dublin sights, attractions and itinerary
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Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Dublin itinerary. Here you'll find all the information you need on the best Dublin sights and attractions along with some history and plenty of photos. I also want to put a quick note here to say if you get chance book the Hotel Riu Plaza, The Gresham. It's cheap, it's central, the breakfast is exceptional, and the staff are excellent. When I messed up my booking through Lastminute.com the hotel changed the dates for me straight away. I never usually recommend a place to stay, and you can check my other city guides for proof, but I'm making a rare exception for this place.
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Guinness, Jamesons, St Patrick and mummified Tom and Jerry
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It's a strange thing flying from England to Dublin. There's the usual 2 hour wait at the airport before you get to take your seat on the plane, strap yourself in, and before you know it you're landing. There's barely time for the seat belt light to go off before you've reached your destination. This makes Dublin an ideal weekend escape. The fact that the majority of its most famous exports are alcohol based, and the Temple Bar area is a world renowned drinkers paradise, only cements Dublin's position as one of my favourite destinations. Obviously visiting the pubs is one of the top things to do in Dublin and you can find my guide to the 30 best pubs in Dublin here.
It's not all about the beer though, although it's certainly one of the major Dublin attractions. There's also whiskey and plenty of other things to put on a Dublin itinerary. Beyond that Ireland is a beautiful country steeped in history, and the capital is no exception. The country has produced literary giants like James Joyce, Samuel Becket, C.S Lewis, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and the patron saints of horror Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. As always though there is a flip side. Ireland is also responsible for Eamonn Holmes, Bono, Liam Neeson and Robbie Keane, who once cost me £10,000 on a one pound accumulator when he missed a last minute penalty while playing for Spurs. I'm not saying he's a bad person, but can you really blame me for holding a grudge?
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As an Englishman I do feel obliged to point out that we haven't always treated the Irish particularly well. Or the Scots for that matter, or the population of India, or frankly anyone we ever came across during our empire days. Sorry about all that. And I know that sounds flippant, but there's really nothing else that can be said. I do feel it's important to say it though because across English schools we still seem to glorify the age of empire, skimming over the dark truth about the devastation it caused.
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Dublin is now a thriving city and center of commerce. It's an important part of the EU, which has left many Brits frantically searching for long lost Irish relatives, so they can keep their EU passports post Brexit. Alas I've had no luck with my search. Dublin is very much the political and financial centre of Ireland, and it's the European home of companies like Facebook, Amazon, Google and Yahoo, so it's doing pretty well for itself. Dublin also makes my list of the best party cities in Europe.
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Before we talk about your Dublin itinerary we need to get you there and not surprisingly there's loads of cheap direct flights to Dublin from most airports in the UK so you shouldn't struggle to find a good deal. The easiest way to get to Dublin from the airport is the bus. You want the 747 or 757, they cost 7 euros and take about 30 minutes, which is nearly as long as the flight to Dublin!! Alternatively ShuttleDirect run a transfer service direct to your hotel. Right now we've got you there lets go drink in the Dublin sights.
Dublin Sights
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Guinness Storehouse
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Lets be honest this was always going to be the first place I wrote about in my Dublin travel guide, and why wouldn't it be? Guinness is almost certainly Ireland's most famous export, and its been brewing here since 1759, when a man named Arthur Guinness decided to create the black stuff. It's an absolutely iconic brand, so much so that my living room actually has a Guinness wall. For many people it's also the gateway drink into the wonderful dark world of stouts and porters. Certainly for me it was my first taste of proper beer, and an escape from the horribly bland world of lager.
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It should be noted at this point that in the early twentieth century Guinness actually moved its headquarters to London, but we wont mention that too loudly in Dublin. It's also brewed in 49 different countries, and owns five breweries outright, only one of which is in Dublin, and that's the only one in Ireland. Does any of this matter though? probably not. Although it does kind of dispel the myth that Guinness tastes better in Dublin than the rest of the world. I've tried it, and can honestly say it tastes exactly the same, although it is more lovingly poured.
