A weekend in Dublin, low cost tips on what to see in the beautiful city of Ireland all in one post.
The Irish capital is reached by frequent flights Ryanair from Pisa airport and for us Tuscans the journey is therefore very easy. I don't need to tell you anything about Ryanair fares, I think, I decided everything a little late and I spent just over 100 euros but you can do better by having a better organized agenda than mine.
Once in Dublin go to the transport information desk, there are in fact several very advantageous cards. I opted for the Leap Visitor, a 72-hour prepaid card that allows a cost of 19,50 euros to travel on the Airlink 747 bus that takes you to the center, on the entire city bus network, on the LUAS (an urban tramway) and on the DART, i.e. a fast train , for example the coast. You can buy it at the SPAR shop right in the arrivals area of Terminal 1 (yours).
Dublin city center is not far and in about 40 minutes you can reach it, the bus leaves every 15 minutes and is immediately at the terminal exit; our accommodation, found on AIR BNB, proved to be very comfortable because it was very well served by bus lines or by LUAS.
As for the things to visit we did not miss the Trinity College, the ancient university campus that has the Old Library with the famous Book of Kells. Access to the Library costs 10 euros; I opted for the Walking Tour formula, that is the official guided tour with university students who for 13 euros (used to favor the campus) will explain many things. Departures are at fixed times and in groups, various languages (also Italian but not so frequent) but if you understand English, choose this tour to enjoy the extraordinary local sense of humor.
The ticket can be purchased at the main entrance and, as mentioned, also includes a visit to the illuminated code Book of Kells and the Old Library, a true temple of Irish knowledge and an environment of extraordinary charm. Look at the books on the shelves: they are ordered according to size, with an ancient cataloging system that allows you to find them based on the sector (defined by letters of the alphabet), the name of the shelf and the position of the book.
Among the low cost suggestions there is certainly also the National Gallery of Ireland, on the famous Merrion Square (a large square surrounded by Victorian-style houses, including that of Oscar Wilde). The museum houses Italian, Flemish, French Renaissance paintings, nineteenth and twentieth century works (Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso) as well as temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists and is free. On Thursdays, admission is allowed until 20,30pm, otherwise it closes early, at 17pm.
Among the things to see in Dublin there is of course the Guinness Storehouse, the exhibition set up inside the factory surrounded by high brown brick walls, where the dark, frothy and delicious stout beer is constantly brewed.
The entrance ticket, which it costs 16,20 euros per person, it can be purchased online and I would recommend it because the queues at the entrance are long. Instead, with the purchase from the site just go to the automatic machines, enter your booking code and the tickets are printed on the spot. The structure is very modern and the multimedia layout, there are many tourists, individuals and in groups, and the whole experience is very, as it were, Disney. The feeling is that people go there mainly to take pictures in front of the specially set up curtains and to enjoy the beer, which is served as a final reward in the circular bar on the top floor which offers a beautiful view over Dublin. Too critical? Okay, then I'll tell you to get the audio guide, it's free and included in the admission price.
Other monuments that you can see during your long weekend are the two Dublin cathedrals: Christchurch e Saint Patrick. They are not far from each other, the entrance ticket is 6 euros in each. Especially Saint Patrick is interesting because Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels was dean of the cathedral and is buried here.
In my three days in Dublin there was also a way to reach the sea, the island of Howth which is connected by the DART trains. With 30 minutes by train you arrive at this fishing village, where the wind blows strongly and sweeps the houses and moored boats. There are many fish shops on the pier, which sell and cook it for you, including the famous Beshoff who specializes in fish and chips and has another shop in the very central O'Connel Street. The trip is interesting because even if you are really close to the city you can breathe a more rural and seafaring air of Ireland, as well as being able to see the phenomenon of the tides.
If you are a shopping fanatic the main streets are O'Connel Street, with all the major international brands, Grafton Street, the Temple Bar area. There are many original shops, selling out of the ordinary items, clothes, trinkets, small bookstores - The winding staircase for example, on the River Liffey. I recommend not to miss a little visit to Powerscourt Townhouse center, a shopping center inside a Victorian building, on several floors, with some very interesting shops such as Article Design on the ground floor or the curious Dollstore on the top floor, where the doll clinic is also located. In the courtyard a nice cafe for a drink or a snack.
And we come to eating: wandering through the streets of Dublin you will see how many places there are, of different types and with various cuisines. You can eat in pubs for about 10 euros, not too sophisticated dishes or the famous fish and chips. There are cheap food shops for all tastes, from tapas to soups of the day to wraps filled with anything, where you can spend even less. For example, when I accidentally entered the St. George Arcade covered market in the Grafton Street area, I ate well and reasonably priced from Urban Picnic.
Take the River Liffey as a reference and enter the streets that cross it perpendicularly; parallel to the river is the area of Temple Bar, the most popular with young people with very crowded pubs. People take beer and drink it outside the club, in good company. You can change pubs every night and then… oh .. it's already Sunday.
