5 Things to Do in Dublin
Some of the best activities that I recommend for anyone who is interested in visiting Dublin, Ireland for at least three days! In no particular order, these are some of my recommendations if you don’t know where to start. To witness our adventure, watch my Dublin vlog part 1 and part 2!
Shop
Shopping in Dublin is great. There were several shopping centers less than 15 minutes away from our stay. I loved walking down O’Connell and just perusing through the shops to find the best gifts and souvenirs for myself and family. I highly recommend Carroll’s Irish Gifts if you’re looking for souvenirs. There are several in the area, but the one next to McDonald’s is one of the biggest and best. There’s also one on Fleet Street next to Temple Bar. The shop’s inventory include shot glasses, shirts, hats, and Aran Island clothing. The shop also offers a 10% discount if you subscribe to their mailing list which is a deal because they know that you’ll be back. We made several purchases during our stay.
If you’re looking for high-end or luxury items, then I recommend Brown Thomas on Grafton Street. It’s store is a hub for all things luxury including YSL, Prada, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and much more. I even picked up a cute black Gucci belt from their store. There are other shopping areas, including Ilac Center, which looks like a mall. It houses stores like River Island where you can also shop and access Grafton Street.
Temple Bar
Temple Bar is the go-to spot for anyone looking for a good time. It's very popular; almost every tourist visits, so expect it to be packed every night. But it is a good place for good music and drinks. The bar plays music every night and serves food. You can eat, drink, and be merry all night long. Unfortunately, our visit was during COVID, so we did not interact with anyone other than our bartender who was very kind. He asked me to turn on my camera so that he could show us how to make mojitos and whiskey sour.
Irish Whiskey Tour
Speaking of whiskey, I highly recommend the Irish Whisky Museum Tour. This attraction was something that we stumbled upon while walking the streets (looking for the nearest Gucci store). At the time, the museum had been open for three days, so we were among the first groups of people to visit since its closing. We purchased two tickets for the premium tour which included an extra whiskey during the tasting and a shot glass souvenir. Our tickets were €45 for an hour. In our opinion, the tour was excellent. We learned about the origin of Irish whiskey, it’s evolution to the top three brands of Irish whiskey today, and tasted four popular whiskies. I’m not much of a whiskey drinker, but I enjoyed the experience. We bought a bottle to bring home to The States. I give it 5 stars!
Sight-See
Sometimes its good to just walk around and see what’s out there. On our first full day, we just walked around, made note of the sights and attractions that we wanted to see and then the next day, made a plan for the places that we really wanted to visit.
Dublin is a beautiful city; there is plenty to see and do and it can be a little overwhelming when you don’t have a plan. But sometimes operating without a plan makes your time spent in an area more fun. While walking around, we saw several churches, restaurants, bars, and shops. We even visited Dublin Castle and went on a tour.
Food-Tasting
I am a huge foodie, and I love trying new things. I took my time in Ireland as an opportunity to try all cuisine that I’d heard about or that I wouldn’t normally try. There are so many options for food in the city. Dublin is a melting pot of food culture. There’s Hispanic, Indian, Italian, Americanized fast-food; a little something for everyone. We found ourselves gravitating towards burritos most days, but our hotel offered a full Irish breakfast buffet during our stay and of course, we found cafés to satiate our caffeine needs. If you’re looking for a late-night meal, then unfortunately, the only option after 10pm is Subway inside the Circle K on Grafton Street. But most eateries like the Hard Rock Café stay open pretty late. My favorite late-night eatery was Cloud Nine, a crêpe and gelato shop across from Temple Bar. They served the best cappuccino and crêpe with strawberry, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup.
Honorable Mentions:
The Book of Kells & Old Library Exhibition
~Kels
