UltimateCity Guide Dublin
Our favourites
The Ha’penny Bridge spanning the Liffey under a summer sky, with the quays on either side The Campanile in Front Square, Trinity College Dublin The cliffs of Howth Head above Dublin Bay

The city guide to Dublin, Ireland

Best of Dublin

Trinity and the Book of Kells, the Georgian squares and their doors, The Shelbourne on the Green, pubs where the music starts at nine, the 2026 MICHELIN stars and the DART along the bay to Howth and Dalkey: Dublin, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyGeorgian squares, red-brick Dublin 4 and the coast, and the official steps

Dublin, a city of squares, stories and the sea

Dublin is a city built on words and water: a Viking harbour on the Liffey, a Georgian capital of squares and fanlights, a university that keeps the Book of Kells, and a bay that runs from the cliffs of Howth to the granite piers of Dún Laoghaire. Here are the grand hotels and the 2026 MICHELIN stars, the museums, the theatres and the pubs, ten neighbourhoods from Georgian Dublin to Malahide, and day trips to Wicklow, the Boyne Valley, Kildare and Kilkenny. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Dublin, a city of Vikings, Georgians and writers

In depth

Vikings, Georgians and writers

Dublin·In depth

From the Viking harbour and the medieval cathedrals to the Georgian squares and the coast: how to read Dublin.

Read the story

Dublin by area

From the Georgian squares to the piers of the bay, each part of Dublin has its own guide: the squares and grand hotels, Grafton Street and the Creative Quarter, the old city and the Liberties, Smithfield and the north side, the Docklands, Dublin 4, the canal villages, and Howth, Dalkey and Malahide by the sea.

Red, blue and yellow Georgian doors under fanlights on a brick terraceArea guideGeorgian DublinSquares and fanlightsThe mahogany staircase and crystal chandelier of the Powerscourt TownhouseArea guideGrafton Street & the Creative QuarterShops, buskers and barsA rose of raw fish with sea grapes and herbs in a ridged earthenware bowl at D’Olier StreetArea guideTemple Bar, the Old City & the LibertiesA thousand yearsThe cobbled expanse of Smithfield, with the old Jameson chimneyArea guideSmithfield & the North SideMusic and the parkGrand Canal Dock: the water, the pontoons and the old mill buildingsArea guideThe DocklandsThe new quarter

By DART

The DART runs the length of Dublin Bay, from Howth and Malahide in the north to Dún Laoghaire and Dalkey in the south: the coast is part of the city.

  1. Area guideBallsbridge & DonnybrookRed-brick Dublin 4
  2. Area guideRanelagh & PortobelloThe canal villages
  3. Area guideHowthHarbour and headland
  4. Area guideDalkey & Dún LaoghairePiers, the Forty Foot and Killiney Hill
  5. Area guideMalahideCastle by the sea

Plan your trip

What to know before you land: the coaches from the airport, the Leap Visitor Card, what is closed in late 2026, and itineraries for a first visit and a weekend.

The River Liffey running east through Dublin towards the Custom HouseBefore you goDublin essentialsEntry, money, seasons and emergenciesA Luas tram approaching Blackhorse stop on the Red LineGetting aroundBy Luas, DART and busFrom the airport to the bayThe barrel-vaulted oak ceiling of the Long Room in Trinity College’s Old LibraryItineraryThree days in DublinThe classic first visitThe red-brick and stucco front of The Shelbourne on St Stephen’s GreenLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe Horseshoe Bar at The Shelbourne: red leather banquettes, brass-railed tables and pleated lamps against red wallsItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Shelbourne and afternoon tea
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Merrion and Patrick Guilbaud

Our advice

Book Trinity for the first slot

Entry to the Book of Kells Experience is timed and sells out: book the first slot of the morning online, then walk out through Front Square into the waking city. The Book of Kells Experience

Beyond Dublin

Wicklow’s glens and gardens, the passage tombs of the Boyne Valley, the horses and great houses of Kildare, and Kilkenny’s castle, all within a day of Dublin.

The Upper Lake at Glendalough between the steep wooded sides of the glenBeyond DublinWicklowGlendalough and the great gardensThe white quartz wall of the Newgrange passage tombBeyond DublinThe Boyne ValleyNewgrange, Tara and TrimJapanese maples beside the lake at the Irish National Stud’s gardensBeyond DublinKildareHorses, gardens and great houses
  1. Beyond DublinKilkennyThe medieval city

Our advice

Give a fine day to the bay

When the sun comes out, take the DART: north to Howth for the cliff path and lunch by the harbour, or south to Dún Laoghaire for the piers and the walk to the Forty Foot. Howth

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Dublin in your inbox

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In depth: the stories behind Dublin

The city’s thousand years, its writers and players, its tables and grand hotels, the DART along the bay and how buying works: the stories behind Dublin.

