Dublin City Guide

May 21, 2019

Buckle up, because it’s been a long time coming! My Dublin city guide is finally here!

I’ve been working my behind off these last few months to make sure I’m providing information that is helpful and practical. I thought I would write down my thoughts so you can get a better idea of why they’re on the map, and then…when you get to the bottom of the post, there’s a gift for you 🙂

Places to stay –

Conrad Dublin:I won’t spend too much time in this post because I wrote an entire blog solely on our [wonderful!!] stay at Conrad. You can read that HERE , but I have to say, you will absolutely not be disappointed 🙂

Hilton Garden Inn Custom House:This option is a bit more budget friendly. It’s sufficient as far as European hotels go– Clean, helpful staff and in close proximity to public transport. The best part is it’s right on the River Liffey, providing good views of the city.

Places to Eat –

Urban Brewing: Besides the fact that you are eating in an old wine cellar [picture brick archways and moody lighting], the food is mouth-watering. And don’t forget to order a glass of wine, or two! We agreed this was by far our favorite meal of our trip. Another bonus was how wonderful everyone was with our children. Even though it was a nicer restaurant, they were very kind and accommodating with our two girls.

Woollen Mills: On one of our last days, we ventured here for brunch, and good gracious our bellies were happily full. The stuffed French toast, eggs and mac & cheese were among our favorites.

*I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming places were when they saw our little circus walk in what most often was a very small restaurant. In every place we dined the staff never seem bothered.

Places for Coffee –

Pòg: I did stop multiple places for coffee while we wandered through the city, but Pog was my favorite. My latte was very yummy, and they are famous for their pancakes which I would suggest trying! It is a TINY establishment, so keep that in mind if you have a stroller.

Places to Explore –

Parks: Dublin is filled with green parks. We went in January and I was not fully prepared for how luscious the parks would be. Our family loves to stroll through parks when we’re traveling [a tip for when you’re traveling with kids] and we were not disappointed. The map shows our favorites. I’ll list them below here too.

            -St. Stephen’s Green [Our favorite, you can feed the ducks here]

            -Iveagh Gardens

            -Phoenix Park [deer roam free here, also where the Dublin Zoo is located]

            -Merrion Square Park [great playground-right by the National gallery]

Trinity College: The College is probably in every travel book, and noted as a top destination in the city. Normally I’m skeptical of major tourist places, but I recommend Trinity College. It’s a beautiful campus and the Library [ the one that every Instagrammer has to take photos of] is a sight to see. You do have to purchase a ticket, but that also grants you access to see the Book of Kells exhibition. Because of having the girls with us, I wasn’t able to take my time through that part of the library, but on passing, it seemed intriguing. *Tip– there are lots of stairs so beware if you have a stroller.

National Gallery: I wrote about this in my other blog, Dublin for kids. If you are an art nerd like myself, you will thoroughly enjoy the gallery. They have a designated area where kids can color and create while being loud 🙂 *This is a free activity.

Dublin Zoo: We love a good zoo and this one was Ains approved. It is a hike from the city center and a bit on the pricey side, but if you are a zoo lover and/or are traveling with young ones, it’s an entertaining zoo with great exhibits that allow you to view the animals in close proximity.

Temple Bar District: It’s probably one of the most “famous” areas of Dublin, meaning that it is decently overrun with tourists. As much as I love exploring the lesser-known areas of a city, I do enjoy walking through a popular neighborhood to see what it’s all about. It’s quintessential Europe with its cobblestone streets and old buildings, so give it a try. Bonus– there’s a great gelato place right by Temple Bar.

Guinness & Jameson Distillery: While we did not make it to either of these, I heard from trusted sources that they are fun excursions.

Places to Shop –

Grafton Street: I believe this would be considered the “main street/s” of the city, the epitome of a city center. It offers shopping, restaurants, cafes and even a few tiny museums. In some areas cars are prohibited, allowing you to walk in the streets. Keep in mind when you have a main area like this, the restaurants and cafes tend to be a little overpriced and aimed at tourists.

Powerscourt Centre: Look no further if you desire a space with more boutique shops and less touristy eateries. It’s actually around the corner from Grafton street; therefore, you won’t have to travel far to get away from the crowds.

Clearly there is a great deal more to do in Dublin, and someday we will travel back to explore more. I wanted to showcase the best of what we did as a starting point for your planning.

Now the exciting news!

If you’d like to have all this information in a map, sign up HERE for a PDF to be sent to your inbox.

It’s no ordinary map my friend…it’s a beautifully handmade map! Together with the brilliant skills of Mackenzie Joan Designs [if you don’t know her work, you should!], we’ve put together a printable city guide for you.

Moving forward, when we explore a city, I will be putting together a map for you all to take with you on your travels!

Let me know what you think of the map in the comments and Happy Travels lovelies <3

comments +

  1. Shell says:

    This city guide is really quite something!

  2. Chris says:

    This is so helpful!! I love that you even got some ice cream in (very important part of truly visiting anyplace, IMHO)!!

  3. R Neme says:

    Looks lovely!

  4. Kristen says:

    Dublin (and Ireland as a whole) has been one of my favorite places to travel to so far! This guide is awesome 🙂

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@katelynkellie

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