City guide · Ireland
Dublin
Georgian squares, literary ghosts, and perfectly poured pints
May–September
Euro (EUR)
English (Irish/Gaeilge co-official)
Europe
The guides
The best of Dublin, by category
Dublin packs a thousand years of history, Viking foundations, Georgian doorways, and the ghosts of Joyce, Wilde, and Beckett, into a walkable city split by the Liffey. It runs on conversation: in snug-fitted Victorian pubs, around Trinity's cobbles, and along the coastal villages a DART ride away.
The shortlist
If you only have time for the best
The single highest-rated picks across every category in Dublin.
Hotels
See all 6- 1
The Shelbourne
St Stephen's Green
4.6★3,000+ reviews - 2
The Merrion Hotel
Merrion Square / Government Buildings
4.7★2,000+ reviews
- 3
The Westbury
Off Grafton Street
4.6★2,000+ reviews
Restaurants
See all 6- 1
Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen
Parnell Square
4.7★1,000+ reviews - 2
The Winding Stair
Ormond Quay / Ha'penny Bridge
4.5★3,000+ reviews - 3
The Pig's Ear
Nassau Street / Trinity College
4.6★1,500+ reviews
Bars
See all 6- 1
The Long Hall
South Great George's Street
4.7★3,000+ reviews - 2
The Temple Bar Pub
Temple Bar
4.5★25,000+ reviews - 3
Kehoe's
South Anne Street / Grafton Street
4.6★5,000+ reviews
Attractions
See all 6- 1
Guinness Storehouse
St James's Gate / The Liberties
4.6★75,000+ reviews
- 2
Book of Kells & Trinity College Old Library
Trinity College, College Green
4.6★50,000+ reviews - 3
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham
4.8★25,000+ reviews
Where to base yourself
Dublin neighborhoods, decoded
Pick your area first — it shapes everything else about the trip.
Temple Bar
Cobbled, loud, tourist-centralDublin's cultural quarter of cobbled lanes holds galleries, the Irish Film Institute, and a weekend food market alongside its famous (and pricey) pubs. Visit for the buzz, then drink a street or two away.
The Liberties
Historic, gritty, distilling revivalDublin's oldest working-class quarter holds the Guinness Storehouse, Teeling and Pearse Lyons distilleries, and antique shops along Francis Street. It is the city's best area for whiskey tourism.
Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green
Polished shopping and Georgian greeneryThe pedestrian shopping spine runs from Trinity to the Green, lined with buskers who have included a pre-fame Glen Hansard and Bono's Christmas singalongs. Side streets hide Kehoe's, the Little Museum of Dublin, and the Victorian George's Street Arcade nearby.
Stoneybatter & Smithfield
Hip village on the northsideOnce cattle-market territory, now Dublin's coolest postcode with craft pubs like L. Mulligan Grocer, the Lighthouse Cinema, and Jameson's Bow Street distillery. It stays defiantly local despite the hype.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the ride
Howth
30 min by DARTA fishing village on a rugged peninsula with a cliff-path loop, seals at the pier, and fish and chips from Beshoff Bros; Dublin's classic half-day escape.
Glendalough & Wicklow Mountains
1.5 hr by car or tour busA 6th-century monastic city with a round tower set between two glacial lakes in the 'Garden of Ireland'; walking trails fan out from the visitor centre.
Newgrange (Brú na Bóinne)
1 hr by car to the visitor centreA 5,200-year-old passage tomb older than the pyramids, aligned to the winter solstice sunrise; access is by timed shuttle tour only, so book ahead.
Eat like a local
What to order in Dublin
Full Irish breakfast
Sausages, rashers, black and white pudding, eggs, beans, and toast, the morning cure.
Try it at: The Woollen Mills by the Ha'penny Bridge or any classic café
Seafood chowder & brown bread
Creamy smoked-fish chowder with dense buttered soda bread.
Try it at: Matt the Thresher, or The Oar House in Howth
Coddle
The old Dublin worker's stew of sausages, bacon, onions, and potatoes simmered white.
Try it at: The Hairy Lemon or Gravediggers (John Kavanagh) in Glasnevin
Oysters with a pint of stout
Irish rock or native oysters paired with Guinness, a 19th-century Dublin tradition.
Try it at: The Seafood Bar at Matt the Thresher or Temple Bar's oyster festivals
Good to know
Dublin essentials, answered
Two to three days covers Trinity, Kilmainham, the Guinness Storehouse, and a proper pub crawl at an easy pace. Add a day for Howth or the Wicklow Mountains, which deliver the postcard-Ireland scenery the city itself lacks.
