The Journey

The Journey is the Destination

Oh, the places you'll go

Oh, the places you'll go
Crete

Jamminnnn'

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Dublin in 4 days

River Liffey
Slainte!

This is cheers in Gaelic. (Pronounced: Slawn-chee).

If you are going to Ireland, you will need to know this. There are pubs everywhere and of course you will have to stop in and have a Guinness, an Irish ale, or some kind of whiskey.

Some need-to-knows about the Irish:

  • They are sarcastic if they like you, be sarcastic back
  • They are very outspoken and do not like insensitive a-holes, be kind
  • They know how to have a good time!

Dublin, Ireland is a relatively expensive city in the EU, and you will need to budget accordingly. We stayed in an Airbnb on Capel Street for 4 nights for $540 total. The room was a studio with limited sleeping area and we had to share the bathroom with the studio across the hall. Needless to say, we were not in the room very often. Why would you be?!

Fly to visit Dublin in the fall through AerLingus, a round trip from New York is $550. Go on October 24th if you want a great weekend, Bank Holiday! (Basically means 3 day weekend with lots of drinking)...

Day by day: This will be arranged to give several options for you arranged in Daily activities, Restaurants, and Nightlife. Be glad to know Wifi is everywhere you go!!!


You will do a lot of walking around. Dublin is relatively small and you may see the same people several times. Don't be alarmed, it is a small world in Dublin. Our local Irish friend Darren told us, "There are no skeletons in any closets in Dublin, they are all out on the streets walking around." Duly noted.

Walk around the city in order to get a good idea of sights to see and places you would like to go. You may not be able to do it all in 4 days, but you will be able to see a vast majority of the city especially if you have an idea of what you want to do. If you have no idea what you want to see, I recommend a bus tour for 10 euro that will show you the most frequented spots in Dublin.

Daily Activities:

  1. Guinness Storehouse
  2. Pubs, of course
  3. Churches/History museums
  4. Walk around to see landmarks


Dublin is a very busy small city. People are walking everywhere in a hurry. It is difficult to compare Dublin to any American city as there are no high rise building and the tallest point is a monument that is a spire. The best view you can get is at the Guinness Storehouse Gravity Bar.

Best view in Dublin
Make Guinness your first destination on day 1 if you get there on time (closes at 5 pm), because once you get to the top, you have a map (provided by Guinness) in hand, and you can look out over Dublin in order to get a better idea of where everything is. (Be sure to book online before you go so you can save 2 euro and skip the line - Guinness Storehouse Tickets). At the storehouse, you will learn how Arthur Guinness was a boss entrepreneur and hustled hard to get Ireland's best beer spread around the world. He signed a 9000-year lease for the brewery in Dublin. It has only been a few hundred years, you better get there before the lease runs out.

After having the best Guinness in the world poured for you, you will be hungry, recommend here are several restaurants, and whichever you do not try the first night, go the next nights, or mornings, and try them. (In order of favor-ability).
Farm Restaurant
  1. Farm Restaurant - This restaurant is slightly fancier and will cost around 20-30 euro for a meal and a beer, but it is worth every penny! They take basic Irish food (chicken, pot pies, roasts, etc), and make it up with delicious flavors. I recommend the Free Range Irish Chicken Supreme ----->>>
  2. The Brazen Head (7-11 euro) - This is the oldest Pub in Ireland and is a must to go see, it is also very close to Guinness. Go have a pint and some onion rings.
  3. Cafe Kylemore (7-10 euro) - A fast-paced breakfast place that will allow you to get a traditional Irish breakfast at an affordable price. Try your white and black pudding here. It's on a corner by the Spire, can't miss it.
After you have seen cool sights and had a delicious Guinness and filled your belly, it will almost be time for the nightlife! Be prepared, Irish people love to party. The nightlife is amazingly convenient to walk to, wherever you choose to go, unless it is 6 in the morning and you don't know which way is north and a local tells you to get a cab when you ask him where Capel Street is... Listed below are spots to go from on a drunk scale from least sloppy to sloppiest:



  1. Local pubs - The Brazen Head pours a nice pint for a few euro. There are pretty much pubs on every block. Pick one, have pint, pub crawl.
  2. The International Bar - Wasn't able to visit this bar but it has great reviews. They play music, put on shows, and pour beer from around the world. It will be a top priority on my next visit.
  3. The Temple Bar District - This hip area is the largest bar scene in Dublin. It a touristy area where you are sure to find people from all over the world. Go here for slightly overpriced drinks and wasted people everywhere. A few notable bars in this area are Big Ben's and Fitzsimon, both have a diverse crowd with large dance floors.
  4. The House - This local spot is easy to miss on Leeson Street. It looks like any normal house with people walking in and out. You would never know it exists if you aren't a local. We got lucky enough to bump into the bouncer and he invited us in. This place is a gem for nightlife! Drinks are reasonably priced, there are friendly locals who want to party, and there is a nightclub that opens at midnight in the basement. Grab a pint, be social, and check your coats at the door when you're in the mood to dance into the late hours of the night.
  5. Xico Party Cavern - At this point, you should be feeling a little wobbly but still able to function. This club is a great spot for the youth in Dublin (21-28). There are several floors and a huge dance floor that is hard to get around, better to just dance through it.
  6. Copper Face Jack's - This place would make the Virgin Mary scream in fear, do 10 Hail Mary's, and sprint in front of a bus in hopes of being closer to Heaven.  If you have made it to this club, you are hammered. This whole club might as well be a giant dance floor full of sloppy drunks locking faces. Prepare to see a side of Dublin that should remain a skeleton in the closet. Enter at your own risk (never sober). My oh my, is it fun though!
(Bonus: *For American Sports fans*: There is a bar called the Woolshed in the north end that has a plethora of TV's, they show every game you could think of, head on over and check it out on football Sunday, life-saver!)

When you awake with a hangover after a crazy night of baby guinness shots and late night grub, walk on over to your nearest coffee shop and reminisce in the beauty of world travel and your love for the Irish, then prepare to do it again because you might not get a chance to come back! Mybest  advice is to be as open and friendly as possible and be ready to say YES to anything that may come your way. Have a Guinness for me! Slainte!