Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps us run this site. We only recommend products and services we trust and personally use.
Dublin was the first stop on our two-week Ireland trip in June 2024, and we spent 2 full days here. Ireland was the last country we visited during our 4-month European Adventure. This was our first time in Dublin, so we wanted to make sure we hit the main attractions. Luckily, we have a friend who is local and was able to help us out with what to see and do and show us around to some areas outside the city center.
Because our time in Dublin was quite short, we have included a list of suggestions of things that we didn’t get to but came up quite a bit in our research. We have also included some day trip ideas if you won’t be exploring the country further. There is a map at the end of the post with all this information (the itinerary, extra ideas, and day trips). If you’re looking for a full travel guide for Dublin, ours is here.
If you want to check out where we ate during our 3 days, our gluten free guide is here.
Here’s what we did during our 2 days (3 nights) in Dublin:
Day 0: Arrival day, wander to get your bearings
Day 1: Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, Temple Bar, cathedrals, explore!
Day 2: Howth, Malahide, Bally Lighthouse, Dollymount Strand, Gravediggers pub
Day 3: Departure
Save Money on Dublin Attractions
If you plan to visit multiple major sights like the Guinness Storehouse, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, and Dublin Castle, individual tickets can add up quickly.
Here are your main options:
• Go City Dublin Pass – Bundles multiple attractions into one pass and can be cost-effective if you’re planning to see several major sights. Can often include bus passes and tours, too. (use coupon code CAPTURENCRAVE5 for a 5% discount)
• GetYourGuide – Great for booking individual timed-entry tickets or guided tours in advance.
• Official websites – Always check pricing directly to compare.
We recommend booking key attractions ahead of time, particularly in peak season, as tickets to popular attractions can sell out.
DETAILS
DAY 0:
Arrival day! We arrived via Dublin Airport, where we caught the 782 Airport Express bus into the city center. There are a few different airport express busses, and it is much more reasonable than taking a taxi. If you do decide to hire a car or taxi, the local taxi app is called Freenow.
Once you’ve checked into your accommodations, you can spend today exploring your area. We stayed at Premier Inn Dublin City Center (Gloucester Street South), which was more reasonable than many of the popular neighbourhoods. We arrived in the evening, so the only exploring we really did was finding dinner in the Grand Canal Dock area and then wandering along the riverfront back towards our hotel.
DAY 1:
Today you’ll be exploring Dublin’s city center! Start your day at Trinity College, where Oscar Wilde and several Nobel laureates went to school. It is free to walk around the grounds, or you can opt for a paid tour. If you’re interested in the Book of Kells Experience, you’ll find that here and want to do that early in your day. Make sure to book tickets in advance! We didn’t and missed out.
Following Trinity college, wander towards Merrion Square to catch a glimpse of the Oscar Wilde Monument. From here, make your way to St. Stephen’s Green. It is a beautiful park in the middle of the city that is often full of people going for a lunch hour walk, chatting with friends, or just enjoying some quiet. Once you’re done at St. Stephen’s Green, you can head towards the Portobello neighbourhood for some lunch. There are tons of cool streets to wander down, and lots of restaurants to choose from. We ate at A Goose on the Loose, and the neighbouring streets were super cute.
Next, head to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. You can take a free guided tour here, and there is a beautiful park right beside it. Christ Church Cathedral is next, which is another large cathedral in the center of the city. This one is famous for its bells and is almost 1000 years old! Christ Church Cathedral does require tickets to enter, though. Dublin Castle will be your next stop, which is a major government complex. You’ll need about an hour here if you choose to get tickets to go inside.
Finally, you can wander around the Temple Bar neighbourhood. We didn’t explore Temple Bar in depth, or visit the famous pub, as it was super crowded, and we weren’t feeling great. However, many travellers call this a “must see”. The bar itself is bright red, and the streets surrounding have many other restaurants and shops. It is a crowded and lively area at night. You can find dinner in this area, or venture elsewhere.
DAY 2:
Today will be a day to explore outside the city center of Dublin. We have a friend who lives locally who showed us around these areas by car. You have a few options on how to get around today: rent a car, hire a car, take a taxi, or take a bus. The local taxi app is called Freenow. Alternatively, you could book a day tour from Dublin to Howth. There don’t seem to be many highly rated day tours that get you to Malahide, so I’d suggest bussing for the most economical travel.
