VARIOUS ACTIVITIES
* Viking Splash Tours, tel: 01 7076000 / 4539185. run tours on the city and river in World War II amphibious craft - a bit different from your regular tour bus.
* Dublin Sightseeing. Hop on and off the open top bus tour around the city. Stops at all of the major tourist spots, and you can hop off and on as often as you like. The bus drivers are very funny too - a great way to get a feel for the layout of Dublin, and reasonable (especially if booked in advance with your hotel or ferry crossing).
* Dublin Ghostbus. A special theme tour provided by Dublin Bus. This tour takes you around Dublin's haunted sites on a gothic style-decorated theatre bus guided by live storytellers. Dublin Bus claims this tour is the only one of its kind in the world. In any case, a must for lovers of gothic tales, but not for the timid.
* The Zozimus Experience, 01 661 8646 ('info@zozimus.com'). A theatrical ghost tour of Dublin, guided by none other than the blind, early 20th century storyteller Zozimus. It departs nightly from Dublin Castle, at sun-down. Advance booking is required, and an exact meeting time will be given when you book.
* Historical Walking Tour of Dublin. Meet at the west gate to Trinity College. The tours are led by knowledgeable graduate students from the College who tell the story of Ireland's history during a ramble through the south side of the Liffey.
* The Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate, Dublin 8. Retells the story of Dublin's most famous drink. The exhibition is interesting and is self guided. The bar at the top of the Storehouse, the Gravity Bar, offers fantastic views of the city. The entry includes a pint of Guinness, which you receive at the bar. If the taste is a bit too bitter for you, ask for blackcurrant in your pint - but beware, this will upset the purists!
* Jameson Distillery - after the video, make sure you raise your hand because they pick four people to volunteer for taste testing later in the tour!
* Catch a hurling or gaelic football game at the sports headquarters, the 82,500 seater, state-of-the-art stadium, Croke Park. These sports are uniquely Irish. Hurling is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest field sport, with the ball (called a sliotar) reaching speeds above 130 kph. Gaelic football can best be described as a combination of soccer and rugby. To keep the sports "pure," it maintains an amateur status, with each parish in Ireland having a team - the inter-county games are generally extremely well-supported, so you may have difficulty getting tickets for the bigger matches. Tours of the GAA museum and the stadium are also available, including a chance to try your hand at the sports themselves [19].
* The local tourist board, Dublin Tourism, has an excellent series of free audio guides called "iWalks" which are available as a podcast or you can download them individually from their site. They also feature the voice of local historian Pat Liddy. Some of them have PDF maps of the city that you can also download. If you're equipped with an MP3 player they are a great way to discover the city on foot.
BUY
Dublin's main shopping street is the (mostly) pedestrianised Grafton Street, which runs between St. Stephen's Green and Trinity College. On this street can be found Dublin's most famous (and expensive) department store, Brown Thomas, along with a wide range of clothing shops, jewellers, photo shops, etc. Alongside the historic Trinity College you will find Nassau Street where there are many shops selling tourist related items such as Waterford Crystal, Belleek Pottery, Aran sweaters and other Irish craft items. Shops to look out for selling these items include House of Ireland, Blarney Woollen Mills and Kilkenny Design.
The Powerscourt Centre, just off Grafton Street, is one of Dublin's most attractive shopping centres, set in a beautifully restored 18th century town house. Here you will find clothes, cafes, galleries and Irish designer jewellers. Beware the overpriced antique dealers, some of whom will drop a price by 50% after only the merest suggestion that you are willing to haggle (and it still may not be a bargain!). For gifts, there is an engraving business based in the centre next to the Bonsai tree shop. Leaving Powerscourt via the ornate steps on to South William Street, you will find yourself facing a small pedestrianised street called Castle Market, which leads to a covered red-brick shopping arcade known alternatively as the Market Arcade or the George's Street Arcade. This area is worth a visit for vintage clothing, fabrics, unusual accessories, vinyl and clubwear, and also features some small cafes.
There is also an extensive shopping area on the Northside of the river, centred on O'Connell Street and Henry Street. Clery's (O'Connell Street) and Arnotts (Henry Street) are large department stores each with a long history. Two large shopping centres, The Jervis Centre, and the ILAC, are also on Henry Street. The latter also houses Dublin's Central Public Library. Just off Henry Street is Moore Street, which has a fruit, vegatable and fish market, worth a stroll if you want to get a slice of life from the less gentile side of Dublin. At the top of Henry Street on Parnell Street is Chapters Bookshop, which has a massive selection of books at generally cheaper prices than other highstreet stores, as well as a large second hand section. Especially great for 'coffee table' style art books.
