Ireland

Dublin and Surrounding Areas

Accommodation:
The Ariel House, a Dublin bed and breakfast near the Lansdowne Dart station, is very central to the city center via walking or the train. Cute rooms with amazing breakfasts!

Ariel House Bed and Breakfast

Dublin sights and activities

City Walks: Grafton Street is a large pedestrian walkway & shopping district with lots of pubs.

Temple Bar: The old quarter but unfortunately also very touristy. Some great old pubs here.

North of the Liffey River: Good shopping that’s kinder to your wallet, but it gets kind of sketchy at night. Also note the difference in accent on this side of the river with more “t’s” added to the end of sentences. For example “Meet me tonight at the bar…t”

Phoenix Park: Large and beautiful with plenty of places to enjoy nature and possibly see some deer strolling through the park or a rousing game of Cricket. There’s also a large zoo, one of the biggest in Europe.

Food & Drink: Soda bread, Dubliner cheese, Bulmer’s cider (in Pear and original on tap), lots of different whiskeys including different types of Jameson. If you order a whiskey and coke you will get Jameson, just as if you order a beer you will get a Guinness.

Sticking out as a tourist: Use your map only when you think you are conspicuous, sometimes this is hard. A drunk old man came up to us while we were in an alley and asked where we wanted to go and could tell we were American by our accents. “Oh American eh? Don’t ask me about the war!” But “Enjoy Dublin!”

Day trip to Bray

Town of Bray: About 30 minutes south of Dublin on the train. Small beach side town with a boardwalk and partly sandy and rocky beach. Bray head is a small mountain you can climb to get a panorama view of Dublin’s suburbs. Good day trip!

View of Bray head from Beach

Day trip to Glendalough

Glendalough is a Monastic village worth going to more for the nature and mountainous trails than the actual ruins themselves. Best to drive up there to enjoy the country side (public transit might be difficult) Beautiful and serene lakes and trees and an old mining town. Waterfall trail, high peak trail with views, and flat lake walks.

Glendalough bridge and flowers