Dublin & Edinburgh for 10 days?
September 26, 2023 8:28 PM Subscribe
I'm thinking of going from the East Coast to Dublin then Edinburgh from mid- to late October. Would 10 days be enough for both cities? I've never been to either. I could go as long as 12 days.
If I were to do this trip, could MeFites who live in or have visited either offer tips on your favorite places? I found some old questions here about these cities, but would appreciate any newer info you all might have. Many thanks in advance.
If I were to do this trip, could MeFites who live in or have visited either offer tips on your favorite places? I found some old questions here about these cities, but would appreciate any newer info you all might have. Many thanks in advance.
I just visited Edinburgh and it was delightful but it turned out I really loved Glasgow which is very close and a bigger city with more going on. I may go back and if I do I'll spend more time in Glasgow than I did. But yeah to just starightforwardly answer I think maybe 3 or 4 days in Edinburgh would allow you to see some really cool parts of that city, try various restaurants, go to historic sites and also do a day-trip to somewhere close like Sterling Castle or the Borders or something.
posted by latkes at 9:09 PM on September 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by latkes at 9:09 PM on September 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
You could plan maybe 3 days in each city and have a lovely time travelling slowly between them - train up to Belfast (never been but there's lot going on and it has a fascinating history), have a look around, and then ferry to Cairnryan, which is not so far from Glasgow (which is a great city) by bus and train, and then train to Edinburgh.
posted by altolinguistic at 12:33 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by altolinguistic at 12:33 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yes, ten or twelve days would be plenty of time to enjoy both cities.
You might need to add some more detail about what you enjoy doing & what you want to get out of the trip, so that people here can give you some more helpful replies & recommendations.
posted by Puppy McSock at 1:10 AM on September 27, 2023
You might need to add some more detail about what you enjoy doing & what you want to get out of the trip, so that people here can give you some more helpful replies & recommendations.
posted by Puppy McSock at 1:10 AM on September 27, 2023
10 days - however you split it, gives you time to see a little more than the obvious sites. For that I would recommend some of the suggestions in Atlas Obscura - entries for Edinburgh and for Dublin. Also seconding the idea of traveling between the two places overland via Glasgow.
posted by rongorongo at 1:52 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rongorongo at 1:52 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks to all. And, yes, Puppy McSock, thank you for that suggestion:
I tend to be a museum-goer in any city I visit, "museum" to include libraries and the like. Similarly, churches. Big used book store browser. I enjoy trying any and all local cuisines, from high-end to street food. I'm unlikely to rent a car, especially in left-hand traffic countries, so I travel by shank's mare, as they say.
posted by the sobsister at 5:45 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I tend to be a museum-goer in any city I visit, "museum" to include libraries and the like. Similarly, churches. Big used book store browser. I enjoy trying any and all local cuisines, from high-end to street food. I'm unlikely to rent a car, especially in left-hand traffic countries, so I travel by shank's mare, as they say.
posted by the sobsister at 5:45 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you like museums I would highly recommend the Chester Beatty, and the Hugh Lane in Dublin. I love the national portrait gallery and the childhood museum in Edinburgh. Would maybe agree that 10 days just for both cities is a bit overkill but if you like theatre/music there’ll be stuff to do in both cities. You don’t need to drive all the way over to the west coast to get out of the city in Dublin - there’s lots of nice walks up and down the coast that you can reach via the train line (DART) in Dublin - you can check out Bray or Howth head if it’s not lashing rain. Glasgow is also a pretty short train ride away from Edinburgh and is a lovely city full of great art museums.
posted by colourlesssleep at 5:52 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by colourlesssleep at 5:52 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh and just saw your mention of bookstores. Check out the secret book and record store in temple bar in Dublin, there’s also Ulysses Rare Books for fancy/expensive second hand books and Chapters on Parnell st which is an institution. For new books I love Books Upstairs on D’olier st. Edinburgh is an excellent city for bookstores - check out Tills bookshop and the Scottish poetry library.