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Regardless Guinness Draft is actually the worst Guinness. Honestly if you like Guinness Draft get yourself a bottle of Guinness Original or Extra Stout, it'll blow your mind. I guess at some point in this I should actually talk about the Guinness Storehouse, rather than just the drink itself, as that's what you're paying the 20 euros entrance fee for. Yea I know that's very expensive for a brewery tour, especially a self guided one.
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It's an exceptional tour though, even if at times the eulogising for Arthur Guinness crosses the line from the gushing to the sickening. Honestly you'd think they were talking about Mother Teresa or some other saintly figure the way it goes on at times. I'm not denying that he was probably a nice guy, and he, and his company certainly treated their employees exceptionally well, I'm just saying it gets a bit sycophantic at times.
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The Store House opened in 2000 and spans an impressive, and interactive seven floors. You'll learn all about the history of Guinness, and the saintly Arthur Guinness, as well as other key employees down the years. You'll be introduced to all the ingredients, and get a pretty thorough idea of exactly how Guinness is brewed. The whole Storehouse is exceptionally well designed, and set out to provide a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
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The two highlights have to be the floor dedicated to iconic Guinness advertising over the years, including slogans like 'Guinness it's good for you,' which was so effective that it was actually recommended that pregnant women drank half a pint of Guinness a day for a while. The other highlight is the Gravity Bar, right at the top of the Storehouse, where you get a free pint of Guinness and the very best views of Dublin so sit back with a Guinness and drink in the Dublin sights.
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There's a few nice gimmicks involved in the Storehouse, for instance you can have your face placed on the head of your pint instead of the traditional clover. I'm not sure why you'd want too, I'm just saying you can. And the experience will take a good two to three hours, which makes the price seem a little more acceptable. I don't think there's any real doubt that when it comes to beer storeroom/brewery tours this is probably the best around, so it's very much top of any Dublin itinerary.
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St Patrick's Cathedral
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Outside of St Peter and St Paul I genuinely can't think of a more well known saint than St Patrick. It's not really got anything to do with anything he's said or done, it's just because St Patrick's day is widely accepted across the world as massive piss-up day. Just for the record St Patrick was a fifth century Irish missionary, and is credited with founding Christianity in the country. He's also credited with removing all reptiles, and specifically snakes from Ireland. As the owner of a bearded dragon I don't consider this to be a positive move on his part. Had he managed to banish all spiders I'd have happily canonised him myself. Other than St Patrick himself the other notable name associated with the cathedral is Jonathan Swift, who was the Dean of the cathedral in the 18th century.
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Founded in the late 12th century the cathedral is the second biggest in Dublin, after Christ Church, which we'll get to a little further down. Trust me if you like weird mummified stuff you'll want to stick around for that one. St Patrick's is probably the most important of the two though, and since 1870 it has been recognised as the national cathedral of Ireland.
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A few years ago it was free to visit St Patrick's, sadly now it's a whole 5 euros. The design is Gothic, as all churches should be, and the interior is pretty impressive. It's not the biggest church you'll ever wander into, or the most ornate, but it's culturally significant, and anyone who's ever been to an Irish bar on St Patrick's day will want to come and pay homage. This is certainly one of the top Dublin attractions.
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Trinity College,
The Book of Kels, The Long Room |
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I'm grouping all of these together as they're all on the same site, and that site is trinity College. Founded in 1592 this is the most prestigious university in Ireland, but now it's also one of the main Dublin attractions as it contains the Book of Kels. Created in the 9th century the incredibly lavish book contains, among other things, four gospels from the new testament. It really is a wonderful book to look at but sadly you'll only get to see the page that happens to be on show on the day of your visit. Fortunately though before you get to see the actual book you'll walk through an exhibition telling you all about it, with pictures of a lot of the most famous pages.
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It costs 14 euros to view The Book of Kels, but the exhibition makes it just about worth the cost. Plus you get to visit The Long Room, which for me is the star of the show. This is the 65 meter long library of Trinity College, and an absolute must see when in Dublin. There's over 200,000 ancient texts in here, and while you aren't allowed to get your hands on them it is a working library so a lucky few academics still get the chance. The library has been in use since the 18th century and it looks for all the world like it belongs in a Harry Potter film. It really is an exception place to visit. You'll even find Dublin's oldest working harp here.
