- Starred restaurants need 3 to 6 weeks for weekend tables.
- Portmarnock golf needs months ahead, visitors April to October only.
Is Dublin safe?
- Watch for pickpocketing in crowded pubs and on Grafton Street, and street disorder around O'Connell Street.
- Keep bags zipped and phones off pub tables, use licensed taxis late.
- Do not walk Phoenix Park or dark canal towpaths at night.
- Emergency number is 112 or 999, tap water is fine.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Dublin travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Temple Bar for drinking: the highest pint prices and standing room crowds. Photograph it, then leave.
- Paying for museums that are free: National Museum, National Gallery and Chester Beatty cost nothing.
- Cliffs of Moher as a Dublin day trip if you have west coast time later: 12 hours, mostly coach.
- Temple Bar souvenir pricing: buy whiskey in a real off licence or supermarket.
Getting around Dublin: public transport and more
- Walk the centre: most sights are within 30 minutes of Trinity.
- Get a Leap Card: it caps fares for DART, Luas and buses, and the 90 minute fare covers a DART hop.
- No train from the airport: use Aircoach or Dublin Express buses or a taxi to the centre.
- Avoid driving: one way systems, scarce parking and sights that do not need a car.
Who Dublin suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Dublin your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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