Dublin Things to Do

Whether you want to spend your time relaxing in the city’s beer gardens, exploring the city sights or partying up a storm, there’s no better time to get out and about in Dublin than summer. Best of all, there’s a packed schedule of events and festivals taking over the city during the summer months. Here are a few dates for the diary.

1) Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival

The 2013 Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival is held from June 5th to the 15th, when Dublin will come alive to the wise words of our favorite bard, William Shakespeare. Performers hit the streets and squares of the city putting a fresh twist on Shakespeare’s words. It’s Ireland’s biggest celebration of the writer and the festival is now in its 5th year. Trinity’s Front Square hosts the main performance this year: the Indian Tempest performed by Footsbarn Traveling Theater.

Ireland’s biggest Shakespeare Festival, the Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival has been held each June for the past 5 years and draws thousands of theater lovers to the capital. The 10-day festival is devoted to the legendary English playwright, including over 60 outdoor performances of his works, featuring over 500 of the city’s most talented professional and amateur performers. Aiming to bring a fresh approach to Shakespeare’s most memorable plays and introduce enthusiasts to some of his lesser-performed works, the festival has quickly become the most awaited date on the calendar for theatergoers.

From lavish boutique hotels to family-run guesthouses and dirt-cheap backpacker hostels, Dublin checks every box when it comes to accommodation but whatever your budget, it’s the location that’s most important. To help you decide where to stay in Dublin, here’s a quick guide to the most popular areas.

One of the UK’s most vibrant capital cities, Dublin welcome almost two million cruise and ferry visitors each year and its compact city center is the perfect setting for a day’s sightseeing, with many of the sights easily reachable on foot or by bus. A laid back city of historic architecture, world-class museums and a lively pub scene fueled by beloved local beer, Guinness, the only complaint from most cruise ship visitors is the hangover they wake up with the following day.

Fans of the book from all corners of the world gather in Dublin for the celebration, to commemorate the life and works of the legendary Joyce and to indulge in a tour of Dublin’s Ulysses-inspired sights. The principal pastime of festival participants is to recreate ‘a day in the life of Leopold Bloom’ as told in the book, and many fans take to dressing in early 20th century period clothing (the book is set in 1904) and starting their day with a breakfast of sausages, beans, black and white pudding and toast in honor of their beloved protagonist.

Ireland’s lively capital never fails to win over visitors with its blend of historic sights and laid-back social scene, but before you plan your itinerary, here are a few things NOT to do in Dublin.

Largely regarded as one of the most quintessentially ‘Irish’ of Ireland’s cities, Galway is the gateway to Western Ireland’s many sights and makes a hugely popular inclusion on any visitor’s travel itinerary.

Around 2.5 hours from Dublin, Galway is well connected to the capital, with daily trains and buses running to the west coast and a wide range of options for day trips and tours from Dublin. Galway’s main attractions lie along the rugged Atlantic coastline of Galway Bay, straddling the border of County Clare and County Galway.

With its penchant for lively Irish dancing and beer-fuelled pub sing-alongs, it’s no surprise that Dublin’s music scene makes a popular haunt for music lovers. While music fans will find plenty of variety in the Irish capital, most popular is the chance to watch some traditional Irish music and many of the city’s historic pubs host live music sessions.

Gaelic football might be the national sport, but rugby is the sport of choice for many of Ireland’s sports fans and such is the popularity of the rough-and-tumble sport, that if there’s a rugby match on, you’ll be hard pushed to find a pub in Dublin that hasn’t tuned their TVs into the game. A major competitor in the annual Six Nations Championship (contested against England, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales) and 11-time champions, Ireland’s love of rugby shows no sign of waning.

With its heavy drinking reputation and abundance of bars, pubs and clubs, Dublin’s nightlife is legendary and whether you’re looking to listen to live music, tour the city’s historic pubs or dance until the early hours, there are options to suit all tastes. The party atmosphere is in full swing during the city’s annual festivals, especially St Patrick’s Day, but whenever you arrive in Dublin, they’ll always be a good excuse for a pint, or several, of Ireland’s national brew, Guinness.