a couple of hours in Dublin

[theDudesmummy]

Hi, I will be driving to Dublin just before Christmas to fetch DD who is flying in for the holidays. I will be bringing DS (age 12) with me. We will get there around 2.30pm and the flight only lands at 7.30. I have never been to Dublin, any ideas of something we can do for those few hours? (I have no idea about traffic there, how long it takes to get around, what parking is like etc)

Or, alternately, anything we could do on the way or nearly on the way (driving from Galway)

Traffic is awful, parking is not great. But well worth a wander round something that interests you.
Grafton St for Christmassy shopping vibes, Dead Zoo or Book of Kells at Trinity for history. EPIC museum won more best museum in the world awards this year. Go to the Zoo?
Loads to see and if you pick one thing it will be fairly relaxed.
Athlone Castle is nice for a stop along the way if you don't fancy going into the city.

Traffic will be a complete pain at that time & date - it's terrible now! So just factor that in

What do you like to do?

Exhibitions & galleries:

• Seamus Heaney exhibition in College Green
• National Art Gallery (Clare Street) is wonderful and a lovely cafe, and close to National Library (Yeats' exhibition) and Dead Zoo (tho that is still being refurbished).

Grafton Street for shops, go to Hodges Figgis for books.

Head towards South William Street & Chatham Street for nice cafes, try Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer St, it's a food hall, restaurant & also more casual wine bar, that's a nice spot.

If you've enough time, you could park at Hueston Station, which works well as you'll come in that direction from Galway, and go to Collins Barracks. You can walk down. Loads of great exhibitions there, a nice place overall, nice Cafe

Finally, along the lines of above, you could go to Dublin Zoo, which will have the Wild Lights display at that time (tho it might not quite work with your timings)

Enjoy!

It's too late for the Zoo, that would have been my first choice but last entry is 2pm. Thanks for the suggestions, I will look into them. I don't really do crowded indoor spaces, I live in the middle of nowhere and have become rather phobic during the pandemic, as have the luxury of being able to be!

Grafton Street might be nice, I do need some Xmas presents. I will be wearing a mask, even outside, will I stand out as odd?

The zoo has early closure due to Wild Lights event.

Dead Zoo (Natural History Museum is closed due to renovation works)

Dublinia is a viking museum that we are hoping to go to soon. Looks great.

On the way you've a Roscommon (Lough Key Forest Park) also Athlone is a pretty town.

Avoca Cafe is also lovely.
We are all wearing masks and most outside so you won't stand out.

Given that I have never been to Dublin so have no idea what it "feels" like, I did think I might want to spent some time somewhere in the middle and walking about a bit (the equivalent, for example, of walking along the Embankment or South Bank in London and seeing the river and the views etc). Is there anywhere comparable in Dublin (where I could also find parking)?

I would be interested in Dead Zoo, but it would upset DS. He has special needs and loves animals, I once took him to the Natural History Museum in London and will not be doing that again! He is a big zoo fan and could not understand why all the animals were dead.

I'm a Londoner so used to awful traffic. But I obv need to factor that in for timing so I get to the airport on time.

If it were me I would park at Red Cow (off the motorway) and take the Luas to O Connell Street and then go over to the Hugh Lane Gallery or Grafton Street. You could also get off a few stops earlier and go to National Museum at Collins Barracks. I definitely would not drive, no way.

Luas is not going to be like the tube, its going to be slow and very full.

I'm not a fan of Dublin so if it was me I'd pick a better time to go when less crowded.
Bear in mind you would need to be leaving city centre at 5.30 minimum to get to the Luas to drive to the airport for 7.30 as traffic will be nuts.

OR if you wanted a sane day and leave Dublin till less crowded (Jan) you could pull off the motorway and do a gorgeous walk in Lough Boora Discovery Park in Offaly or better still pull off at Castletown House in Celbridge (the house is closed) but grounds and cafe are open. Lovely walks there.

Good luck!

5 hours sounds like a lot of time but honestly once you factor in travel and the time it takes to get to the airport from the city centre at pretty much rush hour, it really isn’t.

You’re not going to get much of a feel for the city in that amount of time, much less any meaningful activities.

I’d maybe look at staying in the vicinity of the airport. There’s a fairly large shopping centre in Swords, a nearby suburb, which has some places to eat and a cinema. A movie and an Eddie Rockets (American diner), followed by a stroll round some shops might be a more relaxed and less pressured afternoon. Save the city centre for when you have more time.

If you’re coming from Galway park in Liffey Valley and get the bus into the city. It’s frequent and leaves you right in the city center. When you’re ready to get DD you can just head straight onto the M50 from Liffey Valley.

You could get off the bus on Batchelor’s Walk and ramble down to O’Connell street, see the spire. Then head over towards trinity college and up Grafton Street. There’s loads of cafes and shops.

@theDudesmummy

Grafton Street might be nice, I do need some Xmas presents. I will be wearing a mask, even outside, will I stand out as odd?

Not at all. Plenty of people doing that.

You'd have to wear one indoors anyway.

@theDudesmummy

Given that I have never been to Dublin so have no idea what it "feels" like, I did think I might want to spent some time somewhere in the middle and walking about a bit (the equivalent, for example, of walking along the Embankment or South Bank in London and seeing the river and the views etc). Is there anywhere comparable in Dublin (where I could also find parking)?

