Ireland – A City Trip to Dublin

Dublin—A City of Cozy Pubs, Live Music, and More

Dublin is truly the kind of city that’s a delight to wander through. You hop from one pub to the next, soak up some history along the way, and before you know it, you’re standing there with a pint of Guinness in your hand, enjoying live Irish music. Last August, we hopped on a plane with the family headed for Dublin for a long weekend. Of course, we took a stroll through the famous Temple Bar neighborhood—it’s great for the atmosphere, even though it’s absolutely packed. But the real highlight of the trip was the spots we discovered just off the beaten path. Below is the travelogue of our family weekend in Dublin—and who knows, maybe it’ll inspire you for your next city trip.

Exploring Dublin by Bike

We kicked off our weekend with a fun bike tour of the city with Baja Bikes. It was a tour lasting about 2 hours, packed with information about the city’s history, Irish wars, and fun facts and spots. For example, we learned about Bono, the lead singer of the rock band U2, who was born and raised in Dublin. Baja Bikes has Dutch-speaking guides who’ve lived in Dublin for years, making it easy for everyone to understand. This is a great outing for anyone who wants to learn about the city and, afterward, get the best tips from the guides on great restaurants, pubs, and much more. It’s also a fun, interesting outing for teens, making it perfect for the whole family to kick off their city trip.

Exploring the City Center on Foot

After learning so much about Dublin on the bike tour, we set out on our own to explore the city center on foot. We were able to put the tips from the bike tour guide to good use as we explored the city center on our own. In addition to the well-known Temple Bar neighborhood with all its great pubs, we discovered many more local pubs. That’s also easier on the wallet ;). After visiting a few pubs, it started to rain. But what else would you expect—we are in Ireland, after all. We then headed into Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, since it’s an indoor mall. That way, even in the rain, you can still discover other great spots for shopping.

Having an afternoon drink at a unique pub

Once it had dried off a bit outside, we went looking for a nice pub to have an afternoon drink. We ended up at The Church. This café, bar, and restaurant is located in a beautiful, over 300-year-old church on the corner of Mary Street and Jervis Street. The location of this bar makes it a truly unique spot you shouldn’t miss in Dublin. 

Eating seafood at SOLE in the city center

For dinner, we chose a seafood restaurant. Dublin is right by the sea, so there’s no shortage of fresh fish! We chose the restaurant SOLE Seafood & Grill for our evening meal. We had a fantastic meal there with delicious fish and very friendly, excellent service. This is definitely a must-try if you want to enjoy a great meal out in Dublin.

Soaking up the evening atmosphere in Temple Bar

After dinner, we headed out to soak up the lively atmosphere in the famous Temple Bar neighborhood. There’s a pub in this neighborhood known simply as Temple Bar, but there are plenty of other great pubs with the same lively vibe in the area. This is Dublin’s premier nightlife district. We stopped by The Norseman pub, Fitzsimons Temple Bar, and, of course, we also checked out the most famous of them all: The Temple Bar Pub. At every pub, we enjoyed (Irish) live music and a pint of Guinness. Temple Bar is definitely a must-visit for a night out soaking up the atmosphere in Dublin.

Morning Walk in Howth: Cliff Walk and Fresh Fish

On our second and final full day in Dublin, we kicked off the day with a lovely morning walk in the coastal town of Howth. There’s a harbor here, and further along is a beautiful walking trail along the cliffs with plenty of greenery. So you walk through a lovely combination of greenery, sea, and hills. After our walk, which took about an hour, we found a nice little restaurant in the harbor for lunch. After a delicious lunch at The Pier House, we took the train (the DART) from Howth back to Dublin. It’s a lovely half-hour ride that cost us just €7 for four people—fast, cheap, and very comfortable. Within Dublin itself, Uber is very convenient. So that’s definitely a good tip if you want to go somewhere that’s not within walking distance.

Sunday Afternoon in the City

On Sunday afternoon, Dublin was very crowded because of the Bon Jovi concert that was scheduled for that evening at Croke Park. We were also in Dublin for the concert, but we still had an afternoon to fill. Of course, there’s plenty of shopping to do in Dublin in the afternoon, so that’s what we did for a bit. Afterward, we walked toward Croke Park to soak up some of the atmosphere at the pubs located outside the city center. We ended up at Kennedy’s Pub on Lower Drumcondra Road. This is a really great pub for soccer fans, because the many screens hanging in the pub show plenty of live Premier League matches. So it’s a great tip if you’re in Dublin on the weekend and love soccer. 

Tips from Dublin Locals

Had enough of the crowded Temple Bar area but still want to grab a drink at a pub? No problem at all—below, I’ve listed the best tips from locals for pubs and restaurants.

For live music

• O’Donoghue’s Pub —a legendary Irish music pub, once home to The Dubliners.
• The Cobblestone Pub —an authentic Irish music pub.
• Devitt’s Pub – great pub food downstairs, live music upstairs.

For a drink

• The Royal Oak – worth seeking out if you’re near Kilmainham Gaol or the Royal Hospital.
• Bar 1661– great cocktails.
• Toners Pub – a real old-school pub.

For good pub food

• Caribou – a pub with an excellent roast dinner and fish & chips.
• Arthur’s Pub – on the way to the Guinness Brewery, for a good Irish stew with a pint.

Of course, these are just a few of the many great spots in Dublin. Want to explore more? Be sure to start by discovering the city on the Baja Bikes bike tour to get the best tips from the guides. That way, you’ll get the most out of your trip to Dublin.

In conclusion

As far as we’re concerned, Dublin is a wonderful destination for a weekend getaway. The city is compact enough to explore much of it on foot, yet large enough to discover new places every day. Add to that a bike tour, a few good pubs, great food, and a walk along the cliffs of Howth, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a successful city trip, in our opinion.

Photo credits: OpstapmetLisa