Things to do in Dublin

[Mamabear256]

Hi all. I’m going to Dublin with my mum and sisters this Saturday until the following Wednesday, for 4 nights! Never been before. Not heavy drinkers either. Can anyone recommend any good places to visit / interesting things to see, or fun days out?

thanks!

Howth is such a gorgeous place to spend a few hours by the sea - brunch/lunch followed by a walk would be high up on my agenda.

How about a day trip to Belfast? Plenty of direct coaches for relatively cheap prices but you would need to book ahead as it’s busy season. 4 nights is quite a long time in Dublin!

Opposite end to Howth, take the DART to Bray or Greystones. Beautiful journey and nice(ish) beach front for walking.
If you want to go shopping, Dundrum shopping centre is good, though nothing special if you are used to shopping malls. Accessible by LUAS.
You can get a boat from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, this looks nice but super busy if the weather is nice. Dun Laoghaire is worth a visit in itself.
You can also take a trip out to one of the little islands - Ireland's Eye or Dalkey Island, I think there are puffins on Ireland's Eye but I have never seen them.
My DH likes the whiskey museum (rather than Guinness brewery), very central (I've not been). The National Museum (bog bodies!), free and interesting, National Gallery is lovely as well.
Day trip to Glendalough is really lovely if you like scenery, glendaloughbus.ie is the way to do that. Unless you have a car? A lot more opens up with a car. Glendalough would be my top tip if you have a sunny day. It's heaving but easy to get away from the throngs.

Thank you both - I’ll definitely have a look online at this places and pick some of these to do!

It’s 4 nights but by the time we land on Saturday it’s just really Saturday night, then Sunday Monday Tuesday then we fly back Wednesday morning so 3 full days!

Wha? Schelp all the way to Belfast with only 4 days in Dublin - are you mad??

Where are you staying? Some of the concierge's will have discounted recommendations.

It’s a 2 hour journey on plentiful, direct coaches - hardly a schlep in the realms of tourism! A very easy day trip

Bray head is closed afaik so not really worth the journey. I agree re Howth.

I haven't done this yet but looks fun
https://staygenerator.com/hostels/dublin/skyview-tower

Some of the pubs in Temple Bar have live Irish music which you might enjoy.

The Giants Causeway is worth a visit but its a long way. I don't think Belfast on its own is necessarily worth it, make a seperate visit.

I wouldn't go to Dundrum, its mostly the same shops as in the UK. Grafton St/Henry St are more central and better. (although also the same shops as in UK, there are more independant shops and shops geared at tourists etc)

If you go to Coliemore Harbour you can take a little ferry boat out to an Island and see seals on the way. Oh I see he has gone all high tech and now has a website. :) http://kentheferryman.com/

Loads more suggestions too.

I live in Dublin - off top of my head:

• If you like just mooching about getting a feel for a city then the shopping streets around Grafton Street/ Wicklow Street and the lanes off them are nice - incl. the Powerscourt Centre which is a lovely old building and has a great pizza restaurant in the middle of the atrium called Little Pyg.
• Within walking distance of there is St. Stephen's Green which is a nice park, or at the other end of Grafton Street is Trinity University and the Book of Kells if you like that kind of thing.
• Dawson Street (again very nearby) has some nice restaurants and bars - I know you arent a big drinker but Peruke & Periwig is a great old school cocktail bar that looks like an apothecary from the outside. Cafe en Seine is very lively in the evenings but you can have a nice brunch there in the atrium at the back on weekends.
• Temple Bar is the touristy bit and VERY expensive but it is quaint enough with cobbled streets and lots of Irish pubs so worth having a walk around but I'd get drinks/ food elsewhere.
• AVOID O'Connell Street if you can (on the other side of the river) - it's supposedly Dublin's 'main street' but not much on it other than fast food restaurants and touristy Irish shops.
• Trip out to Howth is nice on a sunny day - you can get some good seafood (Wrights is nice) and just have a mooch.

Do the Guinness tour even if you don’t drink Guinness. There is a lovely bar at the top for the views of the city! The Viking splash tour (a bit tacky but be a tourist in Dublin)!

We went for 3 nights - we did a walking tour through booking.com - the Guinness factory and booked on a trip to Howth and went to St Stephens Park

Where are you getting the info that Bray Head is closed, how would they even do that?
I'll be visiting in a few weeks and it's always on my list.

Why would you go to Dublin and then leave to go to Belfast!

I'd say afternoon tea at the Sherbourne
The Georgian town house museum 🥰
Art gallery shop 😅
Kilkenny design centre

The open top bus tour was good

This is good fun @Mamabear256
It's a house done up as it would have been in Georgian times and they tell you where the servants would have lived. I found it interesting and fun. It's very central too, no going out to Bray or to Howth.

A glimpse into life in a Dublin Georgian Townhouse (numbertwentynine.ie)

Kilmainham Gaol is supposed to be great but hard to get tickets. The National Museum is well worth a walk around. There's an insta and X account, Dublin by pub, some good recommendations on that if you want to find a tradional type place for the experience. Dun Laoighre is nice to walk on the pier if you don't want to go further out. Beautiful views on the way out to Bray. Bray has been voted or awarded or something one of the world's most underrated seaside towns fairly recently.

Avoca Suffolk Street - Avoca

I go to this cafe over Avoca on wicklow street as it's not usually too packed.

I brought my spanish friend here the other day, but she ONLY wanted to look for bras and knickers in Dunnes and then drink coffee. No culture.

Afternon tea in the Shelbourne, walk through Stephen's Green, National Art Gallery, a pint in O'Donoghue's.

Thank you so much everyone! I’m going to note these down tonight. Didn’t realise there were seaside areas, I just hope the weathers nice enough. I’d love to do something like that.

We are staying at Camden Court Hotel on Camden street I think

Bray-Greystones cliff walk is closed, but you can walk up
Bray Head no problem (did it on Saturday).

thats good to know, accesible from the Bray seafront?

Other nice walks/hikes if you like

The Hellfire Club

Sugar Loaf

In case you think Penneys is some unique Irish shop it is just Primark under its original name.

I did a literary pub crawl with a friend once and it was loads of fun. (and I don't drink much either)

it's been in the news. I think rock falls from the cliffs.

https://bray.ie/cliffwalk/

Bewley's on Grafton St. Not what it was but still lovely and magnificent Harry Clarke stained glass windows.

Take the DART from Pearse Street (behind Trinity) and head south to Greystones, stopping at Dun Laoghaire on the way. You’ll hardly believe the views!

Yes to all of this.
Parts of the north side including O'Connell street are pretty rough.

I'd like to add a trip to Killiney Hill, south on the Dart to Killiney Station. The hill walk is a great stretch of the legs, and the views from the top are gorgeous.

Dalkey is a lovely coastal village to poke around in (get back on the Dart and go north from Killiney).

The pier in Dun Laoghaire is another nice walk. Teddy's ice cream is a pleasant way to fuel your exertions.

Other suggestions -
Botanic Gardens
Royal Hospital Kilmainham
National Art Gallery
Chester Beatty Library (Museum)

@booksunderthebed the easist access to the Bray Head walks is actually to go out of the town via the Vevay road and take the gate at the Wilton roundabout, or walk up that road further and access the trail from Ballynamuddagh road up at Winegates.