Travelers who want a city of modern conveniences but with a relaxed feel will love Dublin, Ireland. With its laid-back atmosphere and friendly locals, it’s hard to believe that Dublin is a capital city. Located on the east coast of Ireland, Dublin is a city of many old, historic buildings but not too many modern skyscrapers. Instead, what stands out in the city’s architectural scene are its many multi-colored Georgian style doors. From red and blue to green, yellow and purple, visitors will delight in the lively colors.
Though visitors can catch a taxi in line at one of the city’s orderly taxi ques, walking in the city center is quite easy and fun. Walk alongside the River Liffey that runs right through the center of the city and take in all the many shops, restaurants and pubs sporting vibrant flowers in outside window boxes and catch a whiff of the mild, homey scent of peat burning within indoor fireplaces.
Main Attractions
One of the great things about Dublin is that it packs many fun and interesting attractions that will appeal to a wide range of interest groups from history buffs to art lovers and everything in between. If visitors are on a tight schedule, the best way to experience most of Dublin’s main attractions is by taking the hop-on, hop-off bus. The bus has numerous stops throughout the city’s center, so that visitors can hop on and hop off at their leisure and can choose which attractions they want to see.
The Guinness Storehouse shines as one of the city’s most popular attractions. Visitors don’t have to be alcohol drinkers to thoroughly enjoy a self-guided tour of this multi-leveled business. Beginning at the bottom level, visitors can walk from exhibit to exhibit to watch how Guinness beer is made from its first to last steps. Upon arriving at the top level, visitors can enjoy a free pint of Guinness beer as well as marvel the amazing views of the city from the ceiling to floor windows.
Dublin’s famous district, Temple Bar, is a must do for those who want to experience traditional Irish food, music and dance. This lively strip offers a wide variety of restaurants, pubs and nightlife venues. Those looking to truly enjoy the social life in Dublin should consider finding accommodations near Temple Bar. This will allow you to frequent Temple Bar often to enjoy the many different aspects of the social life in Dublin.
No trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit to the oldest university in Ireland, Trinity College. Dating as far back as 1592, this historic university features architecture and buildings that are well worth a look, including the Old Library, which contains thousands of ancient and rare manuscripts such as the world famous Book of Kells.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a magnificent 12th century stone church that houses hundreds of artifacts and burial tombs of more than 500 people, which include those of Crusader knights and the author, Jonathan Swift.
At the National Museum of Ireland, visitors can experience a wonderful overview of Ireland’s extensive history. From the millions of specimens and objects that are housed here, visitors can see the likes of fossils from the country’s earliest plant and animal life as well as artifacts and antiques from ancient cultures like the Vikings and Celtics.
Eating in Dublin
When visiting Dublin, visitors will be spoiled for choice among the variety of pubs and restaurants that range from cheap to fine dining. Dubliners especially go all out for breakfast, and visitors will find that most of the city’s hotels offer a full Irish buffet that features the likes of eggs, sausages, baked beans, blood pudding, Irish soda bread and much more.
Among the city’s numerous pubs, O’Neils Pub is one of the most popular where hungry patrons can fill up on Guinness beer, fish and chips and hearty Irish stew.
For dinner, the Pig’s Ear is a good choice for excellent, traditional Irish cuisine such as shepherd’s pie and freshly baked brown bread. Those who prefer a more affluent restaurant with exquisite dishes should head over to the Bang Restaurant.
Attached Images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
This article was written by Kevin Caldwell for www.DublinTemplBarHotels.com who specialize in helping people find hotels near Temple Bar.