Ireland
Dublin
Dublin is a small capital with an outsized story, and it tells it best in its own voice — in the pub, on a guided tour, through a museum guide who makes 1916 feel like last week. The city's headliners are close enough to walk between: the Book of Kells glowing in Trinity College's Old Library, the Guinness Storehouse's seven floors climbing to a pint above the rooftops, Kilmainham Gaol's cold stone corridors where the leaders of the Rising spent their last nights, the medieval cathedrals of St Patrick and Christ Church, and the old Jameson distillery in Smithfield. The free collections are world-class — Celtic gold and bog bodies at the National Museum, Caravaggio and Jack B. Yeats at the National Gallery — and the edges of the city are wild: the deer of Phoenix Park, the clifftop path at Howth, and the Atlantic drama of the Cliffs of Moher a long day west. This guide books it properly — Kilmainham's tickets the moment they release, the Old Library on a timed slot, the Storehouse before the afternoon crush — and pairs it with the right pub, the right trad session and the right Georgian square. Then it matches you to the right hotel, from the Shelbourne's grand rooms on St Stephen's Green to smart value in the Liberties, because in a city this walkable, where you sleep decides how much of it you see.
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Hotels
Where to Stay
The Shelbourne, Autograph Collection
St Stephen's Green
Dublin's grande dame on St Stephen's Green since 1824 — the room where the Irish Constitution was drafted, afternoon tea in the Lord Mayor's Lounge, the Horseshoe Bar's political gossip, and Grafton Street around the corner.
The Merrion
Merrion Square / Georgian Dublin
Four restored 1760s Georgian townhouses opposite Government Buildings, wrapped around eighteenth-century gardens — one of Ireland's finest private art collections, a celebrated art afternoon tea, a spa with a pool, and serious dining.
The Westbury
Grafton Street
A polished Doyle Collection hotel tucked just off Grafton Street — Wilde restaurant, the Gallery for afternoon tea, the Art Deco-inspired Sidecar bar, and one of the most central addresses in the city.
The Marker Hotel
Docklands / Grand Canal Dock
Sleek, modern five-star living on Grand Canal Square in the Docklands — a 23-metre infinity pool, a seasonal rooftop bar with views over the city and the bay, and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre next door.
The Morrison Dublin, Curio Collection by Hilton
North Quays / Ormond Quay
A stylish riverside hotel on the north quays, a few minutes' walk from the Ha'penny Bridge and Temple Bar — Josper-grilled steaks at the Morrison Grill, a cocktail and whiskey bar, and the whole old city on foot.
Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin
The Liberties
Smart, good-value modern rooms in Dublin's oldest neighbourhood, a block from St Patrick's Cathedral — some with cathedral views — with the Guinness Storehouse, the Liberties distilleries and Christ Church all on foot.
Generator Dublin
Smithfield
The city's liveliest design hostel on Smithfield Square — private rooms and dorms, a shuffleboard bar with DJs and live music, and the Jameson distillery next door. The best budget base for social travellers.
Brooks Hotel
Creative Quarter
A polished, independent boutique hotel on Drury Street in the Creative Quarter, a few minutes from Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green — 100 well-designed rooms, a private cinema and an all-day bar and brasserie. The south side's best mid-range all-rounder.
Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin
O'Connell Street
One of Dublin's oldest and best-known hotels, on O'Connell Street since 1817 and now run by RIU — a big, well-priced four-star with buffet breakfast, a 24-hour gym and room service, steps from the GPO and the Luas.
Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane
Docklands
The family pick in the Docklands: a modern four-star with one of the biggest hotel pools in Dublin city, a separate kids' pool, a gym and family rooms, by the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and a short walk from the 3Arena and Pearse DART.
Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Christchurch
Christ Church
Apartments with full kitchens beside Christ Church Cathedral, in the oldest part of the city — one- and two-bedroom units sleeping up to five, 24-hour reception and a walkable base for Temple Bar, the Liberties and the Guinness Storehouse.
Herbert Park Hotel and Park Residence
Ballsbridge
A calm, leafy four-star in Ballsbridge beside one of Dublin's prettiest parks, with air-conditioned rooms, interconnecting family rooms, studio apartments and residents' parking — a short DART ride from the centre and steps from the Aviva and the RDS.
