Hotels:

(closer to St. Stephen's Green the better)

• The Westbury

• Conrad Dublin

• Number 31

• The Shelbourne Dublin

• The Fitzwilliam Dublin Hotel

• Westin Dublin

• The Merrion

• O'Callaghan Stephen's Green Hotel

• Brooks Hotel

• O'Callaghan Stephen's Green Hotel

• InterContinental Dublin

• The Marker

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Restaurants: 

• Leo Burdock's ( 2 Werburgh St), a must for battered sausage or fish & chips!

• San Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant, Italian

• Matt The Thresher, Seafood, grab some oysters and a Guinness

• Drury Buildings, Italian

• FX Buckley (multiple locations), Steakhouse

• The Church, Irish

• The Winding Stair, Irish

• The Camden Kitchen, Bistro

• Forest Avenue, Contemporary 

• Super Miss Sue, Irish

• Mulberry Garden, Contemporary 

• Brother Hubbard, Vegetarian

• The Woollen Mills, Irish

• Mulligans, Gastropub

• The Farm, locally sourced Irish

• Fallon and Byrne, Irish

• Chapter One, Contemporary Irish, Michelin-starred

• L’Ecrivain, Modern French, Michelin-starred

• The Greenhouse, Contemporary, Michelin-starred

• Delahunt, Irish

• Eatyard, food truck food court

• Etto, Seasonal 

• Pichet, French/Mediterranean Bistro & Cocktail Bar

• The Pig’s Ear, Irish

• Taco Taco, Green 19, Jerusalem, East Side Tavern, Angelina's, Saba, Fade Street Social, l’Gueuleton, Rustic Stone, Coppinger Row are a few others to note

These are a bit outside of city centre, but worth a try if you feel like branching out:

• Pigeon House, Irish, Clontarf

• Helon and Grey, Blackrock

• The Bloody Stream, Howth

• Old Street, Malahide

• Oliveto at Haddington House, Italian, Dun Laoghaire

• Johnny Foxes (Famous for being the highest pub in Ireland, you're up in the mountains and just south of the Dublin city center. Johnny Fox's offers a Hooley Show (dinner, music, and Irish dancing) and there's even an Express Bus from Dublin to get you there!)

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Bars:

• Peruke & Periwig, Dawson Street, Ireland

• Horseshoe Bar, Shelbourne Hotel

• House Dublin

• Neary's - 1 Chatham Street

• Davy Byrnes

• The Dawson Lounge (smallest pub in Ireland)

• Dohney & Nesbit - 5 Lower Baggot Street

• O'Neills Pub

• Brazen Head

• The Stag's Head - 1 Dame Court

• The Palace Bar - 21 Fleet Street

• The Long Hall - 51 South Great George's Street

• Oliver St. John Gogarty’s - 18-21 Anglesea St (a bit touristy)

• The Ha’penny Bridge Inn - 42 Wellington Quay (also a bit touristy)

• Brannigan’s - 9 Cathedral St

• Flanagan’s - 61 O’Connell Street Upper

• The Marker Hotel Rooftop Bar 

• Sophies Rooftop Bar - The Dean Hotel

• Fade street social

• The Boar’s Head

• House

• Toner's

• Peter’s Pub

• The Bar With No Name

• Luna

• The Market Bar

• The Ginger Man

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CAFéS:

• Keogh's Café (great breakfast!)

• Avoca Café (best scones and salads!) - Renée's favorite!

• Bewley's Café on Grafton Street

• Art Nouveau Café en Seine

• Riddler Café and Restaurant

• 3FE

• The Pepper Pot Café 

• Kaph

• Metro Café

• Industry

• Hansel and Gretel Bakery and Patisserie

• Lolly and Cooks

• Science Gallery Café

• Two Pups Coffee

• Cross Gallery and Café

• Mannings Bakery

• Fumbally Café

• Murphys (not a café, ice cream shop! Privately owned but a few locations across Ireland)

• Scrumdiddly's (also an ice cream shop in Dún Laoghaire)

• Teddy's (also an ice cream shop in Dún Laoghaire)

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Sites/Things to do:

• Have a picnic or a stroll through one of Dublin's beautiful parks:

  • St. Stephens Green off of Grafton Street in the city center

  • One of Europe's largest city parks, Phoenix Park

• Head over to the Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate for a tour and possibly a pint at The Gravity Bar with uninterrupted panoramic views of Dublin

• Visit Trinity College (Ireland’s oldest university and the alma mater of Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde), its long room library, and gaze upon the 9th Century illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells 

• On the north side of the River Liffey, walk up O'Connell Street. Check out the Spire of Dublin (a newer addition to the city, no one is really sure its purpose) and the General Post Office (GPO), the famous post office that sheltered Irish rebels during the 1916 Rising. Visit the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square, seeing Francis Bacon’s reconstructed studio and works by Irish and international artists. Opposite the gallery, you’ll find the Garden of Remembrance, dedicated to fighters who died in the Irish War of Independence.

• Take a tour of the Dublin Castle

• While strolling around the city, look out for the Ha'penny bridge, Four Courts building, Famine Memorial, Old Gate Theater, and the many statues around the city (Molly Malone, Oscar Wilde, and Tin Lizzy Guitarist statue are just a few)

• Visit the Shelbourne Hotel and have a pre-dinner drink at the Horseshoe Bar or maybe some afternoon tea

• Walk towards Christ Church Cathedral and the historic Liberties area. The Cathedral (1028 A.D.) contains one of the oldest structures in all of Great Britain and the property houses the famous underground crypts which have been an important pilgrimage site since medieval times.

• Visit St Patrick’s Cathedral, founded in 1191, is the largest cathedral in Ireland and named after St Patrick, who baptised Christians nearby over 1500 years ago.

• If you're a whiskey fan, take a tour and indulge in some tastings at the Jameson Distillery

• Take a look at the former ducal palace Leinster House – on which the US White House was based – now the home of Ireland’s parliament. 

• Take a walk through Temple Bar area and have a pint (beware, can get quite rowdy at night). If you're there are on a Saturday, walk through the food market in Meeting House Square and check out cutting-edge concept store Indigo & Cloth.

• Catch a rugby game at Croke Park.

• Have a cup of tea (or coffee) at Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street

• Take a peek in one of Dublin's many bookstores - The Winding Stair, The Gutter, Books Upstairs, Hodges Figgis, De Búrca Rare Books, Stokes Books, Sweny’s, or Ulysses Rare Books

• Great shopping along Grafton Street, O'Connell Street, and St. Stephens Green

• There are many fantastic museums to choose from (plus many are free)! Note: Several are closed on Mondays.

  • The Little Museum of Dublin, situated in a grand townhouse overlooking the square. A popular people’s museum dedicated to the history of the city, you’d be wise to book a ticket for this in advance.​

  • National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, one of the best places in the country to see Celtic artifacts

• A night of Irish dancing is available at the Arlington Hotel or Johnny Foxes Hooley Show

• A visit to Kilmainham Gaol (jail) is a fantastic way to learn about recent Irish history (advance booking recommended)

• Walk the Great South Wall​

• Catch a film at the Irish Film Institute

• Or take one of the many tours of the city center that are available, including one of the two literary tours - walking or pub crawl

• If you're interested in getting outside of the city while in County Dublin, a visit to Howth (fishing town), Dún Laoghaire, Portmarnock  (for a great game of golf at the championship Portmarnock Golf Club), Ardgillan or Malahide (either for a great castle visit) are worth the trip and many are accessible with public transport on the Luas or DART.

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To see more about visiting Dublin visit here.