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Transportation
- Aer Lingus: To get to Dublin, we flew from Los Angeles (LAX) nonstop to Dublin (DUB). It was a very comfortable flight, even in economy and the food was definitely better than average airline food. As an example, on the way there, for dinner we had: tomato and mozzarella with pesto, roll with butter, beef stroganoff with peas, carrots and mushrooms, and a chocolate mousse with caramel. For breakfast we had a breakfast burrito. According to the packaging, most of it was locally sourced.
Travel Tips: Aer Lingus does not have an agreement with TSA for TSA pre-check. However, the TSA was very efficient at LAX when we were there. Also, Aer Lingus can be in a few possible terminals so double check when making your connection: Terminal 2, 7, 8, or Tom Bradley.
- Hop On, Hop Off Bus: The best way to get around the city besides good ol’ walking is the Hop On, Hop Off Bus! It was only $38 for a one-day pass for 2 people and it did the trick for us. It got us around the city and all the key things to do. There are also earbuds if you want to listen to the guided tour audio that they offer.
- Taxi: If you are not a fan of buses, a taxi is an option as well of course. We did use this option to get from/to the airport and it was reasonable pricing. For the ride, it cost 21 euros (about $24) each way.
Travel Tip: If you know where you are staying, it is helpful to have a print off of the location and address for the taxi driver. Ours did not know our specific hotel and it would have taken him longer to figure out and get us on our way had we not given him the directions.
Accommodations
- Dergvale Hotel: This hotel is centrally located in Dublin, walkable to many things to do and eat in the city. It was clean and included free wifi.
Another great thing was the cooked-to-order breakfast each morning, at 8am. The owners were very accommodating and even made us breakfast to-go since our tours started before breakfast a few days.
To-Do
- Grafton Street: If you are looking for some shopping to do while in Dublin, one of the most popular places is Grafton Street. There are quite a few shops along this street and it was fun for us to do some window shopping. We also stopped in a few boutiques to find some neat souvenirs.
- St. Stephen’s Green: One of the things we always try and do when traveling to a new city is to find some place to sit and do some people watching. St. Stephen’s Green is Ireland’s best known Victorian public park.
Re-opened in 1880 for the citizens of Dublin, the 22 acres is serene with beautiful trees and a pond. It was perfect for us to find a spot on one of the several benches and relax. And another nice thing is that it is free to do!
- Dublin Castle: In the heart of historic Dublin, this building was the seat of the British government’s administration in Ireland until 1922. Built in 1204, it was originally built for defending the city.
Today, there are many parts to see of Dublin Castle, including the Medieval Section, State Apartments and the Chapel Royal. To see the Medieval Section and the Chapel Royal, you must purchase the guided tour option, which is 12 euros, only 4 euros more than a self-guided tour. For us it was worth the extra to get to see more.
The first thing we saw on the tour was the Medieval Section. Beneath the ground of Dublin Castle is where parts of the structure of the original castle were discovered. Since most of it was burned down in April 1684, there was only a small section still in-tact, including a town wall with an archway that allowed the moat to pass under it. Once we went down the many steps to the bottom, we saw the original moat, which has since then been blocked off.
Next up, we saw the State Apartments, which consist of many different rooms. The Throne Room (pictured above) was created in 1788 as a place where the governor received people on behalf of the British monarch. The throne itself was made for the visit of King George IV when he came to Ireland in 1821. It was also later used by Queen Victoria and King Edward VII during their visits to the Castle. Before Irish independence, the last ruler to use it was King George V, in 1911.
Today, St. Patrick’s Hall is one of Ireland’s greatest ceremonial rooms but was developed in the mid-18th century to be the Castle’s ballroom. For many years, it was here that the Knights of St. Patrick met. Over the years it has been used to entertain some of Ireland’s most prominent visitors. Since 1938, it is now used for the inauguration of the President of Ireland.