posted by colourlesssleep at 5:59 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by colourlesssleep at 5:59 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just found out that there is an express bus service from Belfast to Glasgow, which leaves from the city centre, takes care of the ferry for you and doesn't cost a fortune. Just putting it here in case it's of interest! I am envious of your trip and hope you have a great time.
posted by altolinguistic at 6:02 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by altolinguistic at 6:02 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
> I tend to be a museum-goer in any city I visit, "museum" to include libraries and the like. Similarly, churches. Big used book store browser. I enjoy trying any and all local cuisines, from high-end to street food.
Dublin resident here. Museums: Kilmainham Gaol, EPIC museum, Guinness storehouse, Book of Kells (the last one ticks both the libraries and the museums boxes, it's also really central!).
Churches there are lots and lots of but beyond the really big Christchurch cathedral (protestant) there's not many that are large enough to be particularly impressive.
I'd recommend doing a food tour of Dublin - there's plenty to choose from but I would go high-end / most expensive you can find - ingredients here are superb and we don't eat just boiled ham and potatoes any more (i.e. it's worth eating!).
With no car, you can use the local rail here to visit other nearby places - Howth and Bray are both nearby and well worth a visit.
But yeah, Dublin isn't that big - as others have suggested, if you're coming for 10-12 days total you should be able to fit in Dublin, Edinburgh, AND somewhere else as well, as well as factoring in some travel time (all good suggestions above).
posted by BigCalm at 7:18 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Dublin resident here. Museums: Kilmainham Gaol, EPIC museum, Guinness storehouse, Book of Kells (the last one ticks both the libraries and the museums boxes, it's also really central!).
Churches there are lots and lots of but beyond the really big Christchurch cathedral (protestant) there's not many that are large enough to be particularly impressive.
I'd recommend doing a food tour of Dublin - there's plenty to choose from but I would go high-end / most expensive you can find - ingredients here are superb and we don't eat just boiled ham and potatoes any more (i.e. it's worth eating!).
With no car, you can use the local rail here to visit other nearby places - Howth and Bray are both nearby and well worth a visit.
But yeah, Dublin isn't that big - as others have suggested, if you're coming for 10-12 days total you should be able to fit in Dublin, Edinburgh, AND somewhere else as well, as well as factoring in some travel time (all good suggestions above).
posted by BigCalm at 7:18 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Check out Marsh's Library in Dublin also, a most wonderful lesser-known gem.
posted by StephenF at 7:52 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by StephenF at 7:52 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
> Check out Marsh's Library in Dublin also, a most wonderful lesser-known gem.
I've never been and that looks great! I will pop in tomorrow at lunchtime.
posted by BigCalm at 8:43 AM on September 27, 2023
I've never been and that looks great! I will pop in tomorrow at lunchtime.
posted by BigCalm at 8:43 AM on September 27, 2023
Don't forget to check on-line if you need to make reservations at any of the attractions. We were there in August and several attractions (Gaol, Guinness storehouse) were sold out for our entire visit. Of course we inadvertently chose the same weekend of the Navy/Notre Dame football game in Dublin and the city was flooded with Americans, so that might not be the norm.
You can purchase a transport card for the number of days you wish at the Dublin Bus ticket office on Upper O'Connell St (above the Liffey) and across from the tourist office where they gave me the most useful map of Dublin showing the transport lines I found. The transport card covers buses, trams, and trains (within a certain geographical range). There are also a couple of sales offices at the airport. If you arrive via the airport for heaven's sake take the public bus into central Dublin. If you bought a transport card there is no additional fare, and if you pay cash it costs 2 euro 60 c. Only coins or transport cards are accepted for bus fare, no paper bills and no credit cards/phone apps. Drivers are diligent about collecting the fare. On the subject of payment, make sure you have a credit card you can tap - some venues didn't accept cards that needed to be inserted. Tapping is the norm.
