Wooden Guinness barrel.

4 Days in Dublin

By Stuart Bak

Four days is the perfect amount of time to liberally drench yourself in Dublin’s rich heritage, from its medieval center and imposing castle to lively cobbled lanes lined with bars and restaurants, illustrious literary culture, beautiful parks and fine museums. Our guide takes in all of these and more, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the legendary craic and sample the city’s most famous exports: the twin joys of Guinness and whiskey. So, pack your passport, walking shoes and Alka-Seltzer and get ready to say ‘sláinte’ to Dublin! Our guide includes:

  • Christ Church Cathedral
  • Dublin Castle
  • Malahide Castle
  • Trinity College
  • Temple Bar
  • St Stephen’s Green
  • EPIC Irish Immigration Museum
  • The Guinness Storehouse
  • Grafton Street

Day 1: Dublin: A Brief History

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One of the best things about Dublin is how compact and easily walkable it is. A well-planned itinerary will mean you never have to stroll far for the next big-ticket attraction. But do wear comfy shoes to tackle the ubiquitous cobbles! Our suggested itinerary kicks off with a handful of Dublin’s must-sees, all within just a few minutes’ walk of each other.

Trinity College, Dublin’s stunning 16th-century seat of learning is our first port of call. Here, aficionados of Irish literature can walk in the footsteps of exalted alumni including Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Bram Stoker, to name-drop just a few. Wander the cobbled quadrangles and admire the grand neoclassical architecture ahead of the main event: a guided tour of the atmospheric Old Library that takes in the extraordinary Book of Kells, easily the most astonishing preserved medieval manuscript in the British Isles, if not the entire planet.

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Suitably awed, head over to Grafton Street, grabbing a selfie by the statue of Molly Malone – she of the classic ‘Cockles and Mussels’ ballad (known locally (and rather unkindly) as ‘the tart with a cart)’ – on the way. A fine spot for lunch (and a shopper’s paradise), Grafton Street also brims with street performers. Expect to enjoy music, magic and all manner of other sensory delights as you dine. This will no doubt whet your appetite for an evening in Temple Bar, Dublin’s legendary nightlife district, where cobbles, colorful characters and great craic are all but guaranteed. But before all that, make sure to spend an afternoon chilling in the relative peace and tranquility of stunning St Stephen’s Green. Manicured gardens, vibrant flower beds, duck ponds and monuments to James Joyce and W.B. Yeats are the order of the day in this lush Victorian idyll.

Day 2: Dublin’s Best Museums and Booze

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Dublin’s museums are plentiful, offering myriad methods of getting under the skin of this fine city. You can view timeless masterpieces by some of the world’s greatest ever artists – Caravaggio, Goya, Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt, Turner, Vermeer and more – at the excellent National Gallery, and explore the best of contemporary local art at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Delve into the city’s storied history at the, well, epic EPIC Irish Emigration Museum and discover how desperate Irish citizens fled the Great Famine aboard the Jeanie Johnston Tallship in the 19th Century, in search of a better life in North America.

Whiskey connoisseurs will also be in clover in Dublin. Ireland’s complex relationship with the amber nectar is explored in depth at the Irish Museum of Whiskey, and you can sample it for yourself on distillery tours at (amongst others) Jameson and Teeling, as well as in pretty much any Irish bar worth its salt.

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Prefer books to booze? Get yourself down the Writers Museum and Museum of Literature Ireland, where exhibits celebrate the great and good of Irish wordsmithery, from Shaw to Sheridan, Joyce to Wilde. A Game of Thrones studio tour and a National Leprechaun Museum offer further fantastical japes and prove beyond all doubt that there really is something for everyone in Dublin!

Head full of dragons, poetry and folklore, mosey on down to the Guinness Storehouse for a well-deserved pint of the black stuff, accompanied by panoramic views from its space-age 7th-floor Gravity Bar, taking in Dublin Bay, the Wicklow Mountains and everything in between. You can continue the party at Guinness's Open Gate Brewery, an experimental taproom where you can sample the iconic brewer’s newest tipples.

