How to spend 2 days in Dublin: The Ultimate 2 Day Dublin Itinerary

Are you planning a trip to Ireland want to know the best way to spend 2 days in Dublin?

If you’re planning to take a trip to Ireland, this Dublin Travel Guide will provide you with everything you need to know to help you plan your trip, including how to get around, where to stay, where to eat and everything in between to make sure you make the most of your 2 days in Dublin.

For most visitors coming to Ireland, your trip will begin In Dublin and this Travel Guide will show you how to maximise your time in the city, as well as some of the best ways to combine your trip to Dublin with some of the incredible places nearby.

How to get around Dublin

Walking:

Dublin is quite a walkable city and most of the major attractions are within a 20 minute walk of another. Dublin city centre is also very flat which makes it quite easy to navigate.

Public Transport:

Within the city there is also a LUAS (tram) network that costs around €2 per journey. Alternatively, you can also use the bus network for visiting places a little bit out of the city centre like Kilmainham jail.

The best way to use the public transport network in Dublin is to buy a LEAP card. These can be purchased at stores around the city and at convenience stores at the airport terminal when you arrive. There are a number of specific options available for short term stays:

• 24 Hour Card – €8
• 72 Hour Card – €16
• 1 Week – €32

The tickets are valid for use across all of the services below in Dublin:

• All Dublin Bus scheduled services (not valid on tours)
• Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin City services
• All Luas (tram) services
• DART and Commuter Rail in the Short Hop Zone (all of Dublin city and county)

Bicycles:

Dublin has a very large public cycling network and this can be often be a much quicker way of getting around than using public transport/taxis. A 3 day ticket to use the Dublin Bike network is just €5, making it a really affordable way to get around the city. More information can be found here.

Hop On/Hop Off Tour:

If it is your first time visiting the city, the easiest and most efficient way to get around is the Hop On/Hop Off tour of the city. These guided tours are a convenient way to get around without worrying about the logistics and you can pick and choose when and where you would like to go throughout your stay.

Where to Stay in Dublin

Finding hotels in Dublin city centre can be tricky at times – Dublin has become increasingly expensive in recent years so choosing the right hotel is important. Below, we have covered all of the hotels we would recommend in Dublin for every budget.

Get Flights to Dublin

Is 2 days in Dublin enough time?

Ordinarily, we would suggest you spend at least 3 days in a city to allow sufficient time to explore and enjoy the city, without feeing like you are in a huge rush to move from one place to the next. We would suggest the same for Dublin but because it isn’t the biggest city in Europe, it is quite a good option for day trips or short weekend stays as well.

All things considered, 2 days in Dublin is sufficient time to see the major attractions around Dublin city, as well venturing a little bit outside of the city to some of the popular suburb areas.

If you are planning to spend more time in Ireland away from Dublin, we have a number of Irish road trip itineraries that can help you plan your stay around the country. The places we would highly suggest visiting while you are in Ireland are the Wild Atlantic Way, stretching from Cork to Donegal and the Causeway Coast, stretching from Belfast to Derry.

If you are visiting these areas from Dublin, you can also then get to see the best of Ireland’s Ancient East, Mourne Mountain Coastal Route and the heart of the midlands along your journey.

If you would like to take a day trip on one of your 2 days in Dublin we would suggest the Wicklow Mountains and Killkenny tour, which includes a trip to Glendalough and Killkenny Castle, this tour is really good value.

Alternatively, we would suggest heading to one of our favourite places in the country, the Causeway Coast tour, which has so many stunning coastline views to enjoy, as well as a trip to Belfast and the Dark Hedges.

Best Things to do in Dublin – Snapshot

If you only have 2 days in Dublin, it can be difficult to decide which places you should definitely visit while you are in the city. There are lots of great sights to visit around Dublin depending on your interests.

• Guiness Storehouse
• Book of Kells
• EPIC Museum
• The GPO
• Kilmainham Jail
• Glasnevin Cemetery
• Trinity College Dublin
• Marsh Library
• Phoenix Park
• Dublin Castle
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• Temple Bar
• Botanical Gardens
• Malahide Castle
• Howth Cliff Walk
• Dalkey Village
• Croke Park
• Grafton Street
• Christchurch Cathedral

2 Days in Dublin Itinerary

Day One

Morning – Dublin City Centre

Start your day off with a coffee from Bear Market before heading over to the EPIC Museum – this museum provides a great insight into Irish history, particularly mass emigration from Ireland during the famine. If you have Irish ancestry you can also book a personalized genealogy tracing at the centre, to get an in-depth look at your family history.

