Dublin is a great city with loads to see and do. Whether you like history and sightseeing or getting boozy and cozying up in a local pub, I have some ideas for you. The days below are pretty packed so if you have an extra day you can do less each day and save your feet.
Highlights
- Day 1: The Book of Kells, Trinity College, Temple Bar, Ha’Penny Bridge, Jameson Distillery, Smithfield, Cobblestone
- Day 2: Guinness Storehouse, Brazen Head, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Teeling Distillery, Steven’s Green, Grafton St.
- Day 3: Choose your adventure! Kilmainham Gaol Jail tour, EPIC Museum, Pheonix Park/Dublin Zoo, Glasnevin Cemetery & Dublin Botanic Garden
- Get out of the city! Day trip options to Howth, Bray to Greystones, Co. Wicklow and Glendalough
How to get around
Dublin is very walk able but also accessible by taxi, bus, dart, or the luas. My favorite mode of public transit is the bus because I find it the most accessible with stops all over the city. The bus and taxis have their own apps so you can schedule taxis and look up bus routes and timetables. Most bus drivers will help you out if you don’t know where you’re going or which stop to get off. Another option is hop-on, hop-off bus tours so you don’t need to worry about having exact change for the bus or trying to figure out where things are located.
This itinerary was created keeping our visitors in mind. We live in the North side of the city so you’ll find the days start in the South side so that our visitors can make their way back to us by the end of the day. If you’re staying in the South, you can easily reverse the itinerary or stick to this one because Dublin is very manageable by walking or public transit.
Day 1
The Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin should be the first thing you see. Definitely book tickets ahead of time, especially in the high season which is June through August. Walk through the exhibit and learn about the 9th century manuscript and then stare in awe at the beautiful Long Room library. Take some time to walk around the Trinity College campus afterwards and take in the old bell tower, the Campanile.
After some history, head over to the actual Temple bar for an overpriced, tourist pint that you have to pay for at least once. The Temple Bar area is mostly known for its nightlife but the original bar is a good photo opportunity. Enjoy the people watching in this area. You may see a drunk or two making out in the street at 11am…
After a pint, head over to the Liffey River and take in the view of Ha’Penny Bridge. This bridge was the first iron bridge built in 1816 and cost half a penny to cross in 1919, giving it its iconic name. Cross the bridge and keep on walking along the Liffey for about 15 minutes until you get to Smithfield where Jameson distillery is located on Bow Street. I would suggest booking the tour and tasting ahead of time so you can keep to your schedule. There are some really tasty places to eat near the distillery in Smithfield and if your hungry I recommend My Meat Wagon or Thundercut Alley. They both sound weird and Thundercut Alley’s vibe is funky but they serve delicious food.
At this point you will probably be in an alcohol and food comma so if you’re staying with us head back to Glasnevin and we will grab a pint at our neighborhood pub, Gravediggers. Another option is to stay in Smithfield and head to Cobblestone for some traditional Irish music “trad”.
Day 2
Why not start your day learning about Ireland’s most famous beer at the Guinness Storehouse? It is a very Dublin thing to do. Depending on the season, you might want to buy tickets in advance and I recommend the earliest ticket time slot so you can enjoy the experience and then make it to the top with the 360 degree city view right before lunch. You will want a few hours dedicated to the Guinness Storehouse so you can take your time and pose for all the photo opportunities!
After Guinness, grab a beer at the oldest pub in Dublin, Brazen Head on your way back to city center. You can grab lunch here but the menu is more expensive than most places because it’s a tourist attraction. You can also go here last and catch the trad music in the evenings on most nights.
From Brazen Head, walk about 10 minutes to Christ Church Cathedral. Adult admission is €6.75. If you don’t feel like paying you can admire from outside but if you do go inside make sure to check out the catacombs where they have lots of historical information about the cathedral. You can pay a little extra if you prefer to go on a tour which allows you access to the Belfry. To stay on the cathedral trail, walk another 10 minutes to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral . I haven’t been inside yet but I hear it’s lovely.
While you’re in this part of Dublin you might as well grab a Teeling distillery cocktail from the bar or hop on a tour or tasting. I’ve gone back to the distillery several times just for the cocktails. We enjoyed this tour more than the Jameson tour because they actually take you behind the scenes and show you how they make their product on site.
Want to see more? Head over to Stevens Green for a stroll through the park or walk down Grafton Street and catch a street performance. If it’s raining, pop into a pub or two in this area for some good craic. One of my favorites is P. Mac’s but you can find loads of pubs and choose whichever one catches your eye. I’m still getting a sense for the best restaurants but I find the food in Dublin to be good wherever you go. Now that you’re a Dubliner, catch the bus home for a rest.
Day 3
By now you have seen some of the main attractions Dublin has to offer so you should spend the last day relaxing a bit and maybe even adventure outside of Dublin. If you would like to go outside of the city by car you can rent a GoCar by the hour or for the day.
If you’d like to stay in Dublin, I would recommend a tour of Kilmainham Gaol Jail for the history lesson. The tour is about an hour long and you have access to the museum afterwards, all for just €8. The tour tells the history of Ireland through the stories of the prisoners kept there from The Rising in 1916 to the Irish Civil War, and The Great Famine. It’s not a very cheery experience but I think it’s the best tour that provides the most information about Irish history in a short amount of time. From the jail, you can find your way to Phoenix Park for a nice green walk or bike ride. You can rent bikes right at the entrance or walk to the famous Dublin Zoo. The park is the largest in any European city so don’t try to see it all but rather just a portion of it for some fresh air.
If you’re staying with us and you’re over city center, Glasnevin Cemetery and the National Botanic Garden are a 5 minute walk from our doorstep. You can go on the cemetery tour or just walk through on your way to the gardens. One of our favorite things to do on a sunny day in Dublin (very rare!) is picnic in the Botanic Garden or Griffith Park and watch the world go by.
I haven’t really mentioned any museums yet but there are several to choose from in Dublin. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is great. There’s also an archaeology museum, a writer’s museum, and a modern art museum to name a few. You could spend all 3 days in museums if you wanted to!
If you would like to head a bit outside of the city, Howth is a great option. It’s far enough out that you feel like you’re in a new place entirely. We’ve had some great sea food in Howth, especially fish n’ chips. You can do the Howth Cliff Walk to walk off a large seafood lunch and enjoy the brisk sea breeze or walk along the pier. We’ve enjoyed the seafood at O’Connells Pub and Restaurant or up on the hill at McNeills of Howth.
If you want to leave the city and go South, I would suggest the cliff walk from Bray to Greystones along the coast for some beautiful views. You can take the dart from Tara Street Station in the city center for an easy 45 minute train ride along the coast to Bray. From the station, head to the coast and walk along the promenade up the hill and then continue walking until you get to Greystones (about an hour and a half walk). Once you are in Greystones, there are lots of cute little shops to browse but don’t miss out on The Happy Pear which has some yummy treats. When you’re ready, hop back on the dart and head all the way back to the Tara Street Station in Dublin.
My third suggestion would be to go down to Glendalough in Co. Wicklow. It’s about a 45 minute drive South of Dublin by car or you can check out a day tour with a company like Paddywagon (check out this post of ours). The hike around the upper lake in Glendalough is worth the sore legs.
We hope you find this itinerary helpful! We’ll make sure to update it when we discover new things to do and see in Dublin that you shouldn’t miss.