For those for whom it just wouldn't be a holiday without hanging out at the mall, there are various shopping centres located around Dublin, including Blanchardstown (39 and 70 bus routes), Liffey Valley, and The Square in Tallaght (red luas to the end of the line). The largest shopping centre in Europe is the recently opened Dundrum Town Centre, which is served by the green Luas tramline from St. Stephen's Green. It was awarded the title of best Shopping Mall in the World 2006.
Dublin is not cheap for general shopping, although visitors from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT (sales tax - 21%) on their purchases. Just look for the refund sign and ask in the shop for details. Keep in mind that most stores will only issue VAT refund vouchers on the same day of purchase. There is fairly extensive duty-free shopping at Dublin Airport, at prices which are sometimes cheaper than the rest of the city.
EAT
Dublin has a wide range of good quality restaurants, most of which are, however, horribly overpriced by European standards. Main course prices range from €10 at the lower end up to around €40 at the higher end. Wine in restaurants is generally marked up from its already expensive retail price by a factor of at least two, and three times retail price would not be uncommon.
There are many excellent-value Indian restaurants around the South William Street area, parallel to Grafton Street; these often have particularly good value lunch and 'early bird' deals, offering 3 course meals for around €10. Quality is high - particularly to be recommended are the Khyber Tandoori on South William Street and Shalimar on South Great Georges Street. Also excellent is Surma on Camden Street and "Govindas" on Georges street for very cheap Hari-Krishna vegan food.
A similar multi-cultural hotspot is Parnell Street (O'Connell St- Gardiner St) which has a dense concentration of Chinese and Asian restaurants extensively frequented by the ex-pat communities.
SNACK
* Bewleys, Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Dublin's most famous Coffee Shop. Hang-out over the years of U2, Bob Geldof, and James Joyce.
* Bar Italia, 4 branches - Wood Quay, Powerscourt Townhouse, Ormond Quay and the Epicurean Foodhall. Best coffee in town. Real Italian coffee with mostly Italian staff. Excellent panini and antipasto. Good value place with great atmosphere.
LUNCH
* Cafe Bar Deli, South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2 and Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Excellent value. Always busy. Pastas, pizzas and salads.
* Elephant and Castle, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Nationally-famous chicken wings, extremely busy lunchtime on Saturdays (you could be waiting for up to 2 hours), only order a basket of chicken wings to yourself if you're very hungry!
* Lemon Crèpe Company, South William Street, Dublin 2. Good value filled crèpes for around €4 (American style rather than French) and some of the best coffee in Dublin.
* Dunne & Crescenzi, South Frederick Street, Dublin 2. Delightful Italian lunch spot, open until around 8pm, but arrive early if you want to get a seat - or be prepared for a long wait. Antipasto Misto €6.50, Paninis from €4. Glass of house wine €3.50.
DINNER
* Bella Cuba, 11 Ballsbridge Terrace, Ballsbridge, Dublin 2. Ireland's only Cuban restaurant where the lack of competition hasn't affected the quality. Excellent food served in a fabulous Cuban atmosphere with great music. Don't forget to try the extensive cocktail list. This restuarant is very small so book in advance.
* Siam Thai, Andrew Street, Dublin 2. This city centre restaurant is part of a group of three, the others being in Malahide and Ballsbridge. Gorgeous Thai cuisine served by staff in traditional Thai costume, nice surroundings, if maybe a little on the tacky side. Nonetheless a great Thai gastro experience.
* Bang Cafe, 11 Merrion Row, Dublin 2. A great cosmopolitan menu in a well established setting. Although a little on the expensive side, the food and presentation is excellent.
* Kites, 15-17 Ballsbridge Terrace Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. great combination of Cantonese (predominant dish), Szechuan, Peking and Thai with an extensive wine list. Excellent choice for the more discerning diner with great attention paid by the friendly, professional waiters in very rich surroundings and decor. Well worth a visit.
* Il Baccaro, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Good value and atmospheric Italian restaurant set in a vaulted cellar under the Irish Film Institute. Mains around €10-15 - particularly to be recommended is the sausages and beans.
