Right after St. Patrick’s day we decided to take a trip to Dublin, a city that many people endorse, but where we have never been. In typical weekend style we had limited time, but with some planning 3 days were spend efficiently to see as much as possible.
In advance we did some research and found a hotel at an acceptable price. When we arrived in Dublin we realised that there are many low-price hotels in Dublin. The street where we lived was more or less covered by hotels labelled with budget, hostel and so on. Still, we were happy with both price and standard at the Maple Hotel where we stayed.
To get from the airport to city center there are many options. It is roughly 10 km in distance and is therefore not long regardless of your mode of transportation. We used the Airline 747, a bus service running between the airport and Dublin city center. The ticket costs 10 euros as of this writing for a return ticket.
Beer, Guinness and stuff
When in Dublin, Guinness and bars are mandatory to visit. We had a few items on out list:Guinness, Jameson and a “real” Irish bar. The first stop was Temple Bar, one of the most touristic areas in Dublin. In the area Temple Bar is the bar named – yep, you guessed in – Temple Bar. As a well known tourist attraction it was overcrowded and not comfortable nor very genuinely Irish. We therefore headed over to what appeared to be a more typical Irish bar; this experience was not that different from what we have experienced anywhere else (outside Norway), but this might have been quite a bit different if there had been a big sporting event going on at the time …
After this we proceeded to the Jameson distillery. Here it’s a good idea to order tickets in advance, both to save a few bucks and to ensure that you actually get tickets; they get sold out quickly. The tour takes you around the former factory area, tells some history, explains the process of making whiskey, and the final part of the tour is whiskey tasting. Included in the ticket is also a coupon that gives you a free beverage; pure whiskey or a drink, made with Jameson, of course.
Fun fact: In Ireland Jameson is pronounced different from how we (everyone?) has pronounced it earlier. Both the ‘a’ and the ‘e’ are being pronounced, like Jam-e-son, instead of the name James, like most people say it. Now you are one step closer to an annoying know-it-all.
Last stop on our alcohol filled part of the trip was a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, located in central Dublin. After being to the Jameson distillery (you read this with the right pronunciation, right?), we expected roughly the same at Guinness and therefore walked over to the first wall with the text “GUINNESS” written on it. That turned out to be a huge mistake. If you want to visit the Guinness Storehouse, check the map in advance. It turned out that the entire Guinness area is huge and the Guinness Storehouse, the part that is open to tourists, is just a small part of it. We walked around for 20 minutes before we found the correct entrance. It is a good idea to get tickets in advance here as well, as the ticket line can be long. Unlike the Jameson distillery, there are no guided tours here, but you can freely walk around the 7 story building. If you like Guinness prepare to spend some time here, the place is huge!
At the top floor you get a free beer (or soda) with your ticket and can enjoy the view of all of Dublin. This is a good place for some pictures, but we did not find Dublin especially pretty from above.
Other things to see in Dublin
Dublin has plenty of other things to see. We spend several hours in Dublin Zoo, a surprisingly interesting place. If you wonder where it is, the zoo has a helpful sign:
To get to Dublin Zoo, you have to enter through Phoenix Park. This is a nice and large park that can be recommended to see as well; bring some food and have small picnic here.
According to TripAdvisor, Kilmainham Gaol is the top rated attraction in Dublin. After positive surprises from Helsinki based on TripAdvisor recommendations, we decided to make a visit here too. Kilmainham Gaol is a closed down prison in Dublin that has been turned into a museum/guided tour. It was an interesting place to see, but “Dublin’s best attraction” is probably not what we would call this place. With that being said, we probably would have enjoyed the place more if we had read a bit more in advance about the place and it’s history. Be prepared for a long line to get in. We spent 45 minutes in line to buy a ticket, and got a guided tour scheduled to start 45 minutes after that.
In addition to the attractions themselves, Dublin is an exciting place to visit. People are nice, the city is pretty (from ground level) and it’s easy to get around.