Day 3: Day Trip to Malahide Castle

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Sure, there’s stacks more you can be doing in Dublin on day three of your getaway. But what could possibly be more decadent than taking a break from your city break? Banish the specter of last night’s overindulgence on a day trip out to magnificent medieval Malahide Castle, a stunningly preserved stone fortress on the north Dublin coast. Set in 260 acres of glorious parkland, this turreted confection and its grounds promise diversions enough to fill an entire day. We’re talking opulent interiors bedecked with period furniture, carved friezes and huge portraits of the Talbot family, who owned the castle between the 12th century and the 20th. There are also botanical gardens featuring a four-acre walled garden plus several glasshouses (including a Victorian conservatory), a butterfly garden and a fairy trail. Heck, there’s even a cricket pitch in the grounds. How the other half live, eh?

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If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, alternative out-of-town marvels include the picturesque harbor town of Howth (also with its own castle, natch), and the marvelous 18th-century folly that is Casino Marino, a Tardis-like gem of neoclassical architecture just beyond the city limits. A cold pint or three of Guinness awaits the weary traveler on their inevitable return to Temple Bar in the evening – the promise of lively banter, traditional Irish music and cozy pub nooks providing the perfect antidote to sightseeing fatigue.

Day 4: Medieval Dublin

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Morning! How’s the head today? Delighted to hear it! Because there’s still A LOT to see before we send you off on your merry way. First up on our whistle-stop tour of medieval Dublin is Christ Church Cathedral, where the arresting site of a mummified cat and rat locked in eternal chase should help shake off that biblical hangover of yours. And that’s not all. There are many more weird and wonderful highlights to seek out inside this, the city’s oldest building (around 1,000 years, but who’s counting?). Check out those epic vaulted ceilings and ogle stained-glass windows that rival those of York Minster and Canterbury for sheer scale and vividness. There’s even a rare copy of the Magna Carta for your perusal as well as the inevitable relics, among them the heart (encased inside a heart-shaped casket) of 12th-century saint Laurence O’Toole.

Continue your religious pilgrimage at nearby St Patrick’s, named in honor of Ireland’s snake-chaser-in-chief. Or pop just next door to the excellent Dublinia experience, where immersive and interactive exhibits take you back to the Dublin of Viking and medieval times.

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Last but by no means least, Dublin Castle should be considered an essential element of your 4-day Dublin itinerary, if only to secure a selfie in front of its imposing medieval tower. The castle’s sumptuous state apartments, Viking defenses, gothic Chapel Royal, and formal gardens, once home to the dark tidal pool (Dubh Linn) from which the city takes its name, are also well worth a few hours of your time.

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Things to Do on New Year's Eve in Dublin

