Address: College Street

Tickets: €5 for a tour, €10 for tour and library

    Trinity College is one of the seven ancient universities of the English-speaking world and the only one in existence outside of England. Built in 1592, Trinity College served only the Protestant Ascendancy until admitting its first Catholics in 1793. Several famous authors, including satirist Jonathan Swift and novelist Bram Stoker, have walked its halls, and the campus has served as the backdrop of many books.

Address: Kildare St.

Hours: Tues- Sat. 10:00am- 5:00pm, Sun. 2:00- 5:00pm, closed Mondays

Tickets: free

    With a vast collection, the National Gallery offers its patrons a wide sampling of art from across the world, with an emphasis on Ireland.  View artifacts like antiques, industrial items, folk life, natural history, and prehistoric gold collections.

Hours: Mon.- Fri. 10:00am- 5:00pm, Sat. and Sun. 2:00- 5:00pm

Tickets: €4,50 for a tour, €3,50 students

    Built by King John in 1204, the Dublin Castle was once a symbol of English dominion. It was handed over to the Irish in 1922 and has since served as a governmental building.  Inside, visitors can find extravagant state apartments, the Chapel Royal, and the Undercroft, where the city walls meet the castle and archways allowed small boats to enter. The last intact 13^th century tower now holds the Police Museum, and the Chester Beatty Library

Address: Located in Dublin Castle

Tickets: free

    Mining magnate Alfred Chester Beatty established the Chester Beatty Library in 1950 to house his large collection of historic religious scripts. The collection has continued to grow, and it reveals some beautiful early paintings and printed books. The Library has established itself as one of the pre-eminent institutions for Biblical research.

Hours: June- Aug.: 9:00am- 6:00pm, Sept.- May 9:45am- 5:00pm

Tickets: €6, €4 students

    Located off of Nicholas St., Christ Church is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland and the oldest of the Dublin cathedrals. It was first established in 1038, although the building has changed and developed since that time. The melodic church bells ring every Sunday service at 10:00am and 2:30pm, and a bell-ringing practice session happens every Friday night at 7:00pm.  The Christ Church Cathedral Society of Change Ringers have been in existence since 1670.

Address: Saint Patrick’s Close

Hours: Mon.- Sat. 9:00am- 6:00pm (closes at 5:00pm in the winter), Sun. 9:00- 11:00am, 12:45- 3:00pm, 4:15- 6:00pm (in the winter, opens at 10:00am and closes at 3:00pm)

    St. Patrick's is the largest cathedral in Dublin. At one time presided over by Dean Jonathan Swift, St. Patrick's has developed a rich cultural history and serves as Ireland's national cathedral. It is said that the cathedral stands near a well where St. Patrick baptized new Christians on his journey through Ireland. A small church was built on the site, and later in 1191, the present building was erected.  In the mid-19^th century, the Guinness family carried out a full-scale renovation of the Cathedral.

Address: St. James’ Gate

Transportation: Bus nos. 51b, 78a, 123.  Or for a 20-minutes walk, start at Dame Street outside Trinity College, pass Christ Church and head to Thomas St.  Turn left at Crane St., then right on Market St.

Tickets: €13,50, €11 students

    The Guinness Storehouse offers one of the best places in Dublin to enjoy a pint. An interactive tour takes you through the brewery of the iconic brand culminating with a stop Guinness's Gravity Bar, perched seven floors above the city. Offering a bird's eye, 360-degree view of historic Dublin, the Gravity Bar gives its patrons an unparalleled view of its hometown, not to mention a free pint of Dublin's finest stout.  If you plan to walk from the city center to the storehouse, download this iWalk pod cast that provides an audio guide along the way: http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/Podcast.aspx.

Address: 18 Parnell Square

Hours: Mon.- Sat. 10:00am- 5:00pm, Sun. 11:00am- 5:00pm

Tickets: €7,25, €6,10 students

    The Dublin Writers Museum is the home to several Irish writing societies and exhibits dedicated to famous Irish authors like W.B. Yeats and James Joyce.  At the top of the grand staircase lies a museum that holds rare first editions and volumes.  A must-see for literature enthusiasts.

Address: Bow Street Distillery

Transportation: Tram LUAS red line, Smithfield stop

Tickets: €12,50, €9 students

    A longstanding tradition in Ireland, Jameson Whiskey is not just a drink but an art form.  The tour provides a look into how simply water, barley and yeast can create the full-bodied Irish whiskey.  For the complete experience, sign up for a Shindig night (€60), which includes a guided tour, Jameson cocktail, 4-course menu and a night of traditional Irish music and dancing.

Flights: Dublin Airport (DUB) will be the arrival point of those looking to backpack Ireland.  Once there, take the #41 bus to the city center or the Airlink shuttle to the Central Bus Station. 

Trains: Dublin has three train stations and each handles different destinations.  The stations and destinations are:

·         Connolly Station (Amiens St) – Charters trains to Belfast (2hr), Sligo (3hr), and Wexford (3hr)

·         Pearse Station (Pearse St) – Handles the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) trains that serve the coast and suburbs of Dublin. 

·         Heuston Station (8 St. Johns Rd) – Departures for Cork (3hr), Galway (2.75hr), Limerick (2.5hr), and Waterford (2.5hr). 

Buses: Dublin’s intercity buses arrive at Busáras Central Bus Station and backpackers can schedule buses for Belfast (3hr), Derry/Londonderry (4hr), Limerick (3.5hr), Donegal (4hr), Galway (3.5hr), Wexford (2.75hr), Sligo (4hr), and Tralee (6hr). 

Public Transportation: Dublin Bus is Dublin’s form of public transportation, and the main office is located at 59 Upper O’Connell St.   Hours are M 8:30-5:30pm, T-F 9:00-5:30, and Sa 9:00-2:00.  Consider buying a Rambler pass for €6, which grants unlimited bus travel for 1 day.  Single tickets cost from €1.15 to €2.20. 

Bicycles: Cycleways rents bicycles for €20 a day or €80 a week.  A €200 deposit is necessary.

    Some of Dublin’s most vibrant nightlife resides in the Temple Bar district, which is filled with bars, shops, and restaurants along cobblestone streets.  Dublin has a relatively young population, and this district attracts many of the university students and backpackers from around the world.

Address: 25 Wexford St.

    Not only a traditional Irish pub, Whelan’s offers a live music venue each night, featuring rock, indie, traditional Irish, and folk.  Shows range from €8 to €25. The pub’s location has a history of public houses dating back to 1772.

Address: Fleet Street

Hours: Mon.- Thurs. 11:30am- 1:30pm, Fri. 11:30am- 2:30am, Sat. 11:30am- 3:00am, Sun. 12:30pm- 1:00am;  Kitchen open until 9:30pm

    This modern bar serves up bar food all day, with sandwiches from €7, appetizers from €3 and main dishes from €11. The bar hosts Djs late at night, and with huge, hi-def televisions, it’s a great place to watch a sports game.

Address: 26 Lower Abbey St.

Tickets: €20-35

    W. B. Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory founded this theatre in 1903 to promote new Irish writers and artists and produce ground-breaking Irish theatre.  The theater moved locations in the 50s because of a fire, but since 1966, it returned to its original site.