Dublin

Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath, "Town of the Hurdled Ford") is the capital city of Ireland. Its vibrancy, nightlife and tourist attractions are world renowned and it's the most popular entry point for international visitors to Ireland.

As a city, it is disproportionately large for the size of the country with a population of 1.9 million in the Greater Dublin Region (2011); nearly half of the Republic's population lives in this metropolitan area. The central sights can be navigated by foot, with a few outlying sights, and suburbs sprawling out for miles.

The climate is mild so Dublin is a year-round destination. It's seldom freezing in winter, cool in summer and frequent light showers anytime, see County Dublin weather chart.

There is a Dublin Visitor Centre northside at 1 Sackville Place. opposite the GPO, and another southside at 118 Grafton Street. by Trinity College. They're both open daily 08:30-18:00. Several other places call themselves "tourist offices" but are just marketing their own tours.

There is a Dublin Visitor Centre northside at 1 Sackville Place. opposite the GPO, and another southside at 118 Grafton Street. by Trinity College. They're both open daily 08:30-18:00. Several other places call themselves "tourist offices" but are just marketing their own tours.

There is a Dublin Visitor Centre northside at 1 Sackville Place. opposite the GPO, and another southside at 118 Grafton Street. by Trinity College. They're both open daily 08:30-18:00. Several other places call themselves "tourist offices" but are just marketing their own tours.

Founded in 841, Dublin was originally settled by Vikings among a population of Celtic tribes. In the 9th century the Danes captured Dublin and had control until 1171 when they were expelled by King Henry II of England. By the 14th century the king of England controlled Dublin and the surrounding area referred to as “the Pale”.

When the English Civil War ended in 1649, Oliver Cromwell took over. Dublin experienced huge growth and development in the 17th century because many Protestant refugees from Europe came to Dublin. By the 17th century Dublin was the second largest city in the British Isles, only behind London, and a period when great Georgian style buildings were constructed that still stand today. Georgian style architecture was popular from 1720 to 1840 during the times when George I, George II, George III, and George IV of England were ruling.

In 1800, the Act of Union between England and Ireland abolished the Irish Parliament. From this point on, the Irish worked to gain their independence from England, which they finally won in 1922. The Easter rising in 1916 and the War of Independence greatly helped Ireland win their freedom.

A failed attempt to take over the several important buildings, among them the General Post Office on O'Connell Street, led to the arrest of hundreds and execution of 15, now considered martyrs for the cause. Many believe that this event helped gain sympathy for the fight for independence from Britain.

Dublin is divided by the River Liffey. On the north side of the Liffey is O'Connell Street — the main thoroughfare, which is intersected by numerous shopping streets, including Henry Street and Mary Street, the busiest shopping district in the city. On the south side are St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street, the second busiest and most upmarket shopping area, Trinity College, Christ Church and St. Patrick's Cathedrals, the main branch of the National Museum, and many other attractions.

Dublin postal districts range from Dublin 1 to Dublin 24. As a rule, odd numbers are given to areas north of the River Liffey, while even numbers are given to areas south of the river (exceptions are Dublin 8 and 20 which span both sides of Liffey). Usually, the lower the district number, the closer to the city centre.

Although some of Dublin's finest Georgian architecture was demolished in the mid-20th century, a remarkable amount remains. At one point these buildings were considered a reminder of the past British imperialism and many were demolished without regard to their beauty and architectural significance and replaced with modernist or pastiche office blocks, parts of St. Stephen's Green (Dublin 2) being a prime example. Thankfully, attitudes have changed significantly, and Dubliners are now rightly proud of their impressive buildings from all eras.

In summer, Dublin's top attractions can sell out. Buy tickets online in advance if you know you want to see something, especially for the Book of Kells where even early arrivals may find all the day's slots are filled.

The Dublin Pass gives you free and fast track entry to thirty-some attractions in Dublin. Adult prices are €62 for one day, €83 for two, €102 for three and €128 for five, child prices about half, and days must run consecutively. You may struggle to break even on this deal as only the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour and the Jameson Distillery and Guinness tours charge over €20; most are way cheaper and among their "free entry" attractions are many that don't charge anyhow. The Pass doesn't include the Library & Book of Kells at Trinity College, and it doesn't include any public transport.

• General Post Office (GPO), O'Connell St Lower, Dublin 1, +353 1 705-7000. The GPO is the headquarters of the Post Office in Ireland, built in Neo-Classical style 1814-1818. In 1916 it was occupied by Irish rebels led by PH Pearse, who read the Proclamation of the Republic outside the front door of the building. The interior was burnt out by shelling from government forces against the rebels, but the exterior survived. Subsequently the GPO was restored, reopening in 1929, and remains a busy working post office. It formerly hosted An Post Museum: this closed in 2015 but you can view the collection online.
• O'Connell Street is the broad thoroughfare running north from the river, and the main district for budget accommodation. It was smashed up in the 1916 uprising and subsequent civil war, but rebuilt; then in the 1970s the developers made one sorry mess of it. Plus their assistants: All along O'Connell Street the pieces flew, up went Nelson, and the pillar too . . . was the ditty commemorating the 1966 IRA bombing of Nelson's Column. Where it stood, next to the GPO, is now the 121 m pin of the Spire of Dublin; close by on North Earl St is the James Joyce Statue. Northbound trams glide up the street: go a block east for the southbound track. The city council are doing their best to further improve the place but it's a work in progress: pleasant enough by day, but tacky by night.
• St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, 83 Marlborough Place (one block east of O'Connell St. Dublin's Catholic cathedral, built in 1825. Catholicism was always the majority religion in Ireland, but its practice was forbidden until the 19th C. The official cathedral is Christ Church, so designated by the Pope in 1300, but taken over by the Protestants in the 16th C. When the laws relaxed, St Mary's was built in neo-Classical style as a temporary or "pro"-cathedral, until such time as the Pope decrees otherwise or the Protestants hand back Christ Church; neither event appears imminent.
• At its north end at Parnell Square, O'Connell St takes a turn and becomes Frederick St. Here are the Rotunda Hospital, City Art Gallery, Writer's Museum and Garden of Remembrance.
• Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane, Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, Dublin 1, +353 1 222 5550. Tu-Th 10:00-18:00, F Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 11:00-17:00, Mon closed. This public gallery has permanent and temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. It also houses Francis Bacon's studio which was relocated in 2001 from London. Free.
• Dublin Writers Museum, 18 Parnell Sq, Dublin 1 (next to Art Gallery, +353 1 872-2077. M-Sa 10:00-17:00, (Jun-Aug open until 18:00) Su & holidays 11:00-17:00. Located in an 18th-century house, the museum is dedicated to Irish literature and the lives of individual writers such as Shaw, Joyce, Yeats & Pearse. €7.25, children €4.55, family tickets €21.
• The Garden of Remembrance across the street from the gallery and museum commemorates those who died in the struggle for Irish independence. Open daily.
• The River Liffey is lined by stylish buildings, much scrubbed-up or re-developed in recent years. Just upstream from O'Connell Bridge, the Ha'penny Bridge. is the one on all the picture postcards and film locations, a 43 m cast-iron arch spanning the river between Liffey St Lower and Wellington Quay. Officially called the "Liffey Bridge" (Droichead na Life), it was built in 1816 to replace the cross-river ferries, with the right to charge a ha'penny toll for the next century. There were turnstiles at both ends, removed in 1919 after the toll ceased. The bridge was extensively repaired in 2001. Please don't clutter it up with "love-locks" - the last big clean-up removed 300 kg of these, and bear in mind that the 2001 repairs were by Harland and Wolff, who built the Titanic.
• Downstream from O'Connell Bridge the river broadens into dockland and the open sea, with poignant reminders of the Irish people's relationship with that sea.
• The Famine Memorial. on Custom House Quay depicts victims of the Great Famine (an Gorta Mór) of 1845-49, when a million died and another million fled the country. Five gaunt figures totter to the docks with their bundles as if to take ship and leave. Or perhaps they hope for scraps from those ships, which during the famine years were briskly exporting food for profit, plenty to feed everyone yet unaffordable to most.
• EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, CHQ, Custom House Quay (10 min walk from city centre, 5 min from Connolly/Tara Station, George’s Dock Stop Luas Red Line or Hop off/hop on buses stop outside EPIC, +353 1 906 0861. Daily 10:00-18:45 (last entry is 17:00). This museum tells the story of Ireland’s expansive emigration, and the impact it has had on the world. Features 1500 years of Irish history told through 20 interactive galleries. Adult €15, child 6-15 €7.50, child 0-5 free, senior 65+ €13, student 16+ €13.
• Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship Museum, Custom House Quay (Downstream of Sean O'Casey Bridge, +353 01 473-0111. Tours (50 min) daily Apr-Oct 10:00-16:00, Nov-Mar 11:00-15:00. The original Jeanie Johnston was a 3-masted barque sailing between County Kerry and North America 1847-1855, taking Irish emigrants west in the Great Famine, and bringing timber back east. No lives were ever lost aboard, even during her final sinking. The present ship is a replica launched in 2000, and berthed here to act as a museum. The ship has previously made cruises and served as a training vessel, but since 2010 she's not been seaworthy, and the repairs appear unaffordable. Adult €10.50, conc €9.50, child €6.
• Samuel Beckett Bridge. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, this is a harp-shaped cable-stay road bridge of 120 m. It spans the river between North Wall Quay (in Docklands, north bank) and Sir John Rogerson's Quay (near Grand Canal Square, south bank) and the whole contraption hinges through 90 degrees to let ships pass. Daytime it's busy with traffic and is most scenic when floodlit at night. Calatrava also designed the James Joyce bridge upstream.
• Green on Red Gallery, Park Lane, Spencer Dock, Dublin 1 (Exiting Pearse rail station and turn right. Cross Pearse St and it will be on the left opposite Lombard bar, +353 1 671-3414, +353 87 245 4282. W-F 10:00-18:00, Sa 11:00-15:00, Su closed, M and Tu by appointment. This one of Ireland’s most dynamic and exciting galleries. Representing some of the best Irish and international contemporary work on the market. The programme is based on 10-11 solo exhibitions and 1-2 group or thematic exhibitions per year. Green On Red participates annually in international art fairs and the gallery’s artists regularly exhibit abroad in private and public venues. Free entrance.

General Post Office (GPO), O'Connell St Lower, Dublin 1, +353 1 705-7000. The GPO is the headquarters of the Post Office in Ireland, built in Neo-Classical style 1814-1818. In 1916 it was occupied by Irish rebels led by PH Pearse, who read the Proclamation of the Republic outside the front door of the building. The interior was burnt out by shelling from government forces against the rebels, but the exterior survived. Subsequently the GPO was restored, reopening in 1929, and remains a busy working post office. It formerly hosted An Post Museum: this closed in 2015 but you can view the collection online.

O'Connell Street is the broad thoroughfare running north from the river, and the main district for budget accommodation. It was smashed up in the 1916 uprising and subsequent civil war, but rebuilt; then in the 1970s the developers made one sorry mess of it. Plus their assistants: All along O'Connell Street the pieces flew, up went Nelson, and the pillar too . . . was the ditty commemorating the 1966 IRA bombing of Nelson's Column. Where it stood, next to the GPO, is now the 121 m pin of the Spire of Dublin; close by on North Earl St is the James Joyce Statue. Northbound trams glide up the street: go a block east for the southbound track. The city council are doing their best to further improve the place but it's a work in progress: pleasant enough by day, but tacky by night.

St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, 83 Marlborough Place (one block east of O'Connell St. Dublin's Catholic cathedral, built in 1825. Catholicism was always the majority religion in Ireland, but its practice was forbidden until the 19th C. The official cathedral is Christ Church, so designated by the Pope in 1300, but taken over by the Protestants in the 16th C. When the laws relaxed, St Mary's was built in neo-Classical style as a temporary or "pro"-cathedral, until such time as the Pope decrees otherwise or the Protestants hand back Christ Church; neither event appears imminent.

Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane, Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, Dublin 1, +353 1 222 5550. Tu-Th 10:00-18:00, F Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 11:00-17:00, Mon closed. This public gallery has permanent and temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. It also houses Francis Bacon's studio which was relocated in 2001 from London. Free.

Dublin Writers Museum, 18 Parnell Sq, Dublin 1 (next to Art Gallery, +353 1 872-2077. M-Sa 10:00-17:00, (Jun-Aug open until 18:00) Su & holidays 11:00-17:00. Located in an 18th-century house, the museum is dedicated to Irish literature and the lives of individual writers such as Shaw, Joyce, Yeats & Pearse. €7.25, children €4.55, family tickets €21.

The Garden of Remembrance across the street from the gallery and museum commemorates those who died in the struggle for Irish independence. Open daily.

The River Liffey is lined by stylish buildings, much scrubbed-up or re-developed in recent years. Just upstream from O'Connell Bridge, the Ha'penny Bridge. is the one on all the picture postcards and film locations, a 43 m cast-iron arch spanning the river between Liffey St Lower and Wellington Quay. Officially called the "Liffey Bridge" (Droichead na Life), it was built in 1816 to replace the cross-river ferries, with the right to charge a ha'penny toll for the next century. There were turnstiles at both ends, removed in 1919 after the toll ceased. The bridge was extensively repaired in 2001. Please don't clutter it up with "love-locks" - the last big clean-up removed 300 kg of these, and bear in mind that the 2001 repairs were by Harland and Wolff, who built the Titanic.

The Famine Memorial. on Custom House Quay depicts victims of the Great Famine (an Gorta Mór) of 1845-49, when a million died and another million fled the country. Five gaunt figures totter to the docks with their bundles as if to take ship and leave. Or perhaps they hope for scraps from those ships, which during the famine years were briskly exporting food for profit, plenty to feed everyone yet unaffordable to most.

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, CHQ, Custom House Quay (10 min walk from city centre, 5 min from Connolly/Tara Station, George’s Dock Stop Luas Red Line or Hop off/hop on buses stop outside EPIC, +353 1 906 0861. Daily 10:00-18:45 (last entry is 17:00). This museum tells the story of Ireland’s expansive emigration, and the impact it has had on the world. Features 1500 years of Irish history told through 20 interactive galleries. Adult €15, child 6-15 €7.50, child 0-5 free, senior 65+ €13, student 16+ €13.

Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship Museum, Custom House Quay (Downstream of Sean O'Casey Bridge, +353 01 473-0111. Tours (50 min) daily Apr-Oct 10:00-16:00, Nov-Mar 11:00-15:00. The original Jeanie Johnston was a 3-masted barque sailing between County Kerry and North America 1847-1855, taking Irish emigrants west in the Great Famine, and bringing timber back east. No lives were ever lost aboard, even during her final sinking. The present ship is a replica launched in 2000, and berthed here to act as a museum. The ship has previously made cruises and served as a training vessel, but since 2010 she's not been seaworthy, and the repairs appear unaffordable. Adult €10.50, conc €9.50, child €6.

Samuel Beckett Bridge. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, this is a harp-shaped cable-stay road bridge of 120 m. It spans the river between North Wall Quay (in Docklands, north bank) and Sir John Rogerson's Quay (near Grand Canal Square, south bank) and the whole contraption hinges through 90 degrees to let ships pass. Daytime it's busy with traffic and is most scenic when floodlit at night. Calatrava also designed the James Joyce bridge upstream.

Green on Red Gallery, Park Lane, Spencer Dock, Dublin 1 (Exiting Pearse rail station and turn right. Cross Pearse St and it will be on the left opposite Lombard bar, +353 1 671-3414, +353 87 245 4282. W-F 10:00-18:00, Sa 11:00-15:00, Su closed, M and Tu by appointment. This one of Ireland’s most dynamic and exciting galleries. Representing some of the best Irish and international contemporary work on the market. The programme is based on 10-11 solo exhibitions and 1-2 group or thematic exhibitions per year. Green On Red participates annually in international art fairs and the gallery’s artists regularly exhibit abroad in private and public venues. Free entrance.

