Where to stay in Dublin: A guide for first time visitors

Are you planning a trip to Ireland want to know where to stay in Dublin?

We lived in Dublin for several years and know how important where you stay in Dublin is to your overall experience. Ireland’s capital typically attracts over 6 million visitors a year meaning finding the right hotels in Dublin can sometimes be tricky.

This guide will break down our top recommendations for places to stay in Dublin, with options for nightlife; families; shopping and everything in between. We will also provide you with some recommendations for things to do in Dublin, specific hotels in Dublin that we would recommend for every budget and restaurant & bar suggestions.

Dublin is a great city to spend a couple of days in before exploring the rest of Ireland. To help you plan your trip, check out our complete 2 days in Dublin itinerary to help maximise your time in the city.

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.

How many days do you need in Dublin?

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 during your stay 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. If you are planning to travel north, our one day Belfast itinerary can help you plan your trip.

Where to stay in Dublin

Grafton Street/St. Stephen’s Green

If you are visiting Dublin for the first time, a hotel in the Grafton Street/St. Stephen’s Green area is likely to be your safest bet. This area is in the heart of Dublin and the LUAS (local tram) runs directly through it, making it easier to get around the city.

The Grafton Street area is extremely central and it is also the best area to stay in Dublin if you want to do some shopping.Grafton street itself is lined with shops. At the top of Grafton street you will find St. Stephen’s Green

Grafton Street is a great place to stay if you are planning to do the Book of Kells Experience, with Trinity College Dublin just a short walk from this area. This tour does tend to sell out quite quickly so we would recommend booking your tickets in advance if you plan to visit. Trinity College also provides accommodation at a reasonable price during the summer, this is great option if you are visiting Dublin on a budget.

If you want to get some food in the Grafton Street area, grab a slice of pizza at Bambino, go for brunch at Tang or have a cocktail at Cafe en Seine. For a traditional Irish pub, check out Grogan’s or Kehoes as well.

If you are visiting Dublin at Christmas time, this is also the best area to see the Christmas lights, as well as some incredible musicians busking on the streets in the lead up to Christmas. St. Stephen’s Green shopping centre also has great decorations at this time of the year, which is a nice spot to a grab a photo.

Our top hotel recommendation in the Grafton street area is the Westbury Hotel for a luxury experience but we also have a range of top picks for you to choose from below. Hotels in Grafton Street can be quite expensive so we have tried to provide options for every budget where possible.

O’Connell Street

O’Connell Street is an area of huge historical significance in Dublin, so this is an area worth choosing if you are interested in learning about Ireland’s history under British rule. It is also closest to Croke Park, the stadium of Ireland’s national sports, Gaelic Games (Gaelic Football & Hurling).

If you are visiting between June/July time, do what you can to get a ticket to one of these matches. Hurling is the fastest field sport in the world, the stadium holds over 80,000 people and the sport is amateur, each player is representing their home so there is huge tribal and emotional engagement in every game.

If you are not visiting during the peak championship season, we would also recommend taking the stadium tour to learn more about the sports history. Equally, this area is close to the EPIC museum, where you can learn about Ireland’s famine and Irish ancestry for anyone visiting from the US in particular.

Note: We do have a caveat when it comes to staying on O’Connell street. Both Ireland and Dublin in general are both considered to be very safe places to visit, with Ireland recently ranking 2nd in the World in a global safety index. That being said, there have been a couple of high profile incidents close to O’Connell street in recent years that make us more reluctant to recommend a stay here on your first visit to Dublin. These incidents are extremely rare which is why they garnered so much attention locally but we do feel the need to raise awareness in advance of your stay.

Temple Bar

For most people when they think of Dublin, Temple Bar often springs to mind. Temple Bar is renowned for its pubs in cloxe proximity, lively traditional music and a great atmosphere. Again, if you visit Dublin at Christmas, the Temple Bar pub has a beautiful Christmas display that is one of Dublin’s most renowned photo spots.

Temple Bar has lots of great bars and restaurants so it is a great place to stay in Dublin for easy access and convenience. You are also just a short walk from Dublin Castle and the Christchurch Cathedral, both of which we would recommend visiting on your trip to Dublin.

In our view, Temple Bar is definitely worth visiting but if you spend all of your time here, prepare for it to be expensive. Staying in Temple Bar won’t necessarily give you an authentic insight into Dublin either but if you are visiting for a party or a one night stay etc. it is worth considering. While the prices in pubs are extortionate, the price of hotels in Temple Bar is more reasonable than some other central areas so it does balance out a little bit as well.

Smithfield/Stoneybatter – Great for food and family stays in Dublin

If you are visiting Dublin with kids, we would recommend staying in the Smithfield/Stoneybatter areas. This area is still very central but a little bit less expensive than Grafton Street.

This area provides great access to activities for adults and children with Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo, the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse all within close proximity.

In this area, you will also find some of Dublin’s best options for food. We would highly recommend Grano for dinner and Cafe BaaBaa for breakfast/coffee.

Portobello – Great for cafes and nightlife

Portobello is a great alternative to the Grafton Street area as it is still very central but not quite as expensive. This area is perfect for anyone wanting access to great cafe’s/restaurants and nightlife at the same time but not as lively as Temple Bar.

Portobello is quite a trendy area and this is where you will find alot of the cities professionals after a day in the office. In this area you will find great cafe’s like Alma, Ebb & Flow and Brother Hubbard. We would also recommend trying out Opium for dinner if you like Asian fusion, Whelan’s for live music (some high profile singers will do intimate shows here on occasion) and Dicey’s/Copper Face Jack’s if you just don’t want to go home at 1am.

In terms of hotels in Portobello, we would suggest the Camden Court Hotel, a stylish modern hotel in the heart of this area.

Hotels in Dublin suburbs – Malahide, Portmarnock & Howth

One of the good things about Dublin, is that you don’t necessarily need to stay in the city centre. If you are travelling by car or are happy to use public transport, we would highly recommend staying in Malahide, Portmarnock or Howth as an alternative to Dublin City centre.

Malahide

These areas are great for visiting Dublin with kids as well as anyone who likes to blend city and coastal life. In Malahide, we would recommend visiting Malahide Castle, breakfast at the Garden House, a drink at Gibneys and a walk along the beautiful beach.

The best hotel in Malahide to stay at is the Grand Hotel, which has been recently renovated.

Just a short distance from Malahide you will find Portmarnock, which has one of Ireland’s best links golf courses. This is also where we would recommend staying in Portmarnock, at the Portmarnock resort hotel.

We would also recommend staying in Howth, particularly if you are a fan of seafood and hiking trails. While you are there, try the Howth cliff walk before getting some fresh fish and chips along the sea front. There isn’t much accommodation here but we would recommend the King Sitric guesthouse in Howth.