Dublin is one of those cities that was born to party. St Paddy’s Day, pay day, your nan’s birthday: every one of them a valid excuse for a good time. And New Year’s Eve is no exception, as the city erupts with parties, concerts and fireworks galore. But that’s not all: there’s also plenty to keep you occupied before you make a beeline for Temple Bar in the evening, from Grafton Street’s Boxing Day sales to medieval literary artifacts and bracing walks in the chill winter air. Indeed, Dublin has so many great attractions that there’s absolutely no way you can see them all in one day. With that in mind, here’s our guide to some of the best things you can do on New Year’s Eve in Dublin. In the Morning...Trinity College If you’re only going to tick off one or two of Dublin’s bucket-list landmarks today, make Trinity College one of them – trust us when we say your IG feed will thank you for it. We’re talking atmospheric cobbled quadrangles that once rang with the footsteps of such illustrious alumni as Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Aisling Bea, Jack Gleeson and, um, Chris De Burgh. Hum The Lady in Red to yourself as you admire the ultra-photogenic neoclassical architecture of the buildings that flank the courtyards and dot the grounds. Buildings like the Campanile, said to portend exam failure for any student who happens to be passing beneath its arches when the bell tolls. And the ornate Museum Building, packed to its rafters with soaring marble columns and eye-popping carvings. A guided tour of the Old Library is pretty much essential while you’re here. Step into a Hogwarts-esque world of towering bookshelves and imposing marble busts of writers, philosophers and scholars that include Jonathan Swift, Ada Lovelace and Mary Wollstonecraft. It’s here you can view the Trinity College harp, an oak-and-willow beauty that dates back to the 15th Century and, of course the extraordinary Book of Kells, surely the most astonishing preserved medieval manuscript on the planet. Grafton Street Stop by to say hi to Molly Malone of ‘Cockles and Mussels’ balladry fame, who presides over Suffolk Street (in bronze statue form), then it’s onwards to Grafton Street. This shoppers’ paradise of big brands and iconic Dublin department stores like Brown Thomas and Weir & Sons will be in full Boxing Day sales mode on New Year’s Eve, so it's a great time to pick up that designer handbag or leprechaun fridge magnet you’ve always dreamt of. There are plenty of good lunch spots here, too. Or grab a takeout and eat on the go, catching some of the many buskers along the street on your way – Bono and Damien Rice kicked off their careers right here on Grafton Street dontcha know. In the Afternoon...St Stephen’s Green Exit the festival atmosphere of Grafton Street and make a beeline for the relative peace and tranquility of St Stephen’s Green, one of Dublin’s most celebrated open spaces. This lush Victorian idyll is all manicured lawns, formal gardens and cute duck ponds. Hug a cup of hot chocolate on a bench or wander the park’s 27 acres, spotting statues of Dublin’s great and good along the way: an abstract memorial to W.B. Yeats by sculptor Henry Moore, an imposing bust of James Joyce, and a fittingly grand monument to Sir Arthur Guinness, who bought, drained, redeveloped and landscaped the marshland that became St Stephen’s Green, before bequeathing it to the public. What a guy. The Guinness Storehouse Speaking of Guinness, no trip to Dublin would be complete without sampling a drop of the black stuff on its home turf. Of course, every single bar in Dublin serves Guinness, each accompanied by the bravado claim that theirs is the most perfectly poured pint in town. If you want to cast aside all doubt on that front, hit up the Guinness Storehouse on the site of the original St James’s Gate Brewery for a potted history of Ireland’s most famous export and a tipple or two in the space-age 7th-floor Gravity Bar, with its stunning 360-degree city views. But, as you consider that third pint, remember: New Year’s Eve is a marathon, not a sprint. And you haven’t even set foot in Temple Bar yet... In the Evening...Temple Bar Temple Bar is one of Dublin’s most iconic areas, a dense network of cobbled lanes lined with independent boutiques, cool galleries and rabble-rousing traditional Irish pubs. In terms of how hectic those pubs will be, New Year’s Eve is probably rivaled only by St Patrick’s Day as this neighborhood’s busiest night of the year. The most iconic pub here is the Temple Bar itself, with its colorful hanging baskets and distinctive red facade, but there are dozens of (probably marginally less busy) Irish bars to choose from. Expect welcoming craic, fine indie and folk music shindigs, and lots of hugging come midnight. And try to remain good-humored about the long queues to get a drink. As for getting a table: you’ve got no chance. National Concert Hall For a calmer kind of celebration, Dublin’s magnificent National Concert Hall hosts its annual performance from the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on New year's Eve, usually a rousing mix of well-loved pop hits, jazz standards, movie themes, and favorites from the musicals. There will be singing, laughing, hugging and, critically, a complimentary glass of bubbles and Auld Lang Syne sing-along as the clock strikes midnight. Advance booking for this musical extravaganza is, of course, essential. New Year’s Festival Dublin’s New Year Festival seems to grow bigger and better by the year. At time of writing it’s up to four days across three venues, with around 40 acts expected to perform. But you’ll probably want to be at Dublin Castle in the evening on New Year’s Eve, where you can expect live music from some of the biggest names involved, plus food trucks for much-needed sustenance and, of course, bars serving up more of the near-mandatory black stuff (other beverages may be available). It all rounds off with a spectacular countdown to midnight complete with epic firework display. Save on things to do in Dublin Of course the activities and attractions we’ve suggested are a mere snapshot of the myriad things you can do in Dublin on New Year’s Eve. There’s also a medieval castle, two picture-perfect cathedrals, umpteen world-class museums and a glut of whiskey distilleries to explore, as well as literary tours, botanic gardens and much more. Sticking around for a few days? A Dublin pass from Go City can save you money when visiting multiple attractions, including many of those mentioned above.
Stuart Bak

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