Dublin, Ireland: A Complete Travel Guide

Dublin is located on the east coast of Ireland. Founded as a Viking settlement, it’s been Ireland's primary city for most of the island's history. Today, it’s the capital and largest city in the country, boasting a range of historical sites, a vibrant pub scene, and fascinating museums. Above all, it’s known for its warm, welcoming, and friendly people. In this travel guide, we share 10 of the best things to do in Dublin as well as great places to stay, eat, and drink.

View from the Guinness Storehouse gravity bar

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Check out our video about Dublin to see the best things to do through our camera!

Best Things To Do In Dublin

• Visit Trinity College & See the Book of Kells

• Watch Live Music In A Pub (Temple Bar, Camden Street, St. Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street)

• Go On A Guinness Storehouse Tour

• Walk Through St. Stephen's Green Park

• Visit Kilmainham Gaol (You need to book your tickets in advance!)

• Learn About Irish Whiskey (Irish Whiskey Museum or Teeling Whiskey Distillery)

• Visit EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum (or alternatively: 14 Henrietta Street, Little Museum of Dublin, National History Museum, The National Gallery of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, or Dublinia)

• Hike Along The Howth Cliffs (Howth Cliff Loop Hike Route Overview)

• Stroll Around The Historic City Center (Go on a free walking tour)

• Go on a Day Trip to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough & Kilkenny

• Go on a Day Trip to Giant’s Causeway

• Go on a Day Trip to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway

Download our Google Map with all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay here.

The Book of Kells

Places To Stay In Dublin

• Abbey Court Hostel ($): is located in Temple Bar. It has a variety of rooms, including dorms and private rooms, and it also has a bar, a restaurant, and a laundry room.

• ALTIDO

• The Hendrick Smithfield ($$): This hotel is located in the Smithfield area, just a short walk from the city center. It has modern rooms with free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs. It also has a bar and a restaurant.

• Aloft Dublin City ($$$): This hotel is located in the city center, just a few minutes walk from Grafton Street. It has modern rooms with free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs. It also has a bar and a rooftop terrace.

Places To Eat And Drink In Dublin

• The Hairy Lemon: is a traditional Irish pub that serves classic Irish dishes, such as bangers and mash, and Irish stew. They also have a wide selection of Irish beers and whiskeys.

• Mr Fox: is a modern European restaurant with a focus on seasonal ingredients. The menu changes regularly, but you can always expect creative and delicious dishes.

• FIRE Steakhouse & Bar: is a popular steakhouse that serves locally-sourced beef, lamb, and seafood. The menu also includes a variety of vegetarian options.

• The Vintage Kitchen: is a modern Irish restaurant with a vibrant, vintage-style interior. It serves creative takes on traditional Irish dishes, such as roasted gammon with colcannon and cabbage, and beef and Guinness stew.

• The Art of Coffee - Dublin 8: serves great coffee and has a beautiful outdoor patio

• Griolladh Thomas St: is another good coffee shop that also has breakfast and egg sandwiches

• Urbanity: has healthy breakfast options like smoothie bowls and home-made granola

• The Brazen Head: is a traditional pub and likely the "oldest" one in Dublin

• Darkey Kelly's: is a traditional pub with live music and decent food

• Queen of Tarts: is a tea and coffee shop with lots of delicious sweets

• Whelan's: a very local and traditional pub in Camden Street

• Cassidys: another local pub in Camden Street with live music

• Devitts: another local pub in Camden Street with live music

• The Blind Pig Speakeasy: an underground speakeasy with amazing food

• Fallon & Byrne - Wine Cellar: is a bit more upscale with a great selection of wine and pasta dishes

• The Bank on College Green: is an elegant bar with delicious cocktails and lunch options (we loved the seafood chowder!)

• The Stags Head: is another traditional pub

• Vintage Cocktail Club: is another great cocktail bar

• The Roof Garden Temple Bar: is a great summer bar

• McNeill's Pub: is another local but small pub with great live music

• The Cobblestone: another very local pub with live music

• Oliver St. John Gogartys: is a busy pub in the heart of Temple Bar. It has more modern music, but come early as the pub fills quickly!

The famous Temple Bar

Map Dublin

Find all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay in Dublin on Google Maps. To follow and save the list, do the following:

1. Tap on the link to open it (click button below)

2. Tap Follow. This list will now be added to the group of lists you follow.

3. Optional: To unfollow a list someone shared with you, tap the list Saved.

If you follow the list we made, all our saved places of Dublin will show up in Your Places. The places will also appear as suggested locations in Google Maps.

Save Google Maps Places

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Use These Websites To Save Money On Your Trip To Dublin

• Booking.com for places to stay

• Skyscanner for cheap flights

• GetYourGuide for local tours

• Rentalcars.com for affordable car rentals

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Are you having a hard time planning your trip to Dublin? Get our Interactive Travel Planner to keep it all organized.

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Need more travel inspiration? Check out our other destinations.