First time to DUB/Ireland! Tips, advice, etc. please!
Oct 9, 2017, 11:06 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 425
First time to DUB/Ireland! Tips, advice, etc. please!
Hi all! As the title states, I have my first trip to Dublin/Ireland coming up at the end of this month. Mrs. OPS and I are staying in town not far from the river and within walking distance of the Temple Bar area. Just looking for any information that would be helpful for us on our first trip to the country. As of right now we plan to see the sights in Dublin, however, we would like to take a day trip somewhere outside the city to see the countryside and perhaps visit a cozy little Irish town or two.
We've heard nothing but good things from people who have already visited and we're really excited! Arrival is around 0930L on a Saturday and departure is about 1045L on the following Wednesday (5 days). I have checked and been checking other sites for info but thought I would try posting here as well. Thank you in advance!
OPS
We've heard nothing but good things from people who have already visited and we're really excited! Arrival is around 0930L on a Saturday and departure is about 1045L on the following Wednesday (5 days). I have checked and been checking other sites for info but thought I would try posting here as well. Thank you in advance!
OPS
Oct 11, 2017, 9:05 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
I think you have the perfect length trip to see much of interest in Dublin and then take a trip outside the city. When I've taken people to Dublin, I've found they're generally ready to head out after three days in town. If you're staying near Temple Bar, you can cover most of the things to see by foot but there are some decent public transport options that may help speed transport, including the Luas light rail.
Inside Dublin, here are the highlights. Although they can be a bit tacky (in general, not just in Dublin), the hop-on, hop-off bus tours through Dublin can give you a quick view of the city so that you can get oriented. The library at Trinity College, including the Book of Kells, is spectacular. St. Stephen's Green, a nice city park just off the Grafton Street shopping area, could be a good location for a picnic lunch if the day is nice. If alcohol is of interest to you, the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse; even if you're not interested in alcohol, the Storehouse is of interest I think for three reasons--Guinness has been around for so long that its history reflects that of Dublin and Ireland, the tour is self-directed so that you can be there for 30 minutes or for two hours depending on the amount of time you have, and the view from the Gravity Bar at the top of the brewery is very nice. An evening self-directed pub crawl through Temple Bar or a musical or literary guided pub crawl can be fun. Dublin Castle should also be on your short list if you're a history buff.
Outside the city can be done, but there can be a complicating factor--rental cars. In addition to the other threads in this forum about Dublin, you should take a look at this thread regarding renting cars in Ireland: Car Rental Insurance in Ireland -- Very Confused. The TL;DR version: don't assume that you can stroll up to a rental counter in Ireland as you would in the US and waive local insurance so you can rely on insurance offered by your credit card. From practical experience, on a last-minute, one-day rental out of Dublin on a trip similar to yours in 2012, I paid over $100 for an econobox car, including the super cover insurance that I would highly recommend (read the thread above). Driving in Ireland can be a bit adventurous, especially to and in the smaller towns, because the roads and streets weren't designed with cars in mind--although the road system out of Dublin to many major areas has seen vast improvement since my first trip in 2000.
And I don't think you were contemplating this, but let me emphasize, do not rent a car while in Dublin--it's almost worse than useless for getting around the tourist center of the city, and you'll spend a good chunk of change on parking. When you're ready to rent, go out to the airport from the city and rent from there.
You could also decide to take a train to your destination outside of Dublin, spend the night, and come back the next day or take a tour bus to one of the sites that might be more difficult to reach by train--such as the Cliffs of Moher or the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Either by train or by car, Galway is a relatively easy journey to make at less than three hours and a small city that's easy to walk through. A car would also be useful for traveling to the Cliffs of Moher or the Causeway.
Another option could be a day in Malahide, a small town out by the airport. It's on the coast and there's a coastal walk that would be a good way to spend an hour or so on a pretty day. Malahide Castle is located there and would consume a few more hours. Central Malahide has several good restaurants, and a very good pub, Gibney's, that could be a stop for lunch or dinner. Malahide is easily reached by the DART which is a regional communter train system that runs north and south of Dublin. It's about 30 minutes with a roundtrip ticket available for less than 10 euro.
