10 Awesome Things to Do in Dublin
10 Awesome Things to Do in Dublin (From Someone Who Actually Did Them)
Dublin was the city that bookended our Ireland road trip — we started there, we ended there, and both times it delivered. It's the kind of city that's easy to underestimate, especially when you're racing toward Kerry or the Cliffs of Moher and treating it as just the logistics stop. Don't do that.
With the help of recommendations from a local Dublin friend — whose saved map pins I trusted more than any top-10 roundup — we ended up with a list full of little hearts and real moments. This is that list.
1. Have a pint at The Stag's Head
This is the pub you picture when you picture a Dublin pub. Victorian interior, stained glass, dark wood, locals mixed with visitors, good Guinness, no gimmicks. The Stag's Head on Dame Court has been here since 1895 and it shows — in the best possible way.
Go early evening before it fills up, find a spot, and let Dublin come to you. This is not a place to rush.
2. Drink at Kehoe's and Grogan's back to back
These two are close enough to walk between and different enough to be worth doing both.
Kehoe's on South Anne Street is a proper old Dublin pub — snug seating, tiled floors, lived-in feeling, the kind of place that has a regulars-at-the-bar energy even at 6pm on a Tuesday. Grogan's on South William Street is where Dublin's creative, literary crowd gravitates — writers, artists, people-watchers, excellent cheese toasties, strong pour. Go to Kehoe's first, then walk to Grogan's and stay longer than you planned.
3. Tour the Guinness Storehouse
Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it's always packed. Yes, it's still worth it.
The Guinness Storehouse is seven floors of Irish history, culture, and brewing, ending with a pint at the Gravity Bar with a panoramic view over the whole city. Even if you're not a Guinness person, the building itself is remarkable and the view at the top is genuinely one of the best in Dublin. Book ahead — the queues are real.
4. Do the Jameson Distillery tour
If whiskey is your thing, Jameson Distillery Bow St. in Smithfield is the one to do. It's interactive, well put together, and the tasting at the end makes you feel like you've actually learned something. The Smithfield neighbourhood around it is worth exploring too — good coffee, relaxed energy, less tourist-facing than the Temple Bar side of things.
5. Walk through Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle sits in the middle of the city and most people walk past it without going in. Go in. The State Apartments are worth seeing, the medieval undercroft beneath the castle is genuinely fascinating, and the gardens give you a quiet moment in the middle of a busy city day. It's also just a beautiful building that tells you a lot about the city's complicated history if you give it the time.
6. Spend an afternoon in the Temple Bar area — but skip the obvious
Temple Bar is famous for being Dublin's cultural quarter, and it is. It's also touristy, loud, and expensive if you go to the wrong places. The trick is to use it as an area rather than a destination.
The Temple Bar Pub itself on Temple Bar Street is worth a stop — it's the one with the flowers on the outside, and on a good day with live music inside, it earns its reputation. But wander the surrounding streets rather than just heading to the most photographed corner. The galleries, the food market on weekends, and the cobblestone side streets are where it gets better.
7. Eat at L'Gueuleton
This was on our local friend's list and it earned its spot immediately. L'Gueuleton on Fade Street is a French bistro — proper one, not a theme-park version — with good food, good wine, the right amount of noise, and that feeling of having stumbled into somewhere real. Book ahead. It fills up and the room is small and worth it.
8. Visit the Irish Whiskey Museum
Right near Trinity College, the Irish Whiskey Museum is a solid 90-minute experience that's more entertaining than it sounds. The history of Irish whiskey, how it's made, how it compares to Scotch, and why Ireland nearly lost the whole industry before getting it back — told through tastings and good guides. A good rainy afternoon option, which in Dublin is always worth having in your back pocket.
9. Have a drink on the water at Quay 16
This was one of my favourite last-day moments from the whole Ireland trip. Quay 16 on North Wall Quay is a bar on a boat on the River Liffey. After ten days of driving, cliffs, pubs, and changing houses every few nights, sitting on the water with a drink watching the city go by felt like the perfect final scene.
It's a bit off the standard tourist path, which makes it better. Go in the early evening when the light is doing something.
10. Wander the Drury Buildings area and follow the mood
Drury Buildings on Drury Street — coffee shop, restaurant, rooftop terrace — is one of those multi-floor spaces that works at almost any time of day. But the real recommendation is to use it as an anchor for the whole area: Drury Street, South William Street, Exchequer Street, and the surrounding lanes make up one of the best neighbourhoods in central Dublin for just wandering, stopping when something looks right, and letting the afternoon become whatever it becomes.
Good coffee, good food, good people-watching. No specific agenda required.
Where to Stay in Dublin
Dublin has a wide range of accommodation — from grand Georgian hotels to boutique guesthouses to modern design properties. Here are ten worth knowing about across different budgets and styles.
The Merrion Hotel — Dublin's most celebrated five-star, housed in four Georgian townhouses beside Government Buildings. The art collection alone is worth a visit even if you're not staying.
The Shelbourne — The grande dame of Dublin hotels, on St Stephen's Green since 1824. Historic, central, and with a lobby bar that has its own social life.
Ashling Hotel Dublin — A reliable, well-located four-star near Heuston Station and Kilmainham — good value, great transport links, and a short walk from Phoenix Park.
The Dean Dublin — A design-forward boutique hotel on Harcourt Street with a rooftop bar, a music-loving atmosphere, and a younger energy that suits the Drury Street neighbourhood it sits near.
The Westbury — Central, polished, right off Grafton Street. The afternoon tea is one of the best in the city and the location is hard to beat for walking everywhere.
The Wilder Townhouse — A boutique Georgian townhouse hotel near the Grand Canal with a warmth and intimacy that the larger hotels don't quite replicate. One of the best mid-range options in the city.
Henrietta House — A beautiful Georgian townhouse guesthouse near Parnell Square. Small, personal, excellent breakfast, and a quiet elegance that feels very Dublin.
The Alex — A well-designed mid-range hotel on Merrion Square with a good restaurant, comfortable rooms, and a location that's central without being in the thick of the tourist areas.
The Spencer Hotel — On the north docklands near the Convention Centre — a good option if you want space, good facilities, and slightly lower prices than the south city centre equivalents.
Portobello House — A boutique guesthouse in the Portobello neighbourhood, south of the city centre — one of Dublin's most charming residential areas. Quieter, more local, and a different pace to the tourist-facing parts of the city.
More Hotel Options
A few practical notes
Dublin is small enough to walk most of it. The centre — from Trinity College to Temple Bar to St Stephen's Green to the Liberties — is all connected on foot, which means you don't need to think much about transport for a city day.
Pubs open early and close late. The music in the evenings, particularly Thursday through Saturday, is worth planning around rather than treating as background noise. If a pub has live traditional Irish music happening — go in, sit down, stay longer than one drink.
And if you are using Dublin as the end of a bigger Ireland road trip, the same advice applies as the rest of the country: don't overplan it. Have enough good pins saved that you can follow your energy, and leave room for the last night to become its own thing.
For the full Ireland road trip itinerary — Waterford, Kerry, Dingle, the Cliffs of Moher, and everything in between — read 10 Days in Ireland: The Road Trip Itinerary I'd Do Again in a Heartbeat →