One Day in Dublin City Centre

Dublin is a very walkable city, which makes it perfect if you only have a day. Most of the main sights are within easy walking distance, and simply wandering through the centre is part of the experience.

We skipped some of the bigger attractions, such as the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol, since each can take several hours. Instead, we spent the day exploring Dublin on foot.

We started at Trinity College. Even if you don’t have tickets for the Book of Kells, the campus itself is worth visiting. One surprise was the Museum Building, a stunning Victorian structure tucked away on campus. Despite the name, it is not actually a museum, but if the doors are open, it is worth stepping inside to admire the architecture. It is usually only open for private tours, but we were able to sneak in briefly.

From Trinity, we walked to the Molly Malone statue, located at the end of Grafton Street on the corner of Suffolk Street. According to legend, she was an attractive fishmonger. The famous ballad tells how she died of a fever, and her ghost now haunts the streets of Dublin.

A short walk along Nassau Street brought us to the Kilkenny Shop. Even if you’re not planning to buy souvenirs, it’s a good place to browse Irish crafts, clothing, and artwork. There is also a café upstairs for a quick coffee break.

Nearby is the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, which covers thousands of years of Irish history and is free to visit. A large part of the exhibition focuses on Viking Ireland. You can easily spend under an hour here. Next, we visited the National Gallery of Ireland, with the lower floors featuring some standout Irish surrealist works.

We then continued to St. Stephen’s Green, a peaceful park that offers a nice break from the busy city centre. From there, we walked onto Grafton Street, Dublin’s main shopping street. The shops are nice, but the street performers are what really make it stand out.

One hidden gem nearby is the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. A small passage off Grafton Street leads to a quiet courtyard inside a restored Georgian townhouse, filled with boutiques and cafés.

For a coffee stop, we liked Bewley’s Café, one of Dublin’s historic institutions. It is touristy, but for good reason, and it is a great place to sit down and recharge.

From there, we wandered toward Temple Bar. Yes, it is crowded and very tourist-focused, but the colourful streets, pubs, and live music make it worth a short visit. We would not recommend eating or drinking here, as prices are significantly higher due to tourist demand.

If you still have energy, Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral are both within easy walking distance. The city’s coat of arms features the “Three Castles Burning” motif. The exact meaning is unclear, but one theory links it to three major sieges of the city (1171, 1534, and 1649).

There are also a couple of lesser-known curiosities in the city centre. One is a plaque marking the standard Imperial Yard, along with engraved measurements for feet and inches, and a perpendicular Paris Metre used for historical metric conversion. Another is a commemorative plaque on Ship Street Little, behind Dublin Castle, honouring suffragette Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington. It marks the site where she protested women’s exclusion from voting by smashing government windows.

Do you have two extra days in Dublin?

Day 2. Howth + Malahide

Using the public transportation (see some tips below), we visited both Howth and Malahide in one day. We spent a couple of hours in both towns. Howth can be colder and windier than Dublin; dress accordingly. There is a nice pier that offers great views of the coastal city. Try to find the St. Mary's Abbey, founded around 1042. All the restaurants offer fish and only fish. 

If you prefer eating something else, Malahide has a bit more culinary diversity. It has some nice streets to walk around and a big park with a castle in the middle. 

Day 3. Drive to Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough.

We personally did not visit these places. Our local friend told us that going by public transportation is difficult, and it is better to rent a car. 

Public transportation in Dublin

Leap Visitor Card

The Leap Visitor Card is a convenient public transport ticket for tourists and visitors to Dublin. You get unlimited travel for a specific time. We bought the 24-hour one for 8 euros. If you buy the normal Leap Card, it costs 5 euros. Plus, you need to add the money for the trips. It is nice that it lasts 24 hours. We bought it to go to Howth and Malahide, and the morning after, we used it to go to the airport.

Pubs in Dublin

In every corner, there is a pub. But we personally enjoyed M O'Briens, Smyth's Pub, Toners, and J. O'Connell. We avoided the pubs in the Temple Bar area. We also try one of the Dublin Heritage Pub Trails, the Stag's Head. It was cool. Pulling the perfect pint relies entirely on proper technique and freshness. Pubs in Dublin have a massive Guinness turnover, as this ensures the kegs are as fresh as possible and never stale. 

Where to stay

Dublin has a great public transport system. If you find a place near a bus stop, then it is very easy to go anywhere from there. If you want to easily walk to the center and stay in a hotel, the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road* is a great option, with a fantastic breakfast. 

We then used Airbnb to stay in another part of Ireland. Hotels were out of our budget. 

If you want to see a one week itinerary for Ireland, this page gives some ideas.