Many of Dublin's top sights are just south of the river, notably Trinity College, the National Museum archaeology collections, the National Gallery, and the elegant town through Merrion Square to St Stephen's Green.

• Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2, +353 1 896-2320. Kells: May-Sep: M-Sa 08:30-17:00, Su 09:30-17:00; Oct-Apr: M-Sa 09:30-17:00, Su 12:00-16:30. Trinity College is the fine Georgian campus of the University of Dublin. It's generally open to stroll around in daylight hours, but it is a working university, and most interiors are off-limits to tourists. You can visit the Chapel near the front (west) gate of the College. But the big attraction (ie mobbed) is the Old Library and Book of Kells. If you've not booked online, then first buy your ticket from the machines under the new (Lecky) library just south - this is for a timed slot, and on holiday weekends may be booked out. You enter an exhibition hall setting the Book in the context of other monastic writings of its period, circa 800 AD. Next, enter the display area: only two pages are displayed at any time, one being richly illustrated with little text (or no text, on the "carpet" pages), and one page being text of the Vulgate Gospels, written in Insular Majuscule Latin. But it's difficult to enjoy, with crowds jostling round the display case. Next, go upstairs into the massive Long Hall of the library, with books and ladders and more books and ladders towering away upwards. Last but not least, exit through the gift shop, which can be entered without a ticket. Adults €13 (€10 online off-peak), students & seniors €10, family €26, under 12 years free. Audio guides €5.
• Look into the posh Bank of Ireland opposite the College while waiting for your appointment with Kells. Small display of early banknotes and memorabilia.
• Temple Bar is the district just west of the College along the riverside. It's wall-to-wall pubs and eating places, the cobbled streets are agreeable but there are no specific sights except Ha'penny Bridge until the Castle area, described in "West city". It's thronged with merry-makers, and by evening the hen parties and lads' outings are steaming, raucous and upchucking.
• Irish Whiskey Museum: and not before time. Irish distilleries have for too long pumped out bland commercial fare, though the country has all the ingredients (including the know-how) to produce whiskey of character to rival single-malt Scotch. The museum is next to the Dublin Visitor Centre at the gates of Trinity College. It's open daily Apr-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-Mar 10:30-18:00; the bar stays open Friday till 23:00 and Sat & Sun to 22:00. Standard tour (1 hour) costs €20.
• Molly Malone statue, corner of Suffolk Street & St Andrew's Street. Molly Malone is the subject of a maudlin 19th century music-hall ballad, who pushed her wheelbarrow crying "cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh" before dying of a fever. She's entirely fictional, though Dublin had many such streethawkers, and the lyrics have parallels in earlier folk tunes. The kitsch statue dates to 1988 and was originally on nearby Grafton Street, but moved to its present spot in 2014 to make way for tram tracks. She's often mocked as "The Tart with the Cart" or "The Trollop with the Scallop" and her breasts (above an unhistorical low-cut dress) have been well polished by passing hands. Alas amidst these misogynist tropes & gropes, we forget the sad fate of the cockles and mussels themselves.
• National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West & Clare St, Dublin 2, +353 1 661-5133. Tu W F Sa 09:15-17:30, Th 09:15-20:30, Su M 11:00-17:30. Impressive national collection of Irish and European Art. Free.
• National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology & History, Kildare St, Dublin 2 (just north of St Stephen's Green, +353 1 677 7444. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su M 13:00-17:00. Excellent display of Ireland's artefacts from prehistory through the Viking era to independence. The standout is the Treasury (eg the 12th C Ardagh Chalice and 9th C Tara Brooch), and the prehistoric jewellery: gold and silver beautifully worked and carved - then chucked into the bog?? And likewise into the bog went bodies, presumably of defeated foes given the violence of their deaths. Normally when a body is buried, the flesh decays and a skeleton persists. But if you throw a body into a peat bog, the acid dissolves the bones while tannin preserves the hide. The person turns into a handbag. Free.
• National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Square, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-7444. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su M 13:00-17:00. The "Dead Zoo" contains a comprehensive zoological collection stored and maintained in a manner unchanged since its establishment in Victorian times. Free.
• Merrion Square. This large stately square is filled with grassy and shady areas and surrounded by Georgian red-brick houses. At the northwest corner is a life-sized statue of the writer and dramatist Oscar (draw breath) . . . Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900), who grew up at No. 1 here. He's depicted sprawled on the embankment, with a lop-sided smirk, as if totally wasted. (As if!) Two short marble columns are covered in his quotable quotes. On the surrounding buildings, plaques commemorate other notable residents, such as the Duke of Wellington. The fine architecture continues south, along Mount Street Upper and Fitzwilliam Street Lower. The neo-classical government buildings on Upper Merrion St can be visited by free guided tour Saturdays hourly 10:30-13:30, pick up tickets in the National Gallery lobby.
• Number Twenty Nine, 29 Fitzwilliam Street Lower (SE corner of Merrion Square. Closed. Georgian townhouse museum recreates the lifestyle of a historic middle-class family. It's closed for renovation until 2020.
• St Stephens Green, Dublin 2 (At the southern end of Grafton St. Pleasant Victorian public park. Note the Fusiliers' Arch, constructed in 1907 to commemorate the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who fell in the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
• The Mansion House. on Dawson Street is the office of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. You can only get in to see it (eg the plush 1821 Round Room) for special events or on occasional open days.
• Little Museum of Dublin, 15 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, +353 1 661-1000. Daily 09:30-17:00. Housed in a Georgian townhouse on St. Stephen's Green, this displays the 20th C social, cultural and political history of Dublin city, with many artefacts donated by Dubliners. Visit by guided tour every 30-60 mins. Adult €10, conc €8.
• Iveagh Gardens are a block south of St Stephens Green: a hidden green space, as they're secluded by buildings.
• The Grand Canal marks the southern boundary of the inner city; the Royal Canal similarly loops across the northern city. Both were built in the 18th / 19th C to carry passengers and freight between Dublin and the Shannon and Atlantic. The Grand Canal took 47 years to construct: the expense of crossing the Bog of Allen replicated the prehistoric custom of sinking gold into bogs. And indeed Irish waterways go that far back, as the earliest dwellers could barely get about by land. The dockland visitor centre has closed but the Waterways Ireland website gives information eg on walks, navigability and fishing on this and the other canals.

Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2, +353 1 896-2320. Kells: May-Sep: M-Sa 08:30-17:00, Su 09:30-17:00; Oct-Apr: M-Sa 09:30-17:00, Su 12:00-16:30. Trinity College is the fine Georgian campus of the University of Dublin. It's generally open to stroll around in daylight hours, but it is a working university, and most interiors are off-limits to tourists. You can visit the Chapel near the front (west) gate of the College. But the big attraction (ie mobbed) is the Old Library and Book of Kells. If you've not booked online, then first buy your ticket from the machines under the new (Lecky) library just south - this is for a timed slot, and on holiday weekends may be booked out. You enter an exhibition hall setting the Book in the context of other monastic writings of its period, circa 800 AD. Next, enter the display area: only two pages are displayed at any time, one being richly illustrated with little text (or no text, on the "carpet" pages), and one page being text of the Vulgate Gospels, written in Insular Majuscule Latin. But it's difficult to enjoy, with crowds jostling round the display case. Next, go upstairs into the massive Long Hall of the library, with books and ladders and more books and ladders towering away upwards. Last but not least, exit through the gift shop, which can be entered without a ticket. Adults €13 (€10 online off-peak), students & seniors €10, family €26, under 12 years free. Audio guides €5.

Look into the posh Bank of Ireland opposite the College while waiting for your appointment with Kells. Small display of early banknotes and memorabilia.

Temple Bar is the district just west of the College along the riverside. It's wall-to-wall pubs and eating places, the cobbled streets are agreeable but there are no specific sights except Ha'penny Bridge until the Castle area, described in "West city". It's thronged with merry-makers, and by evening the hen parties and lads' outings are steaming, raucous and upchucking.

Irish Whiskey Museum: and not before time. Irish distilleries have for too long pumped out bland commercial fare, though the country has all the ingredients (including the know-how) to produce whiskey of character to rival single-malt Scotch. The museum is next to the Dublin Visitor Centre at the gates of Trinity College. It's open daily Apr-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-Mar 10:30-18:00; the bar stays open Friday till 23:00 and Sat & Sun to 22:00. Standard tour (1 hour) costs €20.

Molly Malone statue, corner of Suffolk Street & St Andrew's Street. Molly Malone is the subject of a maudlin 19th century music-hall ballad, who pushed her wheelbarrow crying "cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh" before dying of a fever. She's entirely fictional, though Dublin had many such streethawkers, and the lyrics have parallels in earlier folk tunes. The kitsch statue dates to 1988 and was originally on nearby Grafton Street, but moved to its present spot in 2014 to make way for tram tracks. She's often mocked as "The Tart with the Cart" or "The Trollop with the Scallop" and her breasts (above an unhistorical low-cut dress) have been well polished by passing hands. Alas amidst these misogynist tropes & gropes, we forget the sad fate of the cockles and mussels themselves.

National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West & Clare St, Dublin 2, +353 1 661-5133. Tu W F Sa 09:15-17:30, Th 09:15-20:30, Su M 11:00-17:30. Impressive national collection of Irish and European Art. Free.

National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology & History, Kildare St, Dublin 2 (just north of St Stephen's Green, +353 1 677 7444. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su M 13:00-17:00. Excellent display of Ireland's artefacts from prehistory through the Viking era to independence. The standout is the Treasury (eg the 12th C Ardagh Chalice and 9th C Tara Brooch), and the prehistoric jewellery: gold and silver beautifully worked and carved - then chucked into the bog?? And likewise into the bog went bodies, presumably of defeated foes given the violence of their deaths. Normally when a body is buried, the flesh decays and a skeleton persists. But if you throw a body into a peat bog, the acid dissolves the bones while tannin preserves the hide. The person turns into a handbag. Free.

National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Square, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-7444. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su M 13:00-17:00. The "Dead Zoo" contains a comprehensive zoological collection stored and maintained in a manner unchanged since its establishment in Victorian times. Free.

Merrion Square. This large stately square is filled with grassy and shady areas and surrounded by Georgian red-brick houses. At the northwest corner is a life-sized statue of the writer and dramatist Oscar (draw breath) . . . Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900), who grew up at No. 1 here. He's depicted sprawled on the embankment, with a lop-sided smirk, as if totally wasted. (As if!) Two short marble columns are covered in his quotable quotes. On the surrounding buildings, plaques commemorate other notable residents, such as the Duke of Wellington. The fine architecture continues south, along Mount Street Upper and Fitzwilliam Street Lower. The neo-classical government buildings on Upper Merrion St can be visited by free guided tour Saturdays hourly 10:30-13:30, pick up tickets in the National Gallery lobby.

Number Twenty Nine, 29 Fitzwilliam Street Lower (SE corner of Merrion Square. Closed. Georgian townhouse museum recreates the lifestyle of a historic middle-class family. It's closed for renovation until 2020.

St Stephens Green, Dublin 2 (At the southern end of Grafton St. Pleasant Victorian public park. Note the Fusiliers' Arch, constructed in 1907 to commemorate the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who fell in the Second Boer War (1899-1902).

The Mansion House. on Dawson Street is the office of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. You can only get in to see it (eg the plush 1821 Round Room) for special events or on occasional open days.

Little Museum of Dublin, 15 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, +353 1 661-1000. Daily 09:30-17:00. Housed in a Georgian townhouse on St. Stephen's Green, this displays the 20th C social, cultural and political history of Dublin city, with many artefacts donated by Dubliners. Visit by guided tour every 30-60 mins. Adult €10, conc €8.

Iveagh Gardens are a block south of St Stephens Green: a hidden green space, as they're secluded by buildings.

The Grand Canal marks the southern boundary of the inner city; the Royal Canal similarly loops across the northern city. Both were built in the 18th / 19th C to carry passengers and freight between Dublin and the Shannon and Atlantic. The Grand Canal took 47 years to construct: the expense of crossing the Bog of Allen replicated the prehistoric custom of sinking gold into bogs. And indeed Irish waterways go that far back, as the earliest dwellers could barely get about by land. The dockland visitor centre has closed but the Waterways Ireland website gives information eg on walks, navigability and fishing on this and the other canals.

The original Dublin was in this area, at the confluence of the Liffey and the smaller Poddle (now culverted). Their peaty waters formed a dark pool, in Irish dubh linn.

• Dublin Castle, 2 Palace St, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-7129. Daily M-Sa 10:00-17:15. Former seat of British rule in Ireland. The guided tour (hourly) takes in the medieval basements and Chapel Royal, then you see the State Apartments in your own time. You can skip the tour and just see the apartments for less. Guided tour €12, apartments alone €8.
• Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, +353 1 407-0750. Mar-Oct M-F 10:00-17:00, Sa 11:00-17:00, Su 13:00-17:00; Nov-Feb closed M. Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) was an American mining magnate who amassed a fabulous collection of early books and manuscripts and oriental art. He moved to London and collaborated generously with the British Museum, but in 1950 there was a falling-out and he moved to Ireland. He established the library to avoid his collection being split up; it's now in the Clock Tower in the Castle gardens. Free.
• Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Church Pl, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-8099. Apr-Sept M-Sa 09:30-19:00, Su 12:30-14:30 & 16:30-19:00; Oct-Mar M-Sa 09:30-17:00, Su 12:30-14:30. Dating back to the 11th century, this is the oldest building in Dublin, though it underwent a massive restoration in the 19th century. The oldest part is the large crypt, where amongst the items on display are a mummified cat and a rat, which got themselves stuck in the church organ in the 19th C. Adult €7, conc €5.50.
• Dublinia & the Viking World, St. Michael's Hill, Christchurch, Dublin 2, +353 1 679-4611. Mar-Sep 10:00-17:00, Oct-Feb 10:00-16:15. The exhibitions explore life in the Viking settlement and medieval city. Discounted admission to the Christ Church Cathedral available. €6.25, children €3.75, student €5.25..
• St Audoen's Church on Cornmarket near Christ Church is a 19th C neo-classical church built over 12th C remains. It's now the RC Polish Chaplaincy for Ireland.
• St Michan's Church on Church St north of Arran Quay was built in 1686 on Viking foundations. It has fine interior woodwork and an organ used by Handel. However the main draw was the mummified remains in the vaults: a 400-year old nun, a crusader, and the ancient Earls of Leitrim. In Feb 2019 these remains were vandalised so the vaults are closed for the forseeable future.
• National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb St, Dublin 7 (north of river; Luas Red line tram to "Museum", +353 1 677-7444. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su M 13:00-17:00. The building itself is remarkable, a great Georgian former barracks around a parade square. Displays decorative arts and artefacts over 400 years, from rustic houses through Georgian elegance to "Proclaiming a Republic", the events of Easter 1916 when the interior decor of the Post Office took a turn for the worse. Free.
• Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Royal Hospital, Military Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, +353 1 612-9900. Tu-F 11:30-17:30, Sa 10:00-17:30, Su 12:00-17:30, M closed. Modern & contemporary art, formal gardens & café. Free entrance.
• Kilmainham Gaol, Inchicore Rd, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 (3.5 km west of centre, Bus 16 or 79 from Aston Quay or 13 or 40 from O'Connell St, +353 1 453 5984. Apr-Sep daily 09:30-18:00, Oct-Mar daily 09:30-17:30. This prison was in use 1796-1924; thousands have passed through, including many convicts transported to Australia. It's best known as the place where the rebels from the 1916 Easter Rising were executed. (Several now lie in Arbour Hill Cemetery just north of the Decorative Arts Museum.) Access only by guided tours, every 30 mins, pre-booking essential. Adult €8, senior €4, child & student €4.
• Irish National War Memorial park and gardens are dedicated to the 49,500 Irish soldiers who died in the Great War. They're on the riverside just north of Kilmainham Gaol.
• Dublin Zoo, Welington/Zoo Rd, Dublin 8, +353 1 474-8900. Winter: M-Sa 09:30-16:00, summer: M-Sa 09:30-18:30. Located in Phoenix Park and dating to 1830, the Dublin Zoo is the largest in Ireland, and notable for its role in wildlife conservation efforts. €15, students €12.50, senior citizens €12, children €10.50, family from €43.50 for 4 to €52 for 6.
• Phoenix Park, +353 1 677-0095. The largest enclosed urban park in Europe, 2.5 km by 2 km. Includes Dublin Zoo, the residences of the President of Ireland and of the US Ambassador, the Cross commemorating the Pope's visit in 1979, a monument to the 1882 assassinations here, several sports fields, and a herd of fallow deer. Just beyond is Farmleigh mansion. But no phoenix, the name derives from Irish fionn uisce - "clear water". Free.
• The President's Residence (Áras an Uachtaráin) can be visited by free guided tour on Saturdays hourly 10:30-15:30. Pick up a ticket from the Phoenix Park visitor centre, no booking.
• Grangegorman Military Cemetery is a leafy, reflective space on the northeast flank of Phoenix Park, opposite the fish ponds.
• Farmleigh is an Edwardian mansion off White's Road at the west end of Phoenix Park. It's used to accommodate visiting VIPs but at other times can be seen by guided tour, daily 10:00-16:30, adult €8.

