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Page Contents
- Welcome To Dublin
- Tourist Attractions In Dublin
- Day Drinking In Dublin
- Nightlife In Dublin
- Explore Dublin With Dublin Pass
- Day Trips From Dublin
- Where To Stay In Dublin
- Irish Words to Know
- Making Friends In Dublin
- Safety In Dublin
- And That's A Wrap!
- Recommended Blog Post: Thinking About Visiting Belfast?
Welcome To Dublin
Dublin is the heart and soul of Ireland. It is one of the most vibrant cities in all of Europe — filled with culture, history, and energy. Dublin is an immensely popular hotspot for tourists from all around the world — and yes, it’s full of solo travellers and backpackers too!
In addition to all that Dublin has to offer, you can use the city as a base to explore the rest of The Emerald Isle. Ireland is a pretty small and scenic country — you could realistically drive from Dublin to the edge of Ireland within 4-5 hours, making it very possible to accommodate it in a day trip or two.
I'd like to note that Dublin is not a budget-friendly option. You should be prepared to spend more than you usually do on your travels.
Tourist Attractions In Dublin
St Patrick's Cathedral
You know the guy people drink green beer to on St Paddy’s Day? Well, he’s the patron saint of Ireland and is the namesake of the largest and most famous cathedral in Ireland. The building is Gothic in style and features a large spire, stained glass windows, and a grand organ. St Patrick's is renowned for its beauty and is a must-see for any visitor to Dublin.
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle is one of the city's most iconic landmarks and is a popular tourist destination. To enter Dublin Castle you need to purchase a guided or a self-guided tour. It’s something you could check out if you have an hour or two free.
EPIC Emigration Museum
EPIC Emigration Museum is an interactive museum that is dedicated to telling the story of Irish emigration. It is a unique and engaging way for visitors to learn about the history and culture of the Irish people and the impact their emigration had on the world — how and why they left Ireland in search of a better life.
Trinity College
Trinity College is Ireland's oldest and most prestigious university, with a rich and vibrant history. It is located in the heart of Dublin city, just a short walk from the River Liffey and Grafton Street. It has a scenic campus and an iconic library that houses the Book of Kells!
Day Drinking In Dublin
Drinking is a big part of Irish culture — and if you like to drink, you’re probably going to be doing it every day when you’re in Dublin. So let’s start with some day drinking experiences:
Guinness Storehouse
The Guinness Storehouse was the highlight of my trip to Dublin. The 7-floor building is an immersive experience that covers everything from the brewing process to the history of the world's most loved stout. The 360-degree view from the top-floor bar is one of the best in the city. My favourite part of the Guinness experience was drinking a #stoutie, which is a Guinness with your face printed on it — as you can see in the reel below.
Jameson Distillery
If you have the capacity in your trip and liver, head over to the Jame-O distillery to get an in-depth tipsy education on Ireland's staple whiskey. Visitors to the distillery can take a guided tour, learn about the history of the whiskey and even get to sample the golden liquid.
Irish Whiskey Museum
Need I say more? The Irish Whiskey Museum is a famous tourist attraction in Dublin city centre. The museum showcases the history, heritage and culture of Irish whiskey from its origins in the Middle Ages to its modern-day revival.
Teeling Distillery
Teeling is the local pride of Dublin! All the locals I met strongly recommend visiting Teeling. The Teeling Distillery gives you a more authentic feel of Dublin & Irish culture in comparison to the widely commercialized Jameson and Guinness experiences.
Nightlife In Dublin
Dublin is a city that is full of bars with live music that attracts travellers from around the world. The Irish know how to have a good time and drink jolly well to their heart's content. This is why Dublin is notorious for some of the best party culture in the world. Particularly as a live music fan, I loved the nightlife experience here!
So much so that I couldn't resist adding Dublin to my curated list of Party Cities With Amazing Nightlife For Solo Travellers.
Temple Bar
Temple Bar is the biggest and most popular pub nightlife district in Dublin. You’re more than likely to grab a few pints here on multiple nights during your trip to Dublin. The area has distinctive cobbled streets and is known for its colourful Georgian and Victorian buildings.
Generation Pub Crawl
Whenever I embark on a solo adventure, my mission is to discover the pulse of the city through a lively pub crawl, and boy, did I strike gold with this one! Drawing in a diverse crowd of 50 fellow travelers from across the globe, this pub crawl unfolded across four distinct spots by the night's end. We kicked off at Temple Bar, where the pace was leisurely, allowing us to forge new connections over drinks. The Old Storehouse transformed into a lively stage for singing and dancing to infectious live music. A unique highlight was the Silent Disco—a delightful experience for anyone yet to partake. Wrapping up the night at Copperface Jacks, we delved into a classic club scene, marking the perfect finale to a night of camaraderie and exploration.
