What To Do In Dublin

5 Walks To See The Real Dublin

I just googled "What to do in Dublin" and the suggestions from big travel sites are as dismal as the Irish weather in January. Let's skip the old churches and dusty museums. Instead, let's see the real Dublin.

I'm a proud Dubliner & have created five tours to show you different sides of Dublin, so you'll go home knowing that you've seen the best of local Dublin, and not just ticked off a list of tourist traps.

The 5 Dublin Tours To See Authentic Dublin

1. City: Dublin City Centre. Where to stay, eat, drink & where to avoid.
2. Village: Spend Saturday morning in a local village with Dubliners.
3. Sea: Walk along the Dublin seafront and swim with the locals.
4. Mountains: Hike the Wicklow Mountains with an Irish hiking group.
5. Cliffs: If you only have one day in Dublin, do the Cliffs tour. It's stunning.

Tour 1. City

What to do in Dublin City: Where to stay, shop, eat, and drink.

Guinness Storehouse Tour

After all that talk about local Dublin, the first place to go is the most popular tourist attraction in Ireland, the Guinness Storehouse 😂

Let me explain why I'm recommending it. You land early, long before your hotel room is ready for check in. I've flown from the US to Dublin about 100 times. Trust me, you'll be tired after flying all night.  You'll need energy to keep you going.

The Guinness Storehouse is perfect for this. It's loud & busy. There's music & Guinness. It's a good tour to be fair. The view from the Guinness Gravity Bar is worth the admission.

Tour takes about 2 hours. Go early and book online for best prices & to skip the line

Croke Park Skywalk

This is an alternate to Guinness. It's on a stadium roof so it'll keep you awake!

I just did it myself for the first time and was surprised how good it was. I went to it thinking it was a sports tour, but it's more of a Dublin tour.

And it's excellent for getting your bearings in Dublin on your first day since you get a 360 degree view of the city. The tour guide was great fun and mixed Irish history, with Dublin history, with Gaelic sports.

Croke Park is the 4th biggest stadium in Europe and is home to the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association). The GAA is a core part of Irish life. Its sports, hurling and Gaelic football, are only played in Ireland, and players compete for pride of their county, not money, as it's totally amateur. You'll learn more about it on the tour.

The tour took about an hour. Book ahead of time and check the weather since it's all outdoors.

Where to Stay in Dublin 

Dublin is divided into the south side and the north side by the River Liffey. Stay in the south side. The north side of town has its share of dodgy people, and I avoid it at night.

Many Dublin hotels are in old buildings with winding corridors & steps. Stay in a newer hotel for a better experience.

My Top Five Hotels In Dublin.

1. Leonardo Hotel Christchurch 4* Modern building, reasonably priced, and a very central location. The Lord Edward bar next door is my local bar in the city.
2. Hard Rock Hotel Dublin. 4* I was very impressed when my friend stayed here. I'm not a fan of the chain, but the hotel is well done.
3. Travelodge Plus Dublin City Centre 3* This is more budget friendly, but gets excellent reviews & is next to Trinity College, so location is perfect.
4. Trinity City Hotel 4* Right outside Trinity College Dublin and a one minute walk to the DART station where most of my walks begin.
5. Shelbourne Hotel 5* The Shelbourne is THE iconic Dublin hotel. Home to politicians, presidents, and Irish society. If you can afford it, stay here.

Getting Around Dublin

Dublin is small. Don't rent a car. Parking is difficult & expensive. All my tours are designed for walking & taking the DART light rail.

Where To Go In Dublin City Centre 

No plan, just wander the area in red below. You'll find lots of side streets, local shops, pubs and restaurants to pick from.

Shopping in Dublin

Grafton Street is the main shopping street. Apart from the buskers, it doesn't have much charm. It's full of international chains. Instead, go to Drury Street, Wicklow Street, Exchequer Street. They have independent local shops. Don't walk past Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. It's easy to miss, but it's architecturally beautiful. Eat lunch and find quality Irish products here. 

