Having visited Dublin about 10 times in the last year ( to see my gorgeous girlfriend) I guess I'm suitably qualified to advise on a Dublin weekend by now.
1. Travel> Boat
Unless you live close to Holyhead, get on a plane to Ireland. I have been by boat twice and the cost for one person (sometimes 2 or 3)is more than the plane. Boats take between 1.5-3 hours depending on which one you take. I think Irish Ferries and Stena operate the services, which if you're on a driving holiday is a good option.
1.1 - Travel >Flights
Flights to Dublin are my fave option. From Leeds, where I fly, you can go by 1. British European 2. Aer Lingus 3. Ryanair
1&2 are targeted towards the business traveller.
Ryanair
fly to nearly every airport in mainland UK. www.ryanair.com and for the 40 min flight are worth every penny.
The best bargains sometimes come to those who wait. It's worth waiting 2-4 weeks before you book, or look out for tokens in the Sun / Mirror etc. However, if you're going (bank) holiday time, book early.
After tax, your flight can range from £40 - £200 depending on the time / day / part of the year you travel. It'll be more expensive in a) the evening, b) Sunday & Friday c)Paddys Day or other Irish holidays
1.2 Travel >Swimming
You could swim to Ireland tho I guess you'd probably catch various diseases from the Irish Sea, not recommended.
2 Accomadation
Dublin has plenty of hotels with the normal range. Also offered are B&B's which, if you're looking for a cheaper weekend, are recommended. They're not too expensive.
I would recommend paying that little bit extra for locality to the city centre (see later on) Some websites to look at are:
Apart from the normal McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Dublin has some nice restaurants. If you're looking for a good feed, the Mongolian is nice. Pay about 9 punts a head for a 2 hour feed. You choose your ingredients and then a chef prepares them. There are plenty of Chinese & Italian restaurants. For later on, you'll find plenty of Chips & Pizza Shops. A kebab chain, Abrekebara exists, tho I've never really enjoyed the food there. There are a couple of seafood restaurants, tho i only saw these towards the port. O'briens sandwich bars are nice, if a wee bit pricey. Also, if you're in a rush, Spar supermarkets have a nice range of takeaway stuff and salad bar etc.
4. Drinking
The list could be endless but my favourite bars in Dublin Centre include Fireworks, Turks Head, Molly McGuires and The Mercantile. To be honest, I can't remember the streets they're on but a local should be able to tell you.
The Temple Bar pubs are nice, but it's worth looking round for other ones less than 500m away as it doesn't take half the night to get served at these places. Turks Head as mentioned above is a good one tho.
There are loads of decent pubs about so no need to worry on this one.
There are many clubs too, however we've often just stayed in the pubs so it may be worth asking others about these when u get over there.
5. Getting about
The buses are fairly good in Dublin and some of the taxi firms remarkably cheap for a capital city, however late at night, not many taxis exist.
There is a light train system, the DART which is not too expensive and quite reliable.
6. Stuff to do
Dublin is a nice place and is good for shopping. Being honest, I haven't explored the cultural side of Dublin too much tho.
7. Things to watch out for
1. If you're on a Stag do, a lot of pubs won't accept them, especially around Temple Bar area. Worth ringing about before you go.
2. Getting a taxi on Saturday night - if the night is winding down for you about 1.30am, get a taxi as it's murder trying to get one after 2am. If you don't leave til after 2, there are some late night buses. An alternative I saw some months back was collective taxis, where they put you with other people, you pay about 3-5 punts and they take you to your door. Worth queuing up for.
Overall, my ideal trip to Dublin is just before or after the main touristy periods. Travel there on a Thurs afternoon/eve as the place is swamped by Saturday.
Try to get accomadation within 10-15 mins walking distance of middle of town.
Enjoy!
S
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Mar 20th, 2001
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