You’ll start your day by heading to Dollymount Strand, which has a giant wooden promenade leading out to the Statue of Our Lady Star of the Sea. There is a beach here as well, where you’ll find people swimming even if it’s chilly out. It is a nice walk along the water, and not far out of the city center.
Next, you’ll head towards the village of Howth. Before heading right into the village, stop at the Baily Lighthouse. You can walk along the cliff down to the lighthouse, which has beautiful views. It is a bit of a trek, especially the way back as you’ll be walking up. Once you’re done at the lighthouse, head into Howth itself. It is a charming village with cute buildings, unique shops, and tons of seafood restaurants.
Malahide is your next stop of the day. It is another charming town and is a good spot to grab some food if you haven’t yet. In Malahide, you’ll find Malahide Castle & Gardens. The attached gardens are super cute, but small. If you’re really interested in going inside the castle and/or gardens, make sure you allow time before it closes. In fact, you may want to put Malahide before Howth if the castle is super important to you to ensure you don’t run out of time!
Lastly, as you head back into the city center, stop at John Kavanagh “the Gravediggers” pub. It is over 100 years old and is built into the neighbouring cemetery’s walls! The cemetery is the largest in Europe. Apparently, the best Guinness in the city is poured at this pub.
DAY 3:
Today is departure day. For us, this meant picking up a rental car and heading north towards Belfast to begin our almost 2-week road trip. If you’re leaving Ireland and need a hotel closer to the airport for your departure, we stayed at the Premier Inn Dublin Airport Hotel before our early morning flight. We appreciated the breakfast and the free airport shuttle.
Extra Things to Do (that we didn’t get to)
1. The Book of Kells Experience
We had read that this was well worth the time and money, but didn’t look at booking tickets far enough ahead of time. Make sure you book well in advance if this is something you’re super interested in doing. Skip the Line tickets come highly recommended. Located at Trinity College.
2. Guinness Storehouse
If you’re into beer and/or Guinness, you can visit the factory where Guinness is made. As a celiac, I can’t have it, so we didn’t want to use what little time we had here. Tickets are required, which give you a tour of the storehouse, tastings, and access to the rooftop bar.
3. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
A history museum covering the emigration of the Irish to other countries, as well as what it means to be Irish. Reviews say the exhibits are very well designed and maintained. They sometimes have days and times where entry is free. You can also book a ticket in advance if you want.
4. Irish Whiskey Museum
Various tours are available here, all explaining the history of Irish whiskey. You can take classes, have tastings, or take a basic tour. The museum itself gets five stars out of over 11,000 reviews on Trip Advisor!
5. National Museum of Ireland
There are four sites, each of them is FREE! You can choose from Archaeology, Natural History, Country Life, and Decorative Arts & History. The Country Life branch is not in Dublin, though. The Archaeology one seems to have the best reviews on Trip Advisor, but Natural History also seems to be well-visited.
MAP of Things to Do in Dublin
HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one type of activity at a time or see all of the activities on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.
Day Trips
While you could arguably do a day trip to many places within Ireland, we feel like you would need and want more time than just a day in most of the top locations. The locations below we wouldn’t necessarily recommend as day trips unless that is your only chance to get to see them (we think they require more time). Please note, there are many more options depending on how far you are willing to drive for your day trip.
Short drives (under 2.5 hours):
- Kilkenny (1.5 hour drive)
- Powerscourt House and Gardens (45 minute drive)
- Wicklow Mountains National Park (1 hour drive)
- Glendalough (1 hour drive)
- Waterford (2 hour drive)
Longer drives (2.5 hours or more):
- Cobh (just under 3 hours drive)
- Cliffs of Moher (3.5 hour drive from Dublin, though!)
- Northern Ireland to see Giant’s Causeway, Dark Hedges, and/or Antrim Coast (about 2.5-3 hours drive)
- Blarney Castle (3 hour drive)
Helpful Planning Tips
I rely on these tools when planning my trips:
- Get Your Guide – skip-the-line or timed entry tickets to attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse
- Go City Pass – savings on multiple attractions
- Airalo eSIM – get Irish data instantly on arrival, without roaming charges
- Stay22 – compare hotels across Dublin at a glance
- Wanderlog – keep track of your trip details, organize your itinerary, and map out your stops
