Top of the morning to you! Is what no one says in Ireland. I just spent 5 days visiting Dublin, Ireland during the most Irish time of the year (St. Patrick’s Day). And I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Between the pubs, the history, and some of the best day trips in Europe, Dublin ended up being way more than just a “drinking city”.
If you’re planning a trip and don’t know how to structure it, this is exactly the itinerary I followed. Which is definitely something I would have appreciated having prior to my trip so I knew what’s worth it, what’s not and how to avoid wasting time.
Is 5 days in Dublin enough time?
Short answer? Yes. I think five days might be the perfect amount of time to explore Dublin while also taking day trips from the city. I think Dublin needs to be your homebase because there is so much to explore at night. If you mix in a few doable day trips like Belfast or Cliffs of Moher you can keep your days filled while coming back to explore the city when the sun goes down. If you’re planning the trip this way where you have a few day trips I would highly recommend staying in the Temple Bar area. This is because it makes it way easier to come back to the room, get ready for the night without feeling like a task. You’ll be in the thick of the nightlife and after a day of adventure you might need that spark to get you going again. Personally, I stayed at Wellington Temple Bar, and felt it was a perfect spot as I never felt in danger or too far from anything.
Overview of the Trip
- Day 1: Arrival & Explore Dublin and Museum
- Day 2: Giant’s Causeway & Belfast Day Trip
- Day 3: Cliffs of Moher & Galway Day Trip
- Day 4: St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Explore Temple Bar Area
- Day 5: Explore North of River, Guiness and Jameson Factories
Where to Stay in Dublin?
Now I can only speak on my experiences, but I would recommend staying in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. I feel like this location gives you the best access to everything you need in the city. You will be in the heart of the nightlife, and you’ll also be within walking distance of almost all of the sights you will want to visit while you are in the city. It’s within a half mile of almost all of the popular bars. As well as extremely accessible via uber or a short walk to public bus transportation.
My girlfriend and I stayed at Wellington Temple Bar. We had an authentic pub in the bottom of the hotel, right in the lobby (if you could consider the check in desk a lobby). This looks similar to a traditional European hotel lobby/hostel, very tiny check in area with little to nowhere to sit. But you are able to get breakfast included, which makes it easy to get the day going rather quickly. The rooms were small, but exactly what we needed. Just a place to relax and crash. With two people in there we didn’t feel cramped but the room didn’t feel spacious.
I think the best aspect of the hotel besides the location is the pub in the lobby. It’s great with live music and a full traditional Irish pub feel. A perfect way to end a night out with only an elevator ride away.
The Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival & Explore Dublin
This is the day to recover from the flight and just explore the city at your own pace, all of these locations are great attractions as well as walking distance from Temple Bar. Try to go in with no expectations for where to eat and just let the vibe take you. But, I did list where we ate below, which I would highly recommend. Below is a link to all of the attractions we did in Dublin. We did them all individually, meaning we bought tickets and toured ourselves. If you want to hold yourself accountable as well as make sure you get it all in I found a Viator tour for the collection and linked it below!
- Trinity College
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- Dublin Castle
- Gallagher’s Boxty House
Day 2 – Giant’s Causeway and Belfast Day Trip
I will go into the tour a little more in an additional blog, but we chose to front load our trip with tours so we can have the backend to relax and enjoy Dublin. But, we chose to do the Day Trip to Giant’s Causeway, The Dark Hedges, as well as Dublin with Finn McCool’s Tours. I highly recommend this tour which linked below. We had the best tour guide named Quiggy. He was very knowledgeable about not only the sites but the terrifying history that plagued Northern Ireland. It’s a must do tour when in Dublin so you can realize how the country became it is today through the atrocities of English oppression in Northern Ireland. It was an all-day tour 6:45am to 7pm, but totally worth it!
Day 3 – Cliffs of Moher and Galway
We had it already booked before the Giant’s Causeway tour, but, we did end up going with Finn McCool’s tour company again. It was another amazing all day tour from 6:45am to 6pm. I will say being within walking distance to the tour pick up spot is important so that we didn’t need to rent a car. I saw some of the roads and man would I have been sacred driving! Maybe next time though. Overall, I wish we had more time in Galway and next time we plan to spend a night or so there. But, there will be an additional blog going over the excursion extensively so hold tight for that! The link below is to check out this tour, which was a great experience seeing the Cliffs of Moher without having to drive.
