The Mini Rough Guide to Dublin (Travel Guide eBook)

By Rough Guides

This pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do, what to see and how to get around Dublin. It covers top attractions like Temple Bar and tours of Georgian Dublin, as well as hidden gems, including The Book of Kells, the National Gallery and Christchurch Cathedral, as well as a once in a lifetime trip to the beautiful Wicklow Mountains and exploring the shopping delights of Grafton Street, or roaming around Dublin Castle and Phoenix Park. This will save you time, and enhance your exploration of this fascinating city. This title has been fully updated post-COVID-19.

This Mini Rough Guide to Dublin covers: Grafton Street and around; Old Dublin; Georgian Dublin; North of the river; Excursions around the city in County Dublin

In this travel guide you will find:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER
Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Dublin, from cultural explorations to family activities in child-friendly places or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas.

TOP TEN ATTRACTIONS
Covers the destination's top ten attractions not to miss and a Perfect Day/Tour itinerary suggestions.

COMPACT FORMAT
Compact, concise, and packed with essential information, with a sharp design and colour-coded sections, this is the perfect on-the-move companion when you're exploring Dublin.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS
Includes an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture.

WHAT TO DO
Detailed description of entertainment, shopping, nightlife, festivals and events, and children's activities.

PRACTICAL MAPS
Handy colour maps on the inside cover flaps will help you find your way around.

PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATION
Practical information on eating out, including a handy glossary and detailed restaurant listings, as well as a comprehensive A-Z of travel tips on everything from getting around to health and tourist information.

STRIKING PICTURES
Inspirational colour photography throughout.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: May 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781839058066

Rough Guides

Rough Guides are written by expert authors who are passionate about both writing and travel. They have detailed knowledge of the areas they write about--having either traveled extensively or lived there--and their expertise shines through on every page. It's priceless information, delivered with wit and insight, providing the down-to-earth, honest read that is the hallmark of Rough Guides.

Book preview

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HOW TO USE THIS E-BOOK

Getting Around this e-Book

This Rough Guide Mini e-book is designed to inspire you and help you plan for your visit to Dublin, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Highlights, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan an unforgettable trip. The Introduction and History and Culture chapters give the lowdown on Dublin, past and present, while the Out and About chapter is a comprehensive guide to all the best sights. You will find ideas for getting active in Things to Do, while the Food and Drink chapter introduces you to the local cuisine and gives listings of our favourite restaurants by area. Travel Essentials offers just that; practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, Where to Stay provides a special selection of hotels for every budget.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Dublin are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Dublin. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Rough Guides:

Published in 1982, the first Rough Guide – to Greece – was created by Mark Ellingham and a small group of friends who couldn’t find a guidebook to meet their needs. Combining a contemporary, journalistic style with a thoroughly practical approach to travellers’ needs, the immediate success of the book spawned a series that rapidly covered dozens of destinations. These days, Rough Guides include recommendations from budget to luxury and cover more than 120 destinations worldwide, all regularly updated by our team of ever curious, roaming writers. These Rough Guide Minis may be small, but they are packed with information and inspiration and offer amazing value for money.

© 2022 Apa Digital AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd.

Table of Contents

10 Things Not To Miss

A Perfect Day in Dublin

Overview

City on the Liffey

Enjoying Dublin

City and Countryside

History and Culture

Christianity and A Mission To Europe

The Vikings Arrive

English Rule Begins

Beyond The Pale

From Cromwell To The Boyne

Grattan and Wolfe Tone

The Union and O’Connell

Famine and Home Rule

The Fight for Freedom

Independence and After

Out and About

Around Grafton Street

Trinity College

Dawson and Kildare Streets

St Stephen’s Green

Old Dublin

Temple Bar

Dublin Castle

Christ Church Cathedral and Environs

Guinness Brewery and Beyond

The Liberties

St Patrick’s Cathedral

Georgian Dublin

Merrion Square

Fitzwilliam Square and Beyond

North of the River

Along the Quays

O’Connell Street

Parnell Square

Phoenix Park

Excursions

South of the City

West of the City

North of the City

Things To Do

Pubs

Shopping

Shopping Centres

Markets

What To Buy

Entertainment

Theatre

Comedy

Classical Music and Opera

Rock, Folk and Jazz

Dance

Film

Nightclubs

Sports

Golf

Fishing

Spectator Sports

Watersports/Beaches

Dublin For Children

Food and Drink

Meals and Meal Times

Where To Eat

Cafés and Tearooms

What To Eat

Starters and Main Courses

Bread, Pastries and Desserts

Drinks

Where To Eat

City Centre South

Old Town/Liberties

Temple Bar

City Centre North

South Suburbs

Outside Dublin

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airports

B

Bicycle Rental

Budgeting for Your Trip

C

Car Hire

Climate

Clothing

Crime and Safety

D

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies and Consulates

Emergencies

G

Getting There

Guided Tours

H

Health and Medical Care

Holidays

L

Language

LGBTQ Travellers

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening Hours

P

Police

Post Offices

Public Transport

T

Telephones

Time Zones

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist Information

Travellers with Disabilities

V

Visas

W

Websites and Internet Access

Y

Youth Hostels

Where To Stay

City Centre

North of The Centre

South of The Centre

South Coast

10 THINGS NOT TO MISS

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1. O’Connell Street

Dublin’s grand boulevard, studded with monuments and statues, and the iconic General Post Office. For more information, click here.