There's no 'middle' as such!

There's north side & south side (of the river).

It will be busy at that time so if you don't like that, I'd focus on going to the Grafton Street area, and then you can walk in Stephen's Green, Merrion Square Park or Iveagh Gardens, if it feels too crowded for you.

National Art Gallery is open & spacious, it won't feel crowded.

@theDudesmummy

I'm a Londoner so used to awful traffic. But I obv need to factor that in for timing so I get to the airport on time.

I know people are saying not to drive but I don't quite agree. It will be busy, but you can allow for that. You'll come in along the quays, allow at least 45 mins from Heuston to get to city centre. Then you can park, and browse around. You need to allow at least 1.5 hours to leave the city & reach the airport, but from city centre, while you'll experience traffic, you'll go from O'Connell Street, heading North & to Swords Road so while it will be busy, it's quite direct.

Or park at Heuston & get the Luas or bus, but you'll still have to navigate the traffic to get to the airport.

I think stopping on the way down & then going directly to the airport would possibly be easiest for you if you don't know Dublin at all.

Oh, thank you! So many ideas! I am going to look into all of them...

I realise that wanting to get the feel of a big city in a couple of hours is really not possible, and I was initially not thinking of going into the centre at all, but it rather niggles at me that I have been living in Ireland for over a year and a half and have never been to Dublin except to drive off the ferry and go around, or to go to the airport. People I speak to round here seem to either like Dublin or really hate it, it's a polarising subject!

If you are wearing a mask in the city centre, you certainly won't stand out. There are lots in shops, and plenty of people wear them on the streets as well. (I am in relatively frequently due to work).

Phoenix Park, outside the zoo, would be a nice place for a long walk, see the deer etc. Also, Collins Barracks national museum is nearby, which might be interesting to DS. And being slightly outside city centre, wouldn't be too manic.

If you do want to shop/cinema/food court etc, there is also Liffey Valley Shopping centre, just before the M50. Although I haven't been there in a number of years so I don't know what shops are there now. But would mean avoiding city centre.

I agree with others about traffic close to Christmas and in rush hour. I'd also suggest pre-booking your parking at the airport. If there is none in the car park right next to the terminals, the Red car park is actually fine to use as the buses to it are frequent and it is very easy to get to from the M50 and to get back on the road afterwards, and pretty well lit as well.

City centre coming up to Christmas, especially if the pubs have not been closed again, will probably be busy as there was not that much gathering last year, so lots of people are talking about doing a lot this year. So there will be a lot of meals/pub outings going on, shoppers, and general movement of workers and tourists. It has definitely not recovered to the levels it would normally be at this time of year, but it is already busier than it was this time last year. So bear that in mind. But there are lots of great places to visit and shop and eat, just do your research in advance to know where you want to go.

Not shopping centres or cinema (way too phobic for the cinema and I can get most of the kind of things you would get in a shopping centre here in Galway). Interesting streets with independent shops/markets etc would be nice. Phoenix Park also sounds good but of course depends on weather, and the barracks. Will look into everything suggested though. Thanks!

Dublin is tiny compared to London, cute streets with independent shops is the area round Grafton St unless you want to go out to the south Dublin suburbs.

My DM hates Dublin but will happily make her way to the Stephens Green shopping centre car park and wander from there. It's slow city drive and expensive parking, but its v central and you can book your parking in advance.

Grafton st is lovely at that time of year, your ds might like to feed the ducks in Stephen's Green which is at the top of the street, then you can work your way down the street, lovely shops on the side streets, lots of cafes to stop at and the Christmas lights look beautiful in the dark.

That's where I'd go. Don't go near Henry St/O'Connell St, very busy and noisy and not the same atmosphere.

Parking and traffic will be the big issues for the city center.
Also check there are concerts on as that will add to rush hour traffic
Chistmas is never going to be a great time to see any city with the crowds

If your child likes animals try Malahide Castle or Newbridge house websites, I think they both have farm animals areas.

Ice skating in Liffey valley Blanchardstown or Swords ditto for the circus or fun fairs.

And if Tayto park is open

Thinking about somewhere nice to go close to the airport, Malahide is a very pretty village and there's an Avoca at Malahide Castle. They seem to have Christmas events which you could book.

www.malahidecastleandgardens.ie/?campaignid=13837705333&adgroupid=121445914261&network=g&matchtype=e&keyword=malahide%20castle&gclid=CjwKCAiAvriMBhAuEiwA8Cs5leJ9qbpZgWIbfv9hoNEIe76SRWAPUfxvsWVhb7cz2r9YKfGmYKNFHxoCZDgQAvD_BwE

If your child likes animals try Malahide Castle or Newbridge house websites, I think they both have farm animals areas.

Ice skating in Liffey valley Blanchardstown or Swords ditto for the circus or fun fairs.

And if Tayto park is open

All good ideas but you wouldn't be able to do any of those in an afternoon. And won't suit OP as she doesn't like busy/enclosed spaces.

And I know you said no shopping centres OP but definitely avoid Blanch or Swords, they'll be madness, they are already packed!