Irish You Were Here: Dublin, Ireland Travel Guide

Grab your self a pint of Guinness and tell Alexa to play “Irish Music” because we’ve got a pretty solid itinerary for you to follow if you’re headed to Dublin, Ireland. Dublin is usually the starting point for most travelers when they get to Ireland and it’s easy to see why. You can drink, you can eat and you can Irish step dance your way through the streets. That last one will probably happen after eating and drinking.

1. Guinness Storehouse

My Goodness, my Guinness did we just put this first on our list? Yes, because Guinness just tastes better in Ireland. We are pretty sure that is a fact. The Guinness Storehouse is a seven-story building that gives you an inside look into what it takes to create this lovely stout. You’ll learn the history, how the beer is made and drink some Guinness. You can trade your free drink ticket in to do a sampling of three beers at the Connoisseur Bar or get a full pint at the Gravity Bar. We’ve been to the Guinness Storehouse twice and would suggest saving your free drink ticket when you get to the Gravity Bar (top level). It has 360-degree views of Dublin. It can get a little crowded but we love the atmosphere of being at the top of Dublin with the freshest Guinness around.

Adult Ticket Cost:  €25.00 – If you pre-book online the tickets are discounted to €18.50

2. Jameson Distillery

Shall we continue on the drinking train? We think so. The Jameson Distillery is also a must while visiting Dublin, Ireland. It’s a shorter tour compared to Guinness but also gives you a great overview of how Jameson was formed and again you get to sample some whiskey. You’ll get to taste three types of Jameson whiskey, where they will go through the different tasting notes. After the tour, they have a bar to hang out in and drink some more Jameson. Adult Ticket Cost: €17.00 for the Bow St. Experience – You can pre-book tickets online

ProTip – If you’re not going to buy the distillery edition whiskey, we’d suggest buying any Jameson you want to take home at the Dublin airport. You can buy the exact same whiskey at the airport and it will actually be cheaper because it will be duty-free. Save those euro’s for Irish wool ;). We did this after our last trip to Dublin and could skip checking a bag since we didn’t pack any liquids in our bags.

Other Whiskey Distillery: Pearse Lyons and Teelings.

3. Kilmainham Gaol

Full disclosure we have not visited this former prison in Dublin. We’ve just heard from a few locals that is a really interesting thing to do get a unique view on Irish history. You will need to pre-book tickets in advance.

4. Trinity College & The Book of Kells

Looking to find a well seasoned beer pong partner, head to Trinity College and grab yourself a college student. Just kidding but you should definitely stop by and walk through Trinity College and visit the Book of Kells. You can wander the cobblestoned campus and maybe even catch a wedding at the church located on campus.

5. Temple Bar

You’ll know you’re in the temple bar when you start running into cobblestone streets and a ton of tourist. Sure this is the touristy area of Dublin but it’s still a great time! There are a ton of Irish pubs and you can pop into any of them to grab a pint. We love walking around this area to explore and drink. If you want to try and get away from the main Temple Bar area you can head to William Street. We’ve found a lot of good Irish pubs that seem to be a bit less touristy. If you do head to Willaim Street make sure you stop at George’s St. Arcade. It’s a great little open-air market that has fun little shops.

6. Listen to Live Music

If you’re pub hopping around Dublin you can be sure of two things; one you will have a great time and two there will be a band playing in the corner of one of the bars. Our favorite thing about Dublin is that the pubs are very welcoming and relaxed. You don’t need to dress to the nines. You can just have a good time drinking and laughing with friends. If you want to step up your live music game, go see a concert in Dublin. We saw the Spice Girls at Croke Park and all our childhood dreams came true! We spiced up our lives and slammed it to the left. A ton of great artists pass through Dublin so you just have to see if any are playing while you’re visiting. Here are some places you can check out: 3Arena, Croke Park Stadium and RDS Main Arena.

Where to eat in Dublin, Ireland

TBH we didn’t have high hopes for the food when we first visited Ireland, but we are happy to say the food in Dublin is top notch!

L Mulligans Grocer – Get the regular scotch egg and the vegetarian scotch egg. We’ve been to this place every time we’ve been to Dublin, Ireland and it doesn’t disappoint.

Ely Wine Bar – This place doesn’t have your traditional Irish food but all the food is locally sourced and delicious.

HerbStreet – We love the location of this spot. It’s right along the canal and has an epic brunch menu. There is usually a line for their weekend brunch. We had to wait about 20 minutes for two people but you can go for a quick walk along the water while you wait. Oh and their chicken and waffles are baller.

Ryan’s of Parkgate Street – Realy good oysters and a very good Irish Pie

Hairy Lemon – Good pub food in Temple Bar area

Getting Around in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin, Ireland is a pretty easy city to navigate and can easily be walked. We like boast our step record of 50,000 steps in three days when we visited Dublin. If you get tired of walking, taxi’s are easy to come by and if you have data or can get on WiFi you can call an Uber. We use Uber’s when visiting Dublin and they were all great!