In and around Dublin in September

March 23, 2024 5:39 PM

Partner and I are headed to Dublin in mid-September for a week -- plan is to see the city, catch some random Dublin Fringe, and... ??? What's especially not-to-miss in and around Dublin in early autumn?

Hiring a car isn't out of the question, nor is staying at another town, but don't want to spend a whole day traveling since we'll only be here for about a week. We are pretty urban but very up for a difficult hike for a good view.

posted by curious nu to Travel & Transportation around Dublin, Ireland (12 answers total)

Head to Howth at least one of the days. You can do the cliff walk for a great view of Dublin Bay, a pint at the Summit Inn and enjoy some seafood in the village. It’s reachable by DART or bus from the city centre.
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:00 AM on March 24 [2 favorites]

a day hike in Glendalough (old ruins) / Wicklow National Park is a beautiful thing (on a clear day you can see England across the Irish Sea)... i think there are buses to get you there and back

in Dublin....

there's the Book of Kells at Trinity College and the National Art Museum

there's also a great walk to be had going out to Poolbeg Lighthouse

Street 66 was my fav queer bar in the city if that's a thing yd be looking for

generally it's a great walking city along the river and the canals
posted by kokaku at 4:21 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]

A tour of the Guinness brewery, if you like Guinness. It’s a bit Disney-fied— you’ll not get anywhere near any real brewing, but it’s interesting and you get a pint at the end.

Kilmainham Gaol, for a bit of Irish history.

Take the Dart out to malahide (it’s a very short journey) and see/tour malahide castle. Malahide has a lot of really good restaurants too.

Take a tour of Dublin Castle, which from memory starts with the Viking stone foundations and then works its way forward through history.

Also seconding the Book of Kells at Trinity and the National Art museum. There’s a writers’ museum too.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 6:18 AM on March 24

This is season independent, but the one day I was in Dublin I went to the Temple Bar, discovered it was way too crowded, and wandered around there area until I found another pub with live music. I really enjoyed having a couple of pints and listening to some good music. There are plenty of places to choose from so you can pick your desired level of crowdedness.

I'll second that the Guiness tour was Disney-fied, but still fun. And seeing the Book of Kells was kind of cool (I got the shirt and everything). Both of these things are the kind of things I would do only once as a sort of checking-the-box kind of thing though.

I need to go back and spend a lot more time in Dublin and Ireland in general.

Have fun!
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 9:27 AM on March 24

A week is a really long time for Dublin, especially when the rest of Ireland is so much more interesting/beautiful in my opinion. There are easy trains and buses to Galway, for example - you can absolutely make this a day trip and it is such a great city to hang out in. In fact Ireland is so small you can make lots of day trips out!
posted by caoimhe at 10:53 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]

oh... the Teelings tour is supposed to be good if you drink (didn't do it myself but heard from coworkers it was good)
posted by kokaku at 1:07 PM on March 24

Completely second Caoimhe’s comment, the west of Ireland is beautiful, Dublin far less so.

I’d suggest going to Kerry for a few days and do ring of Kerry tour, walk up Carrauntoohil, see the skelligs..

Or go to Galway city, then Connemara ,walk up diamond hill, drive or bus some of the wild Atlantic way. Happy to suggest more non Dublin specific ideas if needed!
posted by Lucy_32 at 1:42 PM on March 24

Response by poster: Day trips (by train/bus) are highly appreciated! We've got flight tickets but not hotel yet so if it makes sense to stay in Galway or somewhere else in the western part for most of that time, super open to that.
posted by curious nu at 4:20 PM on March 24

Seconding the western Ireland recommendations too. I spent a few days in Killarney and absolutely loved it. Gorgeous country.
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 4:25 PM on March 24

I was in Ireland around this time last year and second the west coast. I did a day trip to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher which was absolutely lovely. I used Wild Rover Tours and it was excellent. Highly recommend this company as they were impeccably organized and had great guides. I did another tour with them to Belfast and the Giant's Causeway which was also fabulous.

If you want to go to the Kilmainham Gaol, book your tickets as early as possible - they go really fast. I think you can book a month in advance.
posted by marshmallow peep at 7:17 AM on March 25 [1 favorite]

My favorite walk in all the world Galway is between the mill race and the Corrib River from Spanish Arch to the cathedral: swans, salmon, weirs, urban blight, back gardens, industrial heritage; river too noisy to call it peaceful but no cars. It's only 600m, so you can walk back the same way s l o w l y after lighting a candle.
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:31 AM on March 25 [1 favorite]

Seconding the Kilmainham Gaol tour, and Book of Kells at Trinity College.

I also enjoyed the James Joyce museum.

Temple Bar area of course.

For day trips, there's a lovely seaside town called Bray about an hour from Dublin, and you can do beautiful hikes up there.
posted by winterportage at 7:17 AM on March 28