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2. Kilmainham Gaol

Learn about life behind bars and what brought prisoners here. For more information, click here.

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3. The Guinness Storehouse tour

Find out all about brewing and sample the freshest pint in town. For more information, click here.

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4. The Custom House

One of Dublin’s most elegant landmarks dominates the north bank of the Liffey. For more information, click here.

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5. Trinity College

Dublin’s University has a string of famous alumni and owns treasures such as the Book of Kells. For more information, click here.

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6. Phoenix Park

One of the biggest urban parks in Europe, with gardens, woods, monuments, and a zoo. For more information, click here.

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7. National Gallery

Home to a collection of works from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. For more information, click here.

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8. Temple Bar

A network of narrow cobbled streets with lively bars and interesting markets. For more information, click here.

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9. Christ Church

One of the city’s two major cathedrals. For more information, click here; the other is St Patrick’s. For more information, click here.

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10. Dublin Castle

The centre of English rule in Ireland for seven centuries. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Day IN DUBLIN

8:30am

Breakfast. Sweet or savoury, Lemon Crepe & Coffee Co (66 South William Street) has an array of breakfast crepes, pancakes, Belgian waffles and exceptional coffee that will set you up perfectly for a day of sightseeing.

9:30am

City treasures. Walk north on William Street South and on to St Andrews Street – Dublin’s famous fishwife ‘Molly Malone’ is on the corner. Continue along Church Street, then turn on to College Green to get to Trinity College. By arriving early you should avoid the crowds that flock to see the magnificent library and its illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells.

11:30am

Oriental Café. Walk up Grafton Street and relax over a coffee at Bewley’s, surrounded by the stained-glass windows of this art-deco icon.

12 noon

Exploration. Browse the Grafton Street shops as you proceed south towards St Stephen’s Green. After a stroll on the green, head along the north side, perhaps investigating curios at The Little Museum of Dublin, then turn left onto Kildare Street for Leinster House, the Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, and the National Library of Ireland. Turn left on to Molesworth Street and left on to Dawson Street for lunch at Café en Seine (39–40 Dawson Street).

2:30pm

To the river. Turn left at the bottom of Dawson Street and veer around the front of Trinity College on to Westmoreland Street. At the end turn left to take a stroll along the River Liffey, pausing to glance at the charming Ha’Penny Bridge. Continue and turn left up Winetavern Street just beyond the Civic Offices.

3:30pm

Major landmarks. At the top of the street is Christ Church Cathedral, it is well worth a visit. Then make your way via Christchurch Place and Lord Edward Street for a peek at Dublin Castle.

5:00pm

Pit-stop. Cross the road from the castle and go back up the hill. Turn into Cow’s Lane with its craft shops and the Queen of Tarts, the perfect pit stop for tea and home-baked treats.

7:30pm

Evening meal. After freshening up at your hotel, return to Dame Street and Forno 500° (No. 74 – next door to the Olympia Theatre) for delicious Neapolitan sourdough pizza in a relaxed Dublin setting.

9:30pm

On the town. Turn left out of the restaurant and take the second left on to Eustace Street. This takes you into the heart of Temple Bar where the streets come alive after dark and live music fills the air of its legendary traditional pubs.

Overview

Dublin is a fast-paced, youthful city – Ireland has the youngest population in Europe – and is home to over a quarter of the country’s total population. The city pulsates with culture, creativity, and history. At night, Dublin’s streets are lively with revellers who pour into the city’s pubs, bars, clubs, and theatres. By day, people throng the popular shopping streets, cafés, restaurants, galleries, and museums.

The city’s character is infused with both Irish charm, proverbial Irish hospitality has not been lost in Dublin’s increasing bustle, and European sophistication. The fusion of Irish and international, is celebrated in Dublin’s spectacular modern architecture; the sleek harp-like Samuel Beckett Bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in conjunction with Dublin engineering firm Roughan O’Donovan; and Daniel Libeskind’s Grand Canal Theatre, the beating heart of the regenerated Docklands area.

Dublin sits on over a thousand years of history; the city’s roots are in fourth century Áth Cliath (Hurdled Ford), seventh century monastic Duiblinn (Blackpool), ninth century Viking longphuirt and the resultant eleventh century Hiberno-Norse town. Its history is written in its buildings, from the Anglo-Norman walls of the old city; the derelict Georgian mansions of Henrietta Street; to the bullet holes riddling the General Post Office.

If one foot is in the past, the other is firmly in the present – Dublin has evolved its own new culture, infused with