Dublin Restaurants

To make this easy, work your way to this intersection (Wicklow Street & South William Street) and explore the streets in this area. They are full of coffee shops, cafes, bars & restaurants. In the summer evenings, there's such a buzz around here.

Wicklow Street, Exchequer Street, South William Street, Drury Street & George's Street. This is where the locals go. Not Temple Bar (more on that further down).

https://lovindublin.com is the best local website for food reviews. 

Dublin Nightlife

First, let's get Temple Bar out of the way. Ugh. It's awful. The whole Temple Bar area is overpriced, made for & filled with tourists. Avoid!!!

Instead of Temple Bar, start at the same intersection I wrote about above. The bars start getting busy around 5. Explore the streets around it, walk into any pub that looks good.

How To Find The Best Bars In Dublin?

It's easy. Look for bars with an Irish family name, such as Bowes, Mulligan, Grogan, and McDaids. Colloquially known as Old Man Pubs.

These places are all institutions for the appreciation of Guinness. You won't be finding fancy cocktails here. These pubs ARE Dublin.

Don't pass them by, order your pint, and consider how lucky you are to be drinking a pint of delicious Guinness in Dublin right now. 

More Nightlife in Dublin

Camden Street is the other main nightlife part of Dublin. It's only a 10 minute walk up George's Street. Nicknamed the 'Camden Mile', it is full of restaurants & bars. If you want to keep the party going, this is where the late night bars are.

My Top 5 Bars In Dublin

1. Lord Edward. This is my local in town. Delightfully untouched in decades.
2. Bowes. Close to Temple Bar, but miles away in quality. Lots of whiskey.
3. Mulligan's. I spent a lot of my student days in Trinity in Mulligans.
4. Neary's. Perfect for a quick pint to get a break from shopping
5. Long Hall. A weekday afternoon, sat by the window - with a pint. This is life.

Traditional Irish Music in Dublin

The guidebooks say go to The Cobblestone for Irish traditional music. Don't! It's packed with tourists. It's been ruined unfortunately. Instead, go to Rake The Ashes at Tucker Reilly's on Camden Street on Sunday nights. You'll hear Irish music with Irish people. The craic is unreal. Pipers Corner is another good option for trad music away from the crowds.

Gaelic Sports At Croke Park

If there is a Gaelic football or hurling game on at Croke Park when you are here, go to it. Only played in Ireland, all amateurs playing just for pride of their home town. Hurling is the fastest & most skillful ball sport in the world. Even if the game is sold out, go to the bars near the stadium and enjoy the atmosphere.

Get Out Of The City

Here’s a statement you won’t find on other "What To Do In Dublin" sites:

Get out of Dublin’s city centre

Dublin is a busy capital city with all the typical big-city issues. You should spend a few hours doing my City tour, but just don't spend all your time there like so many tourists do.

The real charm of Dublin is in its coastal villages. My next four tours will show you the very best of Dublin. Away from the tourists and into local Dublin.

Tour 2. Village

I promised that you'd see the local side of Dublin. This is my village, where I live. Do this tour on a Saturday morning & you'll see a real Dublin community go about its weekend. Watch Gaelic sports, visit the weekly market in the park. Then visit the Dublin Biosphere on the beach.

Village Tour Route

Get the DART to Raheny, then follow this map. The route is flat & paved. Plan on taking 2 hours with stops. There are bathrooms in the park, cafes & pier.

Raheny Village

From the DART station, walk through the Raheny Village. There's nothing special about Raheny. It's a typical village that you'll see all over Ireland. But this is the kind of place I look for when I travel. To see how the locals live. See the houses they live in. Stop in a local coffee shop.

Give me this look at local life over going to see the Book of Kells any day.

Look for the 300-year-old ruins of St Assam's Church. U2's Bono got married in All Saints Church in Raheny. If you need a coffee or snack, stop in to see Sarah & Andy at Bowl's Healthy Eating. 

