Dublin Travel Forum

hi friends

we feast in Belgium the day of the lovers on feb.14th
my gift: one day in Dublin...
What have we to see/to do there?
we arrive by plane around 10am and we leave around 6pm
no car on place, only the busses
thanks for any idea

the lover of Veronique

Heya: What are you interested in?

I assume you just want to feel the place more than visit everything so I'll suggest something that involves walking around the city centre. Dublin city centre is very compact so you could get the following in within your 6-8 hours.

1) Visit the National Museum on Kildare street( next door to the Irish parliament). The National Museum has some of the most famous art from the Celtic history and before it inside it. It is well worth visiting.

2)Behind the National Museum, on Merrion square is the National Gallery of Ireland(often some brilliant art exhibitions there) and the Natural History museum( dinosaurs and the like) next door to it.

These are three places within walking distance of each other. You could also visit Trinity College which is at the bottom of Kildare street and there they have The Book of Kells. You could see all of these within 3-4 hours.

Grafton street is parallel to Kildare street and at the top of Dame street and is the most expensive shopping street in town. Stephen's Green is at the top of Grafton street and that, like Merrion square, would be a lovely place to go for a walk.

If you have more time, you could walk up Dame street to Dublin castle, the headquarters of British rule in Ireland from the 12th century(until 1922).
If you still have time after all this you could do the bus tours of the city- I think they take 40 minutes. I would recommend everyone to go to Kilmainham Gaol as it's easily the most poignant place in Dublin- all the leaders of the Easter Rising were taken out in the summer of 1916 and executed there. It's not uncommon to see grown men cry there. But it's Valentine's weekend so maybe you should avoid that.

PS: Never mind that Guinness Hop Store nonsense: it's strictly for the tourists. The places in my first paragraph are the most romantic parts of the city, and they are all in the same part of south central Dublin. So, being short on time, I'd go there.

Go n-eirí an t-ádh libh! ( Good luck to you both!)

Cant add much to what has already been said above but a good link to much of what has been mentioned is http://www.allcladdagh.com/places-visit-dub.htm

Also to get a feel of Dublin city centre they have an excellent live streaming web cam at
http://www.allcladdagh.com/webcam.htm

Enjoy

Hello there,

I suggest you take the aircoach from the airport (http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/2e721/48455/9/ for more info). You can buy a return ticket for EUR10. Get off at O'Connell Street (busstop Gresham Hotel) and start walking in the direction of the bus. On your right you will see a remarkable building: the GPO (General Post Office), which played a central role in the 1916 Easter Rising mentioned by Fionnan.

Trinity College/Book of Kells is a real must-see if you are in Dublin.
Another suggestion would be to stroll along the River Liffey; the river itself is not impressive but the view with O'Connell Bridge and the Ha'penny Bridge makes a nice photo! Walk from O'Connell Street along the Liffey on the boardwalk, cross the Ha'penny Bridge to the Temple Bar area (quite touristy but nice to get an impression) and have a pint or a coffee in one of the pubs. With a little luck you can listen to some live music as well...

Enjoy your visit!

Maybe a nice bracing sea walk in either Sandymount or Howth with a sweeping view of Dublin Bay... actually Howth is closer to the airport if you are stuck for time.

Orla

I'm going to be visiting Dublin for 3 days in March and all of your suggestions sound great. I would also like to know what you think about visiting Howth? I looked into the Dart and it seems an easy way to get around (not renting a car).

thanks,
debbie

Ah, I see I posted before reading all the way through. I think Howth will be a nice! thanks....