Anyone looking to travel to Ireland probably thinks of Dublin as one of their first stops.
My visit to the country was no different. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I got such a strong feeling of the culture and atmosphere of the city. It’s full of bars, museums, and plenty of people looking to have fun!
Dublin was only the beginning of my journey in Ireland and Scotland, but definitely among my favorite places that I visited. I usually don’t like big cities, but Dublin is certainly an exception!
Day 1: Arrival in Dublin
Our initial arrival in Dublin was around 10AM to noon. We got a taxi from the airport to our hotel right in Temple Bar, on the River Liffey that cuts through Dublin. It’s a pretty busy area, frequented by tourists especially, but there are plenty of locals, too.
I want to quickly add that immediately after our arrival at the airport I started seeing Irish Gaelic on signs. It’s been an endangered language for quite a while, so it’s awesome to see that!
At that point we were all pretty hungry, so we perused the many restaurants and pubs in the neighborhood and eventually stopped at a lively pub facing the river. One person approached me asking if I had been there before, and I obviously hadn’t. I explained that to him and said that I might just blend in well, but he made a face that told me he wasn’t super convinced.
After eating, we were very tired, so we returned to our hotel to sleep for a little while before continuing our day.
Exploring Dublin’s Temple Bar
Once we woke up, we decided to check out our surroundings and get a feel for the area. Heading out once more into Temple Bar, we came across a donut shop called Offbeat Donut Co. with some creative designs on their donuts. I think we returned there 3 or 4 times to get more. They were delicious!
Temple Bar is full of shops to visit, from traditional clothing stores to candy stores and even a LEGO store. We spent most of our first night just exploring these, and there were plenty more shops we never got the chance to see. And, of course, if you’re looking for pubs, you won’t have to search for long.
We ended the night at a restaurant called Captain America’s, located along Temple Bar, where my mom and I tried a strawberry-lime hard cider. It was really good!
Day 2: “Academia” and a Day in Dublin
On our second day in Dublin, we decided to expand our search area beyond just Temple Bar.
Our first stop ended up being Trinity College Dublin. The central tower was undergoing repairs at the time of our visit, but I actually didn’t even notice until we got closer to it that I was looking at a façade!
Most of the tours had already been booked up prior to our arrival. But that’s fine, we had plenty to go and see still. If you want to get a full tour of the campus, make sure to book a tour a day or so before you plan to visit! They also have an exhibit for the Book of Kells I would have loved to check out. There’s always next time!
Trinity College has a beautiful campus, and it’s massive, too! My college campus was probably on the smaller end of campus sizes. Trinity feels like it would be exhausting to cross quickly if you’re running late for class!
The National Archaeology Museum
After Trinity College, we found our way over to Dublin’s National Museum, specifically the archaeology part of it. (I know, big surprise for me, right?) I couldn’t see everything there in a single day, but luckily the admission was free. We came back the next day to see the rest of it.
Actually, when we first reached the museum, it was still closed for another half hour or so. The National Library was opened, though, and is located right next to the museum, so we went over and checked that out while we waited for the museum to open! The museum has some weird hours, and didn’t open until 1 PM, so make sure you do a little more planning than I did to make the most of your time!
The library had an exhibit on WB Yeats, an Irish writer, poet, senator, and Nobel Prize winner (and so much more!). The exhibit was cool to check out, but we unfortunately breezed through it somewhat. We had limited time before the archaeology museum opened, and more to see after that.
The Dublin Jameson Distillery
We had a scheduled tour of the Jameson Whiskey Distillery on the same day. That’s why we left the museum so early, but I’m definitely glad we had time to come back the next day!
Walking from the National Museum to the distillery was certainly an interesting experience. It’s amazing how much easier it is to walk through a city like Dublin than any city in the US. And, along the way, we saw so many cool buildings. If you’re traveling a short distance through Dublin, I’d definitely recommend walking as much as you can!
As for the whiskey distillery, I had a great time there!
I’m not a huge drinker by any means. I usually save it for special occasions, but whiskey is one of my favorites, so it was awesome to learn how they make it! Their whole set up for explaining the history of the distillery and the brewing process is extremely well-made and informative.
At the end of the tour, they also let you try several different versions of their whiskey: Standard, Crested, and Black Barrel. I thought they all tasted awesome, but Black Barrel was definitely my favorite!
Even cooler is the fact that after the tour, you have the option to buy a bottle of their Black Barrel whiskey. And you get to bottle it yourself! We got two, since a friend back home wanted me to get him something. I’ve now immortalized our names in the distillery’s records!
More of Temple Bar
We ended the day by exploring Temple Bar a little bit more, closing it out with a visit to Quay’s Irish Restaurant.
The place was busy; a lot busier than Captain America’s. (Though I don’t want that to make it sound like Captain America’s was lower quality by any means! They were both good, just different.)
We sat near a window in the back of the restaurant that overlooked the street. I ordered a burger and fries, which came with gravy. It seemed like a strange combination to me, since as an American I’m used to ketchup and mustard and the like. But it was honestly so good!
I don’t know what they put in the gravy to make it taste so good, but it worked so well as a condiment for fries and a burger (which makes some sense since fries are still potatoes). I’ll definitely have it again sometime!
Day 3: Departure from Dublin
We only had one full day in Dublin, but we certainly made the most out of all of our time there.
On our last day we had to get our rental car, and instead of taking a taxi we decided to walk. It’s much easier to take in the sights and see a lot of the city when you take it slow!
We got the rental car, picked up my grandparents, and spent a long time finding parking near the Archaeology museum.
This time, I spent less time reading every individual sign, and I got to see a lot more of the museum.
When we visited, they had several exhibits:
- Gold discovered in various bogs
- Ancient Egyptian artifacts
- Bog Bodies (mummified bodies found in bogs)
- The Battle of Clontarf (Fought between the Irish and Vikings in Dublin)
- The Hill of Tara
I didn’t read everything there, but I got at least a cursory idea of it all. I’m a nerd, though, and I want to know everything there is to know about archaeology, so I had to practically tear myself away from the museum!
We spent a little bit of time walking through St Stephen’s Green, located just down the street from the museum. Also, if you’re struggling to find parking like we did, look near St Stephen’s Green (around the east side) and you’ll find some!
St Stephen’s Green is a big, beautiful park with a lot of history. There are a lot of memorials and statues, and a lot of gardens.
Speaking of the park’s history, I didn’t learn until much later that it used to be a popular spot to hang pirates!
After St Stephen’s Green, we drove out to the Hill of Tara (which I talked about here). Then we headed to Galway to continue our trip. We visited the Cliffs of Moher then went on to see the Giant’s Causeway!(Which I talk a little bit about here.)
Conclusion
And thus ends my time in Dublin!
I’m not usually a fan of big cities, and I’ve been to quite a few: Washington DC, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Diego, LA, and Las Vegas.
But Dublin had a unique charm to it that actually made me really enjoy my time there! I’d love to go back and see more of the city. It probably helped that I didn’t have to worry about driving.
What are some of your favorite big cities? I’d love to hear about it below!
Also, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to let me know in the comments or contact me privately!