St Anne's Park

The next stops are in the beautiful St. Anne’s Park, one of Dublin’s largest parks. You'll forget you're in a capital city. Be sure to find the hidden river.

Hurling & Gaelic Football

In the park, you can watch local teams playing Gaelic Football & Hurling, our national sports. Ask someone to explain the rules and that will get you chatting with some locals.

Park Run

Every Saturday morning, the community does a free 5k Park Run. It's not a race, you can walk or jog. It is designed to bring the community together. Everyone has a coffee together afterwards.

Visitors are welcome, so join in & do it yourself. What better way to experience Dublin than becoming a part of it!

Weekly Market

On Saturday mornings, there is a market in St Anne's Park. I buy all my weekly groceries here. Come hungry. Get your lunch and eat it on the grass, along with a few hundred Dubliners.

The market is in the central area of the park. My route will take you through the Rose Garden, past the Fairy Tree, into the Walled Park under the Clock Tower, and down to my favorite part of the park: the river

Bull Island  

From the park, we'll come to the seafront. Walk across the Wooden Bridge to Bull Island. The island a UNESCO Biosphere & National Bird Sanctuary with mudflats, salt marshes, and coastal grasslands.

The pier to Dollymount Beach is full of Dubliners getting their daily steps in. You'll see bathing shelters where brave people swim, no matter how cold the day is.

You can see all of Dublin from here. To your left, Howth. To the right, Dublin City and the mountains.

Dollymount Beach is the kitesurfing beach in Dublin. I kite here! Take a lesson with Pure Magic Watersports.

Warm up with coffee at Happy Out, located in an old shipping container. Then, go back to the main road, where you can get a bus or taxi back to town.

Optional: Keep walking along the seafront through the village of Clontarf to Clontarf Dart Station. It adds an hour to your walk, but it's a nice walk with plenty of cafes along the way. Good restaurants in Clontarf too.

Tour 3. Sea

Walk the coastal villages of Dublin's Southside along the sea. Visit the market, swim at the Forty Foot. See Dalkey Island.

Today's theme is the sea. It's ever-present as you walk along the seafront on Dublin's Southside. This is the wealthy part of Dublin. The walk starts in Dún Laoghaire and goes to Dalkey, with the option to keep walking to Killiney.

The Sea Route

You have the main route, with an option to keep going.

1. The is Dun-Laoghaire to Dalkey. It's 6kms, all paved and flat. https://maps.app.goo.gl/CWbWvrPbAt26SPc5A
2. This map includes the option to go to Killiney. It's an extra 3km and uphill. https://maps.app.goo.gl/HhRfCFY4V81pHopo6

Dún Laoghaire

Take the DART to Dún Laoghaire. Dún Laoghaire harbor is worth a visit itself. Very busy with ships, boats & yachts. You can paddleboard here if you feel active.

Follow my route along the waterfront. If it is Sunday, go to the market at the People's Park. Be sure to have coffee at Happy Out on the sea front. It's a beautiful building overlook the sea. I just can't walk past it!. Teddy's Ice Cream is the best know ice cream in Dublin. You won't go hungry today.

The Lexicon library is fantastic if you need to work when you're in Dublin. It's a free desk with sea views for miles.

The Forty Foot

As you walk along the route into Sandycove, follow the curve around to The Forty Foot. Dubliners have been swimming here for 250 years.

If you're brave, come ready to swim. You'll earn respect from any Dubliner if you can tell them you went for a swim at the Forty Foot. If you don't want to swim, chat to the locals who do. It's a very friendly meeting place.

Dalkey

The walk continues onto Dalkey. Dalkey is Dublin's most exclusive area, home to the rich and famous. Have lunch, and browse the shops on its main street. There's a castle in Dalkey too.

The last stop is a short walk up the hill to Colliemore Harbor. Dalkey Island is so close you nearly touch it. Then walk five minutes downhill to Dalkey DART station and take the train back home.

Killiney

The views over Killiney Bay are stunning. On a sunny day, it looks like a Caribbean bay. You have to see it. There's two options.