Afternoon – Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells Experience

As you head into the afternoon, grab some lunch at Featherblade or Tang, as well as a quick drink at Cafe en Seine before walking down to Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s oldest University, to enjoy the Book of Kells experience.

The Book of Kells is an incredible manuscript, containing the New Testament and dates back over 1200 years. You will also explore the Long Room as part of this tour, which has a really nice installation artwork showing NASA imagery of Earth.

One other thing to note is that Trinity College Dublin provides short term accommodation during the summer months after the students have left. If you are visiting Dublin on a budget, this is a great option to save money on accommodation, while staying right in the heart of Dublin City Centre.

After the Book of Kells tour, it’s time to do some shopping along Grafton Street. If shopping isn’t for you, you could also just take a walk along this street and listed to the street musicians busking, before taking a walk around St. Stephen’s Green.

If you are a pizza lover, we would definitely suggest grabbing a slice of pizza at the top of Grafton Street at Bambino as well, which is extremely popular locally.

Evening – Temple Bar

As the evening arrives, it’s time to check out one of Dublin’s most renowned (and expensive) areas, Temple Bar. This area is filled with bars and restaurants and always has a lively atmosphere so it is well worth a visit but be aware that it can be very expensive so we wouldn’t recommend spending your whole evening here.

This has become a bit of institution for visitors to Ireland and is definitely worth a visit but do bear in mind that Dublin can be an expensive city and Temple Bar is the most expensive place within it so we wouldn’t recommend spending all of your time there if you want to keep your bank balance in tact.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Temple Bar for a drink, there is an amazing cocktail bar around 10 minutes away called Bar 1661, which has been recognised on the World’s ‘50 Best’ lists.

For dinner that evening we would suggest going to FX Buckley or FIRE if you are a steak fan in particular. FX Buckley was voted number 6 in the World for steak restaurants in 2023, so this is a great place for a special occasion.

Day Two:

Morning – Kilmainham Jail

On day two, start your day off with a coffee at the Art of Coffee before heading to Kilmainham Jail to do the historical tour. This jail is very significant in Irish history as it is where a number of signatories to the proclamation of an Irish Republic in 1916 were ultimately executed.

These executions marked a major turning point in Irish public opinion around Irish rebellion at that time. Even if you are not necessarily interested in history Kilmainham Jail is still a great place to visit.

Afternoon – Guinness Storehouse or Phoenix Park

Heading in to the afternoon, it’s time to visit the home of one of Ireland’s most famous exports – Guinness. The Guinness storehouse tour is a really enjoyable tour and again, one that can easily be taken without necessarily needing to be a fan of the drink itself.

This interactive tour will provide you a tutorial on how to pour the perfect pint, get your photo 3D printed into a pint of Guinness and also has one of the best viewpoints of the city from the rooftop bar.

Tickets for the Guinness Storehouse tour are €26, which includes a pint of guinness as part of the tour.

If you are travelling with a family or would simply prefer not to visit the Guinness Storehouse, we would suggest visiting Phoenix Park instead. This is one of the largest public parks in Europe and you will often be able to see wild deer roaming around this reserve.

Dublin Zoo is also connected to Phoenix Park and there are lots of great places to eat in this area like BaaBaa (Breakfast) and a beautiful Italian restaurant that we would recommend – Grano. If you happen to visit Dublin on a sunny day then exploring the park and zoo would be a great option for a day outdoors.

Evening – Dublin Castle & St. Patrick’s Cathedral

On your way back to the city centre you can stop off at Dublin Castle, which had been the home to the British monarchies representative in Ireland during their occupation of the country. If you happen to be visiting Dublin at Christmas time, Dublin Castle has a lovely Christmas Market that you can access for free from the end of November.

In the same area you will find St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a beautiful gothic church and Ireland’s largest cathedral, as well as Marsh Library, a beautifully preserved building and Ireland’s oldest public library.

For dinner on your second evening, we would suggest trying out Kicky’s, which is just around the corner from these sites and in the heart of the city centre.

Other Suggestions for 2 Days in Dublin

If you have time and want to get out of the city centre, we would really recommend taking a trip to either Malahide or Howth as part of your 2 days in Dublin.

They are both seaside suburbs of Dublin and easily accessible by public transport. If you are visiting with children we would suggest Malahide, visit the castle and take a trip to the beach. Whereas, if you like the outdoors, try out the Howth Cliff Walk, which has beautiful views overlooking the coast, before getting some fish & chips afterwards.

Alternatively, if you are a sports fan, we would really recommend visiting Croke Park, home to Ireland’s national sports, hurling and Gaelic football.

These are amateur sports but this stadium is filled with 80,000 people every year for the All Ireland finals in each sport. You can do a tour of the stadium which includes a skyline walk overlooking the iconic ground.