The last thing that we got to see was the Chapel Royal, opened on Christmas Day of 1814. It became known as the Chapel Royal after King George IV attended a service in 1821. After the Irish independence in 1922, it wasn’t used until 1943, when it became a Roman Catholic church. Currently, the Chapel is no longer used as a church and instead is only shown on tours, used for local concerts, etc.
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral: Built in 1191, it is one of the 2 largest Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland, the other being Christ Church Cathedral. We were recommended to go to St. Patrick’s and it was a beautiful church!
The Church of Ireland has designated St Patrick’s as the national cathedral for the country of Ireland. There is no entrance fee but donations are encouraged so bring some cash or change.
The inside of the Cathedral is full of gorgeous stained glass windows and stonework. It also has many different flags hung around the halls.
- Guinness Storehouse: Built in 1902, the building where the Storehouse is located was originally built as a plant for the St. James’s Gate Brewery. The building was used for brewing purposes until it closed in 1988 and moved to a different location nearby. Then in 1997 they converted the building into the Guinness Storehouse and opened it to the public in 2000.
The Guinness Storehouse explains the history of beer through different exhibits on multiple levels. It is interesting and definitely thorough. It took us a few hours to get through the whole thing.
Once we got to the rooftop bar, we got our pints of Guinness that were included in the cost of the tickets. We bought our tickets beforehand and they were 37 euros (about $42) for both of us at the allotted time. The price is dependent on when you chose, and the time we chose was the cheapest option.
Food
- O’Shea’s Hotel: We stumbled across this hotel while wandering around our first night in Dublin and saw that they had a restaurant inside as well. It had traditional Irish food and we really enjoyed it.
For our entrees, we had the beer battered fish and chips and the Dublin bay seafood chowder. They were both delicious and it created a standard for how the food on the rest of the trip would be.
For dessert, we had the bread and butter pudding. It was served with vanilla ice cream and very tasty! Altogether, with our drink (bottle of wine-vino aljibes sauvignon vergedo) our meal came out to 64 euros (about $73 dollars).
- Murrays Grill: We walked past this restaurant a few times when walking to our hotel so we thought we would give it a try! We are definitely glad we did as the food was delicious and our server very friendly.
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Grandma Murrays Beef and Guinness Pie For our entrees, we had Grandma Murrays Beef and Guinness Pie and the Traditional Irish Stew. Both were really good and filling dishes. To drink, we had Orchard Thieves cider, Hop House beef, and a Irishman single malt.
Traditional Irish Beef Stew For dessert, we had the White Chocolate and Bailey’s Cheesecake and it was one of the best cheesecakes we have had! All together, our meal came out to 73 euros (about $84).
White Chocolate and Bailey’s Cheesecake - O’Neill’s Pub & Kitchen: Warm and inviting, this Pub was another great spot for dinner! It was more of self service process as you had a menu and then ordered from the bar. They did bring the food to the table though which was nice.
Bangers and Mash For our entrees, we got bangers and mash and five mile town Irish goat cheese cannelloni. For drinks, we had orchard thieves cider and Guinness. The portions were so big we were too full for dessert. Altogether the meal came out to 38 euros (about $44).
- Swift’s Cafe: Very close to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, this cafe was perfect to grab a bite to eat before visiting the church. The food was delicious and quick.
Although they had a selection of sandwiches, they were out of many of them unfortunately. It was later in the day so that may be why. The ones that we did end up getting were very good. With our 2 sandwiches and drinks (hop house and orchard thieves), it only came out to 25 euros (about $28).
- The Brazen Head: Dating back to 1198, this is the oldest pub in Ireland so we knew we had to stop there for dinner. It was our last meal in Ireland so we wanted to end it with a bang! For our appetizer, we had traditional fish cakes, which were good.
For our entrees, we had the Atlantic seafood chowder and honey and mustard glazed bacon and cabbage which were both incredible. To drink we both had Bulmer’s Irish Cider and altogether, our meal was 70 euros (about $80).
We enjoyed our time so much in Dublin and would definitely go back if we had the opportunity! The city is so alive with the Irish culture and the people are extremely warm and welcoming.
