Dublin

Ireland's capital: the Book of Kells at Trinity College, Guinness stout, and music-filled nights in Temple Bar, with Glendalough and Newgrange nearby.

Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland, on the island's east coast where the River Liffey flows into Dublin Bay, with a metropolitan population of about 1.4 million. Vikings established a trading post here in the 9th century, and the city long served as the centre of British rule in Ireland before becoming the capital on independence in 1922. The Liffey divides the city into south and north banks. The south bank is the heart of sightseeing: Trinity College, Grafton Street, St Stephen's Green, the National Museum and National Gallery, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle and two medieval cathedrals are all within a 20-minute walk. To the west are the Guinness Storehouse, the Jameson Distillery, Kilmainham Gaol and Phoenix Park; on the north bank are O'Connell Street, the General Post Office, Glasnevin Cemetery and the Botanic Gardens. Dublin is the home of Joyce, Wilde, Yeats and Beckett, and traditional music in the pubs is the most authentic nightlife.

Day trips: head south to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains and Powerscourt Estate, north to Newgrange and the Hill of Tara in the Boyne Valley, or take the DART coastal railway to Howth, Dalkey and Malahide.

The climate is mild and damp. Summer highs are around 20°C with frequent showers, so bring a waterproof jacket. May–Sep has long days and is the best time to visit; on 17 March there is a huge St Patrick's Day parade and accommodation is tight. Getting around: the airport is about 10 km from the city centre, and the airport bus takes about 30–40 minutes. In the city, get around on foot, by Luas tram, bus and DART, and you can use a Leap Card. Ireland's visa system is separate from Schengen; holders of a UK visa may enter under the British-Irish Visa Scheme (check the latest policy). Allow 3–4 days: 2 days in the city, 1–2 days in the surrounding area. Prices are high: a pint of beer in a pub costs about €6–9.