Are you interested in theater? We saw DruidO'Casey's "Dublin trilogy" at the Abbey Theater and got same-day tickets by showing up at the theater at 11:00 am and leaving our name. At 1:00 we returned and scored 2 tickets together for the previously sold-out show from tickets that were returned at the last minute. It was incredible and I'm so glad we did it.
A smaller museum you might enjoy is the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History (free, as are all National Museums) which is what I consider a 2 hour museum, with clothing, ceramics, jewelry, a permanent exhibit on self-taught architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray. It's right on the tram line. There are other temporary exhibits - we saw one on artists' responses to the Irish Magdelene Laundries, where unmarried mothers were housed and worked washing Ireland's dirty laundry, and where the nuns took their babies away and adopted them out to the USA without permission. (See the movie "Philomena"). It's a deep and sore gash in Irish history and its relationship with the Catholic church.
There's so much more! We took a tour of Croke Park, the national soccer (football) stadium. I went in the wake of a sports-mad partner, but I found it surprisingly interesting. As opposed to the British Premier League, Ireland's soccer players are unpaid amateurs, which floored me. The tours are not free and require reservations. Absolutely every attraction like this has a great website, so make sure you have access to the internet!
To see the bog people and similar ancient artifacts including stunning Bronze Age gold jewelry visit the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology. Also free. That museum will take you easily 3 hours. No museum cafe, so eat lunch at an outside restaurant. Nice if small gift shop on your way out with a good offering of books on the history of the early history of the islands and its invaders and settlers. You will inevitably feel you have an insufficient understanding of Great Britain and Ireland's early history, as I did. I bought a slim but fascinating paperback chronicling the Vikings and their raids and settlements. Did you know they traveled all around the Mediterranean including North Africa, the Black Sea, and settled Iceland and Greenland, also sailing to North America? I sure didn't.
We spent a total of 5 days in Dublin, and felt we had seen most of the sites on our list. In August the temperature was consistently in the high 50's in the evening and 60's, maybe touching the 70's mid-day. We took long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, rain jackets. We did see people in shorts, but I suspect they were probably Americans. Have a great time!
posted by citygirl at 8:50 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
You can purchase a transport card for the number of days you wish at the Dublin Bus ticket office on Upper O'Connell St (above the Liffey) and across from the tourist office where they gave me the most useful map of Dublin showing the transport lines I found. The transport card covers buses, trams, and trains (within a certain geographical range). There are also a couple of sales offices at the airport. If you arrive via the airport for heaven's sake take the public bus into central Dublin. If you bought a transport card there is no additional fare, and if you pay cash it costs 2 euro 60 c. Only coins or transport cards are accepted for bus fare, no paper bills and no credit cards/phone apps. Drivers are diligent about collecting the fare. On the subject of payment, make sure you have a credit card you can tap - some venues didn't accept cards that needed to be inserted. Tapping is the norm.
Are you interested in theater? We saw DruidO'Casey's "Dublin trilogy" at the Abbey Theater and got same-day tickets by showing up at the theater at 11:00 am and leaving our name. At 1:00 we returned and scored 2 tickets together for the previously sold-out show from tickets that were returned at the last minute. It was incredible and I'm so glad we did it.
A smaller museum you might enjoy is the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History (free, as are all National Museums) which is what I consider a 2 hour museum, with clothing, ceramics, jewelry, a permanent exhibit on self-taught architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray. It's right on the tram line. There are other temporary exhibits - we saw one on artists' responses to the Irish Magdelene Laundries, where unmarried mothers were housed and worked washing Ireland's dirty laundry, and where the nuns took their babies away and adopted them out to the USA without permission. (See the movie "Philomena"). It's a deep and sore gash in Irish history and its relationship with the Catholic church.
There's so much more! We took a tour of Croke Park, the national soccer (football) stadium. I went in the wake of a sports-mad partner, but I found it surprisingly interesting. As opposed to the British Premier League, Ireland's soccer players are unpaid amateurs, which floored me. The tours are not free and require reservations. Absolutely every attraction like this has a great website, so make sure you have access to the internet!
