2 July 2017

A city break in Dublin

When I booked for us to go for a long weekend in Dublin earlier this year I knew we'd need to plan lots to do to make the most of the three days we spent there. I tried not to focus on doing too many touristy things and instead picked out a handful to give us lots of time to just explore the city for ourselves.

I thought i'd share a few of the best things we did along with some travel tips for Dublin, just in case you're looking for places to go for a long weekend!

Visit Temple Bar. No trip to Dublin is complete without a trip to the iconic Temple Bar pub. I'd recommend visiting during a weekday when it's a bit quieter; we went just before lunch and managed to get served quickly and find a seat at the bar. At night the atmosphere in the streets around Temple Bar can be a bit crazy but it's definitely worth walking through, just for the experience!

Temple Bar, Dublin

Stay at the Ashling Hotel. I mainly used TripAdvisor to find the best hotel in Dublin for our price range as good reviews are so important. The Ashling Hotel is a little out of the city which makes it really good value and it was in the perfect location a few minutes away from Heuston station for both trams around the city and the bus to and from the airport. I can't fault the service and even though we got an early flight and arrived at 10am our room was ready when we got there! The breakfast is also great and the staff are really helpful so it's a great place to stay.

Ashling Hotel, Dublin

Buy a Leap card. A Leap card is a must if you want to skip walking everywhere and use the trams around Dublin. We bought the 72 hour one which also included the bus back to the airport. It ended up being great value, especially thanks to the convenient location of our hotel and we didn't have to worry about spending anything else on taxis or buses. You can pick one up from the official Tourist information centre on O'Connell street and there are lots of price options depending on the length of your stay.

Leap visitor card, Dublin

Visit the Guinness Storehouse. No trip to Dublin is complete without a visit to St James's Gate where Guinness is made. My boyfriend loves Guinness so I bought this as part of his Christmas present and he wasn't disappointed. It's a great place to spend a morning and there's lots to see - the gift shop is huge and there's definitely a souvenir for everyone! I'd recommend buying your tickets through TripAdvisor so that you can queue jump as it does get busy on a weekend and means you can make the most of your time in Dublin. 

Guinness Storehouse, DublinTiny pint of beer, Guinness Storehouse Dublin

Explore the city centre. There is a huge mix of shops, and Henry Street has lots of choice if you're planning to go shopping in Dublin. I really enjoyed exploring the side streets where there are some great independent shops - we loved the Irish Design Shop which is on Drury Street in the creative quarter and has some amazing homeware! 

Shopping in Dublin - Henry Street

Walk around St Steven's Green. We were lucky with the weather and managed to fit in a walk around St Steven's Green before we flew back to England. It's close to the city centre and is a great place to sit and enjoy an ice cream after you've been shopping!

St Steven's Green Dublin

Don't forget to have a read of my earlier post if you're looking for restaurants or places to eat in Dublin!

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