Travel Guide: Dublin, Ireland
I hope you have been enjoying my recent travel guides of Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, London, Bath, and Edinburgh. The next country Laurel, Julia and I visited was Ireland! Right after we visited the Edinburgh Castle, we hopped in a taxi and headed to the airport to catch a flight to Dublin. This was a super packed weekend: We spent Friday and half of Saturday in Edinburgh, and the second half of Saturday and Sunday in Dublin!
DUBLIN TRAVEL GUIDE:
WHERE TO STAY:
Once again, we decided to stay in an AirB&B. Our AirB&B was located in the Grand Canal docks, which was about a 5 minute walk to the center of Dublin. Our apartment was right outside of Merrion Square Park, which is absolutely beautiful! As long as you plan on staying anywhere near the center of the city of Dublin, you will be happy!
WHAT TO DO:
Just as I had mentioned in my Travel Guide for Edinburgh, with such a short amount of time in each city, you should definitely try to walk everywhere. If you plan your route effectively, you can hit all of the main locations in one shot! There are some really great apps you can download that allow you to use the map on your phone without data. I heavily utilized all of these apps to save money on my phone bill while travelling.
Merrion Square Park:
Merrion Square Park is a gorgeous green park located right outside of the center of Dublin. This park is actually right next to Trinity College (which I mention later in this post). On Sunday afternoon when we came back through the park to our apartment, there were families and couples laying in the grass or throwing the frisbee! It was so nice to so many people spending their time outdoors. I did not plan on matching my outfit with the park, but it worked out perfect! I wore an olive green turtleneck sweater I bought from Nordstrom last Winter (similar here) with my floral skirt from a local Gainesville boutique called Henri Girl (similar here). To keep my legs warm, I wore my Steve Madden Over-The-Knee Boots (similar here) with this pair of tights from H&M.
Dublin in the Morning:
We had to stop to take pictures by this adorable yellow door! We passed these buildings right near Merrion Square Park on Sunday morning. For our second day in Dublin, I wore my black trench coat from The Kooples, with my black Forever 21 skater skirt (similar here). I also wore a maroon turtleneck from H&M (similar here) with my Steve Madden Boots.
I can never pass up a delicious avocado toast & chai tea latte!
The Guinness Factory:
In the Guinness Academy we learned how to properly pour a pint of beer
The view from the top of the Guinness factory in the Skybar!
If you are in Dublin you need to head over to St. James's Gate to tour the Guinness Factory. This was a great experience! We learned so much about Guinness, how it's made, and then we received a free pint!
Saint Patrick's Cathedral:
Saint Patrick's Cathedral is not a sight you want to miss while in Dublin! This beautiful cathedral is from the 12th Century and is made of stone. Right next to Saint Patrick's Cathedral is an adorable park with more families relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather.
Temple Bar District:
The Temple Bar District is an area on the South Bank of Dublin which is highly concentrated with great bars and pubs. This area is named after the famous Temple Bar (in the first two pictures). This is a great place to visit for a drink and live music. While walking through the streets you can hear music coming from each of the bars! The bridge in the last picture is the Ha'Penny Bridge, which was built in 1815.
Dublin Castle:
On our way back to our apartment we made a quick pitstop at the Dublin Castle. Unfortunately, it is closed on Sundays so we couldn't see the inside, but the outside is beautiful! This castle reminds me a lot of the Edinburgh Castle with its stone walls and fortress-like architecture.
Trinity College, The University of Dublin:
This gorgeous college campus is a great spot to take a break and relax. With it's beautiful buildings and gorgeous landscaping, I'd suggest checking it out on your trip to Dublin. Thankfully, it was only about a 10 minute walk back to our AirB&B, so it was the perfect end to our time in Dublin. We walked over 7 miles, but it was worth it! We were able to see pretty much all of Dublin in under 48 hours!
I'd definitely suggest visiting Dublin if you are in Europe! Next time I am abroad, I would love to go back and explore more of the Irish countryside. Dublin is a great option to combine with Edinburgh as it was only about an hour plane ride between the two cities.