The Black Forge Inn
The Black Forge Inn is a higher-end pub owned by Dublin's very own, Conor McGregor, the world’s richest athlete. McGregor opened up The Black Forge Inn in the rough neighbourhood he grew up in, Crumlin. The food and cocktails were delicious — and it was a good change of pace from the typical Dublin experience.
If Conor McGregor isn't exactly your cup of tea, I wouldn't push for a special trip here. However, for the fans out there, it's definitely worth a visit—a pretty nice spot in my book. Thumbs up from me!
Explore Dublin With Dublin Pass
Consider getting the Dublin Pass for easy access to major landmarks in Dublin such as the Guinness Storehouse, EPIC, Dublin Castle, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Jameson Distillery, Teeling Distillery, Game of Throne studio tour, etc.
If you’re already planning to add a handful of these to your itinerary, you’ll quickly make up the cost of it via the Dublin Pass. Additionally, you’ll get access to the Hop On Hop Off bus making transportation across the city much easier.
You can get the Dublin Pass here: Go City All-Inclusive Pass with 35+ Attractions*
Day Trips From Dublin
The Isle of Ireland has one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. If you love nature and landscapes, you could book a day trip to either Cliffs of Moher (via Galway), The Giant's Causeway (via Belfast), or Howth.
Ireland is not known to have good weather, so try and make sure you pick a day that’s blessed by the heavens.
Here are some day trips you could book:
I've actually written about some of these awesome day trips from Dublin in detail. If you're looking for a complete list, you can check out the article below.
Where To Stay In Dublin
Okay before we go any further, you need to know Dublin is really expensive.
I went in September, during peak season, and I paid approximately €55 a night just to get a dorm in an 8-person dorm. That’s the most I’ve ever paid for a bed in a dorm.
In Dublin, there are 2 extremely popular hostels to stay in with similar ratings and reviews. They’re both extremely social and lively hostels with bars on their premises.
Jacob’s Inn
Jacob's Inn is the place to stay for adventurers exploring the city. This is where I stayed and I met a bunch of other travellers here. It's a very social establishment with a bar, in true Dublin fashion. Jacob's Inn also organizes tons of activities, trips, and tours for travellers.
🛌 Book Your Stay at Jacob's Inn
Generator Dublin
Generator is an experience & design-led hotel in Dublin city centre. You'll find Generator Dublin in the hip Smithfield neighbourhood; adjacent to the Jameson Distillery and just a short walk from Temple Bar. Generator is equipped with a café/restaurant and a bar on-site. With its reclaimed wood, exposed brickwork and original stonework, the place has an unruffled, industrial feel.
🛌 Book Your Stay at Generator Dublin
Irish Words to Know
The Irish have some really interesting slang they use in their day to day. I was a fan to learn some of these words!
Craic
“Craic”, pronounced “crack”, refers to a fun time and a sense of entertainment. I'd say it's kinda synonymous with “vibe” if I had to describe it.
“What’s the craic?” roughly translates to “What’s up?”
“Is the craic good there?” would mean something on lines of “Is it fun there?”
Grand
From what I understand, “grand” is usually used in response to a question. In the true Irish meaning of the word, “grand” means ”ok”, “fine”, or “adequate”. Depending on the tone of voice and situation of usage it could mean anything from very good to absolutely dreadful.
This one’s a tough one to get a hang of since it’s heavily contextual, not literal.
Making Friends In Dublin
Dublin is a very social city, which makes it perfect for solo travellers! The travellers and the locals are all here for a good and friendly time. And with a couple of pints, everyone is BFFs instantly here.
Staying at hostels and signing up for the pub crawl were how I primarily made new friends on this trip. Though I used a variety of apps, such as Couchsurfing and other social apps to connect with Dubliners and other travellers in the area.
Safety In Dublin
I had zero safety concerns during my time in Dublin. It's an incredibly tourist-friendly and safe city, especially if you stick to the main tourist areas. Following the golden rule of travel—avoid doing anything foolish—and you should have a worry-free experience.
And That's A Wrap!
To summarize this post: go to the Guinness Storehouse, party in Temple Bar, and check out some of the spots that the Dublin Pass has to offer. If you can, you must Squeeze in a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher or Giant’s Causeway. You’re bound to have a good time! Your wallet’s not going to be too happy but you'll surely have an experience worth remembering!