Moxy Dublin City
O'Connell Street
Ireland's first Moxy: a playful, budget-friendly design hotel just off O'Connell Street where the bar doubles as reception — compact rooms, family rooms with sofa beds, 24/7 grab-and-go food and the whole city centre on foot.
Leonardo Hotel Dublin Christchurch
Christ Church
A good-value, newly refurbished hotel directly opposite Christ Church Cathedral — 182 rooms including family rooms, a bar and grill, and Temple Bar a few minutes downhill. A reliable mid-priced base in the old city.
Point A Hotel Dublin Parnell Street
Parnell Street
A smart, no-frills budget hotel a few minutes from O'Connell Street — small but well-equipped rooms with comfortable Hypnos beds, power showers and smart TVs, a café bar open late, and prices that leave more for the pub.
Attractions & Tours
What to Do
Guinness Storehouse
Ireland's most visited attraction — seven floors inside a 1904 fermentation plant at St James's Gate, built around a pint-glass atrium, with the story of the black stuff, a pouring lesson, and a pint in the 360-degree Gravity Bar at the top. Book a timed slot and go early.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
An award-winning interactive museum in the vaults of a 1820s Docklands warehouse that tells how ten million people left Ireland and changed the world — passport stamps, touchscreens, music and stories. Superb on a rainy day and for anyone with Irish roots.
Jameson Distillery Bow St.
Whiskey's homecoming in Smithfield — the original 1780 Jameson distillery, now a lively visitor experience with guided tours, comparative tastings, blending and cocktail classes, and a buzzing bar. Book a tour slot; weekend afternoons fill fast.
Christ Church Cathedral
Dublin's oldest working building, founded by a Viking king around 1030 and rebuilt by the Normans — Strongbow's tomb, a vast medieval crypt with treasures, and the famous mummified cat and rat. A compact, characterful visit on the hill above the Liffey.
Glendalough and Wicklow Mountains Day Trip
The easiest great escape from Dublin: St Kevin's sixth-century monastic city in a glacial valley of two lakes, reached over the bog-and-heather passes of the Wicklow Mountains. A guided day trip does the driving and the storytelling.
Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange and Knowth)
The Stone Age passage tombs of the Boyne Valley, built around 3200 BC — older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza. Enter the chamber at Newgrange, where the midwinter sunrise still lights the floor. An hour north of Dublin; booking essential.
Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum
Ireland's national cemetery, founded by Daniel O'Connell in 1832 and resting place of Michael Collins, Parnell, de Valera and around a million and a half others — a walk through Irish history, with a museum, superb guided tours and the Gravediggers pub at the gate.
Marsh's Library
Ireland's first public library, opened in 1707 beside St Patrick's Cathedral and barely changed since — dark oak bookcases, the wire cages where readers were locked in with rare books, and the ghosts of Swift, Stoker and Joyce. A small, magical, low-cost visit.
Travel Guides
Plan It Properly
Dublin in Three Days: Trinity, the Liberties, Kilmainham & the Coast
The first-timer itinerary that books the scarce tickets in the right order — Kilmainham at release, the Book of Kells on a timed slot, the Storehouse early — and fills the gaps with free museums, the cathedrals, a pub session and a morning by the sea.
First Time in Dublin: What to Book, How Pubs Work & What to Skip
The practical playbook for a first visit — which tickets sell out, the late-2026 closures, getting in from the airport, how to order in a pub, tipping, weather and the tourist traps not worth your time.
Where to Stay in Dublin: Neighbourhoods & Hotels for Every Budget
St Stephen's Green and Grafton Street, Georgian Merrion Square, the Liberties, the north quays and Smithfield, and the Docklands — which area suits which traveller, and the hotels we recommend in each.
Eating & Drinking in Dublin: Classic Pubs, Trad Sessions & What to Eat
How to find the perfect pint, where to hear real traditional music, the Victorian pubs worth crossing town for, and what to eat — from a full Irish breakfast and fish and chips to Dublin Bay seafood and the Creative Quarter's bistros.
The Best Day Trips from Dublin: Cliffs, Coast, Monastic Valleys & Ancient Tombs
Howth and the DART coast for a half-day, Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, the 5,000-year-old tombs of Brú na Bóinne, the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, and how to choose between them.
When to Visit Dublin: Seasons, Festivals, Weather & How to Save
Dublin month by month — long summer evenings, St Patrick's week, rugby weekends, autumn festivals and Christmas lights — plus what the weather is really like, when prices peak and the free things that stretch a budget.