Dublin Castle, 2 Palace St, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-7129. Daily M-Sa 10:00-17:15. Former seat of British rule in Ireland. The guided tour (hourly) takes in the medieval basements and Chapel Royal, then you see the State Apartments in your own time. You can skip the tour and just see the apartments for less. Guided tour €12, apartments alone €8.

Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, +353 1 407-0750. Mar-Oct M-F 10:00-17:00, Sa 11:00-17:00, Su 13:00-17:00; Nov-Feb closed M. Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) was an American mining magnate who amassed a fabulous collection of early books and manuscripts and oriental art. He moved to London and collaborated generously with the British Museum, but in 1950 there was a falling-out and he moved to Ireland. He established the library to avoid his collection being split up; it's now in the Clock Tower in the Castle gardens. Free.

Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Church Pl, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-8099. Apr-Sept M-Sa 09:30-19:00, Su 12:30-14:30 & 16:30-19:00; Oct-Mar M-Sa 09:30-17:00, Su 12:30-14:30. Dating back to the 11th century, this is the oldest building in Dublin, though it underwent a massive restoration in the 19th century. The oldest part is the large crypt, where amongst the items on display are a mummified cat and a rat, which got themselves stuck in the church organ in the 19th C. Adult €7, conc €5.50.

Dublinia & the Viking World, St. Michael's Hill, Christchurch, Dublin 2, +353 1 679-4611. Mar-Sep 10:00-17:00, Oct-Feb 10:00-16:15. The exhibitions explore life in the Viking settlement and medieval city. Discounted admission to the Christ Church Cathedral available. €6.25, children €3.75, student €5.25..

St Audoen's Church on Cornmarket near Christ Church is a 19th C neo-classical church built over 12th C remains. It's now the RC Polish Chaplaincy for Ireland.

St Michan's Church on Church St north of Arran Quay was built in 1686 on Viking foundations. It has fine interior woodwork and an organ used by Handel. However the main draw was the mummified remains in the vaults: a 400-year old nun, a crusader, and the ancient Earls of Leitrim. In Feb 2019 these remains were vandalised so the vaults are closed for the forseeable future.

National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb St, Dublin 7 (north of river; Luas Red line tram to "Museum", +353 1 677-7444. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su M 13:00-17:00. The building itself is remarkable, a great Georgian former barracks around a parade square. Displays decorative arts and artefacts over 400 years, from rustic houses through Georgian elegance to "Proclaiming a Republic", the events of Easter 1916 when the interior decor of the Post Office took a turn for the worse. Free.

Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Royal Hospital, Military Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, +353 1 612-9900. Tu-F 11:30-17:30, Sa 10:00-17:30, Su 12:00-17:30, M closed. Modern & contemporary art, formal gardens & café. Free entrance.

Kilmainham Gaol, Inchicore Rd, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 (3.5 km west of centre, Bus 16 or 79 from Aston Quay or 13 or 40 from O'Connell St, +353 1 453 5984. Apr-Sep daily 09:30-18:00, Oct-Mar daily 09:30-17:30. This prison was in use 1796-1924; thousands have passed through, including many convicts transported to Australia. It's best known as the place where the rebels from the 1916 Easter Rising were executed. (Several now lie in Arbour Hill Cemetery just north of the Decorative Arts Museum.) Access only by guided tours, every 30 mins, pre-booking essential. Adult €8, senior €4, child & student €4.

Irish National War Memorial park and gardens are dedicated to the 49,500 Irish soldiers who died in the Great War. They're on the riverside just north of Kilmainham Gaol.

Dublin Zoo, Welington/Zoo Rd, Dublin 8, +353 1 474-8900. Winter: M-Sa 09:30-16:00, summer: M-Sa 09:30-18:30. Located in Phoenix Park and dating to 1830, the Dublin Zoo is the largest in Ireland, and notable for its role in wildlife conservation efforts. €15, students €12.50, senior citizens €12, children €10.50, family from €43.50 for 4 to €52 for 6.

Phoenix Park, +353 1 677-0095. The largest enclosed urban park in Europe, 2.5 km by 2 km. Includes Dublin Zoo, the residences of the President of Ireland and of the US Ambassador, the Cross commemorating the Pope's visit in 1979, a monument to the 1882 assassinations here, several sports fields, and a herd of fallow deer. Just beyond is Farmleigh mansion. But no phoenix, the name derives from Irish fionn uisce - "clear water". Free.

The President's Residence (Áras an Uachtaráin) can be visited by free guided tour on Saturdays hourly 10:30-15:30. Pick up a ticket from the Phoenix Park visitor centre, no booking.

Grangegorman Military Cemetery is a leafy, reflective space on the northeast flank of Phoenix Park, opposite the fish ponds.

Farmleigh is an Edwardian mansion off White's Road at the west end of Phoenix Park. It's used to accommodate visiting VIPs but at other times can be seen by guided tour, daily 10:00-16:30, adult €8.

• Donnybrook and Ballsbridge: take 46a bus to Donnybrook and the 4 or 7 buses to Ballsbridge. Ballsbridge is Dublin's embassy district and is home to some of Ireland's most expensive roads including 'Shrewsbury Road', which is famous for being the 6th most expensive residential thoroughfare in the world and 'Ailesbury Road' which is equally as salubrious and home to a bulk of the capital's embassies including Spain and Poland. Ballsbridge is also home to The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) which promotes and develops agriculture, arts, industry and science in Ireland. It hosts many concerts and also showcases the annual Show Jumping Competition, a major entertainment event. You can approach Ballsbridge via 'Herbert Park', a pleasant public green park and fashionable road, opposite Donnybrook Village and vice-versa.
• Ranelagh and Dartry are also worth visiting- Ranelagh is small but affluent, accessible by the Luas Green line and has several critically acclaimed eateries.
• Sandymount, a coastal suburb 3 km south-east of the centre, is another quite affluent area with a tiny park and some restaurants. It is the birthplace of W.B. Yeats. The suburb and its strand appear prominently in James Joyce's Ulysses. There is a wonderful walk from Sandymount across the north end of its beach to the South Bull Wall which reaches a finger well out into the Bay.
• University College Dublin (UCD). is now a "city-within-a-city" on Belfield Campus.
• Rathfarnham Castle is originally Elizabethan but prettified in the 18th C. Open May-Sept daily, Oct-Apr W-Su.
• The Pearse Museum is in St Enda's Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. Patrick Pearse lived here 1910-16.

Donnybrook and Ballsbridge: take 46a bus to Donnybrook and the 4 or 7 buses to Ballsbridge. Ballsbridge is Dublin's embassy district and is home to some of Ireland's most expensive roads including 'Shrewsbury Road', which is famous for being the 6th most expensive residential thoroughfare in the world and 'Ailesbury Road' which is equally as salubrious and home to a bulk of the capital's embassies including Spain and Poland. Ballsbridge is also home to The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) which promotes and develops agriculture, arts, industry and science in Ireland. It hosts many concerts and also showcases the annual Show Jumping Competition, a major entertainment event. You can approach Ballsbridge via 'Herbert Park', a pleasant public green park and fashionable road, opposite Donnybrook Village and vice-versa.

Ranelagh and Dartry are also worth visiting- Ranelagh is small but affluent, accessible by the Luas Green line and has several critically acclaimed eateries.

Sandymount, a coastal suburb 3 km south-east of the centre, is another quite affluent area with a tiny park and some restaurants. It is the birthplace of W.B. Yeats. The suburb and its strand appear prominently in James Joyce's Ulysses. There is a wonderful walk from Sandymount across the north end of its beach to the South Bull Wall which reaches a finger well out into the Bay.

University College Dublin (UCD). is now a "city-within-a-city" on Belfield Campus.

Rathfarnham Castle is originally Elizabethan but prettified in the 18th C. Open May-Sept daily, Oct-Apr W-Su.

The Pearse Museum is in St Enda's Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. Patrick Pearse lived here 1910-16.

• Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Rd, Dublin 11 (Buses 9, 13 or 40 from O'Connell St or 40a/40d from Parnell Street. Adjacent to the Botanic Gardens, +353 1 830-1133. Tours at 14:30: Mar-Sep Daily, Oct-Feb W & F. It's two miles from the city centre. Glasnevin Cemetery runs a series of walking tours. These tours give a valuable insight into the final resting place of the men and women who have helped shape Ireland's past and present. The walking tour last one and a half hours and visits the graves of Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera and many other graves of architectural and cultural interest. €5, U12 go free.
• National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, +353 1 804-0300. Mar-Oct M-F 09:00-17:00, Sa Su 10:00-18:00; Nov-Feb M-F 09:00-16:30, Sa Su 10:00-16:30. Extensive gardens favouring alkaline-loving species. The great Palm House (where Wittgenstein often came to warm his lugubrious backside) was rebuilt in 2004, though the original Aquatic, Fern & Cactus houses are still under restoration. A gateway leads into Glasnevin Cemetery adjacent. The gardens also manage the arboretum at Kilmacurragh in County Wicklow. Free.
• Drumcondra is a relatively expansive and bustling Victorian suburb, boasting several good parks as well as Griffith Avenue, said to be Europe's longest tree-lined residential avenue. To the east of Drumcondra is Croke Park, the centrepoint of Gaelic sports; the canal-side route to Croke Park should be approached with some caution especially at night. To the west of Drumcondra is Glasnevin which can occupy a visitor nicely with the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin Cemetery (containing many historically significant tombs) and good restaurants can be found in the Botanic Gardens and on The Rise, off Griffith Avenue.
• Clontarf (accessible by DART/commuter rail) is a great seaside location to spend an afternoon.
• Bull Island Nature Reserve. A large recreation area. Bull Island has a 5-km (3-mi) beach, Dollymount Strand (Dublin's best beach), and is an important habitat for birds. Also nearby the island is St Anne's Park, a former Guinness family home estate, which has ponds, follies, walks and a world-famous Rose Garden, as well as a coffee shop and artists' studios. The ideal way to visit them is by bicycle. Go via Amien's St, North Strand, Fairview and then follow the coastline. There is an excellent bike path almost all the way. It can also be accessed by walking from Clontarf Road DART station or bus route 130 from the city centre.

Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Rd, Dublin 11 (Buses 9, 13 or 40 from O'Connell St or 40a/40d from Parnell Street. Adjacent to the Botanic Gardens, +353 1 830-1133. Tours at 14:30: Mar-Sep Daily, Oct-Feb W & F. It's two miles from the city centre. Glasnevin Cemetery runs a series of walking tours. These tours give a valuable insight into the final resting place of the men and women who have helped shape Ireland's past and present. The walking tour last one and a half hours and visits the graves of Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera and many other graves of architectural and cultural interest. €5, U12 go free.

National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, +353 1 804-0300. Mar-Oct M-F 09:00-17:00, Sa Su 10:00-18:00; Nov-Feb M-F 09:00-16:30, Sa Su 10:00-16:30. Extensive gardens favouring alkaline-loving species. The great Palm House (where Wittgenstein often came to warm his lugubrious backside) was rebuilt in 2004, though the original Aquatic, Fern & Cactus houses are still under restoration. A gateway leads into Glasnevin Cemetery adjacent. The gardens also manage the arboretum at Kilmacurragh in County Wicklow. Free.

Drumcondra is a relatively expansive and bustling Victorian suburb, boasting several good parks as well as Griffith Avenue, said to be Europe's longest tree-lined residential avenue. To the east of Drumcondra is Croke Park, the centrepoint of Gaelic sports; the canal-side route to Croke Park should be approached with some caution especially at night. To the west of Drumcondra is Glasnevin which can occupy a visitor nicely with the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin Cemetery (containing many historically significant tombs) and good restaurants can be found in the Botanic Gardens and on The Rise, off Griffith Avenue.

Clontarf (accessible by DART/commuter rail) is a great seaside location to spend an afternoon.

Bull Island Nature Reserve. A large recreation area. Bull Island has a 5-km (3-mi) beach, Dollymount Strand (Dublin's best beach), and is an important habitat for birds. Also nearby the island is St Anne's Park, a former Guinness family home estate, which has ponds, follies, walks and a world-famous Rose Garden, as well as a coffee shop and artists' studios. The ideal way to visit them is by bicycle. Go via Amien's St, North Strand, Fairview and then follow the coastline. There is an excellent bike path almost all the way. It can also be accessed by walking from Clontarf Road DART station or bus route 130 from the city centre.

• Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. M and F 10:30 and 14:30. Leinster House is home of the Houses of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland, and can be visited by free tours. Tours include visits to the Dáil and Seanad Chambers. You need to be there at least 15 min before with an ID/passport/drivers license and sign up at the entrance in Kildare Street Gate. Max. 30 people per tour. Tours last approx. 30 min. Free.
• Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate, Dublin 8 (Buses 40/123, closest Luas Red line stop at James's, +353 1 408-4800. Daily 09:30-17:00 (open until 19:00 in Jul & Aug). Closed Good Friday and Dec 24-26. Retells the story of Dublin's most famous drink. The exhibition is interesting and is self-guided. Price of entry includes a pint at the seventh floor Gravity Bar, which has great views over Dublin and forms the head of the giant pint of Guinness formed by the atrium. Outside, tourists will encounter horse drawn carriages for hire. Beware as they charge €30 for the short walkable 2km (1 mi) ride back to the city centre. Adults €15 (10% discount for booking online), students and seniors €11, children 6-12 €5.
• Teeling Distillery, 13-17 Newmarket, Dublin 8 (5min per bus from Trinity College. Daily 10:00-18:00. Last tour at 17:40. New distillery since 2015 in Dublin. Good guided tour with different tastings in the end. Teeling tasting €15, Teeling Trinity tasting €20, Teeling single malt tasting €30. Don‘t take the first choice! You don‘t want to drink a cocktail in a distillery.
• Old Jameson Distillery, Bow Street Distillery, Smithfield, Dublin 7, +353 1 807-2355. Daily 09:30-18:00. Last tour at 17:30. Closed Good Friday and Christmas holidays. This ex-distillery hasn't produced whiskey in a while, and if you are expecting to see whiskey making, you will not find it here. However, there is a tour and recreation of the process, and whiskey tasting afterwards. Adult €12.50, students and seniors €10, families €25.
• The Lazy Bike Tour Company, 4 Scarlet Row, Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin 8, +35314433671. Daily 09:30-17:50. The Lazy Bike Tour Company offers tours of Dublin by electric bike. They use state of the art, retro, funky orange bikes to get you around the city. The tour takes in some the major sights in the city as well as taking you off the beaten track to show you a very real side of Dublin. Tours last around 2 hours and are guided by local guides full of information. €25.
• Walking Tours. Dublin city is famous for its characters. A great way to experience and live the city is by learning about it from people who are characters themselves - Dublin Tour Guides. Tours can vary from 1-hour to 4-hour in length and include, as well as the standard sightseeing tour, tours on topics like the paranormal and ghosts, music and song, literature, historical, 1916 Rising, and even Irish mythology. There are various walking tour companies and freelance tour guides available in Dublin. Anyone interested in geeky history should try the Ingenious Dublin tours, that cover history of medicine, Irish inventions (yes, there are lots!), great Irish scientists (lots of those too). They have walking tours and self-guided MP3 tours.
• Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, 'The Duke Pub', 9 Duke St, Dublin 2 (Just off Grafton St. 2. This is the most ingenious crash course in Irish literature, history, architecture and pub bonhomie yet devised... It combines street theatre with the 'craic' that makes Dublin pubs the liveliest in Europe. It is a highly enjoyable evening that gives you the pleasant notion of replacing brain cells as you drown them. The tour is a kind of rough guide to the cultural, religious and political life of the city. Performances by professional actors are central to the experience, not forgetting a fun-filled quiz with prizes for the winners. Can be a bit formal at times but this one's been going a long time and is well worth the experience for such an unusual tour. There's just enough time to stop in each pub for a pint as well. €10-12.

Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. M and F 10:30 and 14:30. Leinster House is home of the Houses of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland, and can be visited by free tours. Tours include visits to the Dáil and Seanad Chambers. You need to be there at least 15 min before with an ID/passport/drivers license and sign up at the entrance in Kildare Street Gate. Max. 30 people per tour. Tours last approx. 30 min. Free.

Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate, Dublin 8 (Buses 40/123, closest Luas Red line stop at James's, +353 1 408-4800. Daily 09:30-17:00 (open until 19:00 in Jul & Aug). Closed Good Friday and Dec 24-26. Retells the story of Dublin's most famous drink. The exhibition is interesting and is self-guided. Price of entry includes a pint at the seventh floor Gravity Bar, which has great views over Dublin and forms the head of the giant pint of Guinness formed by the atrium. Outside, tourists will encounter horse drawn carriages for hire. Beware as they charge €30 for the short walkable 2km (1 mi) ride back to the city centre. Adults €15 (10% discount for booking online), students and seniors €11, children 6-12 €5.

Teeling Distillery, 13-17 Newmarket, Dublin 8 (5min per bus from Trinity College. Daily 10:00-18:00. Last tour at 17:40. New distillery since 2015 in Dublin. Good guided tour with different tastings in the end. Teeling tasting €15, Teeling Trinity tasting €20, Teeling single malt tasting €30. Don‘t take the first choice! You don‘t want to drink a cocktail in a distillery.

Old Jameson Distillery, Bow Street Distillery, Smithfield, Dublin 7, +353 1 807-2355. Daily 09:30-18:00. Last tour at 17:30. Closed Good Friday and Christmas holidays. This ex-distillery hasn't produced whiskey in a while, and if you are expecting to see whiskey making, you will not find it here. However, there is a tour and recreation of the process, and whiskey tasting afterwards. Adult €12.50, students and seniors €10, families €25.

The Lazy Bike Tour Company, 4 Scarlet Row, Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin 8, +35314433671. Daily 09:30-17:50. The Lazy Bike Tour Company offers tours of Dublin by electric bike. They use state of the art, retro, funky orange bikes to get you around the city. The tour takes in some the major sights in the city as well as taking you off the beaten track to show you a very real side of Dublin. Tours last around 2 hours and are guided by local guides full of information. €25.

Walking Tours. Dublin city is famous for its characters. A great way to experience and live the city is by learning about it from people who are characters themselves - Dublin Tour Guides. Tours can vary from 1-hour to 4-hour in length and include, as well as the standard sightseeing tour, tours on topics like the paranormal and ghosts, music and song, literature, historical, 1916 Rising, and even Irish mythology. There are various walking tour companies and freelance tour guides available in Dublin. Anyone interested in geeky history should try the Ingenious Dublin tours, that cover history of medicine, Irish inventions (yes, there are lots!), great Irish scientists (lots of those too). They have walking tours and self-guided MP3 tours.

Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, 'The Duke Pub', 9 Duke St, Dublin 2 (Just off Grafton St. 2. This is the most ingenious crash course in Irish literature, history, architecture and pub bonhomie yet devised... It combines street theatre with the 'craic' that makes Dublin pubs the liveliest in Europe. It is a highly enjoyable evening that gives you the pleasant notion of replacing brain cells as you drown them. The tour is a kind of rough guide to the cultural, religious and political life of the city. Performances by professional actors are central to the experience, not forgetting a fun-filled quiz with prizes for the winners. Can be a bit formal at times but this one's been going a long time and is well worth the experience for such an unusual tour. There's just enough time to stop in each pub for a pint as well. €10-12.

• Abbey Theatre, 26/27 Lower Abbey St, Dublin 1, +353 1 878-7222. Ireland's national theatre. This is a particularly good venue for presentations of Irish plays. The Abbey also shows classic and contemporary theatre from around the world.
• Gaiety Theatre, South King St, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-1717. The oldest continually operating theatre in Dublin hosts popular musical shows, opera, ballet, dance and drama. Admission prices vary.
• Gate Theatre, Cavendish Row, Parnell Square, Dublin 1, +353 1 874 4045 or +353 1 874 6042. Has a focus on European and American theatre ranging from classics to modern plays. It was established as a theatre company in 1928.
• National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, +353 1 417 0000. Offers classical concerts. Frequent performances by the resident orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.
• Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Grand Canal Square, +353 1 677 7999. The theatre offers a wide range of shows featuring ballets, musicals, family shows, drama, concerts, comedy and opera. The modern building was designed by Daniel Libeskind and completed in 2010.
• International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. An annual event held in May, celebrating the contribution of gay people to theatre, past and present. The Festival was founded in 2004 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Oscar Wilde, in his native city. With an emphasis on new or recent International and Irish works with a broadly gay theme or relevance, the Festival has grown to become the largest event of its type in the world.

Abbey Theatre, 26/27 Lower Abbey St, Dublin 1, +353 1 878-7222. Ireland's national theatre. This is a particularly good venue for presentations of Irish plays. The Abbey also shows classic and contemporary theatre from around the world.

Gaiety Theatre, South King St, Dublin 2, +353 1 677-1717. The oldest continually operating theatre in Dublin hosts popular musical shows, opera, ballet, dance and drama. Admission prices vary.

Gate Theatre, Cavendish Row, Parnell Square, Dublin 1, +353 1 874 4045 or +353 1 874 6042. Has a focus on European and American theatre ranging from classics to modern plays. It was established as a theatre company in 1928.

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, +353 1 417 0000. Offers classical concerts. Frequent performances by the resident orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Grand Canal Square, +353 1 677 7999. The theatre offers a wide range of shows featuring ballets, musicals, family shows, drama, concerts, comedy and opera. The modern building was designed by Daniel Libeskind and completed in 2010.

International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. An annual event held in May, celebrating the contribution of gay people to theatre, past and present. The Festival was founded in 2004 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Oscar Wilde, in his native city. With an emphasis on new or recent International and Irish works with a broadly gay theme or relevance, the Festival has grown to become the largest event of its type in the world.

• Traditional games at Croke Park Stadium, Jones Rd, Dublin 3. Catch a hurling or Gaelic football game at this 82,300 capacity, state-of-the-art stadium. These sports are uniquely Irish. Hurling is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest field sport, with the ball (called a sliotar) reaching speeds above 130 km/h. Gaelic football can best be described as a combination of soccer and rugby. To keep the sports "pure," it maintains an amateur status, with each parish in Ireland having a team — the inter-county games are generally extremely well-supported, so you may have difficulty getting tickets for the bigger matches. Tours of the GAA museum and the stadium are also available, including a chance to try your hand at the sports themselves. You can also walk across the roof of one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, which provides great views of the city's skyline.
• Tallaght Stadium, Whitestown Way, Tallaght. Watch a Shamrock Rovers F.C. soccer match during the FAI League of Ireland Football (association football) season from March to November. Home matches take place on Friday nights at 19:45. Tickets cost: €15 (Adult), €7 (U-16′s/OAPs).
• Watch rugby union at RDS Arena, Anglesea Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (3 miles south of centre; Bus 4, 7, 18. This is the home ground of Leinster Rugby, who play in the Pro14 professional European league. They often win it, most recently in 2019. The stadium has a capacity of 18,500 and big games sometimes transfer to the larger Aviva stadium.
• Aviva Stadium. on Lansdowne Rd, Dublin 4 is Ireland's national stadium, capacity 51,700. International rugby, soccer and other big events are hosted here. It's a mile or so southeast of the centre, take DART train to Lansdowne Rd or buses towards Sandymount or Ballsbridge.
• Leopardstown Racecourse, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 (from Dublin city centre, follow the N11 south, turn right into the R113 (Leopardstown Road), the racecourse will be on your left, +353 1 289-0500. Located in the southern suburb of Leopardstown/Foxrock, there are regular meetings throughout the year. There is a "Pay as you Play" golf course within the racecourse grounds, as well as bars, restaurants and a nightclub (Club 92). €12.55, with reductions for students and OAPs.

Traditional games at Croke Park Stadium, Jones Rd, Dublin 3. Catch a hurling or Gaelic football game at this 82,300 capacity, state-of-the-art stadium. These sports are uniquely Irish. Hurling is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest field sport, with the ball (called a sliotar) reaching speeds above 130 km/h. Gaelic football can best be described as a combination of soccer and rugby. To keep the sports "pure," it maintains an amateur status, with each parish in Ireland having a team — the inter-county games are generally extremely well-supported, so you may have difficulty getting tickets for the bigger matches. Tours of the GAA museum and the stadium are also available, including a chance to try your hand at the sports themselves. You can also walk across the roof of one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, which provides great views of the city's skyline.

Tallaght Stadium, Whitestown Way, Tallaght. Watch a Shamrock Rovers F.C. soccer match during the FAI League of Ireland Football ([[association football]]) season from March to November. Home matches take place on Friday nights at 19:45. Tickets cost: €15 (Adult), €7 (U-16′s/OAPs).

Watch rugby union at RDS Arena, Anglesea Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (3 miles south of centre; Bus 4, 7, 18. This is the home ground of Leinster Rugby, who play in the Pro14 professional European league. They often win it, most recently in 2019. The stadium has a capacity of 18,500 and big games sometimes transfer to the larger Aviva stadium.

Aviva Stadium. on Lansdowne Rd, Dublin 4 is Ireland's national stadium, capacity 51,700. International rugby, soccer and other big events are hosted here. It's a mile or so southeast of the centre, take DART train to Lansdowne Rd or buses towards Sandymount or Ballsbridge.

Leopardstown Racecourse, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 (from Dublin city centre, follow the N11 south, turn right into the R113 (Leopardstown Road), the racecourse will be on your left, +353 1 289-0500. Located in the southern suburb of Leopardstown/Foxrock, there are regular meetings throughout the year. There is a "Pay as you Play" golf course within the racecourse grounds, as well as bars, restaurants and a nightclub (Club 92). €12.55, with reductions for students and OAPs.

• Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Watch independent Irish and international movies.
• Conradh na Gaeilge, 6 Harcourt St, Dublin 2. An Irish language centre where you can hear Irish being spoken as a first language and also enjoy a beverage with friends.

Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Watch independent Irish and international movies.

Conradh na Gaeilge, 6 Harcourt St, Dublin 2. An Irish language centre where you can hear Irish being spoken as a first language and also enjoy a beverage with friends.

Dublin is not cheap for general shopping, although visitors from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT (sales tax: 23%) on many of their purchases. Just look for the refund sign and ask in the shop for details. Keep in mind that most stores will issue VAT refund vouchers only on the same day of purchase. More on VAT refund can be found on Irish eGovernment website.

The south side of the river (Dublin 2) includes Dublin's most famous shopping street, the pedestrianised Grafton Street, which runs between St. Stephen's Green and Trinity College. It has, along with its surroundings, been classified as an Architectural Conservation Zone. This will involve a re-establishment of the area's rich historic charm and urban character. Alongside the historic Trinity College you will find Nassau Street where there are many shops selling tourist-related items such as Waterford Crystal, Belleek Pottery, Aran sweaters, and other Irish craft items. Dawson Street, parallel to Grafton Street, is home to the official residence of the lord mayor (the Mansion House) as well as several upmarket clothes shops, restaurants and well stocked large bookshops.

• Brown Thomas, 88-95 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Dublin's most famous and expensive department store is on Grafton Street along with a wide range of clothing, jewelry, and photography shops, etc.
• Powerscourt Centre, 59 South William Street (just off Grafton Street. One of Dublin's most attractive shopping centres, set in a beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse. Here, you will find clothes, cafes, galleries and Irish designer jewelers. You must check out The Loft Market - it is a haven for Dublin Fashion. There is lots of up and coming young fashion designers and vintage clothing sellers such as, Lisa Shawgi Knitwear and MO MUSE to shop around. Beware the overpriced antique dealers, some of whom will drop a price by 50% after only the merest suggestion that you are willing to haggle (and it still may not be a bargain). For gifts, there is an engraving business based in the centre next to Bonsai Shop.
• George's Street Arcade, Dublin 2 (Leaving Powerscourt via the ornate steps on to South William Street, you will find yourself facing a small street called Castle Market, which leads to the arcade. A covered red-brick shopping arcade. This area is worth a visit for vintage clothing, fabrics, unusual accessories, vinyl and club wear. It also features some small cafes.
• Hodges Figgis, 56-58 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Well-stocked large bookshop (now owned by Waterstones).
• House of Ireland, 37/38 Nassau Street, Dublin 2. Sells above-mentioned tourist-related items.
• Kilkenny Design, 6 Nassau Street. Also sells above-mentioned tourist-related items.
• Fresh - The Good Food Market, Grand Canal Square. A smaller Irish supermarket with three other locations. One of the few places where you can find Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. Also offers beers from other Irish breweries.
• The best concentration of shoe shops is found on Grafton Street and the adjoining Wicklow Street.

The Temple Bar area offers some alternative to shopping at the larger chain-stores. Small clothing boutiques, including the city centre's only swap shop, are popping up all around the area (Temple Lane, Crow Street and Fownes Street) with an emphasis on vintage and unique original independent designer pieces. If you can't make it to any of the markets at the weekend, the best can be found here during the week.

Be sure to visit Temple Bar's Temple Bar Square and Meetinghouse Square on a Saturday morning or afternoon for the markets (Dublin 2), which sells all types of foods, from traditional fare to delicious baked goods. Both squares are also home to several very good restaurants. Meetinghouse Square, which lies only about 150 ft (50 m) west of Temple Bar Square, sells much finer fare and more exotic foods than Meetinghouse Square.

• Casa Rebelde, Crow Street, Dublin 2 (in the heart of Temple Bar. A unique football supporters shop that stocks clothing from around the world for the fashion conscious football fan.
• Cow's Lane Fashion and Design Market, Dublin 8. The largest designer market in Dublin, offers handmade one-off original designs. The market is open every Saturday from 10:00-17:30. Found outdoors on Cow's Lane and indoors in the old Dublin's Viking Adventure, this market is not to be missed.

Brown Thomas, 88-95 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Dublin's most famous and expensive department store is on Grafton Street along with a wide range of clothing, jewelry, and photography shops, etc.

Powerscourt Centre, 59 South William Street (just off Grafton Street. One of Dublin's most attractive shopping centres, set in a beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse. Here, you will find clothes, cafes, galleries and Irish designer jewelers. You must check out The Loft Market - it is a haven for Dublin Fashion. There is lots of up and coming young fashion designers and vintage clothing sellers such as, Lisa Shawgi Knitwear and MO MUSE to shop around. Beware the overpriced antique dealers, some of whom will drop a price by 50% after only the merest suggestion that you are willing to [[haggle]] (and it still may not be a bargain). For gifts, there is an engraving business based in the centre next to Bonsai Shop.

George's Street Arcade, Dublin 2 (Leaving Powerscourt via the ornate steps on to South William Street, you will find yourself facing a small street called Castle Market, which leads to the arcade. A covered red-brick shopping arcade. This area is worth a visit for vintage clothing, fabrics, unusual accessories, vinyl and club wear. It also features some small cafes.