A quick word about Belfast. I think there are three reasons to consider a visit to Belfast--the Titanic Museum and surrounding area, you're a Game of Thrones fan (the indoor studio for filming is located near the Titanic Museum but I'm unaware of any tours of the facilities), or you have interest in the history of the sectarian conflict that is known as The Troubles. I've visted Belfast three times in the last couple of years, and other than the Titanic, GOT, and The Troubles, I have found it a dry, uninteresting city that is not anywhere nearly as vibrant as Dublin. It's a quick trip though at two hours by car or train, and the drive from the Dublin Airport to Belfast may be one of the best ways for a visitor who is unfamiliar with driving a car with the steering wheel on the right side to attain a comfort level.
Inside Dublin, here are the highlights. Although they can be a bit tacky (in general, not just in Dublin), the hop-on, hop-off bus tours through Dublin can give you a quick view of the city so that you can get oriented. The library at Trinity College, including the Book of Kells, is spectacular. St. Stephen's Green, a nice city park just off the Grafton Street shopping area, could be a good location for a picnic lunch if the day is nice. If alcohol is of interest to you, the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse; even if you're not interested in alcohol, the Storehouse is of interest I think for three reasons--Guinness has been around for so long that its history reflects that of Dublin and Ireland, the tour is self-directed so that you can be there for 30 minutes or for two hours depending on the amount of time you have, and the view from the Gravity Bar at the top of the brewery is very nice. An evening self-directed pub crawl through Temple Bar or a musical or literary guided pub crawl can be fun. Dublin Castle should also be on your short list if you're a history buff.
Outside the city can be done, but there can be a complicating factor--rental cars. In addition to the other threads in this forum about Dublin, you should take a look at this thread regarding renting cars in Ireland: Car Rental Insurance in Ireland -- Very Confused. The TL;DR version: don't assume that you can stroll up to a rental counter in Ireland as you would in the US and waive local insurance so you can rely on insurance offered by your credit card. From practical experience, on a last-minute, one-day rental out of Dublin on a trip similar to yours in 2012, I paid over $100 for an econobox car, including the super cover insurance that I would highly recommend (read the thread above). Driving in Ireland can be a bit adventurous, especially to and in the smaller towns, because the roads and streets weren't designed with cars in mind--although the road system out of Dublin to many major areas has seen vast improvement since my first trip in 2000.
And I don't think you were contemplating this, but let me emphasize, do not rent a car while in Dublin--it's almost worse than useless for getting around the tourist center of the city, and you'll spend a good chunk of change on parking. When you're ready to rent, go out to the airport from the city and rent from there.
You could also decide to take a train to your destination outside of Dublin, spend the night, and come back the next day or take a tour bus to one of the sites that might be more difficult to reach by train--such as the Cliffs of Moher or the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Either by train or by car, Galway is a relatively easy journey to make at less than three hours and a small city that's easy to walk through. A car would also be useful for traveling to the Cliffs of Moher or the Causeway.
Another option could be a day in Malahide, a small town out by the airport. It's on the coast and there's a coastal walk that would be a good way to spend an hour or so on a pretty day. Malahide Castle is located there and would consume a few more hours. Central Malahide has several good restaurants, and a very good pub, Gibney's, that could be a stop for lunch or dinner. Malahide is easily reached by the DART which is a regional communter train system that runs north and south of Dublin. It's about 30 minutes with a roundtrip ticket available for less than 10 euro.
