Hello all,
We are planning a short three day trip to Dublin, Ireland. We, being my husband and I plus our three kids (16, 15, 10). This will be our first time in Ireland..any tips or ideas about intersting and exciting stuff to see or any great veggie restaurants? Thanks!

The Chester Beatty Library would be my recommendation.

I understand that there are also some public houses in the city which some people like to visit, and an interesting catering establishment by the name of Abrakebabra, in which entertainments are laid on most evenings.

Some like to visit Trinity College. The Library there is definitely worth checking out. Book of Kells, Tara Broach, etc.

But I'd recommend you get out of the city if you can. Newgrange is only a 40 minute drive from the city to the north. On the way back you could stop off at the Hill of Tara, then go across to the Hill of Skryne to the famous Mrs O's pub for a quiet pint of Guinness. To the south you have Glendalough and the Wicklow mountains.

Bewley's, in Grafton Street, is a must (like Sprungli, but with hospitality)

King Sitric, seafood to die for
.

http://www.thelobsterpot.ie/

Excellent restaurant in a trendy part of town. Also the bar in Jury's Hotel is good for some entertainment and great Guiness.

There's also a great little thai restaurant off Grafton street on Clarendon lane.

Saba

You'd definitely need to book ahead though

If you fancy a trip out to the north of the city I can highly recommend the Abbey Tavern in Howth - it was my late step grandads local and according to local legend they once turned down Bon Jovi plus entourage for a dinner reservation as they were fully booked and they didn't want to turn away the regulars

Oh and just as an afterthought try the Turks Head in Temple Bar it has some great mosaics and fab interior decor.

Hey there,

Govindas on Angiers St is a top notch and inexpensive spot for Veggie food. Templebar is to be avoided for grub as it's a bit of a tourist trap to say the least. The pubs there are more expensive than the rest of the city.

Everybody goes to see the Guinness storehouse but it's just a giant advertisement for the black stuff and not very interesting. If history is your thing than Dublin Castle and Trinity College can be done in an afternoon. The Chester Beatty library is beside Dublin castle and it is free and well worth it with some amazing exhibitions.

The National Museum and National Gallery, are part of the Leinster house complex, as is the 'dead zoo' the natural history museum. All free and well worth it.

Kilmainham Gaol on the outskirts of the city centre is also interesting.

The most extensive stretch of Georgian architecture in these isles is in Dublin and makes for a nice walk, from Trinity toward Fitzwilliam street.

If the weather is okay, and you want to get out of the city, head to Glendalough and the Wicklow mountains. They are south of the city and you can get a bus from Dawson street, St Kevin's bus, it leaves every morning.

North of the city, about 40 minutes by car, Newgrange is great but can be mobbed as it's become very popular. There is a lot of other stuff to see in the Boyne valley and Meath, and a very nice fella does tours in his cab of all the sites, called Harry Hall, just google him.

Dublin is a great city for walking, easy to get around and see most of the sites in a day or two. Ah, but museums closed Sundays and Mondays.

I am actually currently in Dublin, I'm from here, so anymore questions I'd be happy to help.

There was a similar thread to this one a few months ago, which may still be helpful: Sada's Grand Dublin Thread

Apologies that my list of recommendations is mostly bar-centric rather than items of significant cultural interest- I guess this says more about my wasted youth than I might care to admit.


Pubs/ Bars:
- In my opinion, Temple Bar is somewhere to stay away from in the evenings- it's an awful, grotty tourist trap. It is worth walking through to see during the day, but at night it is a messy place full of very very drunk gauche tourists (and indeed locals). The only place worth going for a drink in Temple Bar is The Octagon Bar in The Clarence Hotel. The hotel is owned by U2 you usually get a nice crowd there. They also have a very nice restaurant- The Tea Rooms- which you would have to book in advance.
- For the beautiful people, spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in The Cafe en Seine and in Ron Blacks on Dawson Street
- For a good late night bar, go to Dakota on South William Street or to Number 4 Dame Lane (which is on Dame Lane)
- For a chilled out late night bar, go to The Globe on Georges Street which is busy from about 19h every night of the week
- Good Nightclubs are Lillies Bordello on Grafton Street (but not until about 01h), Reynards on South Frederick Street which is a bar and a nightclub, and RiRa in Dame Court which gets a good crowd.
- For a good wine bar go to The Ely Wine Bar off St.Stephens Green
- For an excellent hotel bar, go to the bar of the Shelbourne on St.Stephens Green- especially on a Friday evening from about 19h
For traditional Irish bars, try:
- McDaids on Harry Street (off Grafton Street) and my own favourite bar (awesome Guinness)
- Kehoes on South Anne Street

Restaurants- depends on what you want:
- Pizza Stop is just off Grafton Street (around the corner from McDaids bar) and is a great, plastic tablecloth, unpretentious pizza, pasta and wine place. Pizza Stop is a really great way to start a night out.
- Milano is an Italian restaurant on Dawson Street, between the Cafe en Seine and Ron Blacks bars, it's big and bright and popular and it's the right price.
- Odessa is good European food, has a good cocktail bar, and again it's a good place to start a night out (2 minutes from Temple Bar)
- L'Ecrivain on Baggot Street is a top notch French style restaurant (it is also expensive)
- You'll find lots of walk-in-off-the-street restaurants all over Temple Bar- but you'll be getting tourist food at tourist prices.