Day 4 – St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Explore Temple Bar Area
This was one of the more unique aspects of our trip. We just so happened to be in Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day which was one of the most packed days of the year. They have a St. Patrick’s Day parade but it isn’t as large or long as the New York City Parade. The main recommendation I have for this day is to just be prepared to get going early. Streets begin closing off early and quickly. Make one wrong turn and you may be forced to walk all the way around the parade or wait until after. The main advantage of staying in the Temple Bar District is that we had access to places others did not. As early as 4pm they had certain streets closed to the public and only people staying within the area could access some of the most popular bars. Overall one of the most fun days that I would set aside for pub exploration and getting a little rowdy.
Day 5 – Guiness Tour and North of Temple Bar Area
This is the final day and I would set aside for some light exploring and shopping in Dublin. Dublin has an amazing scene for shopping and I would take advantage. You get tax back so according to girl math “its a sale!” This is your day where you want to hit some places you’ve missed on the rest of your trip. For example, my girlfriend and I went to Church Bar a bar made from an old church. It was beautiful inside and the food was fair, the vibe made up for it though. This is also the best day for Guiness or Jameson factory. We tried to do both but quickly realized we wanted to spend more time at the Guiness Factory. So though you might want to do both in one day, I would prioritize you’re number 1 pick before you get to drunk. We ended up doing the Guiness Connoisseur Experience which is an amazing time. you get your own private Guiness experience to learn about the different styles and you get a free pint at the top of the factory! Then make sure you leave enough time to recover and pack because the next morning you’re on an early flight out!
What I’d Do Differently
If my main goal of the trip was to see the most of Ireland in one trip, I would say making Dublin your homebase is limiting. You’re far from Galway, Ring of Kerry, and Northern Ireland, but you do get the nightlife you most likely won’t get in the other cities. I think I would have enjoyed staying a night in Galway and making that my homebase for a Western Ireland adventure. However, if you’re main goal of going to Ireland is to get the most out of Dublin I would recommend the way we did it ten times out of ten.
One issue I think I underestimated was the way the weather changes. Our tour guide Qiggy did mention how you can see all 4 seasons in an hour and it was very apparent. I would make sure that I have not only a raincoat, but an umbrella as well at all times. I thought that just my raincoat would protect me from the elements, which I was proven wrong. When the rain and hail came in I realized I was wildly underprepared. At Giant’s Causeway we were pelted with rain and hail, which is when I realized not only do you need a rain jacket at all times, get yourself a decent umbrella. And not one of the flimsy ones you need a great umbrella with the heavy winds of Ireland.
Overall Dublin Tips
- Book Early – Prices on everything go up as you get closer, I tracked prices even after we booked flights and saw nearly double the price we paid.
- Pack for all elements – Like I mentioned in the previous section you’re bound to see all the elements
- Stay Central – Make sure whether you’re in Dublin or another city you spend the extra dollars to be in the heart of the action. After going, going, going you’ll appreciate being within walking distance of everything.
- Be Aware of Your Surroundings – Though I never felt unsafe, always be aware of your surroundings in a different city, if something feels off, it probably is. I always feel it’s important to trust your gut.
Is it going to break the bank?
Like most trips you can really do it at any price point you’d like. I feel as if we did everything relatively moderate. We had a few expensive meals but also had some very cheap meals. Below is a rough outline per person. I broke down a difference between food and drink, if you’re a big drinker like myself, I felt that played a bigger factor in the end result. Keep in mind we went during St. Patrick’s Day when it is one of the most expensive times to visit. I checked the Wellington’s prices recently and saw they were nearly half price we paid.
Flight – $1,045
Hotel – $1,100
Food – $50-$100/day
Drinks – $70/day
Tours & Museums – $250
Final Thoughts
So this is the overall trip itinerary. I will be going into further depth on future blogs and I will edit the blog to include direct links to those as the pop up, so if you’re reading this later feel free to pop to the other blog sections. Overall I loved every second of Ireland. If I could go back I would in a heartbeat. My next trip there I would definitely love to explore the Western side. If you follow the tips and tricks outlined above I do think you’d come back loving Ireland just as much as I did.
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