Hodges Figgis, 56-58 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Well-stocked large bookshop (now owned by Waterstones).

House of Ireland, 37/38 Nassau Street, Dublin 2. Sells above-mentioned tourist-related items.

Kilkenny Design, 6 Nassau Street. Also sells above-mentioned tourist-related items.

Fresh - The Good Food Market, Grand Canal Square. A smaller Irish supermarket with three other locations. One of the few places where you can find Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. Also offers beers from other Irish breweries.

Casa Rebelde, Crow Street, Dublin 2 (in the heart of Temple Bar. A unique football supporters shop that stocks clothing from around the world for the fashion conscious football fan.

Cow's Lane Fashion and Design Market, Dublin 8. The largest designer market in Dublin, offers handmade one-off original designs. The market is open every Saturday from 10:00-17:30. Found outdoors on Cow's Lane and indoors in the old Dublin's Viking Adventure, this market is not to be missed.

There is also an extensive shopping area on the north side of the river, in Dublin 1, centred on O'Connell Street and Henry Street (Ireland's busiest shopping street). Just off Henry Street is Moore Street, which has a fruit, vegetable and fish market. It's worth a stroll if you want to get a slice of life from the less genteel side of Dublin. For a more traditional Dublin shopping experience go to the Liberties area around Thomas street and check out the stalls on Meath street and the liberty market (off Meath Street) on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Also, if you want to find thrifty nicknack shops, then Talbot Street is a good start - like any city, if you look hard enough and don't get caught up in the glitz and glam when shopping, there are great bargains to be found.

• Arnott's, 12 Henry St. A large department store with a long history.
• Jervis Shopping Centre, Jervis St. A large shopping centre.
• Ilac Centre, Henry St. Another large shopping centre. It also houses Dublin's Central Public Library.
• Chapters Bookstore, Ivy Exchange, Parnell Street, Dublin 1 (northern parallel street to Henry Street. Has a massive selection of books at generally cheaper prices than other high street stores, as well as a large secondhand section. It is especially great for 'coffee table' style art books.

Arnott's, 12 Henry St. A large department store with a long history.

Jervis Shopping Centre, Jervis St. A large shopping centre.

Ilac Centre, Henry St. Another large shopping centre. It also houses Dublin's Central Public Library.

Chapters Bookstore, Ivy Exchange, Parnell Street, Dublin 1 (northern parallel street to Henry Street. Has a massive selection of books at generally cheaper prices than other high street stores, as well as a large secondhand section. It is especially great for 'coffee table' style art books.

For those for whom it just would not be a holiday without hanging out at the mall, there are various shopping centres located around Dublin.

• Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15 (39 and 70 bus routes.
• Liffey Valley, Dublin 22 (bus routes 25, 25A, 66, 66A, 67A,78, 78A, 210 and 239.
• The Square Tallaght, Dublin 24 (last stop on the red Luas.
• Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14 (Served by the Luas green line. The largest shopping centre in Europe with 4 floors and a range of impressive shops such as Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, Harvey Nichols and more
• Harvey Nichols, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16 (Near the Luas green line. M-Tu 10:00-19:00, W-F 10:00-21:00, Sa 10:00-19:00, Su 11:00-19:00. An upmarket British department store chain housing some of the world's most exclusive designer names in fashion, accessories, beauty and food and is located in Dundrum Town Centre, in the Pembroke district.
• There is fairly extensive duty-free shopping at Dublin Airport, at prices sometimes cheaper than the rest of the city.

Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15 (39 and 70 bus routes.

Liffey Valley, Dublin 22 (bus routes 25, 25A, 66, 66A, 67A,78, 78A, 210 and 239.

The Square Tallaght, Dublin 24 (last stop on the red Luas.

Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14 (Served by the Luas green line. The largest shopping centre in Europe with 4 floors and a range of impressive shops such as Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, Harvey Nichols and more

Harvey Nichols, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16 (Near the Luas green line. M-Tu 10:00-19:00, W-F 10:00-21:00, Sa 10:00-19:00, Su 11:00-19:00. An upmarket British department store chain housing some of the world's most exclusive designer names in fashion, accessories, beauty and food and is located in Dundrum Town Centre, in the Pembroke district.

There is fairly extensive duty-free shopping at Dublin Airport, at prices sometimes cheaper than the rest of the city.

Dublin has a wide range of good quality restaurants, most of which are seen as overpriced by European standards. Main course prices range from around €10 at the lower end up to around €40 at the higher end. Wine in restaurants is generally marked up from its already expensive retail price by a factor of at least two and three times retail price would not be uncommon.

There are many excellent value Indian restaurants around the South William Street area, parallel to Grafton Street. These often have reasonable priced lunch and 'early bird' deals, offering three course meals for around €10. Quality is high but not on a par with UK.

A similar multi-cultural hotspot is Parnell Street in Dublin 1 (O'Connell Street-Gardiner Street), which has a dense concentration of Chinese and Asian restaurants extensively frequented by the ex-pat communities.

In Dublin, there has been a rise in Mexican, Indian and ergonomically-designed eateries as restaurants, to reflect the hipster demographic. Many of the Indian and Mexican restaurants are small businesses.

• Bewley's Café, Grafton St, Dublin 2. Dublin's most famous coffee shop. This has been a hang-out over the years for U2, Bob Geldof, and James Joyce.
• BóBós, 22 Wexford St, Dublin 2. Delicious gourmet burger restaurants. Serves a wide variety of tasty burgers (beef, chicken, fish and vegetarian) sides and desserts. Also serves a great breakfast. Burgers €7-10, sides €4-5.
• Butlers Chocolate Cafés, 24 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2. Good coffee with a free chocolate of your choice (except at the airport, where you still get a chocolate but without a choice). The original branch is on Wicklow Street and additional branches are found throughout the city. Small takeaways are on Grafton St, Dublin 2 and Nassau St, Dublin 2 and Henry St, Dublin 1. There are branches in both T1 and T2 at the airport after security which are well stocked and generally run special offers on boxes of chocolates not available in the city branches.
• Govinda's, 4 Aungier St, Dublin 2, +353 1 475-0309. Krishna run vegetarian restaurant. The Govindas special (only order large if you're very hungry) is a taste of nearly everything from the hot counter. There is another restaurant in Middle Abbey St, just off O'Connell St.
• Honest To Goodness, George's St Arcade, South Great Georges St, Dublin 2, +353 1 6337727. Cafe Bakery where all produce is made, baked and cooked in store. Great value. Lunch €6-7, dinner €7-12.
• Lemon Crèpe Company, South William St, Dublin 2. Good value filled crèpes for around €4 (American style rather than French) and some of the best coffee in Dublin. €7-9.
• Leo Burdock Fish and Chips, 2 Werburgh St, Dublin 8. In this branch, there is no eating in. Take your fish to Christ Church Cathedral and eat it on a bench. About 10 Euro for way too much food (share it with someone).
• Madina, 60 Mary St, Dublin 1. Incredibly tasty Indian & Pakistani food. The sauces are excellent and the dishes full of flavor. If you're only into milder dishes then try the "Chicken Tikka Massala" or "Chicken Korma". They also prepare delicious mango lassi. €6-10.
• Pablo Picante, 131 Baggot St (at the corner of Pembroke. M-F 11:30-20:00, Sa 12:00-20:00. A small and friendly eatery serving tasty meat and vegetarian burritos, which are great to takeaway to eat at nearby St. Stephen's Green. €6-7.
• Zaytoon, 44 Lower Camden St (opposite Bleeding Horse Pub, +353 1 400 5006. Daily 12:00-04:00. Casual Persian restaurant with kebabs etc. They also have a fast-food cafe in Temple Bar (corner of Parliament St and Essex St).

Bewley's Café, Grafton St, Dublin 2. Dublin's most famous coffee shop. This has been a hang-out over the years for U2, Bob Geldof, and James Joyce.

BóBós, 22 Wexford St, Dublin 2. Delicious gourmet burger restaurants. Serves a wide variety of tasty burgers (beef, chicken, fish and vegetarian) sides and desserts. Also serves a great breakfast. Burgers €7-10, sides €4-5.

Butlers Chocolate Cafés, 24 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2. Good coffee with a free chocolate of your choice (except at the airport, where you still get a chocolate but without a choice). The original branch is on Wicklow Street and additional branches are found throughout the city. Small takeaways are on Grafton St, Dublin 2 and Nassau St, Dublin 2 and Henry St, Dublin 1. There are branches in both T1 and T2 at the airport after security which are well stocked and generally run special offers on boxes of chocolates not available in the city branches.

Govinda's, 4 Aungier St, Dublin 2, +353 1 475-0309. Krishna run vegetarian restaurant. The Govindas special (only order large if you're very hungry) is a taste of nearly everything from the hot counter. There is another restaurant in Middle Abbey St, just off O'Connell St.

Honest To Goodness, George's St Arcade, South Great Georges St, Dublin 2, +353 1 6337727. Cafe Bakery where all produce is made, baked and cooked in store. Great value. Lunch €6-7, dinner €7-12.

Lemon Crèpe Company, South William St, Dublin 2. Good value filled crèpes for around €4 (American style rather than French) and some of the best coffee in Dublin. €7-9.

Leo Burdock Fish and Chips, 2 Werburgh St, Dublin 8. In this branch, there is no eating in. Take your fish to Christ Church Cathedral and eat it on a bench. About 10 Euro for way too much food (share it with someone).

Madina, 60 Mary St, Dublin 1. Incredibly tasty Indian & Pakistani food. The sauces are excellent and the dishes full of flavor. If you're only into milder dishes then try the "Chicken Tikka Massala" or "Chicken Korma". They also prepare delicious mango lassi. €6-10.

Pablo Picante, 131 Baggot St (at the corner of Pembroke. M-F 11:30-20:00, Sa 12:00-20:00. A small and friendly eatery serving tasty meat and vegetarian burritos, which are great to takeaway to eat at nearby St. Stephen's Green. €6-7.

Zaytoon, 44 Lower Camden St (opposite Bleeding Horse Pub, +353 1 400 5006. Daily 12:00-04:00. Casual Persian restaurant with kebabs etc. They also have a fast-food cafe in Temple Bar (corner of Parliament St and Essex St).

• Bad Ass Café, 9-11 Crown Alley, Dublin 2. A chain that was started in the United States that now has a location in Ireland. The café is located in the heart of Temple Bar and is perfect for the American tourist who is missing a big hamburger. Bad Ass Café still serves traditional Irish beer, like Guinness, to keep the taste of Ireland. Mains €15.
• Balfes Brasserie & Bar, Balfe Street, +353 1 646 3353. Mon-Fri 08:00-late, Sat-Sun: 10:00-late. 20 seater outdoor terrace, zinc covered bar and open kitchen serving steak, prawns and whole fish roasted on a charcoal grill, while fresh oysters, ceviche, seaweed cured Gravlax and Castletownbere crab, make up the seafood offering. The all-day dining menu offers healthy breakfasts, leisurely lunches and dinner using the best of Irish seafood and quality meat. Fresh local produce goes into creating Balfes’ salads, weekend brunches, juices and cocktails.
• Bar Italia, Ormond Quay, Dublin 1. Real Italian coffee with mostly Italian staff. Excellent panini and antipasto. Good value place with great atmosphere. Lunch €15, set lunch €23-25, dinner €15-26.
• Cornucopia, 19/20 Wicklow St, Dublin 2. Just off Grafton St you'll find this vegetarian heaven that serves breakfast, dinner and lunch. Mains €12-14.
• Dunne & Crescenzi, South Frederick St, Dublin 2. Delightful Italian lunch spot, open until around 20:00, but arrive early if you want to get a seat - or be prepared for a long wait. Antipasto misto €6.50, paninis from €4. Glass of house wine €3.50. Mains €15-20.
• Elephant and Castle, 18 Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Nationally-famous chicken wings, extremely busy lunchtime on Saturdays (you could be waiting for up to 2 h), only order a basket of chicken wings to yourself if you're very hungry. Mains €13-23.
• F.X. Buckley Steakhouse at Ryan's, 28 Parkgate St, Dublin 8 (Above Ryan's, the beautiful Victorian era pub. Great steaks and seafood in a very friendly and comfortable restaurant. 5 minute walk from the Guinness Storehouse and a stop away from Kilmainham Gaol on the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus. Main courses can go for between €15-25 for great quality produce from the legendary Buckleys butchers.
• Gallagher's Boxty House, 20 Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Good traditional Irish fare and not too expensive (mains €10-15). (A boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake filled and rolled up—try it!). Also try the Irish stew and the chowder. Small, friendly, traditional Irish decor.
• Peploe's, 16 St Stephen's Green. Daily 12:00-23:00. Excellent basement wine bar and bistro.
• Salamanca, 1 St Andrews St, Dublin 2. Good value, tasty and substantial tapas (sized more like raciones), priced around €4-8. The steak is a particular bargain at €7.50. Also good are the chorizo dishes. 2-course lunch €10-12.
• T.P. Smiths, 9-10 Jervis Street, Dublin 1. Very good pub food, also handy to stop in if you're shopping around the Henry Street area. Food served until 21:00. Mains €11-15.

Bad Ass Café, 9-11 Crown Alley, Dublin 2. A chain that was started in the United States that now has a location in Ireland. The café is located in the heart of Temple Bar and is perfect for the American tourist who is missing a big hamburger. Bad Ass Café still serves traditional Irish beer, like Guinness, to keep the taste of Ireland. Mains €15.

Balfes Brasserie & Bar, Balfe Street, +353 1 646 3353. Mon-Fri 08:00-late, Sat-Sun: 10:00-late. 20 seater outdoor terrace, zinc covered bar and open kitchen serving steak, prawns and whole fish roasted on a charcoal grill, while fresh oysters, ceviche, seaweed cured Gravlax and Castletownbere crab, make up the seafood offering. The all-day dining menu offers healthy breakfasts, leisurely lunches and dinner using the best of Irish seafood and quality meat. Fresh local produce goes into creating Balfes’ salads, weekend brunches, juices and cocktails.

Bar Italia, Ormond Quay, Dublin 1. Real Italian coffee with mostly Italian staff. Excellent panini and antipasto. Good value place with great atmosphere. Lunch €15, set lunch €23-25, dinner €15-26.

Cornucopia, 19/20 Wicklow St, Dublin 2. Just off Grafton St you'll find this vegetarian heaven that serves breakfast, dinner and lunch. Mains €12-14.

Dunne & Crescenzi, South Frederick St, Dublin 2. Delightful Italian lunch spot, open until around 20:00, but arrive early if you want to get a seat - or be prepared for a long wait. Antipasto misto €6.50, paninis from €4. Glass of house wine €3.50. Mains €15-20.

Elephant and Castle, 18 Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Nationally-famous chicken wings, extremely busy lunchtime on Saturdays (you could be waiting for up to 2 h), only order a basket of chicken wings to yourself if you're very hungry. Mains €13-23.

F.X. Buckley Steakhouse at Ryan's, 28 Parkgate St, Dublin 8 (Above Ryan's, the beautiful Victorian era pub. Great steaks and seafood in a very friendly and comfortable restaurant. 5 minute walk from the Guinness Storehouse and a stop away from Kilmainham Gaol on the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus. Main courses can go for between €15-25 for great quality produce from the legendary Buckleys butchers.

Gallagher's Boxty House, 20 Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Good traditional Irish fare and not too expensive (mains €10-15). (A boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake filled and rolled up—try it!). Also try the Irish stew and the chowder. Small, friendly, traditional Irish decor.

Peploe's, 16 St Stephen's Green. Daily 12:00-23:00. Excellent basement wine bar and bistro.

Salamanca, 1 St Andrews St, Dublin 2. Good value, tasty and substantial tapas (sized more like raciones), priced around €4-8. The steak is a particular bargain at €7.50. Also good are the chorizo dishes. 2-course lunch €10-12.