Curiosities:
- Try The Dawson Lounge, close to Cafe En Seine and Ron Blacks- this is the smallest bar in Dublin. It's worth dropping into for a drink.
- Johnnie Foxes pub is the highest altitude bar in Ireland and might be worth a trip. It is a trek out of the city centre though- you will have to get a bus up there and a bus back http://www.jfp.ie/. Ask at your hotel for bus details- but be careful- don't miss the last bus back to the city centre or you will end up paying a fortune for a taxi back to the city!


Pubs and restaurants aside, when you are in Dublin, you might consider visiting:
- Trinity College Dublin, where you can see The Book of Kells and a lot of historic Irish art and artifacts (with the added bonus of visiting my alma mater)
- Kilmainham Gaol is a historic jail with brilliant tours taking you through the historic role of this jail in the transition to Irish Independence
- The Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham is just beside Kilmainham Gaol and is worth visiting
- Dun Laoghaire is a port town in South Dublin with a fabulous pier to walk and some nice restaurants and bars nearby
- The Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin are really beautiful and well worth a visit. Afterwards, go around the corner to The Tolka House and have a pint of Guinness
- Collins Barracks Museum is an old army barracks that has been converted to a fabulous museum
- Howth is a beautiful fishing port to the north of Dublin. Howth hill is a great walk with fantastic views over Dublin. Howth is also on the DART line (Dublins suburban rail public transport system)
- Near to Howth is Malahide which is a seaside town with fantastic beaches and a great pub called Gibneys which serves the best pint of Guinness in greater Dublin
– Powerscourt House, Powerscourt Gardens and waterfall, which is in Wicklow about 30 minutes from Dublin.


One word of warning- unfortunately there are pockets of problems in certain parts of Dublin where people with foreign accents can still be targets for crime. Sad but unfortunately true. So stay alert and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

I will never forget that Kilmainham Goal visit, its history is quite amazing.
Also, when I visited, there was a man in the crowd who had been a prisoner there himself which made it all even more bizarre ...

visitdublin.com/

I would also like to add, the people walking around in Dublin, are absolutely gorgeous !!!

I suggest you don't leave the airport in Dublin and instead get on an Aer Arann plane to take you to Galway.

Check this out
http://www.theirishhouseparty.ie/

i have been there and its so worth it. It will be a great night

The English accent being one of them ?????

Go on the bus tour and you can get around all of dublin very easily.

I think dod might need to do an update on some of those lovely infos there !!!

1. Vegetarian Cornucopia (http://www.cornucopia.ie/) is just off Grafton street and they have great food in a non-formal atmosphere. I still miss their soups.

2. Kilmainham jail is really interesting. Just make sure you are wearing warm footwear as it is freezing cold inside in winter !!! There is a bus from Aston Quay although you can take a cab as it is not that far.

3. There is a Georgian House that you can visit (http://www.esb.ie/main/about-esb/num...ne/default.htm) which I found interesting.

4. Guiness Storehouse -to me- was not so interesting as I don't drink and the factory is not in use at the moment. You mostly see videos of what used to happen. 1 pint or soft drinks are included in the entrance fee of about 15 Euro though and the view from the top is good.

5. Book of Kells in the Trinity College was "eh" but the library at the end of the tour is really lovely.

6. Most restaurants at the moment have an Early Bird menu for around 22 Euro per person.

7. You can take the train to Howth for an afternoon out to see the Seals. You can buy rotten fish from the nearby fishmongers no feed them. On a sunny day it is lovely there.

8. If you like shopping, you can go to Kildare Outlet Village. There is a shuttle that takes you there and back for about 10-15 Euro and you get 10 per cent discount. There are some outdoor sports outlets there. So you can buy discounted ski outfits.

9. Buses accept coins (no refund given) and you won't be allowed to board unless you have change. The bus issues a refund ticket that you can redeem in the Dublin Bus office in O'Connell street.

thanks so much everyone! we are off on Mlonday..and looking forward to following your suggestions

Dunmore Cave (on the road to Kilkenny)