Top sights

• Trinity College Dublin & Book of Kells – Ireland's oldest university, home to the Book of Kells, widely hailed as the most beautiful illuminated manuscript in the world, and the ci…
• Guinness Storehouse – Ireland's most popular paid attraction. A seven-story building shaped like a pint glass tells the story of Guinness stout, and the top-floo…
• Temple Bar – A cobblestone quarter on the south bank of the River Liffey, packed with pubs, live music and street performers. It is the byword for Dubli…
• Kilmainham Gaol – A former prison that bears witness to Ireland's independence struggle. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed here, and it has…
• Glendalough – The “Valley of the Two Lakes” in Wicklow Mountains National Park, where the 6th-century ruins of St Kevin's monastery and a 30-metre round…
• Dublin Castle – The seat of British power in Ireland for seven centuries, now a venue for presidential inaugurations and state banquets, with dazzling Stat…
• St Patrick's Cathedral – Ireland's largest church, said to be where Saint Patrick once baptized converts, and where Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, se…
• Phoenix Park – One of Europe's largest urban parks at about 707 hectares, home to hundreds of wild fallow deer, the President's residence and Dublin Zoo.
• Howth – A fishing peninsula at the northern end of Dublin Bay, 30 minutes from the city by DART, with clifftop trails, a lighthouse and fish and ch…
• St Stephen's Green – A Victorian park in the city center, ringed by lakes, stone bridges and flowerbeds, and the Dubliners' 'living room' at the end of Grafton…
• Grafton Street – Dublin's liveliest pedestrian shopping street, with buskers and the century-old Bewley's café, linking Trinity College with Faiche Stiabhna.
• Christ Church Cathedral – One of Dublin's oldest buildings, begun around 1030 by a Viking king, with the largest medieval crypt in the British Isles.
• National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology – A free national archaeology museum with Celtic gold, the Tara Brooch, the Ardagh Chalice and bog bodies as its prized highlights.
• National Gallery of Ireland – A free national gallery whose collection includes Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ, a Vermeer and fine works by Jack B. Yeats and other Ir…
• EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum – An interactive museum in the docklands telling the story of the millions of Irish who left home to make their way in the world, repeatedly…
• Jameson Distillery Bow St. – A historic whiskey distillery founded in 1780 for Jameson, where the guided tour explains Irish whiskey's triple distillation and ends with…
• Ha'penny Bridge – A cast-iron footbridge completed in 1816, named after the halfpenny once charged to cross; its white arch is the most iconic landmark on th…
• GPO & O'Connell Street – Headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising, with bullet marks still visible on its exterior; out front on O'Connell Street stands the 120-metre…
• Chester Beatty – A free treasure house in Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath holding fine manuscripts, rare books and art from Asia, the Islamic world and Europe…
• Little Museum of Dublin – A city museum in a Georgian terrace beside Faiche Stiabhna, with a witty guided tour of 20th-century Dublin and a U2 gallery.
• Merrion Square – The best-preserved Georgian square, with red-brick terraces and brightly painted doors around a garden, where a multicoloured marble statue…
• Glasnevin Cemetery – Ireland's national cemetery, resting place of Daniel O'Connell, Michael Collins and over a million others, with a tower climb for views ove…
• Dublin Zoo – One of the world's oldest zoos, opened in 1831 inside Páirc an Fhionnuisce, with well-designed African savanna and Asian rainforest exhibit…
• Croke Park – A Gaelic sports venue for over 80,000 people, where the GAA Museum introduces Gaelic football and hurling, and you can walk on the roof for…
• National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin – A free botanic garden founded in 1795, whose Victorian curved cast-iron glasshouse is among Europe's most beautiful greenhouses.
• Malahide Castle & Gardens – A medieval castle lived in by the Talbot family for nearly 800 years, with guided interiors, extensive gardens, a butterfly house and a hal…
• Dalkey – A medieval seaside town on Dublin's southern outskirts, with a castle heritage centre, seafood bars and Bullock Harbour, and a wealthy area…
• Powerscourt Estate – A Palladian estate beneath the Wicklow Mountains, with Italian terrace gardens, a Japanese garden and Triton Lake, and Ireland's tallest wa…
• Newgrange (Brú na Bóinne) – A Neolithic passage tomb from around 3200 BC, older than the Egyptian pyramids, where winter solstice sunlight reaches deep into the chambe…
• Hill of Tara – The coronation site of Ireland's High Kings, where grassy earthworks and the Stone of Destiny bring to life Celtic legend and the story of…

Where to eat

• Chapter One – A two-Michelin-starred restaurant on Parnell Square, where chef Mickael Viljanen interprets Irish ingredients with a Fr…
• Bewley's Café (Grafton Street) – A historic café on Grafton Street, famous for its Harry Clarke stained-glass windows, breakfasts, and sticky buns.
• Delahunt – Housed in a Victorian grocer's shop mentioned in Ulysses, serving modern dishes made with seasonal Irish ingredients.
• The Pig's Ear – An Irish restaurant overlooking Trinity College, elevating traditional home-style dishes like shepherd's pie.
• Gallagher's Boxty House – An established spot in Temple Bar to enjoy Irish boxty (potato pancakes), featuring a relaxed atmosphere, stews, and ch…
• Leo Burdock (Werburgh Street) – Dublin's oldest fish and chips shop, founded in 1913, with its flagship branch next to Christ Church Cathedral operatin…
• Brother Hubbard (North) – A famous Middle Eastern-inspired brunch spot on Capel Street, with its signature Menemen (scrambled eggs with tomatoes)…

Itineraries

• Dublin City & Day Trips – Based in Dublin, explore the Old Town, the Liberties, plus the Wicklow Mountains and Howth Peninsula.
• Classic Southern & Western Ireland Loop – A counter-clockwise road trip from Dublin around the southern half of the island, connecting Kilkenny, Kerry, Dingle, a…
• Northern Ireland & Northwest Loop – Head north from Dublin to Belfast and the Giant's Causeway, then loop back to Galway via Donegal and Mayo.
• Ireland's Ancient East – From the prehistoric tombs of the Boyne Valley to the Rock of Cashel, explore monasteries, historic towns, and emigrati…
• Ireland Car-Free Rail & Bus – Connect Dublin, Galway, Killarney, and Cork using trains, buses, and day tours.