So, you’re traveling through Ireland and you want to experience Dublin in a day? Fantastic, we’ve got you covered!
Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, is a remarkable city! It contains the perfect balance of historic Irish tradition and culture, coupled with fresh modern styling and experiences. — Whether you’re in the mood for 12th century cathedrals or 21st century coffee shops, Dublin is certain to have something for everyone.
Earlier this year, Michaele and I spent a day in this wonderful city. Aside from falling in love with all that Dublin has to offer, we created the following itinerary. We hope it guides you well.
Start Early, & Go At Your Own Pace.
Visiting Dublin, especially if you only have a day, can be a large undertaking. There’s no way you’ll see it all, but if you plan ahead and go at your own pace, you can certainly see all the highlights that are important to you.
We always try to pace our adventures out with small, local, rewards throughout the day. A pub here, a coffee shop there, a park to relax and catch your breath in… We’ve found that these small stopping places provide a nice rest and recharge in the midst of tourist chaos.
To that end, below is a list of several local shops we tried throughout our day in Dublin; we loved them all!
- Coffee Angel (great local coffee shop near Trinity College and Merrion Square.
- Beanhive (another great local coffee shop, a bit more centrally located)
- Tantrum Doughnuts (We’re not sure why, but Dublin has some of the best doughnut shops we’ve experienced. This was one of our favorites!)
- Pubs. There’s quite literally a pub on every corner, far too many to list as “the best”. No matter where you end up in the city you’ll have access to great options. We did the Bow Street Jameson tour (mentioned below), even if you don’t take a tour there, you MUST check out their pub/bar. The design alone is worth the visit!
Where To Begin & What To Do.
There’s no right or wrong place to start your journey. For Dublin we began our adventure near the center of town at Merrion Square park. In addition to being centrally located, it’s also the home of Oscar Wilde Memorial (his home is just across the street) and is within walking distance from Trinity College and St. Stevens Green.
The other great place about starting off in this location is that there are several Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus tours that set-off from there. Often times there are attendees standing by to offer tickets if you’d like.
A word of caution about Hop-On-Hop-Off Buses; They are great and can provide you with a fantastic vantage point of the city without the need to walk everywhere. But, they are only as fast as traffic will allow. If you have an appointment or need to be somewhere across town quickly, your best option may be a cab or Uber.
We began our journey at Merrion Square around 9:00am. From there we walked two blocks to Coffee Angel, enjoyed a coffee and planned our route. If you only have a day, let’s say from 9:00am-5:00pm, then we would estimate you could do any 2 of the following without much difficulty. You might be able to take in 3 sites, but you would need to walk quickly and speed through any tours.
- Trinity College
- Guinness Storehouse
- Jameson on Bow St.
- Teeling Whiskey Distillery
- Temple Bar Distillery Store and Tasting Room
- Book of Kells & Dublin Castle Tour
- Visiting a Park (Merrion Square or St. Stevens Green)
- Local Pubs, Restaurants or Shopping.
- Blarney Castle – NOTE: This is actually in Cork. So, if you’re planning on seeing this while in Dublin it will likely be the only thing you can see for that day.
For us, in addition to coffee shops and parks, Dublin in a day consisted of the following: Jameson on Bow St., Guinness Storehouse, a great local Restaurant (the Brazen Head) and a Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour.
Jameson Distillery Tour.
Certainly one of the highlights of the day. The Jameson Bow St. Experience Tour was fantastic! As mentioned above, if you simply go there for their bar experience you’d be doing just fine!
The tour itself provides you with a very well rounded understanding of what makes Jameson unique within the whiskey industry as well as an in-depth look at the history of the company and it’s founders.
Within the tour you not only get to see their unique creation process, but you also get to see and taste the difference between three different types of whiskies (American, Scottish and Irish… or, in other words, Bourbon, Scotch and Whiskey).
You end the tour with a free glass of grog and a stop off in their gift shop! In their shop you can find fun smaller priced items like playing cards and key chains or more desirable (higher priced) items like specialty whiskey; some that can only be purchased at their Dublin Distillery.
Whatever your fancy, this tour and location has a bit of something for everyone! Michaele (who’s not really a whiskey drinker, but loved the grog!) even left feeling informed and excited!
Guinness Storehouse.
If you’re in Dublin, especially if it’s your first time, you MUST check out Guinness. It’s kinda like a requirement. 😁
The Guinness Storehouse is incredible! Not only does it provide you with the rich history of the Guinness company, but they also walk you through the history of their marketing, show you the process by which their beer is made and take you to the penthouse of rooftop bars, the Gravity Bar.
For us, going to Guinness after Jameson was certainly the right call. Their storehouse, aside from being massive, has a much more corporate feel compared to Jameson. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just very obvious when you walk in that the experience you received at Guinness isn’t going to be as personal as it was a Jameson.
That said, they do value your participation in the experience. For instance, as part of the tour they teach you how to pour your own personal “perfect pint”, which you can then take up to the Gravity Bar and enjoy over a view of the city.
Their website actually provides a great overview of their Storehouse, the different floors and what are on them and the overall experience you’re likely to have. No matter which tour experience you choose, you’re sure to have a blast! If all else fails, their gift shop is HUGE, so you are bound to find souvenirs galore!
Lunch At Dublin’s Oldest Pub.
A day in Dublin wouldn’t be complete without a stop off at a local pub! Enter, The Brazen Head! Dating back to 1198, this place is the perfect spot to grab a quick bite and a couple of pints to fuel you for the next leg of your journey.
We opted for the Irish Stew and Brazen Bangers and Mash, but browse their menu, you’re sure to find something you’ll love! Their atmosphere is perfect, with both inside and outside seating and the bar area is cozy and covered from wall-to-wall with history and interesting memorabilia!
No matter what your interest might be, there’s a little something for everyone in Dublin! If you decide to check out any of these sites, or others from your own list, let us know! We’d love to know where your adventures take you.
Need some inspiration for planning your next vacation? Be sure to check out our most recent post that provides inspiration for planning your next adventure!