* Johnnie Fox's Pub, Glencullen, Dublin Mountains. Dating from the 18th century, the highest pub in Ireland is also one of the best for seafood. Great atmospere with traditional live Irish bands and friendly staff. Food is excellent, so is the craic. Main courses €15-20. Its a bit far (15 km) from the city, but you can get a good view of the city by night on your drive up to the restaurant. Unfortunately, this place is a notorious tourist trap.
* Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2. Two Michelin stars, outrageously expensive, probably very good. Lunch menus are a bit more affordable.
DRINK
No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one (or ten) of its many pubs. Drink is relatively expensive: a pint of stout costs around €4 and up, while lager costs around €4.50 and up. However, the government gave a tax break to microbrewed beer in the December 2004 budget, this had a slight effect on prices in brewpubs. Pubs are open until 11.30pm during the week (although many bars have late licenses up to 3am), and as late as around 3am on weekends, depending on the pub. Smoking has been illegal in Irish pubs (as well as all indoor workplaces) since March 2004; this has had the positive side effect of increasing al fresco facilities. Beer tends to be more expensive around the Temple Bar area, due to the increased tourist flow, and will be cheaper in more traditional styled pubs.
The Temple Bar that people often speak of is an area that used to be a sand bar. There is also a street named 'Temple Bar ' with a pub named "The Temple Bar" in the "Temple Bar area" of Dublin. The Temple Bar district has a mixture of food, drink, shopping and music. It appeals to all ages, but is a hot spot for tourists. The narrow, cobble stoned streets gives it an original feeling within the heart of the city. Its central location also makes it easy to walk to from Dublins Centre. However, late night revellers tend to make it an unpleasant place to be after dark. It can be taken over by drunken stag and boisterous hen parties, many who travel cheaply from the United Kingdom to avail of Temple Bar's delights!
TRADDITIONAL
* O'Donoghue's, Baggot Street, Dublin 2. famous for impromptu live music.
* Grogan's, South William Street, Dublin 2. Great bar which advertises artist's work (all for sale) on its walls.
* The Brazen Head, Bridge Street, Dublin 2.
* O'Shea's, Bridge Street, Dublin 2. - live traditional music and dancing.
* Fallon's, The Coombe, Dublin 8 (near St. Patrick's Cathedral). small friendly local pub.
* The Oval, Abbey Street, Dublin 1. Good for drink and food, said to have the best Irish stew in Dublin. Attracts a mixed age group. Lots of pictures of old Irish celebs with a tribute to the Quiet Man.
* Kavanagh's, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (near Glasnevin cemetery). This pub (popularly known as The Gravediggers because of its close proximity to the cemetery) has remained untouched for over 100 years with the only things altered being the beer taps and toilets. If you're looking for a real trad Irish pub without the b*shit, this is the place, really worth a visit. (about 10-15 mins on bus from city centre, get the no 19/19A/13 from O'Connell Street)
* Bachelors Inn, Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1 (near O'Connell Bridge). Good pints of Guinness and a choice of batch or regular white bread on your toasted sandwich. Popular post GAA match pub with the Dublin crowd.
* Bowe's Lounge, Fleet Street, Dublin 2, [30]. Old victorian pub, around for over 140 years.
* Mulligans, Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2, [31]. Busy pub with great Guinness with plenty of history having been frequented by James Joyce among others.
* Ryan's, Parkgate St, Dublin 8 (near Heuston Station). Beautiful Victorian pub. A good place to have a pint before getting a train out of Dublin.
* The Palace Bar, Fleet St, Dublin 2. Located at the edge of Temple Bar, this traditional bar has interesting decor complete with "snug" (small private booth).
* The Long Hall, South Great Georges St, Dublin 2. Atmospheric bar with interesting wooden decor, nice window to sit at to people watch.
* Kehoe's, South Anne St. Located just off Grafton St, this is an excellent spot for a pint after a hectic days shopping. Several snugs downstairs.
* Kennedy's, 30/32 Westland Row, Dublin 2, [32]. Located to the rear of Trinity college, this traditional style pub serves good quality food and drink with plenty of friendly atmosphere. Also home to The Underground [33] one of Dublin’s newest and most intimate venues.
MODERN
* Cocoon, Duke Lane, Dublin 2. This bar (owned by F1's Eddie Irvine) oozes class and style with its fabulous minimist interior, popular for cocktails and a relaxing drink.