A quick word about Belfast. I think there are three reasons to consider a visit to Belfast--the Titanic Museum and surrounding area, you're a Game of Thrones fan (the indoor studio for filming is located near the Titanic Museum but I'm unaware of any tours of the facilities), or you have interest in the history of the sectarian conflict that is known as The Troubles. I've visted Belfast three times in the last couple of years, and other than the Titanic, GOT, and The Troubles, I have found it a dry, uninteresting city that is not anywhere nearly as vibrant as Dublin. It's a quick trip though at two hours by car or train, and the drive from the Dublin Airport to Belfast may be one of the best ways for a visitor who is unfamiliar with driving a car with the steering wheel on the right side to attain a comfort level.
Oct 14, 2017, 8:23 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 425
Iwildnernorva,
That response was amazing and extremely helpful! We do not plan to rent a car at all while there. The hop on/hop off bus tours we have done in other cities and we really like them; we'll be doing that.
Interesting remarks about Belfast. We were considering a day trip there but now we may head to a village that is closer and gives us more of an idea of what local Ireland is all about. The DART train looks appealing and I will definitely look into that. Are there any other small villages or towns within an hour of Dublin you might recommend for a day trip? We definitely want to go outside the city for a day via some sort of train.
Again, thank you for the response! Very helpful!
OPS
That response was amazing and extremely helpful! We do not plan to rent a car at all while there. The hop on/hop off bus tours we have done in other cities and we really like them; we'll be doing that.
Interesting remarks about Belfast. We were considering a day trip there but now we may head to a village that is closer and gives us more of an idea of what local Ireland is all about. The DART train looks appealing and I will definitely look into that. Are there any other small villages or towns within an hour of Dublin you might recommend for a day trip? We definitely want to go outside the city for a day via some sort of train.
Again, thank you for the response! Very helpful!
OPS
Oct 14, 2017, 12:08 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass
Posts: 5,531
When are you visiting? Winter has short days and tends to be wet - so recommendations might change!
Other reasons for visiting Belfast apply. As well as being easy travel by train, if you are a railway/travel/transport fan this place is interesting:
https://www.nmni.com/our-museums/ulster-folk-and-transport-museum/Home.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Folk_and_Transport_Museum
If you have any Irish ancestry you can see how things used to be! The buildings allow a close up view of how things were were in many places, as they have been moved and reconstructed in the folk park.
Other reasons for visiting Belfast apply. As well as being easy travel by train, if you are a railway/travel/transport fan this place is interesting:
https://www.nmni.com/our-museums/ulster-folk-and-transport-museum/Home.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Folk_and_Transport_Museum
If you have any Irish ancestry you can see how things used to be! The buildings allow a close up view of how things were were in many places, as they have been moved and reconstructed in the folk park.
Last edited by antichef; Oct 14, 2017 at 12:17 pm
Oct 17, 2017, 10:48 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
!
Iwildnernorva,
That response was amazing and extremely helpful! We do not plan to rent a car at all while there. The hop on/hop off bus tours we have done in other cities and we really like them; we'll be doing that.
Interesting remarks about Belfast. We were considering a day trip there but now we may head to a village that is closer and gives us more of an idea of what local Ireland is all about. The DART train looks appealing and I will definitely look into that. Are there any other small villages or towns within an hour of Dublin you might recommend for a day trip? We definitely want to go outside the city for a day via some sort of train.
Again, thank you for the response! Very helpful!
OPS
That response was amazing and extremely helpful! We do not plan to rent a car at all while there. The hop on/hop off bus tours we have done in other cities and we really like them; we'll be doing that.
Interesting remarks about Belfast. We were considering a day trip there but now we may head to a village that is closer and gives us more of an idea of what local Ireland is all about. The DART train looks appealing and I will definitely look into that. Are there any other small villages or towns within an hour of Dublin you might recommend for a day trip? We definitely want to go outside the city for a day via some sort of train.
Again, thank you for the response! Very helpful!
OPS
And don't let me completely turn you off from Belfast. As I noted in my earlier message, it's only a couple of hours from Dublin by train, and if you're only going to be there for a day, my suggestions and antichef's suggestion of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum could make a decent day's activities, but my last trip there was for three days, and that's too much! But I'd take Newgrange over Belfast in a heartbeat.