T.P. Smiths, 9-10 Jervis Street, Dublin 1. Very good pub food, also handy to stop in if you're shopping around the Henry Street area. Food served until 21:00. Mains €11-15.

• Bang Restaurant, 11 Merrion Row, Dublin 2. A great cosmopolitan menu in a well established setting. Although a little on the expensive side, the food and presentation is excellent. Lunch €12-28, dinner €30.
• Brasserie Sixty6, 66-67 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2 (Just off Dame St opposite Georges Street Arcade, +353 1 400-5878. 12:00-22:00. Large & stylish modern European restaurant right in the heart of Dublin's shopping and entertainment district. Open 7 days and nights a week offering diners lunch, brunch and dinner. 180 seats with great food reviews, friendliest staff, stylish surrounds and fantastic cocktails. €20-40.
• Fire at the Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Casual dining restaurant with cocktails in the city (open for lunch and dinner). Dinner €25-32.
• L'Gueuleton, 1 Fade St, Dublin 2 (behind Hogan's Bar. It is consistently rated by food critics as one of the top five restaurants in Dublin, but it has a no reservations policy and their low prices makes it hugely popular for lunch and dinner. Three course lunch with wine yesterday was €40 per head. Don't worry about the no-reservations policy - put your name on the list and have a pint in the Market Bar or Hogan's.
• Kites, 15-17 Ballsbridge Terrace, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Great combination of Cantonese (predominant dish), Szechuan, Peking and Thai with an extensive wine list. Excellent choice for the more discerning diner with great attention paid by the friendly, professional waiters in very rich surroundings and decor. Well worth a visit. Set lunch €17, dinner €20-25.
• Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, 21 Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2. Two Michelin stars, very expensive, superb. Lunch menus are a bargain at 35 euro for two courses.
• Purple Sage Restaurant, Stillorgan Rd, Dublin 18 (Located in the Stillorgan Park Hotel. The restaurant serves a traditional carvery lunch from 12:30-14:30 and international cuisine from 17:45-21:45 M-Sa. Offers weekday lunch deals. €21-24.
• Roly's Bistro, 7 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin 4 (One block from Jurys Hotel. Impeccable food and service, reasonable prices. Good atmosphere. Lunch €16, dinner €24-33.
• Unicorn Food Company, 12b Merrion Row, Dublin 2. Take-away deli with eat-in cafe next door. Sandwiches €4-5 or a range of Italian delights - pasta, lasagna, pizza, salads. Sometimes good cakes €2.50-€2.85. The deli is attached to the well-respected Unicorn Italian restaurant down the lane beside the deli (open for lunch and dinner). Dinner €25-32.

Bang Restaurant, 11 Merrion Row, Dublin 2. A great cosmopolitan menu in a well established setting. Although a little on the expensive side, the food and presentation is excellent. Lunch €12-28, dinner €30.

Brasserie Sixty6, 66-67 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2 (Just off Dame St opposite Georges Street Arcade, +353 1 400-5878. 12:00-22:00. Large & stylish modern European restaurant right in the heart of Dublin's shopping and entertainment district. Open 7 days and nights a week offering diners lunch, brunch and dinner. 180 seats with great food reviews, friendliest staff, stylish surrounds and fantastic cocktails. €20-40.

Fire at the Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Casual dining restaurant with cocktails in the city (open for lunch and dinner). Dinner €25-32.

L'Gueuleton, 1 Fade St, Dublin 2 (behind Hogan's Bar. It is consistently rated by food critics as one of the top five restaurants in Dublin, but it has a no reservations policy and their low prices makes it hugely popular for lunch and dinner. Three course lunch with wine yesterday was €40 per head. Don't worry about the no-reservations policy - put your name on the list and have a pint in the Market Bar or Hogan's.

Kites, 15-17 Ballsbridge Terrace, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Great combination of Cantonese (predominant dish), Szechuan, Peking and Thai with an extensive wine list. Excellent choice for the more discerning diner with great attention paid by the friendly, professional waiters in very rich surroundings and decor. Well worth a visit. Set lunch €17, dinner €20-25.

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, 21 Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2. Two Michelin stars, very expensive, superb. Lunch menus are a bargain at 35 euro for two courses.

Purple Sage Restaurant, Stillorgan Rd, Dublin 18 (Located in the Stillorgan Park Hotel. The restaurant serves a traditional carvery lunch from 12:30-14:30 and international cuisine from 17:45-21:45 M-Sa. Offers weekday lunch deals. €21-24.

Roly's Bistro, 7 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin 4 (One block from Jurys Hotel. Impeccable food and service, reasonable prices. Good atmosphere. Lunch €16, dinner €24-33.

Unicorn Food Company, 12b Merrion Row, Dublin 2. Take-away deli with eat-in cafe next door. Sandwiches €4-5 or a range of Italian delights - pasta, lasagna, pizza, salads. Sometimes good cakes €2.50-€2.85. The deli is attached to the well-respected Unicorn Italian restaurant down the lane beside the deli (open for lunch and dinner). Dinner €25-32.

No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one (or ten) of its many pubs (last count says there are over 600 pubs).

Drinking is relatively expensive: a pint of stout costs around €4.50 and up, while lager costs around €4.90 and up. However, the government gave a tax break to microbrewed beer in the December 2004 budget, this had a slight effect on prices in brewpubs. There are pubs in Dublin offering cheaper drinks, if you are willing to go off the beaten trail or ask other patrons for suggestions. Beer tends to be more expensive around the Temple Bar area, due to the increased tourist flow, and will be cheaper in more traditional styled pubs.

Pubs serve drinks until 23:30 with some drinking-up time allowed. Many bars have late licenses allowing them to serve up to 02:30, although this usually means a cover charge or price increases after 23:30.

Smoking has been illegal in Irish pubs (as well as all indoor workplaces) since March 2004. This has had the positive side effect of increasing al fresco facilities.

The Temple Bar that people often speak of is an area that used to be a sand bar, not an actual bar. (Originally, anyway; there is a pub called "The Temple Bar" in Temple Bar.) The Temple Bar district has a mixture of food, drink, shopping and music. It appeals to all ages, but is a hot spot for tourists. The narrow, cobble stoned streets gives it an original feeling within the heart of the city. Its central location also makes it easy to walk to from Dublin's Centre. However, late night revellers tend to make it an unpleasant place to be after dark. It can be taken over by drunken stag and boisterous hen parties, many who travel cheaply from the United Kingdom to avail of Temple Bar's delights.

• Peadar Kearney's, 64 Dame St, Dublin 2. Named after the man who penned Amhráin na bhFiann, Ireland's National Anthem, A great spot for pre- and post- gig drinks next to the Olympia Theatre, Peadar's attracts a young & lively crowd, with Live music from up and coming Irish trad bands. Mostly tourists here but a nice spot to talk to other visitors.
• The Cobblestone, 77 North King St, Dublin 7. Easily Dublin's most famous Trad pub, situated in the North end of the famous Smithfield square this pub has had just about every single Irish Trad group play it. Trad sessions are nightly; expect a good mixed crowd.
• Frank Ryans, 5 Queen St, Dublin 7. A favourite with students from Blackhall Place, this quaint pub keeps a traditional feel with a bit of a twist. Friendly bar staff and a highly mixed crowd of local students, law types, trendies and locals makes this a lively, fun spot for a few drinks. Expect weekly trad nights interspersed with Rockabilly, Country and Soul on the jukebox.
• O'Donoghue's, 15 Merrion Row, Dublin 2. Famous for impromptu live music. Where folk group The Dubliners were formed.
• The Barge, 42 Charlemont St, Dublin 2 (Near St. Stephen's Green. Excellent pub food, great decor; a friendly traditional pub with very good food. Try the fish and chips, except get the wedges instead of the chips. Golden brown on the outside, crunchy, tender inside.
• Hartigan's, 100 Leeson St Lower, Dublin 2. Popular student bar, as a result occasionally raucous. Good option after international rugby matches.
• The Brazen Head, 20 Bridge Street Lower, Dublin 8. Possibly the oldest pub in Dublin but not the oldest pub in Ireland. Approximately a thousand years old. Wonderful on warm, dry summer nights during the rare occasions when they happen. Live traditional music and very friendly atmosphere. One of the bars is covered in signed currency notes, usually dollars, from people who wanted to leave their mark on the place. There is a large, heated open-air section enclosed within the centre of the building which is perfect for smokers. One of very few places in Dublin which serves the lesser known but very tasty Macardles brand of ale.
• O'Shea's Merchant, 12 Bridge Street Lower, Dublin 8. Live traditional music and dancing.
• Fallon's, 129 The Coombe, Dublin 8 (near St. Patrick's Cathedral. Small and friendly local pub.
• The Oval, Abbey St, Dublin 1 (corner with O'Connell St, by tram crossing. Good for drink and food, said to have the best Irish stew in Dublin. Attracts a mixed age group. Lots of pictures of old Irish celebrities with a tribute to the Quiet Man.
• Kavanagh's, 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Near Glasnevin cemetery. About 10–15 minutes on bus from city centre, get the no 19/19A/13 from O'Connell St. This pub (popularly known as The Gravediggers because of its close proximity to the cemetery) has remained untouched for over 100 years with the only things altered being the beer taps and toilets. If you're looking for a real trad Irish pub, this is the place, really worth a visit.
• Bachelors Inn, Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1 (next to bridge at foot of O'Connell St. Good pints of Guinness and a choice of batch or regular white bread on your toasted sandwich. Popular post GAA match pub with the Dublin crowd.
• Bowe's Lounge, 31 Fleet St, Dublin 2. Old Victorian pub, around for over 140 years.
• Mulligans, Poolbeg St, Dublin 2. Busy pub with great Guinness with plenty of history having been frequented by James Joyce among others.
• Nancy Hands, 30-32 Parkgate St, Dublin 8, +353 1 677-0149. Classic bar & restaurant situated close to Phoenix Park, the National Museum at Collins Barracks, and a short stroll from Heuston train station.
• Ryan's, 28 Parkgate St, Dublin 8 (near Heuston Station. Beautiful Victorian pub. A good place to have a pint before getting a train out of Dublin.
• The Palace Bar, 21 Fleet St, Dublin 2. Located at the edge of Temple Bar, this traditional bar has interesting decor complete with "snug" (small private booth). Live music upstairs Wednesday and Saturday.
• The Long Hall, 31 Georges St Great South, Dublin 2. Daily 12:00-23:30. Atmospheric bar with Victorian decor, nice window to sit and people watch. One of the last "long hall" bars in Ireland.
• Kehoe's, 9 Anne St South (just off Grafton St. An excellent spot for a pint after a hectic days shopping. Several snugs downstairs.
• Kennedy's, 30/32 Westland Row, Dublin 2. Located to the rear of Trinity college, this traditional style pub serves good quality food and drink with plenty of friendly atmosphere. Also home to The Underground one of Dublin’s newest and most intimate venues.
• O'Neill's, Suffolk St, Dublin 2 (facing Molly Malone statue. Excellent atmosphere in a Victorian style design. The also have great pub food. Carvery served 12:00-16:00 most days and till late weekends. Also has a good salad and sandwich bar. Price around €10 for carvery.
• The Stag's Head, 1 Dame Court, Dublin 2 (off Great Georges St. Just great Guinness and great conversation.
• The Dawson Lounge, 25 Dawson St, Dublin 2. Dublin's (or Ireland's) smallest pub. You have to go to see what is meant. Twenty people and it is packed.
• McDaids, 3 Harry Street (just off Grafton St right next to Westbury Hotel. Was a regular place for Oscar Wilde to ponder life.
• Grogans (Castle Lounge), 15 William St South, Dublin 2. Wonderful traditional pub, no music or TV. Great Guinness and a mixture of tourists and locals, with interesting art on the walls.

Peadar Kearney's, 64 Dame St, Dublin 2. Named after the man who penned Amhráin na bhFiann, Ireland's National Anthem, A great spot for pre- and post- gig drinks next to the Olympia Theatre, Peadar's attracts a young & lively crowd, with Live music from up and coming Irish trad bands. Mostly tourists here but a nice spot to talk to other visitors.

The Cobblestone, 77 North King St, Dublin 7. Easily Dublin's most famous Trad pub, situated in the North end of the famous Smithfield square this pub has had just about every single Irish Trad group play it. Trad sessions are nightly; expect a good mixed crowd.

Frank Ryans, 5 Queen St, Dublin 7. A favourite with students from Blackhall Place, this quaint pub keeps a traditional feel with a bit of a twist. Friendly bar staff and a highly mixed crowd of local students, law types, trendies and locals makes this a lively, fun spot for a few drinks. Expect weekly trad nights interspersed with Rockabilly, Country and Soul on the jukebox.

O'Donoghue's, 15 Merrion Row, Dublin 2. Famous for impromptu live music. Where folk group The Dubliners were formed.

The Barge, 42 Charlemont St, Dublin 2 (Near St. Stephen's Green. Excellent pub food, great decor; a friendly traditional pub with very good food. Try the fish and chips, except get the wedges instead of the chips. Golden brown on the outside, crunchy, tender inside.

Hartigan's, 100 Leeson St Lower, Dublin 2. Popular student bar, as a result occasionally raucous. Good option after international rugby matches.

The Brazen Head, 20 Bridge Street Lower, Dublin 8. Possibly the oldest pub in Dublin but not the oldest pub in Ireland. Approximately a thousand years old. Wonderful on warm, dry summer nights during the rare occasions when they happen. Live traditional music and very friendly atmosphere. One of the bars is covered in signed currency notes, usually dollars, from people who wanted to leave their mark on the place. There is a large, heated open-air section enclosed within the centre of the building which is perfect for smokers. One of very few places in Dublin which serves the lesser known but very tasty Macardles brand of ale.

O'Shea's Merchant, 12 Bridge Street Lower, Dublin 8. Live traditional music and dancing.

Fallon's, 129 The Coombe, Dublin 8 (near St. Patrick's Cathedral. Small and friendly local pub.

The Oval, Abbey St, Dublin 1 (corner with O'Connell St, by tram crossing. Good for drink and food, said to have the best Irish stew in Dublin. Attracts a mixed age group. Lots of pictures of old Irish celebrities with a tribute to the Quiet Man.

Kavanagh's, 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Near Glasnevin cemetery. About 10–15 minutes on bus from city centre, get the no 19/19A/13 from O'Connell St. This pub (popularly known as The Gravediggers because of its close proximity to the cemetery) has remained untouched for over 100 years with the only things altered being the beer taps and toilets. If you're looking for a real trad Irish pub, this is the place, really worth a visit.

Bachelors Inn, Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1 (next to bridge at foot of O'Connell St. Good pints of Guinness and a choice of batch or regular white bread on your toasted sandwich. Popular post GAA match pub with the Dublin crowd.

Bowe's Lounge, 31 Fleet St, Dublin 2. Old Victorian pub, around for over 140 years.

Mulligans, Poolbeg St, Dublin 2. Busy pub with great Guinness with plenty of history having been frequented by James Joyce among others.

Nancy Hands, 30-32 Parkgate St, Dublin 8, +353 1 677-0149. Classic bar & restaurant situated close to Phoenix Park, the National Museum at Collins Barracks, and a short stroll from Heuston train station.

Ryan's, 28 Parkgate St, Dublin 8 (near Heuston Station. Beautiful Victorian pub. A good place to have a pint before getting a train out of Dublin.

The Palace Bar, 21 Fleet St, Dublin 2. Located at the edge of Temple Bar, this traditional bar has interesting decor complete with "snug" (small private booth). Live music upstairs Wednesday and Saturday.

The Long Hall, 31 Georges St Great South, Dublin 2. Daily 12:00-23:30. Atmospheric bar with Victorian decor, nice window to sit and people watch. One of the last "long hall" bars in Ireland.

Kehoe's, 9 Anne St South (just off Grafton St. An excellent spot for a pint after a hectic days shopping. Several snugs downstairs.

Kennedy's, 30/32 Westland Row, Dublin 2. Located to the rear of Trinity college, this traditional style pub serves good quality food and drink with plenty of friendly atmosphere. Also home to The Underground one of Dublin’s newest and most intimate venues.