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The Jameson Distillery
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For those of you who aren't beer drinkers Dublin has you covered with this excellent homage to the smoothest whiskey in the world. And at 25 euros for the tour boy does it have to be smooth. I should prefix this by saying I'm not really much of a whisky drinker, so you wont get any great insight from me into just how smooth Jamesons is, but the tour guide repeated the smooth mantra so many times it's just completely stuck in my head.
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The reason it's so smooth is that Jamesons triple distils the whisky, where as most scotch whisky is only distilled once, and most Irish whisky is distilled twice, so now you know the secret. Unlike the Guinness Storehouse this is a proper guided tour, with a nice personable Irish guide, who certainly seems to love the smooth stuff.
As you wander round the distillery, which has been on Bow Street since John Jameson opened it in 1780, you'll be told exactly how Jamesons is created, and made so smooth. You'll smell and taste most of the ingredients, and in some cases really wish you hadn't, and you'll get a reasonably generous amount of tasters.
For any whisky drinker this is obviously a must visit when in Dublin, but actually it's an enjoyable experience for none whisky drinkers too. It's also a nice excuse to start drinking before lunch. When in Dublin and all that.
The highlight of the tour is the whisky comparison where they gave us a Jamesons, a Jack Daniels and a really nice, well aged, smokey scotch, which I'm sorry to say I can't remember the name of. Pretty much the whole tour agreed that the scotch was the best offering. But the Jamesons was still very smooth.
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It's an unusual choice to do a tasting session where you put your product up against something a lot of people would probably rather have, but at least it shows they have confidence in their drink. At the end of the tour you're also offered either a shot of Jameson or a cocktail, most people chose the cocktail, which was quite pleasant. All in all the distillery tour is a good experience, and by the end of it you'll probably be a little tipsy, which isn't usually a bad thing. It's certainly a key part of Dublin's heritage and one of the top Dublin attractions so make sure you pay it a visit, and enjoy the scotch.
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Dublin Attractions
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EPIC
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EPIC is the multi award winning Irish Emigration Museum. Basically it tells the story of all the people who have left Ireland and pretty much taken over the world. You'll find stories of American presidents, comedians, sports stars, activists, outlaws, and people from pretty much every imaginable walk of life here. You'll find out why they left, it's often not to find fame and fortune, and in some cases why they returned. I know what you're thinking, this could be quite boring, but it's actually done really well with loads of interactive exhibits to amuse everyone from children through to pensioners.
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As you pass through the museum, remembering to stamp your passport in each room, you'll be presented with life stories, facts and figures, as well as a real visual treat. There's certainly good reasons why EPIC has won so many awards. There's a cost of 16 euros 50 cents to get in, but it's a good two hours worth of entertainment, and you could easily spend that on two pints of Guinness, so it's not that expensive really. EPIC really is one of the top Dublin attractions.
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Go on a Dublin Walking Tour
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The best way to understand a city and get your bearings is always to do a walking tour. This is also an excellent way to find more for your Dublin itinerary. While there are free tours the Dublin Highlights and Hidden Corners Tour is excellent and at only £14 you're probably going to end up tipping a similar amount for a free walking tour anyway. To book this tour click here.
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Christ Church Cathedral
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The Gothic/Romanesque Christ Church is Dublin's first, and for me, prettiest cathedral. Established in the early eleventh century, Christ Church could be forgiven for feeling rather usurped by St Patrick's Cathedral when it became the official cathedral of Ireland over its older, and bigger brother. Unlike St Patrick's though Christ Church charges an 8 euro admission fee, so frankly it deserved to be usurped.
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The interior is similar to St Patrick's Cathedral, with gorgeous vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows, but Christ Church has the greater scale. What Christ Church also has is the largest crypt in Ireland or Britain. And inside the crypt you'll find the remains of Tom and Jerry. It appears Tom chased Jerry into one of the organ pipes where they both died. It's not the prettiest thing you'll ever see, but it's fairly unique. Maybe don't tell your kids that this is what became of their favourite cartoon characters though. One of the more macabre Dublin sights.