Christmas & New YearChristmas in DublinWild Lights, ice and a session before the holidaysThe Samuel Beckett Bridge and Sir John Rogerson’s Quay reflected in the Liffey at duskFeatureDublin, the classic and the newGeorgian squares and the new docksThe lit glass front of the Abbey Theatre at nightThe back storyWriters, painters and playersThe Abbey to MoLI

Across the water with the ULTIMATE guides

Across the water with the ULTIMATE guides: London and Brighton, the great train journeys and the ships that call at Dublin Port.

A green DART train bound for Howth at Grand Canal Dock stationULTIMATE LondonLondonAcross the Irish SeaULTIMATE BrightonBrightonThe south coast of England

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

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Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 81 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

From the readers: where they heard the best session, which square they walked first, and what they would book again in Dublin.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    This week's pick

    The Book of Kells Experience

    Trinity College·Library and museum

    Book the first slot of the morning at Trinity for the Book of Kells and the Long Room, then walk out through Front Square into the city.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    Coliemore Harbour at Dalkey, with Dalkey Island beyondItineraryA day on the bay: Dún Laoghaire, the Forty Foot and DalkeyOne dayThe dark oak bookcases of Marsh’s Library, a long gallery of 18th-century volumesItineraryLiterary Dublin: libraries, writers and pubsOne dayA red-brick Victorian house with a gabled dormer in BallsbridgeItineraryA property viewing day: the squares, Dublin 4 and the coastOne day
    1. ItineraryBy rail: Kilkenny from HeustonOne day, by train

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Eating in DublinDublin · In depth
    2. 2Restaurant Patrick GuilbaudMerrion Street · Restaurant
    3. 3Chapter One by Mickael ViljanenParnell Square · Restaurant
    See all 38

    Cafés

    1. 1The Lord Mayor’s LoungeSt Stephen’s Green · Afternoon tea
    2. 2Afternoon tea at The MerrionMerrion Street · Afternoon tea
    3. 3Brother HubbardCapel Street · Café
    See all 9

    Bars

    1. 1The Horseshoe BarSt Stephen’s Green · Hotel bar
    2. 2The SidecarGrafton Street · Hotel bar
    3. 3Vintage Cocktail ClubPowerscourt Townhouse · Cocktail bar
    See all 13

    Hotels

    1. 1The grand hotels of DublinDublin · In depth
    2. 2The ShelbourneSt Stephen’s Green · Grand hotel
    3. 3The MerrionMerrion Street · Grand hotel
    See all 17

    Sights

    1. 1Dublin, a city of Vikings, Georgians and writersDublin · In depth
    2. 2The Book of Kells ExperienceTrinity College · Library and museum
    3. 3Guinness StorehouseSt James’s Gate · Visitor experience
    See all 20

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Dublin, a city of writers, painters and playersDublin · In depth
    2. 2National Gallery of IrelandMerrion Square · Gallery
    3. 3IMMAKilmainham · Museum
    See all 34

    Parks

    1. 1St Stephen’s GreenSt Stephen’s Green · Park
    2. 2Merrion Square ParkMerrion Square · Park
    3. 3Iveagh GardensHarcourt Street · Garden
    See all 10

    Walks

    1. 1The Georgian squaresGeorgian Dublin · Self-guided walk
    2. 2The Liffey quaysThe quays · Self-guided walk
    3. 3The Howth Cliff PathHowth · Self-guided walk
    See all 7

    Shopping

    1. 1Brown ThomasGrafton Street · Department store
    2. 2ArnottsHenry Street · Department store
    3. 3Powerscourt Townhouse CentreSouth William Street · Shopping centre
    See all 13

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 112 or 999Ireland · Emergency
    2. 2St Vincent’s University HospitalElm Park · Hospital
    3. 3St James’s HospitalJames’s Street · Hospital
    See all 8

    Property

    1. 1Buying in DublinDublin · In depth
    2. 2PSRA: licensed agentsIreland · Regulator
    3. 3Residential Property Price RegisterIreland · Official register
    See all 10

    Developments

    1. 1MetroLinkAirport to Charlemont · Development
    2. 2DART+Greater Dublin · Development
    3. 3BusConnects DublinGreater Dublin · Development
    See all 8

    Driving

    1. 1Driving in IrelandIreland · Driving
    2. 2The M50 barrier-free toll: eFlowM50 · Driving
    3. 3Car hire at Dublin AirportDublin Airport · Driving
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1Dublin by Luas, DART and busDublin · In depth
    2. 2Dublin AirportCollinstown · Airport
    3. 3Dublin ExpressDublin Airport · Airport coach
    See all 14