1. You can walk if you're still feeling energetic and want to see more, you can keep going up Colliemore Hill. It adds 3km.
2. If you've done enough walking already, take the Dart from Dalkey to Killiney. It's the nicest stretch of rail in Ireland. Only takes 5 minutes. Then get off in Killiney. Walk to the other side of the tracks and take the Dart back to town. It's worth it! Sit on the left side of the train towards Killiney.

Tour 4. Mountains

Wicklow Mountains National Park has barren landscapes, hidden lakes, forest trails, waterfalls and 10th century ruins. Hike with locals for the best time.

The Wicklow mountains are only 30 minutes from Dublin City center. It's amazing how quickly you go from a busy city to a barren wilderness in the mountains. On a grey day, it can feel like you're in Patagonia. I'm here hiking most weekends.

As always, my favorite way to see a place is with the locals. Come with my hiking group that I am member of. We walk every second weekend.

Glendalough

If hiking isn't your thing, no worries. Take a bus tour through the mountains. Don't drive here. You want to be looking at the window, not navigating impossibly narrow mountains roads, where there's often no phone signal.

The buses pass by the Glenmacnass waterfall and then stop at Glendalough. You'll walk through 10th century ruins and along a path to the lakes. It’s a short hike and good for photos. I took all those photos there.

The bus tours also have the option of going to Kilkenny. It makes for a long day, but Kilkenny is one of the nicest small towns in Ireland, so it's worth it.

Note: If you're going to explore more of Ireland, you can skip the Mountains tour. As nice as they are, you're going to see lots of wilderness out west.

Tour 5. Cliffs

If you have only one day in Dublin, do this tour. The Howth Cliff Walk & island cruise.

Howth

Howth is very firmly on the tourist trail, but rightly so. It's the most beautiful part of all of Dublin. Today you'll walk the Howth Cliff Walk, have fresh fish & chips and take a boat.

Do this tour during the week, not at the weekend, it gets too busy.

Take the DART to Howth. Important. Take the right train. You want the Northbound Dart to Howth (not Malahide).

This is your route for the day. The walking part will take 2 hours. The boat takes an hour and lunch will take an hour too.

Howth & Ireland's Eye Boat Cruise

Start your day taking the 60 minute Ireland's Eye cruise around the small island off the coast. It gives you a close up look at the island and the cliffs. Plus boats are fun and the captains are entertaining.

You should book online ahead of time, since boats book up quickly during peak season. I recommend starting your day with this boat tour. By doing the cruise first, it helps you avoid rushing through the cliff walk to make it to a scheduled boat departure time.

Seals

To get to the boat dock, you'll walk along a busy working pier. Watch the fishermen preparing the boats to head out.

My cousins have a fish shop on this pier. Across from the shop, you'll usually find some seals hanging out looking for fish.

The Howth Cliff Walk

This is the highlight of the day. The views from the Howth Cliff Path are just spectacular. You can see all of Dublin Bay across to Wicklow mountains. It is always my guests favorite day of their time in Dublin.

Lighthouse Viewpoint

When you get to the lighthouse viewpoint, you can keep walking down to the lighthouse. You'll see some beaches down below and wonder how people get down there. Or you can walk up the signposted steps to the car park and get lunch.

I like getting lunch at the Summit Inn. It's calmer than the restaurants in the busy harbor area. And less seagulls too!.

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After your lunch, then it's an easy walk down the hill. You'll pass some expensive houses and walk through the lovely village of Howth.

You'll be tired, but happy and with a phone full of photos. It's Here!

Is the Howth Cliff Walk Dangerous?

No, it is not dangerous, but it is a cliff walk in an often wet & windy country.

I hate heights, but I walk the Cliff Walk every week so that tells you it's not bad. There is one 100m section that I don't like. But that's just me. I see other people walking along with no concerns.

Just be smart, be careful, dress appropriately. The first half of the walk has no exposure at all, so you can do that and still enjoy the experience.

