48 Hours in Dublin
Despite it only being a 50-minute flight away, Dublin is a city I’d never explored until this year. We recently spent a weekend there to celebrate my boyfriend’s Mum’s birthday and I had a great time. The entire trip was good craic, as they say in Ireland! Since we were there for such a short stint, a Daisybutter Travel Guide would be a bit of a stretch, but I thought I’d cobble together my quick recommendations lest they leave my brain. My boyfriend and I are already planning to return for a bit of an Irish road trip in the future.
Anyway! Let me introduce you to the highlights from our 48 hours in Dublin – you’ll want to add these to your metaphorical Little Black Book.
See & Do
Free Walking Tour
Dublin is a fascinating city steeped in culture and history, and I’d really recommend starting your stay with a free walking tour. If you’ve read any of my travel posts, you’ll know that I pretty much always book one of these. It’s a great way to support local tourism, the guides are always excellent, and you learn plenty while seeing the city in front of your own eyes. I often ‘top up’ the knowledge at museums and enjoy hearing the stories and history all puzzle-pieced together. Our guide – Adam – was brilliant, and we left with a big list of bookshops, literary spots, pubs and drinks to visit and try. Of course, they’re not entirely free, it’s recommended you tip what you feel the tour was worth. Don’t forget to carry some cash!
Chester Beatty Library
My boyfriend took me to the Chester Beatty Library for Valentine’s Day and I absolutely loved it. It’s free to get in, and there’s a beautiful Arts of the Book exhibition in there, showcasing the personal collection of Chester Beatty, who collected over 600 rare books and manuscripts. We could’ve spent a whole day in here!
Address: Chester Beatty, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, D02 AD92
The Guinness Storehouse
We couldn’t go to Dublin and not pay the Guinness Storehouse a visit. Of course, it’s a bit of a marketing ploy, the extreme edition, but the marketing and storytelling nerd in me really enjoyed it. The exhibit takes you through the growing, fermenting and brewing process and there’s even a cinema room to watch their age-old TV adverts. At the end, you’re rewarded with a free pint of Guinness at the rooftop bar.
Book your Guinness Storehouse tickets here.
Address: St. James’s Gate, Dublin 8, D08 VF8H
George’s Street Arcade
This storied arcade is an example of a Victorian-age indoor market, and is Ireland’s first purpose-built shopping centre, as well as one of Europe’s oldest city markets. It was opened in 1881! Well worth a little wander through.
Address: South Great George’s Street, Dublin
Chapters
Our walking tour guide recommended Chapters after a couple of us expressed an interest in books and Dublin’s literature. This bookshop is absolutely huge, covering endless genres and with an enormous secondhand selection. There’s a plant shop and café upstairs, so you could say it’s every book lover’s dream.
Address: Ivy Exchange, Parnell Street, Dublin, D01 P8C2
The Last Bookshop
For an entirely secondhand bookshop, The Last Bookshop is a wonderful little bookshop. It’s mildly chaotic in there, but you’ll find something and it smells delightfully bookish. I adored their huge collection of Penguin Classics, and the massive range of Irish books.
Address: 61 Camden Street Lower, Saint Kevin’s, Dublin, D02 VY17, Ireland
Eat & Drink
The Cake Café
Tucked at the back of The Last Bookshop, we nipped for a late lunch and coffee at The Cake Café after our bookish trawls. Their vegan toasts are SO good, as is their coffee.
Address: The Daintree Building, 8 Pleasants Pl, Saint Kevin’s, Dublin
Glas
For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend took us to Glas, a Michelin-starred vegetarian and vegan restaurant, and it was one of my favourite meals in a long time. The décor is beautiful, and the service was great. The food? Even better. They specialise in creative, veg-first dishes, using locally sourced seasonal produce.
Address: 15/16 Chatham St, Dublin 2, D02 FV50
The Brazen Head
Renowned as Dublin’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head is everything you expect a pub to be. Dark wood furnishings, a supposed ghost or two, tourist paraphernalia everywhere, and pretty pricey drinks. Stay for one and then move on to…
Address: 20 Lower Bridge St, Usher’s Quay, Dublin, D08 WC64
Mary’s Bar & Hardware Shop
Mary’s is famed for being a hardware shop that sells drinks, although we were fairly certain it’s ‘just a bar’ now. I thought the drinks were pretty well priced (£5 a Guinness) and there’s a Wowburger inside as well. Downstairs is cosy and quiet, with plenty of board games, but there’s a great vibe overall.
Address: 8 Wicklow St, Dublin 2, D02 AX90
O’Connells
Finally, another recommendation that came from our guide: O’Connells, which looks out to the river, has a reasonably priced menu, great live music and a decent range of food too. I can’t speak to the quality of the food, but their chips were great 😉
Address: 30 Bachelors Walk, North City, Dublin 1, D01 YP70