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St Michans Church
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On the subject of macabre things I give you St Michans Church, or rather St Michans Crypt. This 11th century church is one of the oldest in Dublin and comfortably the oldest on the North side of the River Liffey. The church itself is rather unspectacular, but for 7 euros you can get a guided tour of the crypts. The guide is excellent, funny, and knowledgeable, plus he goes down first to turn the lights on and that's really important. The history of the Dublin mummies down below is fascinating, especially the bit about how one of them had to have their feet sawn off to fit in the coffin. If you want an offbeat history of Dublin this has to be on your Dublin itinerary.
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Botanic Gardens
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It's a bit of a walk from the centre of Dublin to The Botanic Gardens but you can get the 274 or 279 bus if you don't fancy the 40 minute walk. Dublin is full of famous gardens but really these are both the most spacious and the most beautiful. You'll find modern art works, winding streams, and all the greenery you could want in this ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
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Glasnevin
Cemetery |
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Just across the road from the botanic gardens you'll find the most famous cemetery in Dublin. Some of the most famous Dubliners are buried here amongst the often very pretty graves. You can wonder around the graves for hours but it's also well worth paying 13 euros to visit the museum and take a tour learning about the history of Dublin while surrounded by the people who made it.
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St Stephen's Green
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It's always nice to have some greenery in any city centre, and St Stephens Green is Dublin's lovely, relaxing offering. It's a beautiful, tranquil park with a lake and several fountains, but really it's just a nice escape from the busy Dublin streets. I always love a nice park and so this had to be one of the top Dublin attractions for me.
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Dublin Bus Tour
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As Dublin is pretty big if you only have a couple of days in the city it's worth looking at doing a Hop On Hop Off open top bus tour with Big Bus. It stops at all the main Dublin attractions and provides an excellent audio commentary assuring you don't miss anything, and you get a full introduction to the city. You can pre book your tour here.
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The Famine Sculptures
Crafted by Rowan Gillespie in 1997, these sculptures are a stark reminder of the days of the potato famine in Ireland, which wiped out around a million people. This was allowed to happen by the English Government of the time, who did somewhere between little and nothing to help, and arguably made things worse. This is probably the most harrowing Dublin sight.
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Dublin Itinerary Extras
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National Museum of Ireland
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This is very much a must see Dublin attraction for history enthusiasts and probably most famous for the bog bodies which are incredibly well maintained 2000 year old human remains. There's plenty of other stuffed and skeletal creatures lurking in here, but really it's the bog bodies which make the National Museum of Ireland a key part of a Dublin itinerary.
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Dublin Castle
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Originally built in the early thirteenth century, as a Norman fortification, Dublin Castle was the administrative centre of English power in the city until 1922, when Ireland regained its independence. The castle is an impressive complex and it costs 7 euros to see the interior. The truth is though it's the outside which makes the castle special, with its colourful towers and impressive fortifications, and you can see all of them for free.
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Since writing the above I've gone back to Dublin and paid the 7 euros to go inside the castle and can assure you it's worth it. You'll find room after room covered in the most lavish furniture and chandeliers fitting of any palace in Europe. On top of this while I was there I had the chance to see an excellent exhibition dedicated to artwork based on Dante's Devine Comedy. Really this is one of the best Dublin sights.
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Belfast Day Trip From Dublin
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A trip north to Belfast is a must while staying in Dublin. You'll get to see the epic Giants Causeway, the Titanic Museum, take a tour of the city and have time for a pint of Guinness in The Crown Liquor Saloon which has a reputation as one of the best bars in the world. It's certainly an experience. You can book this exceptional tour here. This is the ideal trip once you've done all the Dublin attractions.
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I hope you enjoyed my Dublin itinerary. Now that I've introduced you to the Dublin sights and attractions it's time for you to search Expedia for your own Dublin trip using the search box below. As I'm sure you're aware there's one more great attraction in Dublin and that's the pubs so please check out my guide to the very best pubs in Dublin. If you want anymore help feel free to message me on Facebook Messenger of the contact us form on my free travel planning service page here.