Boat Cruise From Howth To Dun Laoghaire

You can get the DART home. Or you take another boat, across Dublin Bay from Howth to Dun Laoghaire. It only takes an hour.

From Dun Laoghaire, you do my Sea tour to Dalkey or take the DART back into the city.

You could also do this cruise instead of the morning one around Ireland's Eye.

1 Day Dublin Itinerary

Start early, do the Cliff Tour. Take the boat to Dun Laoghaire, do my Sea tour, then take DART back into town for the City tour. It'll be a busy day, but you can do it!

2 Day Dublin Itinerary

Day 1. Do the Cliff Tour, then go back into the City and do the City tour into the evening.

Day 2. Do the Village tour if it's a Saturday. Do the Sea tour if it's any other day. You could add on Kilmainham Jail too.

3 Day Dublin Itinerary

You're doing it right. You have time to explore. Check the weather first and plan the outdoors days based on that.

Day 1. Do the City tour. Walk and explore the city. I've learn people end up doing more touristy things than I suggest. That's ok, I get it. Go to a comedy club, gig or play at night.

Day 2. Do the Cliffs and take the boat over to Dún Laoghaire to do the Sea tour. If it's a Saturday, swap the Sea for the Village tour.

Day 3. Do the Mountains tour (if you're not exploring more in Ireland)

What About The Book Of Kells and.....

I intentionally haven't mentioned a lot of the typical tourist sites like the Book of Kells. It's just not what I do when I'm away. I'd rather get out, see the real city and meet locals than go to manufactured tourist experiences run by corporations. If that's your thing, just about every other guide to Dublin will have suggestions for you. Or just look for the herds of sheep wandering Dublin with their Temple Bar bags (kidding, not kidding!)

Dublin Weather

Ireland has this image of being cold and wet. The weather is actually mild & Dublin feels warmer than the temperature suggests.

Today, for example, is 19C/62F. This sounds cold, but I'm wearing shorts. So layer up and bring a light rain coat.

Unless you're coming in the winter, then bring everything!!

More Best Things to Do in Dublin

I keep thinking of more things to do, so I'll add them on here.

• If you're just coming back to Dublin for one night before you fly home, stay in Malahide for the night. It's a gorgeous coastal village that's close to the airport. Or just come visit it for the day on the DART.
• Take the DART to Portmarnock and walk 90 minutes to Malahide. Get lunch or dinner there, and take the train back in from Malahide.
• Greystones is another coastal village that's worth a day trip. You've guessed it, take the DART to get there.
• Comedy Clubs. There's nothing like Irish humor. Catch a comedy night. The one at the Intentional Bar is my favorite. It's tiny. You might be sitting on stage.
• Check the Pavillion Theater schedule. They have excellent Irish shows, singers & comedians. See some Irish culture in a local setting.
• Kilmainham Gaol. It is a very important part of Irish history. It's powerful, somber, and a place that I've been to many times. Book far ahead for it. 

Follow These Instagram Accounts About Dublin

@janecasey.ie. @lemonlimod. @lovindublin @dublintown @thetaste_ie

Have Questions? Need Your Dublin or Ireland Itinerary Reviewed? I'll Help You Directly

Just add your questions in the comments section below. I respond quickly.

Sorry but I can't respond to itinerary questions via email. I just get too many to help everyone! Leave a comment instead and my answer will help others too.

You do have to create an account to comment. Apologies in advance! I'm trying to find a way around this, but I'm not a techie.

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Want Me To Show You Around Dublin?

I can show you around Dublin. Think of it more as walking with a local friend, than a guided tour. I'll point a lot more than you'd see on your own, but I'm not going to bury you with historical dates & facts.

There are two options.

1. A private tour of any of my tours. Each walk takes about 2 hours. €100 for up to 4 people.
2. I do a group tour every Saturday morning as I walk the Village route. Only 10 Euro per person. Starts 10am and takes about 2 hours.

Email me to arrange either tour.

Darragh | Dublin. Summer 2024 | Follow me on IG