Dublin, Ireland is a charming city full of Irish music, delicious Guinness Beer and the most friendliest of people. It was the FIRST country I ever visited. I was instantly charmed and years later I embarked on a solo adventure there. It felt homey, safe and was relatively affordable. Here are a couple restaurants, bars, sweet shops and adventures I enjoyed and thought were worth mentioning. 

Sweets & Treats

The Queen of Tarts– An Irish cafe & cake shop. Enjoy delicious tarts and pies inside the café or on the outdoor patio.

Aunt Nellie’s Sweet Shop- If you have a sweet tooth, visiting this sweetshop is a must. An abundance of candy, fudge, bon bons and more lined from ceiling to floor.

Mentionable Restaurants

Third Space Smithfield- A cute and quaint restaurant best known for their brunch. They have books and newspapers spread around for reading. They encourage their guests to mingle with each other.

Cafe Oscar’s Bar- Cafe Oscar’s Bar has an intimate decor and outdoor patio. They make some of the best Fish and Chips and local Irish Beer. Best known for their lunch and dinner.

Temple Bar

Temple Bar is a popular strip of nightclubs, bars and restaurants. Located south of the River Liffey, it’s a popular spot for locals and tourist. During the weekdays the bars tend to close early around midnight. The weekends are when it’s most crowded.

The Quay- Located in Temple Bar, The Quay is one of my favorites. Fresh Beer on tap and live music nightly.

Mezz Temple Bar- Stop by this bar for DJs, live music and dancing!

The Brazen Bar

Worth a visit for it’s history alone. The Brazen Bar is the oldest pub in Dublin dating back to 1198. It gets really busy during the weekends. Great for meeting new tourists and locals! 

Guinness Storehouse

If you like beer.. this is the place for you! If you visit Dublin without going to the Guinness Storehouse, did you really visit?

What to expect: Tours of EVERYTHING Guinness. Tickets start at 17.50 Euros. You can walk through in 15 min to 3 hours, depending on how curious you are.

Tasting Room- A room that is chilled to enhance your taste buds. The Guides in this room will teach you how to properly taste Guinness.

World of Advertising- A look at Guinness advertisements through the years of print, digital and TV. My personal favorite being “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” Ground breaking material!

Guinness Academy- This floor, Guides walk you through how to properly pour a fresh Guinness that you get to keep and drink!

Gravity Bar- The highest floor of the Brewery which overlooks the whole city of Dublin. Grab another Guinness, a seat if you can get one and enjoy the view!

Powerscourt Mall

A shopping mall in the heart of Dublin I luckily stumbled upon. The center of the mall is a mix of different restaurants and cafes. The perimeter of the building has shops from international retailers, antiques and hair and beauty salons.  

Grafton Street

Located in the center of Dublin, Grafton Street is filled with plenty of retail shopping options. It was cool before Ed Sheeran wrote about it. Here you can find shops filled with books, arts and crafts, electronics, home goods, music, clothing, shoes and plenty more!

Commuting around Dublin

Walking- Wear comfortable shoes and you can practically walk around the whole city of Dublin.

Bus- A cheap way to get around. Download “Dublin Bus” in the App Store for the latest schedule.

Not recommended-  They drive on the opposite side of the road, from the right side of the car. Unless you’re comfortable with that, I wouldn’t recommend a car rental. You can easily travel by foot or bus. 

Tipping

Bartenders: Not expected

Taxi: Not expected but you can round up the fare.

Restaurant with table service: 10-12%

Hotel porter- 1-2 Euros per bag

Hotel housekeeping- 1-2 Euros per night.

Outlet

The plugs are different from the US. Purchase a power converter and plug adaptor. Ireland’s electrical supply is 230v and without a converter, your appliance will likely short circuit.