Dublin
Compact, walkable, and more expensive than it should be - but pick the right neighbourhood and Dublin delivers Georgian elegance, world-class hospitality and a pub culture that still means something.
Dublin's accommodation scene used to baffle me during the ten years I lived there. You can pay EUR 300 for a mediocre room in Temple Bar, then find genuine luxury or real character a few streets away in places most visitors never discover. The city is not cheap, but spend wisely and it delivers - from Georgian townhouses to design-led boutiques - at prices that match London for world-class hospitality.
The centre is compact and genuinely walkable, so the neighbourhood you pick shapes both the trip and the budget more than anything else. Two full days covers the headline sights at a comfortable pace; longer lets Dublin reveal the quieter Georgian squares, the literary corners and the neighbourhood pubs that the Temple Bar crowds never reach.
Getting there
Dublin Airport (DUB) is about 10km north of the centre, and there is no rail link yet. The Airlink Express coach runs in to the city in 30-45 minutes for around EUR 8; a taxi is EUR 25-35; the Dublin Bus 16 is the cheapest at EUR 3.30 but can take 90 minutes in traffic. Dublin is also the main transatlantic gateway, and the US pre-clearance at Terminal 2 is a real advantage - you clear US immigration before departure and arrive into the domestic terminal stateside. For every option compared see my Dublin Airport ground transport guide; for routes into Ireland by origin, see the Ireland country guide.
From within Ireland
Dublin is the hub - here is how it connects to the rest of the island.
| From | Method | Journey time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cork | Train (Heuston) or drive | ~2h 30m / ~2h 45m | Hourly Intercity from Heuston; the fastest way south. |
| Galway | Train (Heuston) or drive | ~2h 30m / ~2h 15m | Direct to the west coast and the gateway to Connemara. |
| Belfast | Enterprise train (Connolly) or bus | ~2h 15m | Cross-border to Northern Ireland; no real border stop. GBP up north. |
| Killarney (Kerry) | Train (Heuston) | ~3h 15m | For the Ring of Kerry and the southwest; a hire car takes over from there. |
Getting around
Dublin's centre is compact and genuinely walkable - most of what you will want is within a 20-minute stroll, and the areas below are 15-20 minutes apart on foot. The Luas trams (Red and Green lines) and Dublin Bus cover the rest; both take the contactless Leap Card (EUR 5 refundable, with a daily cap around EUR 10). The DART runs the coast from Malahide to Greystones and is the easy way out to Howth or Dun Laoghaire. There is no metro yet.
What to see
The headline sights, walkable from a central base.
Trinity College & the Book of Kells
Ireland's oldest university and the illuminated medieval gospels in the Long Room library. Book a timed slot - the queues are real - and the Old Library reopened after its big restoration.
Guinness Storehouse
The city's most-visited attraction: seven floors on the black stuff, ending in the Gravity Bar with a 360-degree view over Dublin. Touristy, yes, but the pour at the top is genuinely good.
Dublin Castle & Chester Beatty
Eight centuries of Irish power in one complex, and the free Chester Beatty museum next door is one of the best small collections in Europe.
Kilmainham Gaol
The jail at the centre of Ireland's road to independence - the leaders of the 1916 Rising were executed here. The guided tour is essential and books out; reserve ahead.
Temple Bar & the pubs
Worth a wander for the cobbles and the music, but you will pay tourist prices for a pint here. The better sessions are in the neighbourhood pubs a few streets out.
Neighbourhoods & hotels
Where you stay in Dublin matters more than in most cities. Pick a neighbourhood for detail and hotel picks.
Dublin's most photogenic side - perfectly proportioned terraced houses and garden squares, walking distance from St Stephen's Green, the museums and the literary corners where Joyce wandered. Close enough to Temple Bar for the buzz, far enough to sleep at night. My pick for a first visit.
Tourist Dublin at its most concentrated: cobbled streets, traditional pubs and buskers as a soundtrack. Expensive and raucous at night, but you can reach Trinity, Dublin Castle and Grafton Street on foot in minutes. Worth it for a short, lively stay.
Dublin's newest quarter - glass towers, the tech firms, and waterside walks with a growing food scene. Still finding its personality, but the Luas puts you about 15 minutes from the centre, and it is handy for events at the 3Arena.
A more everyday Dublin - a reshaped former working-class quarter with weekend markets, neighbourhood pubs and the Jameson Distillery, all within easy Luas reach of the centre. Lived-in and authentic, and better value than Temple Bar.
Worth the trip
Day trips and tours worth booking from Dublin.
Cliffs of Moher day trip
The full-day run west to the Atlantic coast - the cliffs, the Burren limestone, and usually a stop in Galway. A long day on the bus, but the only realistic way to see the cliffs without renting a car.
Check availability →Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains
The monastic ruins and glacial lakes in the Wicklow Mountains, under an hour south of the city. The closest proper landscape to Dublin, and a half day is enough to see it.
Check availability →Book of Kells and Dublin Castle
A guided loop through the medieval core with early access to the Book of Kells at Trinity. Worth it for the context and for skipping the worst of the queue.
Check availability →Howth coastal half-day
The fishing village on the headland north of the city - a cliff walk, seafood and harbour views, with a guide and the bus laid on. An easy half-day escape.
Check availability →More on Dublin
Tested routes
2024Aer Lingus Business Class: Dublin to Los Angeles (EI145)Excellent→2024Icelandair economy: Dublin to KeflavikGood→2024SAS Business Class: Dublin to OsloGood→Good to know
Getting in from the airport
Airlink Express coach ~EUR 8 (30-45 min); taxi EUR 25-35; Dublin Bus 16 is cheapest (EUR 3.30) but slow. No rail link to the airport yet.
Leap Card
EUR 5 refundable, works on Luas, Dublin Bus and the DART, with a daily cap around EUR 10. Grab one at the airport or any station.
Walkability
The centre is compact - most areas worth staying in are 15-20 minutes apart on foot. You will rarely need transport within the core.
US pre-clearance
Flying to the US from Dublin? You clear US immigration at Terminal 2 before departure and land into the domestic terminal stateside - a real time-saver on tight connections.
Weather
Atlantic and changeable any month - pack layers and a waterproof, and do not plan around the forecast. May, June and September are the most reliable.
Tipping
Around 10% in sit-down restaurants if service is not already added; not expected in pubs for drinks.