A day in Dublin: The Ultimate one day Dublin Itinerary

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

If you’re planning to take a trip to Ireland, this guide to Dublin 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 day 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

Car

You can rent a car to travel around Dublin but we wouldn’t really recommend it unless you are planning to explore other parts of Ireland as part of your trip. If that is the case, we would recommend using Discover Cars to help you find the best deal.

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.

Best hotels 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.

To get a more detailed breakdown on hotels in Dublin, check out our detailed guide on where to stay in Dublin.

Is a day in Dublin enough time?

A day in Dublin may not seem like much but it is actually one of the few cities in Europe where a day will be enough to see the majority of the sights. Naturally, that will mean missing out on some places and a bit of a rush, so we would ordinarily suggest spending at least 2 days in Dublin, and possibly an additional day to go on a guided tour or road trip.

If you do plan to spend more than a day in Dublin we would highly recommend taking the iconic Cliffs of Moher and Galway City tour which will take you to Ireland’s most renowned tourist attraction, as well asvisiting another great irish city. We would also really recommend 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.

All of these tours will give you a completely different perspective of Ireland. Glendalough has stunning views an hiking trails; Kilkenny has a beautiful castle, great traditional music and a medieval feel. Equally, the Causeway Coast has some of the most incredible viewpoints on the island of Ireland.

Best Things to do in Dublin – Snapshot

If you only have a day 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

A Day in Dublin Itinerary

Morning – Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells Experience

Start your day in Dublin off with some breakfast at Tang, 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.

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 a fan of whiskey (like I am), we would also highly recommend taking the combined Jameson Distillery and Guinness Storehouse tour, which includes skip the line tickets to help you get maximize time on your day in Dublin.

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 – 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.

Final Thoughts

We hope you found our idea of how to spend a day in Dublin useful. If you have any feedback we would love you to drop a comment below. We have lived and worked in Dublin for many years so if you need help planning your trip to Ireland don’t hesitate to reach out for advice.