Best Things to do in Dublin + The Pub You Can’t Skip

Travel

Sep 11

What To Do In Dublin + The Pub Not To Skip

This is your travel guide from a non-whiskey sipping, beer-aversionist gal loving Dublin and all its whiskey + Guinness Storehouse tours

Entering into this travel guide, one might think I hate whiskey,

and beer,

and therefore this “Best Things to do in Dublin” guide won’t include either of those activities.

INCORRECT!

I don’t drink beer, and so far, all whiskey lends itself to the taste of battery acid sliding over my tongue and igniting a fire down my throat. HOWEVER, I’d still include our same tours all over again next time.

I’m here for the stories, the history, + learning how the in-house bar at the Jameson Distillery makes the finest whiskey-n-lemonade.

There’s something for everyone at every stop.

Travel Return Policy

Funny thing about trips…there isn’t a return policy. Life’s one big trip, and every day is an adventure. So embrace it, even if you don’t like the taste of Guinness.

I’d give a money-back guarantee that you’ll love the view from the 7th floor Guinness Gravity Bar. Since this blog is free, it’s not really saying much, but I stand by my promise that it won’t disappoint😉

{They also serve soda, if you want to use your free ticket for that instead.}

Travel Guide #1 | Where To Stay in Dublin

We are Marriott members, so if we’re not staying in an Airbnb, we look for a Marriott brand hotel.

This trip, we stayed at the Aloft Dublin City that’s located a few blocks from Teeling Distillery.

Travel Guide #2 | Talk To The People in Dublin

One of the best parts of any trip is to ask the locals - or semi-locals - a question or three.

Aside from asking friends who’ve been to Dublin, on your flight over, ask the flight attendants what their favorite restaurant, pub, or place to visit is.

They travel a lot, and find some good hidden gems on their layovers.

Local number 2 - Ask Your Cabbie

We had THE BEST taxi driver from the airport to our hotel in Dublin!

The Irish love to weave their tales. Our cabbie, Aaron, might be their sage, leader, or Irish Tales President.

Along with his humorous commentary, he added stops to my visit list that were off the main tourist cobblestone roads that we enjoyed.😁

Start a conversation with your taxi driver, or ask them the same questions you asked the flight attendant to see where it leads.

Local number 3 - Hotel Concierge

The Aloft had two leading gentlemen! It also led us to our favorite pub for our first-ever tasting of Bangers & Mash.

The Brazen Head, Bangers and mash, Dublin travel guide

Don’t judge the plate by the presentation this time. I cleaned my gravy-laden plate.

If you’ll allow me to be your psuedo-local and throw in a restaurant not to skip…

GO TO THE BRAZEN HEAD

Walk through the place, too - each room has a different look, and the live music starts at 9pm in the corner bar.

There’ll be a line to get a table, so plan ahead if you go from hungry to HANGRY in 10 minutes or less {me, that’s definitely me 🙋🏻‍♀️}.

Travel Guide #3 | Dublin Has a Drinking Problem

After a week in Dublin, I can easily say Dublin-ers believe in consuming their water through their Guinness, whiskey, and coffee.

At one pub, the server looked at me like I had a third eye when I asked for a glass of water. After our food arrived, I finally convinced her I wasn’t kidding; I really did want a glass of water.

Dublin Travel Guide #4 | Sights To Include in Dublin {and afar}

Last, but most certainly not least…here’s a list of What To Do in Dublin::

1/ Guinness Storehouse

2/ Jameson Distillery Tour & Tasting

3/ Teeling Distillery Tour & Tasting

Now give your liver a chance to repair itself and see some other sights…

4/ Book of Kells {on Trinity College Campus}

The book viewing is like a visit to the Mona Lisa at The Louvre, encased in a glass box in a room alone. Very cool to see it,

but

THE LONG ROOM {library} was a vision out of the Harry Potter Wizarding World in real life!

I know, it’s just a library.

And so much more when you see the architecture. But you’ll need to visit soon for this one, because they have almost removed all of the books from the floor-to-ceiling shelves and will close to begin the renovation FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS!

5/ Jeanie Johnston Tall Boat Story

Some Irish famine history. History can be pretty sad, but this ship museum has a happy ending

6/ St Stephen’s Green - Dublin Park

Between the rain bursts, walk around the green space, or grab lunch and have a picnic in the park.

7/ Grafton Street Shopping

After the park stroll, take a walk down Grafton Street. If you like shopping, Aaron the cabbie says it’s a great place to melt your second credit card {if the pubs didn’t do it first}.

8/ Cliffs of Moher

This was a full day adventure with Wild Rover Tours, but it was a day well spent walking the cliffs and riding the winding WAW to Galway.

9/ Kilmainham Gaol Museum

Reservations can be up to 3 weeks out, so plan early. But cabbie Aaron to the rescue again…he said to try the website when it resets.

At midnight, any last minute cancellations go back into the system, and you can grab them for the next day.

10/ Celtic Nights Dinner & Dance

Remember when the River Dance hit America? Grab an Irish dinner and a dance show to see the real Irish deal.

11/ The River Liffey and The Spire of Dublin

Another nice day walk along the river to see The Spire on O’Connell Street.

You can read the formal description of The Spire, but cabbie Aaron’s version was interesting too {if a little off-color}.

Supposedly, this pin-spike won the competition of erecting a monument of significance and gentrifying O’Connell Street. Cabbie Aaron claims a bunch of money was exchanged in a paper bag to get a stiffy erected to give all Dublin-ers good cheer. 🤷🏻‍♀️ He said locals refer to it as “The Stiffey on the Liffey”.

12/ Temple Bar {It’s a bar, and the name of the neighborhood alley}

At the very least, it’s a must-walkthrough. You can buy a pint anywhere along that bar area for 4-5 euro cheaper.

And one last parting cabbie Aaron tip…the secret to a good Guinness is the lines it’s poured from. Guinness is served up like water around Dublin, but not all bars keep their lines clean, and according to him, that’s the difference between a good pint and a bad one.

Maybe I had a bad line…