48 hours in Dublin
Dublin is known throughout Europe for its fairytale charm, its greenery, and for its expense. And understandable so! The ancient myths and legends of Ireland are delightfully evocative. The drizzly weather throughout the year produces a deep green landscape with layers beyond the clovers. And Dublin really is notably more expensive than many other European cities. It’s a great place to visit and there is so much ground you can cover, even in just a few days. Check out our must-see list!
Top 10 things to do in Dublin on a budget- with or without kids!
Icon Walk & Icon Factory
This is one of our primary recommendations! It’s an alleyway with an art installation which ranges from hanging flags to bright shadow art to quirky photos and quotes of famous people from around Ireland. The plaques along the way are explanatory and interesting and it leads right to the Icon Factory—a collaborative art studio supporting local creatives in their passions. You may even get to see them in action!
Irish Whiskey Museum
You can fulfill the Irish experience of drinking Guinness at any bar and save yourself from going to read some history plaques at the Guinness Factory, and instead spend your 30 Euro on an interactive and educational walk-through museum experience about Whiskey in Ireland–which even includes the tasting. For a few more dollars you get a commemorative glass as a souvenir. Tours leave every half hour throughout the day and last 90 minutes or longer. Earlier morning tours can often be purchased at a discounted price through Groupon. Highly Recommend! It kept our three-year-old entertained with short movies, interactive conversations and questions, and alert and aware guides. Remember to tip your guide :)
Dublin Castle
This is only open during daylight hours, basically and is a nice thing to walk around and take a look at. You can pay admission for a tour of the inside but it’s a nice enough sight from the outside too!
Visit the Library
The building itself is absolutely beautiful. The main part of the library is for patrons only, but once you are recognized as a tourist, you’ll be redirected from the lobby into a free museum and interactive art exhibit. It was great to hear poetry being read, learn about local celebrities and see portrayals of pieces of History that we had not learned about before. Plus it’s right next to the National Museum of Ireland, which is also free!
Temple Bar
Unlike the Guinness Factory, this popular tourist location really is “all that”. There’s something inherently special about being in a bright red building with lights all around surrounded by strangers while listening to someone sing a cover song that’s super catchy. If the music isn’t your thing, it’s easy to wander around the maze of little courtyard spaces and find somewhere where you can’t really hear the music. There will be wandering waiters to take your drink orders. We recommend an Irish Coffee, Whiskey, or Guinness. Because why not! Drinks are 12-15 Euros which are comparable to prices at other bars. They also have Hot Chocolate if you have your little ones with you (and they're totally welcome!). Just be aware that the kitchen closes pretty early –before 8 on weeknights, so don’t come hungry.
George’s Street Arcade
We stumbled upon this indoor/outdoor marketplace while wandering through downtown and it was delightful. There is a mix of local artisans and souvenir stands along with permanent restaurants, cafes and stores filled with clothing and other practical knick-knacks. Good prices for souvenirs and very centrally located. Window shopping is also fun and free :)
National Museum of Ireland
A free attraction with rave reviews that we didn’t make it to because we had to get to the Irish Whiskey museum and we had a squirmy toddler who preferred running in the park earlier. But still totally recommend.
A walk around the city
This is the best! We love to learn about history by searching for it as we feel so inspired–when we pass plaques or see monuments with names we recognize. Then we read the history outloud to learn together. There was an Airbnb Experience we wanted to take that was fully booked at the time we were in town, so we marked some of the sights they walked through on the tour and just learned about them ourselves! Sometimes the downside of traveling somewhere during the holidays is funky availability, but luckily Evangel had taken the tour before and had some firsthand insights. Another fun way to save money if you don’t want to splurge for a tour guide.
St Patrick’s Green
This is a huge and beautiful park, known for the duck ponds and greenery. We love parks–especially when they are huge and central and involve animals and people watching. Plus, this one is named after St Patrick. Iconic! Protip: the park closes before dark in the Wintertime which was around 5PM when we were visiting–so early!
Other things to know about Dublin and Ireland in General
Bars and Restaurants close fairly early on weeknights.
Tipping is not required, but it is expected from tourists.
There are so many local stories and century old traditions–it's a good place to consider investing in a tour. If you get a chance to follow a guide around and hear about history from their perspective, you’re certain to learn something that you couldn’t find in a book. You can find them on airbnb experiences as well as through walking tour companies.
The buses to and from the airport really do sell out and are best purchased in advance–but it’s important to consider which stop you get on at! We got on a bus at a stop in the beginning of its loop and it took a long time to collect people and get their luggage situated. If we had known, we could’ve just walked across the bridge and boarded the bus that was later in the loop and gotten to the airport an hour earlier. It was stressful since we were cutting it close on timing for our flight!