* The Bailey, Duke Street, Dublin 2. Located just off Grafton Street, this swish bar tends to attract the sophisticated side of Dublin's society, popular amongst celebs as well. Very busy during the summer afternoons and evenings with a nice outdoor seating area.
* Lotts, 60-62 The Lotts, 9 Liffey Street, Dublin 1. Recent addition to Dublins burgeoning pub scene, fantastic new bar and lounge. Very well decorated interior with chandeliers, a marble bar and comfortable leather seating. Live music many nights. Small outside seating area as well.
* The Market Bar, Fade Street, Dublin 2, [34]. Opened in 2005, large spacious bar, with murmur of conversation in the background, nice tapas restaurant.
* The Odeon, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2. This attractive bar at the top of Harcourt Street is housed in a converted railway station; the new tram system has a stop directly outside.
* Ba Mizu, South William Street. Exactly opposite Grogan's, in the Powerscourt Townhouse shopping centre; quite a contrast.
* Café en Seine, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Typical, and not entirely unpleasant, example of a Dublin 'megapub'; recently extended to include tropical trees at the back.
* The Globe, George St., Dublin 2. One of the original trendy bars to hit Dublin in the mid 90's. Still as cool as ever with one of Dublins longest running clubs Ri-Ra in the basement.
* Spy Bar, South William Street, Dublin 2. Just next to the Powerscourt shopping centre, this uber trendy venue is cool and sophisticated. Has a nightclub downstairs which boasts some of Dublin's best club nights.
MICRO-BREWERIES
* The Porterhouse, Parliament Street, Dublin 2. As well as good indigenous brews including a non-vegetarian oyster stout, there is an extensive Belgian and international beer list. Also does good reasonably priced food. Has sister pubs in Bray and Phibsboro and on Graffton Street.
* Messrs. Maguire, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. Very near to O'Connell Bridge, they produce a very good stout quite different to Guinness; fresher and more complex.
BARS
* Front Lounge, Parliment Street, Dublin 2. This gay friendly bar draws a mixed 50/50 crowd of gay/straight. Popular among the hip and trendy 20 somethings, can come across as a little pretentious at times. Still, it is a nice spot worth a visit and popular for lunch. Nicely decorated and comfortable. Open late at weekends and took the famous Wednesday night cabaret, Bustys G-Spot from Gubu which is a huge crowd puller, well worth a visit. Live djs and open late at weekends, popular with pre-clubbers.
* Centre-Stage Cafe Bar, Parliment Street, Dublin 2. Bustling cafe during the day which turns into a fabulous and intimate night spot, good cocktails, wines and champagne.
* The Dragon , Georges Street, Dublin 2. Dublins newest gay bar is a welcome addition to the scene. A superpub set over two large floors, the upper being a balcony to watch the goings on below. Very camply decorated with a large statue of Hercules, velvet curtains throughout, large comfy sofas, and snugs decorated with velvet curtains opposite the bar. Has a relatively large dance floor with music every night. Opens late weekends.
* The George, Georges Street, Dublin 2. Traditional bar entrance to the right which attracts an older crowd. The main area attracts a much younger crowd for drinks during the day and at night the main area transforms itself into a club (after 10pm and a cover charge applies if not already there) set over two floors. Plays a mix of pop, cheese and dance. Sunday nights are packed for tvs Shirley Templebar's famous bingo.
CLUBS
* The George, Sth Gt Georges Street, Dublin 2. Wed-Sun nights, mixture of cheese, pop and dance.
* Exaltation, Spirit, Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1. Every Sunday, dance, funky house. Set in two rooms with chill out zone, cinema and holistic treatment.
* Earlyhouse, The White Horse, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 (close to Tara Street Dart station) Every Saturday morning from 7am playing funky house / electro.
* Glitz, Break For The Border, Lower Stephen's Street, Dublin 2. Every Tuesday, playing commercial pop and dance with regular live acts.
* Hanky Panti, Rogue, 64 Dame Street, Dublin 2. Every Tuesday with free admission from 11pm.
* Kiss, Temple Bar Music Centre, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Once a month Saturday club recently moved to new venue for girls and their male friends.
* Shift, Rogue, 64 Dame Street, Dublin 2. Every Monday, mixed crowd.
* VIQ, SIN, Sycamore Street, Dublin 2. Every Monday, mix of chart and funky.
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