Christ Church

Leonardo Hotel Dublin Christchurch

★★★★★

The Leonardo Hotel Dublin Christchurch is a straightforward, well-run hotel in one of the best locations in the city for sightseeing, and it is a reliable choice for families and couples who want comfort and convenience without paying a premium. The hotel, formerly known as Jurys Inn Christchurch, stands at Christchurch Place, directly opposite Christ Church Cathedral at the top of the old city, and its 182 rooms have recently been refurbished. Room types include doubles, twins, super king rooms, executive rooms and family rooms, so parents with children have options, and the rooms are clean, modern and practical rather than luxurious. The ground floor has a bar and grill serving food all day, with dinner in the evening and the bar open late, making it easy to eat in after a long day of walking. Breakfast is served each morning, with later hours at weekends and on public holidays. The location is the main reason to stay. Christ Church Cathedral and Dublinia are across the road, Temple Bar is a few minutes downhill, Grafton Street and Trinity College are about ten to fifteen minutes' walk, and St Patrick's Cathedral, Marsh's Library and the Liberties are just to the south and west, with the Guinness Storehouse about fifteen to twenty minutes on foot. Dublin Castle is around the corner, though it is closed to visitors until January 2027. Many of the city's best restaurants and pubs, on and around South Great George's Street, Dame Street and Camden Street, are within an easy walk.

Things to know: the hotel has no car park of its own; instead, guests get a discount on 24-hour parking at the public Q-Park Christchurch on Werburgh Street by pre-booking online with the hotel's code, and validation at reception is no longer offered. Check-in is from mid-afternoon and check-out in the late morning. Christchurch Place is a busy junction with buses and traffic, so light sleepers should ask for a room away from the street.

Who it suits: first-timers who want to walk everywhere, families who want a proper hotel with a bar and restaurant rather than an apartment, and visitors focused on medieval Dublin, the cathedrals and the Liberties. It is a good alternative to Staycity Christchurch across the road when you prefer daily housekeeping and an on-site restaurant to a kitchen of your own.

Compared with nearby options: the Hyatt Centric in the Liberties is more stylish and slightly further west, while Brooks in the Creative Quarter is more of a boutique splurge. The Leonardo is the practical middle ground, and its position opposite one of the city's great medieval cathedrals is hard to beat at the price. For the best value, book well ahead for summer and for weekends with big concerts or rugby internationals, when city-centre prices rise sharply. Families should request a family room at the time of booking rather than on arrival, and anyone planning to eat in should know that the bar and grill's dinner service finishes relatively early in the evening, though the bar itself stays open late. The surrounding streets have plenty of cafés for a lighter breakfast if you prefer to eat out.