To see the bog people and similar ancient artifacts including stunning Bronze Age gold jewelry visit the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology. Also free. That museum will take you easily 3 hours. No museum cafe, so eat lunch at an outside restaurant. Nice if small gift shop on your way out with a good offering of books on the history of the early history of the islands and its invaders and settlers. You will inevitably feel you have an insufficient understanding of Great Britain and Ireland's early history, as I did. I bought a slim but fascinating paperback chronicling the Vikings and their raids and settlements. Did you know they traveled all around the Mediterranean including North Africa, the Black Sea, and settled Iceland and Greenland, also sailing to North America? I sure didn't.
We spent a total of 5 days in Dublin, and felt we had seen most of the sites on our list. In August the temperature was consistently in the high 50's in the evening and 60's, maybe touching the 70's mid-day. We took long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, rain jackets. We did see people in shorts, but I suspect they were probably Americans. Have a great time!
posted by citygirl at 8:50 AM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Both cities have a lot to offer, including bus and train access to nearby places with more great stuff, hiking, food, etc. I quite enjoy wandering around, not hurrying and going to pubs, both cities accommodate that very well. I like to do the checklist tourist stuff, but I also like to experience other cultures and places for themselves.
posted by theora55 at 3:54 PM on September 27, 2023
posted by theora55 at 3:54 PM on September 27, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone! These are terrific suggestions. I also appreciate the insights into where besides Dublin/Edinburgh I might visit. Glasgow was definitely on my mind, so great to have that confirmed. And I'd love to get out of Dublin to some of the places mentioned. It'll really depend on weather. Looking rainy now, and I don't know if that'll change by mid-month. Fingers crossed!
posted by the sobsister at 4:33 PM on September 27, 2023
posted by the sobsister at 4:33 PM on September 27, 2023
In Edinburgh, I would recommend Toppings or Blackwells for a book shop. Out of many churches St Giles cathedral and maybe Old St Paul's or St Margaret's chapel. For a walk, I would recommend doing some of the Water of Leith walkway - perhaps starting in Leith and going as far as the Gallery of Modern Art. - you can also do the full 12 miles of the walk up into the Pentland hills - then get a bus back from Balerno to the centre.
posted by rongorongo at 12:51 AM on September 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rongorongo at 12:51 AM on September 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
We took a tour of Croke Park, the national soccer (football) stadium. I went in the wake of a sports-mad partner, but I found it surprisingly interesting. As opposed to the British Premier League, Ireland's soccer players are unpaid amateurs, which floored me. The tours are not free and require reservations
Firmly agree that Croke Park is a good tour and there's a good museum there as well, but it's not a football/soccer stadium, but the main stadium and headquarters for the Gaelic Athletic Association where they play Gaelic Football and Hurling. GAA is all amateur. It used to be against the rules of the GAA for foreign sports (soccer, rugby etc) to be played on GAA pitches and also illegal for members of the British security forces to play Gaelic Games.
The Aviva stadium at Lansdowne Road is the national soccer and rugby stadium. Both soccer and rugby have professional leagues.
posted by knapah at 3:10 AM on September 28, 2023
Firmly agree that Croke Park is a good tour and there's a good museum there as well, but it's not a football/soccer stadium, but the main stadium and headquarters for the Gaelic Athletic Association where they play Gaelic Football and Hurling. GAA is all amateur. It used to be against the rules of the GAA for foreign sports (soccer, rugby etc) to be played on GAA pitches and also illegal for members of the British security forces to play Gaelic Games.
The Aviva stadium at Lansdowne Road is the national soccer and rugby stadium. Both soccer and rugby have professional leagues.
posted by knapah at 3:10 AM on September 28, 2023
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posted by HonoriaGlossop at 8:39 PM on September 26, 2023 [8 favorites]