Dublin Things to Do

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 an abundance of scenic landscapes and historic sights easily reachable from Dublin, there are plenty of options for getting out of the city. Wicklow, known as the ‘Garden of Ireland’ thanks to its diverse and beautiful greenery, makes for a popular day trip and hikers can enjoy the varied terrain of the 132km-long Wicklow Way walking trail that crosses the county. Combine a visit to the town with a look at the 6^th century monastic ruins nearby Glendalough located in the rugged Wicklow Mountains National park, where scenes from Braveheart and, more recently, PS.I Love You, were filmed.

This month, one lucky traveler will win 2 tickets to the Ultimate Dublin Experience! Read on to find out more…

With over 30 museums, there’s a museum for anything and everyone in Dublin, with some of Europe’s best history, art and literature exhibitions, as well as some more unusual offerings (yes, there’s even a Leprechaun museum). You could spend weeks exploring the city’s museums, but for those with limited time, here are 5 of the best to get you started.

In a city crammed with celebrated museums, Dublin‘s Chester Beatty Library has maintained its popularity since being voted the Best Irish Museum back in 2000. The historic library harbors a vast collection of around 22,000 items, featuring books, artworks and manuscripts ranging from 2700BC to the present day and including a number of notable rare works. Located in the grounds of Dublin Castle, the Chester Beatty Library opened in 1990 and owes its namesake, American collector Chester Beatty, for its incredible assembly of works, bequeathed to the public library after his death.

Whether you’re pushed for time or just want an easy way to cruise around the sights, Hop-on Hop-Off bus tours have become a popular way to explore Dublin, with local guides providing plenty of entertaining facts and background history along the way. Open-top double decker buses are the vehicle of choice, with the high vantage point offering some great views of the capital.

Fittingly, Ireland’s greatest national treasure is a book. No wonder the country loves its writers so much. Although the Book of Kells is not so much about the writing – if you know what I mean, because it contains four gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and part of John) which we can of course read elsewhere, though perhaps not in Latin. No, what makes the Book of Kells so incredible are the illuminations.

Ireland is famous for its writers: amongst them the confusing but brilliant James Joyce, the hilarious and infamous Oscar Wilde, Nobel Prize winning W.B. Yeats, and the avant-garde Samuel Beckett. There just seems to be something about Ireland, and about the city of Dublin that sparks the imagination. I guess that’s why they’ve put together a Writers’ Museum there.