O'Neill's, Suffolk St, Dublin 2 (facing Molly Malone statue. Excellent atmosphere in a Victorian style design. The also have great pub food. Carvery served 12:00-16:00 most days and till late weekends. Also has a good salad and sandwich bar. Price around €10 for carvery.

The Stag's Head, 1 Dame Court, Dublin 2 (off Great Georges St. Just great Guinness and great conversation.

The Dawson Lounge, 25 Dawson St, Dublin 2. Dublin's (or Ireland's) smallest pub. You have to go to see what is meant. Twenty people and it is packed.

McDaids, 3 Harry Street (just off Grafton St right next to Westbury Hotel. Was a regular place for Oscar Wilde to ponder life.

Grogans (Castle Lounge), 15 William St South, Dublin 2. Wonderful traditional pub, no music or TV. Great Guinness and a mixture of tourists and locals, with interesting art on the walls.

• The Dice Bar, Benburb St/Queen St, Dublin 7. One of the coolest bars in the city, mixing old school charm with cool sensibilities. If you're thinking of heading in on the weekend, get there early because this place is absolutely crammed. An eclectic mix of people and music, expect anything from ska, to reggae, to rockabilly. Sundays are especially cool with a biker/greaser crowd enjoying the 50s music on offer.
• The Bailey, 1-4 Duke St, Dublin 2. Located just off Grafton St, this swish bar tends to attract the sophisticated side of Dublin's society, popular among celebrities as well. Very busy during the summer afternoons and evenings with a nice outdoor seating area.
• The Lotts, 9 Liffey St Lower, Dublin 1. Fantastic bar and lounge. Very well decorated interior with chandeliers, a marble bar and comfortable leather seating. Live music many nights. Small outside seating area as well.
• The Market Bar, 14a Fade St, Dublin 2. Opened in 2005, large spacious bar, with murmur of conversation in the background, nice tapas restaurant with a good value menu.
• The Odeon, Harcourt St, Dublin 2. This attractive bar at the top of Harcourt St is housed in a converted railway station; the new tram system has a stop directly outside.
• Pygmalion, South William St, Dublin 2. Directly opposite Grogan's, in the Powerscourt Townhouse shopping centre; quite a contrast.
• Café en Seine, 39-40 Dawson St, Dublin 2. Typical, and not entirely unpleasant, example of a Dublin 'megapub'; includes tropical trees at the back. Very expensive.
• The Globe, 11 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2. One of the original trendy bars to hit Dublin in the mid 90's. Still as cool as ever with one of Dublin's longest running clubs Ri-Ra in the basement. It is worth noting that there is no cover charge for the night club. The bar also offers free Wi-Fi.

The Dice Bar, Benburb St/Queen St, Dublin 7. One of the coolest bars in the city, mixing old school charm with cool sensibilities. If you're thinking of heading in on the weekend, get there early because this place is absolutely crammed. An eclectic mix of people and music, expect anything from ska, to reggae, to rockabilly. Sundays are especially cool with a biker/greaser crowd enjoying the 50s music on offer.

The Bailey, 1-4 Duke St, Dublin 2. Located just off Grafton St, this swish bar tends to attract the sophisticated side of Dublin's society, popular among celebrities as well. Very busy during the summer afternoons and evenings with a nice outdoor seating area.

The Lotts, 9 Liffey St Lower, Dublin 1. Fantastic bar and lounge. Very well decorated interior with chandeliers, a marble bar and comfortable leather seating. Live music many nights. Small outside seating area as well.

The Market Bar, 14a Fade St, Dublin 2. Opened in 2005, large spacious bar, with murmur of conversation in the background, nice tapas restaurant with a good value menu.

The Odeon, Harcourt St, Dublin 2. This attractive bar at the top of Harcourt St is housed in a converted railway station; the new tram system has a stop directly outside.

Pygmalion, South William St, Dublin 2. Directly opposite Grogan's, in the Powerscourt Townhouse shopping centre; quite a contrast.

Café en Seine, 39-40 Dawson St, Dublin 2. Typical, and not entirely unpleasant, example of a Dublin 'megapub'; includes tropical trees at the back. Very expensive.

The Globe, 11 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2. One of the original trendy bars to hit Dublin in the mid 90's. Still as cool as ever with one of Dublin's longest running clubs Ri-Ra in the basement. It is worth noting that there is no cover charge for the night club. The bar also offers free Wi-Fi.

• Against the Grain, 11 Wexford St, Dublin 2. Owned by a Galway-based brewery, offers a wide variety of Irish micro-brews and world beers. Does not serve generic commercial beers on tap. A vibrant pub with an eclectic clientele. No TV (a blessing or a curse depending on your point of view), soft music, boardgames, great beer, great food.
• The Bull and Castle, 5-7 Lord Edward St, Dublin 2 (next to Christchurch. Very interesting gastropub which offers a beer hall a large selection of microbrewed and international beers. The range of beers available is not quite as extensive as The Porterhouse but it does give the option of 0.3, 0.5 and 1-litre beers. Make sure to try a Galway Hooker (a pale ale) and the Edinburgh-style deep fried Mars bar.
• J.W. Sweetman, 1-2 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. Spread over two stories on two buildings very near to O'Connell Bridge, they produce a very good stout quite different to Guinness, fresher and more complex, plus their own ale and lager. Also has good cafeteria-style lunch sets for around €10.
• The Porterhouse, 16-18 Parliament St, Dublin 2. As well as good indigenous brews including a non-vegetarian oyster stout, there is an extensive Belgian and international beer list. Also does good reasonably priced food. Has sister pubs in Bray and Phibsboro and on Grafton St.

Against the Grain, 11 Wexford St, Dublin 2. Owned by a Galway-based brewery, offers a wide variety of Irish micro-brews and world beers. Does not serve generic commercial beers on tap. A vibrant pub with an eclectic clientele. No TV (a blessing or a curse depending on your point of view), soft music, boardgames, great beer, great food.

The Bull and Castle, 5-7 Lord Edward St, Dublin 2 (next to Christchurch. Very interesting gastropub which offers a beer hall a large selection of microbrewed and international beers. The range of beers available is not quite as extensive as The Porterhouse but it does give the option of 0.3, 0.5 and 1-litre beers. Make sure to try a Galway Hooker (a pale ale) and the Edinburgh-style deep fried Mars bar.

J.W. Sweetman, 1-2 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. Spread over two stories on two buildings very near to O'Connell Bridge, they produce a very good stout quite different to Guinness, fresher and more complex, plus their own ale and lager. Also has good cafeteria-style lunch sets for around €10.

The Porterhouse, 16-18 Parliament St, Dublin 2. As well as good indigenous brews including a non-vegetarian oyster stout, there is an extensive Belgian and international beer list. Also does good reasonably priced food. Has sister pubs in Bray and Phibsboro and on Grafton St.

• The Foggy Dew, 1 Fownes Street, Dublin 2 (Temple Bar, next to the Central Bank. Very popular bar with all kinds of people.
• Bruxelles, 7 Harry Street (off Grafton St next to Westbury Hotel. A very lively bar and popular with 20 and 30 year olds. Spread over 3 bars the music is loud and the atmosphere is excellent.a statue of the legend Phil Lynott (from Irish rock band Thin Lizzy)is outside. if you like metal, rock and idie music go downstairs.
• The Duke, 8-9 Duke St, Dublin 2 (off Grafton St. Great after-work bar and Fri is packed to the door.
• The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 South Richmond Street, Dublin 2 (near Harcourt St. One of the best indie bars in Dublin, very popular with 18-25 Dubliners and always welcoming to visitors.
• O'Donoghues of Suffolk Street, Suffolk Street (near Grafton St. A comfortable bar that caters for live music and sporting events on their large screens. It is also something of a hang-out spot for some of the city's most well-known musicians, actors and DJs.
• Fibber McGees, 80-81 Parnel Street (just off Parnell Square. A heavy metal bar. Has €3 per drink for any drink including shorts, every Thursday night, but there is a €5 door fee to enter after 21:00 Thursday.
• O'Reillys, Tara St. Charges €3.30 for all draught beers all week.

The Foggy Dew, 1 Fownes Street, Dublin 2 (Temple Bar, next to the Central Bank. Very popular bar with all kinds of people.

Bruxelles, 7 Harry Street (off Grafton St next to Westbury Hotel. A very lively bar and popular with 20 and 30 year olds. Spread over 3 bars the music is loud and the atmosphere is excellent.a statue of the legend Phil Lynott (from Irish rock band Thin Lizzy)is outside. if you like metal, rock and idie music go downstairs.

The Duke, 8-9 Duke St, Dublin 2 (off Grafton St. Great after-work bar and Fri is packed to the door.

The Bernard Shaw, 11-12 South Richmond Street, Dublin 2 (near Harcourt St. One of the best indie bars in Dublin, very popular with 18-25 Dubliners and always welcoming to visitors.

O'Donoghues of Suffolk Street, Suffolk Street (near Grafton St. A comfortable bar that caters for live music and sporting events on their large screens. It is also something of a hang-out spot for some of the city's most well-known musicians, actors and DJs.

Fibber McGees, 80-81 Parnel Street (just off Parnell Square. A heavy metal bar. Has €3 per drink for any drink including shorts, every Thursday night, but there is a €5 door fee to enter after 21:00 Thursday.

O'Reillys, Tara St. Charges €3.30 for all draught beers all week.

• The Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. One of Dublin's top clubs, the Button Factory, with a capacity of more than 700, hosts regular international acts. Formally known as The Temple Bar Music Centre, the venue has been renovated to give it some of the best acoustics in the capital, facilitating its hosting of left field live acts as well as its regular club nights. This is one of Dublin's top clubs which caters mainly for students but delivers on big names regularly such as The Bloody Beetroots, Digitalism, Erol Alkan and bands such as Shellac etc. Check their website for listings.
• The Workmans Club, 10 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2. The building, located on Wellington Quay (next door to the U2-owned Clarence Hotel), has existed on this site for over 160 years and from 1888 to 2003 and was the home of the original Workingmens Club. It was turned into a live entertainment venue in 2010. The venue is based over two floors and with a number of sections. The main live room is a 300 capacity venue and beside it is the venue bar. There are popular DJ's, varying in genre, on every night of the week, sometimes on in different rooms at the venue simultaneously and they usually spin until around 4am most nights.
• The Academy, Middle Abbey St, Dublin 1. This venue has changed its tune from Hot Press Hall Of Fame to Spirit nightclub. Now renamed The Academy it now doubles as both a live venue and a dance club. These guys go for the big obvious names such as David Morales and Jose Gonzalez. Their dot matrix sign outside the venue usually advertises upcoming events.
• Krystle, Harcourt St, Dublin 2. This club is a new haven for the nouveau riche and wannabe celebrities of Ireland. If you want to go C list celebrity spotting and doing some over the top posing with the D4 set, you'll be at home. For the regular visitor to Dublin, avoid, much better places on the list.
• Copper Face Jacks, Harcourt St, Dublin 2. This is a bizarre venue but what sets it aside from most other Dublin nights out is that if you want to hook up with singles desperate for a bit of "how's your father", this the place for you. Known in the fine Dublin phrase as a Meat Market this night out is crammed with people desperate to score and getting more and more willing as they consume more booze. A popular place with country people as opposed to Dubliners, this venue is dark and seedy and a perfect place to get up to shenanigans. However, bear in mind because of its reputation there is often up to three boys there for every girl at weekends. This venue is owned by a retired Garda and is frequented by serving members of the force so an altercation in the men's room is not advised as you may be in more trouble than you think; also consider this if you are liable to seduce someone's new friend. A night's decent accommodation and entry into the club start at about €5-10 per person depending on the day, also free before midnight weekdays and 23:00 at the weekend: even with these prices, the club still made over €16m in 2008.
• The George, 89 South Georges St, Dublin 2, +353 1 478 2983. M 14:00-23:30, Tu-F 14:00-02:30 and Su 14:00-01:00. The oldest gay bar in Dublin. The crowd is mostly gay with late nights except on Mondays and Sundays. A wide variety of drag shows take place throughout the week. Wednesdays are "Space 'n' Veda" at 23:00, hosted by Veda and Davina Devine. Thursdays are "Thirsty Thursdays" hosted by Davina Devine. Saturdays (free in before 23:00 and €10 after) are "Saturgays & Beauty Spot Karaoke", hosted by Veda and Davina Devine and offering patrons the chance to sing karaoke on stage and win two bottles of beer - the winner wins a whole case of beer. Sundays (free in before 22:00 and €5 after) are "Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar", offering various prizes and occasionally very high grand prizes. The remaining nights have DJs with current or classic hits. Arrive early if you want seats as the venue fills up quite quickly, especially on Karaoke and Bingo nights. There is also a more pub-like section to the side of the main club (known as 'Jurassic Park' by gay Dubliners, as a joke about its patrons) catering to an older clientele.

The Button Factory, Curved St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. One of Dublin's top clubs, the Button Factory, with a capacity of more than 700, hosts regular international acts. Formally known as The Temple Bar Music Centre, the venue has been renovated to give it some of the best acoustics in the capital, facilitating its hosting of left field live acts as well as its regular club nights. This is one of Dublin's top clubs which caters mainly for students but delivers on big names regularly such as The Bloody Beetroots, Digitalism, Erol Alkan and bands such as Shellac etc. Check their website for listings.

The Workmans Club, 10 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2. The building, located on Wellington Quay (next door to the U2-owned Clarence Hotel), has existed on this site for over 160 years and from 1888 to 2003 and was the home of the original Workingmens Club. It was turned into a live entertainment venue in 2010. The venue is based over two floors and with a number of sections. The main live room is a 300 capacity venue and beside it is the venue bar. There are popular DJ's, varying in genre, on every night of the week, sometimes on in different rooms at the venue simultaneously and they usually spin until around 4am most nights.

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, Dublin 1. This venue has changed its tune from Hot Press Hall Of Fame to Spirit nightclub. Now renamed The Academy it now doubles as both a live venue and a dance club. These guys go for the big obvious names such as David Morales and Jose Gonzalez. Their dot matrix sign outside the venue usually advertises upcoming events.

Krystle, Harcourt St, Dublin 2. This club is a new haven for the nouveau riche and wannabe celebrities of Ireland. If you want to go C list celebrity spotting and doing some over the top posing with the D4 set, you'll be at home. For the regular visitor to Dublin, avoid, much better places on the list.

Copper Face Jacks, Harcourt St, Dublin 2. This is a bizarre venue but what sets it aside from most other Dublin nights out is that if you want to hook up with singles desperate for a bit of "how's your father", this the place for you. Known in the fine Dublin phrase as a Meat Market this night out is crammed with people desperate to score and getting more and more willing as they consume more booze. A popular place with country people as opposed to Dubliners, this venue is dark and seedy and a perfect place to get up to shenanigans. However, bear in mind because of its reputation there is often up to three boys there for every girl at weekends. This venue is owned by a retired Garda and is frequented by serving members of the force so an altercation in the men's room is not advised as you may be in more trouble than you think; also consider this if you are liable to seduce someone's new friend. A night's decent accommodation and entry into the club start at about €5-10 per person depending on the day, also free before midnight weekdays and 23:00 at the weekend: even with these prices, the club still made over €16m in 2008.

The George, 89 South Georges St, Dublin 2, +353 1 478 2983. M 14:00-23:30, Tu-F 14:00-02:30 and Su 14:00-01:00. The oldest gay bar in Dublin. The crowd is mostly gay with late nights except on Mondays and Sundays. A wide variety of drag shows take place throughout the week. Wednesdays are "Space 'n' Veda" at 23:00, hosted by Veda and Davina Devine. Thursdays are "Thirsty Thursdays" hosted by Davina Devine. Saturdays (free in before 23:00 and €10 after) are "Saturgays & Beauty Spot Karaoke", hosted by Veda and Davina Devine and offering patrons the chance to sing karaoke on stage and win two bottles of beer - the winner wins a whole case of beer. Sundays (free in before 22:00 and €5 after) are "Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar", offering various prizes and occasionally very high grand prizes. The remaining nights have DJs with current or classic hits. Arrive early if you want seats as the venue fills up quite quickly, especially on Karaoke and Bingo nights. There is also a more pub-like section to the side of the main club (known as 'Jurassic Park' by gay Dubliners, as a joke about its patrons) catering to an older clientele.

