A short history of Dublin
The name Dublin comes from the Irish dubh linn, meaning black pool. The pool lay where the River Poddle met the Liffey. Today the Dubh Linn Garden behind Dublin Castle marks the spot.
Vikings set up a settlement here in the 9th century, and excavations at Wood Quay turned up streets they left behind. For centuries the city was the seat of English rule in Ireland. The Georgian squares and brick houses with coloured doors built in the 18th century show the wealth of that era.
During the 1916 Easter Rising, the rebels made the General Post Office on O'Connell Street their headquarters. The rising was put down within a week. The war of independence followed in the next years, and the Irish Free State was founded in 1922. The GPO Witness History exhibition inside the post office tells the story of that week, and the building still works as a post office.
Dublin neighbourhoods
The Liberties is the city's old working-class quarter. The Guinness Storehouse, whiskey distilleries opened in recent years and weekend markets are here, and so are pubs away from the tourist crowds.
At Grand Canal Dock, glass office blocks have replaced the old quays. You can have a coffee while watching people canoe and row in the canal basin.
Ranelagh is a village-like neighbourhood on the Luas green line. The restaurants and wine bars on its main street are where Dubliners go for a weekday dinner.
Phibsborough, to the north, is close to Glasnevin Cemetery and the Botanic Gardens. With neighbourhood pubs and new cafés, local life goes on here.
Clontarf has a long seafront path along the bay. Cross the wooden bridge out to Bull Island and you can walk on the beach.
Where to stay
- Temple Bar: The pub and live-music hub, good for nightlife but noisy.
- Grafton Street / St Stephen's Green: Next to the shopping street and park, walking distance to museums.
- Smithfield / Stoneybatter: Relaxed area with local pubs, linked by the Luas tram.
- Portobello: Quiet canal-side area with plenty of cafés and restaurants.
- Connolly / IFSC: Close to trains, the Luas and airport buses, which makes it a practical base.
- Ballsbridge: Quiet, leafy and upscale area with embassies.
When to visit Dublin
The most pleasant time is May to September. Days are 15-20 °C, and in June it gets dark after 22:00. Rain can come in any season in Dublin, so keep a light rain jacket in your bag in summer too.
On St Patrick's Day, 17 March, the city turns green and the parade goes down O'Connell Street. That week hotels are both full and expensive. On Bloomsday, 16 June, people celebrating James Joyce's Ulysses take to the streets in period costume.
November to February is 4-9 °C, with short, grey days. Since most museums are free, even a rainy winter day stays full. December brings live music and Christmas crowds to the pubs, and January and February are the months with the most reasonable hotel prices.
Food culture in Dublin
A full Irish breakfast comes with sausages, bacon (rashers), eggs, black and white pudding, with soda bread on the side. At lunchtime it's Irish stew with lamb or beef in a pub, and in the late afternoon a plate of fish and chips. Dublin's own coddle is an old working-class dish of sausages, bacon and potatoes simmered together. Boxty, a potato pancake, and creamy seafood chowder turn up often too.
Dubliners eat lunch between 12:30 and 14:30 and dinner around 18:00-21:30. In a pub you go to the bar for your drink, and waiting while the Guinness is poured in two stages is part of it. In a restaurant, 10-15% is left if the bill shows no service charge.
Dublin trip budget
Yes, Dublin is one of Europe's expensive cities. What inflates the bill is mainly the hotel, and a reasonable room in the centre is hard to find. In 2026 you spend 90-130 € a day with a hostel bed and supermarket shopping, 200-320 € with a mid-range hotel and pub meals, and 450 € and up with a good hotel and restaurants. A pint of Guinness in the centre is 6-8 €, more in Temple Bar.
With a Leap Card, a 90-minute journey on buses and the Luas is around 2 €, more if you pay cash. The Guinness Storehouse is 26-30 € online, and the Book of Kells exhibition at Trinity College 20-25 €.
The National Gallery, the branches of the National Museum, the Chester Beatty Library and the Natural History Museum, known as the Dead Zoo, are free. Seeing the deer in Phoenix Park costs nothing either.
Prices are approximate as of October 2026.
Build your route on the Dublin map