Dublin is generally a very safe city during the day by American and European standards but can be an intimidating place on weekend nights. As in most other large cities, a few crimes against the person, such as muggings, unprovoked attacks, and robberies, have been known to occur in Dublin. Treat Dublin as you would other Western cities, and be sensible: never walk in poorly-lit areas at night, especially alone. As Dublin centre is relatively compact, be aware that walking a few blocks can take you into some bad areas. Areas where crimes against foreigners have occurred include Rialto and western parts of the North Circular Road. Be especially vigilant or preferably avoid walking around the city centre altogether after bar closing times on weekends (02:30 - 03:00) when very drunk people looking to take advantage of other drunk people roam the streets and when violent behaviour and crime are most likely to occur. Most homicides in the city are gang related.

Never be afraid to approach Gardaí (police officers) to ask for help or directions – it is their job to help. If you do get into trouble somehow and fear for your safety (which is very rare) and cannot find a Garda officer, head to the nearest establishment such as a bar or shop where you will be safe. Call the emergency services on "999" or 112, free from any phone, and ask for the relevant service. If you have no phone, ask anyone working in a shop or bar to call the police for you, and the employee will gladly assist. Also, most doormen and bouncers in pubs will gladly call the police for you if you explain your situation.

• Avoid the Boardwalk and Lower Abbey Street as a large number of drug addicts hang around these areas due to nearby drug rehabilitation centres.
• The area around Temple Bar is both an attraction for tourists and for pickpockets. Be aware of your surroundings.
• Most suburbs on all sides of the city are very safe, but there are a few rough areas, mostly on the Northern and Western peripheries of the city, which are seldom visited by tourists but might warrant some caution. Nonetheless, those interested in urban regeneration may find a visit to Ballymun (home to Ireland's most well known tower-blocks as well as Swedish furniture superstore IKEA) and Tallaght (a historic village that was developed into a 70,000-strong residential suburb) of interest.

• You will see a wide variety of buskers and street performers, these are normal people just plying their trade; they are usually very helpful for directions and appreciate your donations. (Busking and street performance is an old and vibrant part of Irish culture, and there is nothing unusual or unsavory about a person playing an instrument or performing in a public place even in the small hours of the morning. So approach and appreciate these talented and friendly individuals. Be aware that it is considered rude to photograph a street performer without tipping.)
• If people approach you on the street, they could indeed be people just looking for directions, charity workers looking for donations, or people simply looking for a cigarette lighter. Be aware that Dublin people are usually open and unlike big cities like London or New York, talking to complete strangers is a common and regular occurrence.
• If someone who appears to be drunk, under the influence of drugs or a habitual drug user, approaches you asking if they can talk to you for a moment, it is wise to keep walking (although expect drunk people to talk to you in a pub as it is common). These people may simply ask you for a cigarette or some money for a bus, but be aware that most Dubliners, even if they have no money, would never ask a stranger for money or cigarettes (although asking for a light for a cigarette is common). There are several scams being used on unaware tourists and locals alike so please be careful and use your judgement. If someone comes to you on the street, touches you, and asks you for something, say "no" or "sorry" and walk away. Again, locals will almost never behave like this so avoid people who do.

• When driving, leave nothing valuable visible in your car, lock doors while driving through slow traffic in the city. There are plenty of taxis at all hours of the day and night, which are safe and usually friendly.
• Dublin has heavy traffic, and even if several of the locals tend to cross the road without having a green man, it is not recommended to follow this example. Hardly any of the cars slow down in front of zebra-crossings in busy and crowded streets.
• If you rent a bicycle, ensure you rent full safety wear (helmet and lights) failure to do so can (albeit rarely) result in fines. If possible, travel by foot or public transport is best.
• Care should also be used when taking some of the "Nitelink" buses that frequent the city as they, while often safe, have seen their fair share of trouble. Sit downstairs if possible, if only to avoid the more raucous singing, shouting, and post-drinking vomiting.
• Taxis are well regulated in Ireland, but many taxi drivers have been known to take longer routes when tourists are being carried, ask for the quickest route. If staying in a hotel or hostel your host may be able to help you acquire a reputable taxi.
• Be aware when crossing over roads where pedestrians have an official right of way sign, as these are frequently ignored by Dublin motorists particularly taxis, also beware than unlike a lot of European cities, Dublin cyclists will nonchalantly cycle on footpaths. This often happens even when there is also a cycle lane right beside the path, something that, in turn, is frequently ignored by the Gardai.

You should only go to the hospital if you're too ill to go there, so to speak. For immediate treatment of minor ailments try one of the Walk-in Medical Centres. The most central are at 16 Dame St (M-F 09:30-18:30, Sa 11:00-17:00, Su 12:00-16:00) and at 71 Middle Abbey St (M-F 10:00-17:00, Sa 10:00-15:00). They're private so an EHIC card won't help. Expect to pay 60 euro for a consultation, plus the cost of any prescription or other treatment.

• Argentina Argentina, 15 Ailesbury Drive, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 1546.
• Australia Australia, Level 3 47/49 St Stephen's Green, +353 1 664 5300. M-F 08:30-16:30.
• Austria Austria, 93 Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 4577.
• Belgium Belgium, 1 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 631 5284. M-F 09:00-13:00 and 14:00-15:00.
• Canada Canada, 7-8 Wilton Terrace, Dublin 2, +353 1 234 4000.
• Chile Chile, 44 Wellington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 667 5094.
• China China, 118 Merrion Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 219 6651.
• Cuba Cuba, 32B Westland Square, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, +353 1 475 2999.
• Denmark Denmark, 7th Floor, Block E, Iveagh Court, Harcourt Road, Dublin 2, +353 1 475 6404. M-Th 09:00-16:30, F 09:00-16:00.
• Finland Finland, Russell House, Stokes Place St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, +353 1 478-1344. M-F 09:00-12:00 and 13:30-16:00.
• France France, 66 Fitzwilliam Lane, Dublin 2, +353 1 277 5000.
• Germany Germany, 31 Trimleston Avenue, Booterstown, County Dublin, +353 1 269 3011. M-Th 08:00-17:00, F 08:00-14:00.
• Greece Greece, 1 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2, +353 1 676 7254.
• Hungary Hungary, 2 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, +353 1 661 2902.
• India India, 6 Leeson Park, Dublin 6, +353 1 497 0843, +353 1 4966792, +353 899858536 (for emergencies).
• Israel Israel, Carrisbrook House, 122 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 230 9400. M-F 10:00-13:00.
• Italy Italy, 63-65 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 660 1744.
• Japan Japan, 3rd Floor, Nutley Building, Merrion Centre, Nutley Lane, Dublin 4, +353 1 202 8300. M-F 09:30-13:00 and 14:00-17:00.
• Mexico Mexico, 19 Raglan Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 667 3105. M-F 09:00-18:00.
• Netherlands Netherlands, 160 Merrion Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 3444.
• Norway Norway, 34 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, +353 1 662 1800.
• Pakistan Pakistan, Ailesbury Villa 1-B, Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 261 3023.
• Poland Poland, 5 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 283 0855.
• Portugal Portugal, 70 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4, +353 1 669 9100. M-F 09:00-13:00.
• Russia Russia, 184-186 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 14, +353 1 1492 2048.
• South Africa South Africa, Alexandra House 2nd Floor, Earlsfort Centre, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, +353 1 661 5590.
• South Korea South Korea, 15 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 660 8800.
• Spain Spain, 17A Merlyn Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 1649.
• Switzerland Switzerland, 6Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 218 6382.
• United Kingdom United Kingdom, 29 Merrion Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 205 3700.
• United States United States, 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 668-8777 (during business hours).

Argentina Argentina, 15 Ailesbury Drive, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 1546.

Australia Australia, Level 3 47/49 St Stephen's Green, +353 1 664 5300. M-F 08:30-16:30.

Austria Austria, 93 Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 4577.

Belgium Belgium, 1 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 631 5284. M-F 09:00-13:00 and 14:00-15:00.

Canada Canada, 7-8 Wilton Terrace, Dublin 2, +353 1 234 4000.

Chile Chile, 44 Wellington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 667 5094.

China China, 118 Merrion Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 219 6651.

Cuba Cuba, 32B Westland Square, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, +353 1 475 2999.

Denmark Denmark, 7th Floor, Block E, Iveagh Court, Harcourt Road, Dublin 2, +353 1 475 6404. M-Th 09:00-16:30, F 09:00-16:00.

Finland Finland, Russell House, Stokes Place St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, +353 1 478-1344. M-F 09:00-12:00 and 13:30-16:00.

France France, 66 Fitzwilliam Lane, Dublin 2, +353 1 277 5000.

Germany Germany, 31 Trimleston Avenue, Booterstown, County Dublin, +353 1 269 3011. M-Th 08:00-17:00, F 08:00-14:00.

Greece Greece, 1 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2, +353 1 676 7254.

Hungary Hungary, 2 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, +353 1 661 2902.

India India, 6 Leeson Park, Dublin 6, +353 1 497 0843, +353 1 4966792, +353 899858536 (for emergencies).

Israel Israel, Carrisbrook House, 122 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 230 9400. M-F 10:00-13:00.

Italy Italy, 63-65 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 660 1744.

Japan Japan, 3rd Floor, Nutley Building, Merrion Centre, Nutley Lane, Dublin 4, +353 1 202 8300. M-F 09:30-13:00 and 14:00-17:00.

Mexico Mexico, 19 Raglan Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 667 3105. M-F 09:00-18:00.

Netherlands Netherlands, 160 Merrion Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 3444.

Norway Norway, 34 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, +353 1 662 1800.

Pakistan Pakistan, Ailesbury Villa 1-B, Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 261 3023.

Poland Poland, 5 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 283 0855.

Portugal Portugal, 70 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4, +353 1 669 9100. M-F 09:00-13:00.

Russia Russia, 184-186 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 14, +353 1 1492 2048.

South Africa South Africa, Alexandra House 2nd Floor, Earlsfort Centre, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, +353 1 661 5590.

South Korea South Korea, 15 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 660 8800.

Spain Spain, 17A Merlyn Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 269 1649.

Switzerland Switzerland, 6Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 218 6382.

United Kingdom United Kingdom, 29 Merrion Road, Dublin 4, +353 1 205 3700.

United States United States, 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, +353 1 668-8777 (during business hours).

• Dublin City Public Libraries, Central Library, Ilac Centre, Dublin 1. Provides free broadband and wireless access to the Internet in its network of branch libraries.
• Moneygram/Kaah Express, 2 Hardwicke St, Dublin 1. Cheap internet café offering a reliable internet connection and well-maintained computers. €1 per hour.

Dublin City Public Libraries, Central Library, Ilac Centre, Dublin 1. Provides free broadband and wireless access to the Internet in its network of branch libraries.

Moneygram/Kaah Express, 2 Hardwicke St, Dublin 1. Cheap internet café offering a reliable internet connection and well-maintained computers. €1 per hour.

Almost all of Ireland is within 2-3 hours travel from Dublin, and the transport routes converge on the city. Those listed here are all within two hours and could be done as a day-trip.

• County Dublin
  • Dalkey and Killiney — in the south are upmarket neighbourhoods and home to such celebrities as Bono and Enya, among others. A walk up Vico Road to take in the view is a must-do. Killiney Hill is beautiful, offering panoramic views of the surrounding Dublin Mountains. Get here by DART.
  • Blackrock or Dun Laoghaire — in the south and accessible by bus or DART, are also worth a visit.
  • Howth — a peninsula (14km/9 mi from the city centre) very nice for a scenic seaside walk - the whole tour takes about 2–3h. There are boat trips to the island of Ireland's Eye, with gannets, puffins, fulmars, cormorants and a ruined Martello Tower.
  • Malahide and Skerries — are all great seaside locations to spend an afternoon. Malahide has a beautiful Castle (including extra doors for the ghost) in a Park and is a nice little village with harbour, beach, estuary and lots of restaurants. You can also take a 20-30 minute walk along the coast up to Portmarnock beach (a 5 km long beach).
• County Meath
  • Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park — the megalithic tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are the most important archaeological sites in Ireland and are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The site is located 50 km (30 mi) north of Dublin on the banks of the Boyne.
• County Wicklow — Within easy reach to the south of Dublin, is known as 'the garden of Ireland' and has good hill-walking and some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.
  • Enniskerry — for the gardens in the Powerscourt Estate and the highest waterfall in Ireland
  • Glendalough — for the monastic village, round tower and lakes
• County Kildare — directly west of Dublin and some of Dublin's outer suburbs are here e.g. Naas and Maynooth. The Curragh racecourse is in County Kildare, south west of Dublin, about 50 km (30 mi) from the city. The K Club in Kildare was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup in golf.
• County Carlow — Boasts some fine architecture - with its courthouse from the mid 1800s and its Cathedral which was completed in 1833.
• County Laois — Located 1 h southwest of Dublin. The county is dotted with sleepy villages, slow-moving rivers and rolling hills.
  • Port Laoise — has a cobbled main street with independent eateries, Georgian architecture and small pubs
  • Kilkenny — Ireland's medieval capital, is a bustling heritage city with a thriving arts scene. 1 h 40 min by train from Dublin.

• Holyhead, Wales.
• Liverpool, England.

• Douglas, Isle of Man.

Douglas, Isle of Man.

Holyhead, Wales.

Liverpool, England.

[[County Dublin]]

• [[Dalkey]] and Killiney — in the south are upmarket neighbourhoods and home to such celebrities as Bono and Enya, among others. A walk up Vico Road to take in the view is a must-do. Killiney Hill is beautiful, offering panoramic views of the surrounding Dublin Mountains. Get here by DART.
• Blackrock or [[Dun Laoghaire]] — in the south and accessible by bus or DART, are also worth a visit.
• [[Howth]] — a peninsula (14km/9 mi from the city centre) very nice for a scenic seaside walk - the whole tour takes about 2–3h. There are boat trips to the island of Ireland's Eye, with gannets, puffins, fulmars, cormorants and a ruined Martello Tower.
• Malahide and Skerries — are all great seaside locations to spend an afternoon. Malahide has a beautiful Castle (including extra doors for the ghost) in a Park and is a nice little village with harbour, beach, estuary and lots of restaurants. You can also take a 20-30 minute walk along the coast up to Portmarnock beach (a 5 km long beach).

[[County Meath]]

• [[Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park]] — the megalithic tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are the most important archaeological sites in Ireland and are listed by UNESCO as a [[World Heritage site]]. The site is located 50 km (30 mi) north of Dublin on the banks of the Boyne.

[[County Wicklow]] — Within easy reach to the south of Dublin, is known as 'the garden of Ireland' and has good hill-walking and some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.

• [[Enniskerry]] — for the gardens in the Powerscourt Estate and the highest waterfall in Ireland
• [[Glendalough]] — for the monastic village, round tower and lakes

[[County Kildare]] — directly west of Dublin and some of Dublin's outer suburbs are here e.g. Naas and Maynooth. The Curragh racecourse is in County Kildare, south west of Dublin, about 50 km (30 mi) from the city. The K Club in Kildare was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup in [[golf]].

[[County Carlow]] — Boasts some fine architecture - with its courthouse from the mid 1800s and its Cathedral which was completed in 1833.

[[County Laois]] — Located 1 h southwest of Dublin. The county is dotted with sleepy villages, slow-moving rivers and rolling hills.

• [[Port Laoise]] — has a cobbled main street with independent eateries, Georgian architecture and small pubs
• [[Kilkenny]] — Ireland's medieval capital, is a bustling heritage city with a thriving arts scene. 1 h 40 min by train from Dublin.