Two Days In Dublin Itinerary
Two days in Dublin lets you see both the famous sights & more local Dublin. It's enough for you get a feel for the city and know there's a lot more to see on your next trip to Dublin.
You may have just landed after overnight flight, so on Day 1, you'll stay in the city, close to your hotel room and coffee shop. After some rest, on Day 2, you'll go explore more of coastal Dublin. This is the best part of Dublin and missed by so many visitors. But not you!
Get fresh air, coffee & a guided tour of Dublin with me.
Day 1 : Dublin City
9am-1pm. The Tourist Sights
This morning you'll see the main tourist landmarks. One street makes up the spine of this route, but you'll take some twists and turns off it, just use Dame Street as your landmark to comeback to continue on the route.
We'll start at Trinity College & its Book of Kells. From Trinity's main gate, follow Dame Street to the main tourist attractions in Dublin.
You'll see Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, don't miss its gardens behind the castle, Christchurch Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral, St Audeon's Church and the lovely Liberties neighborhood.
You can go into any of them, but I think there's enough to see just walking around and taking in the atmosphere of Dublin. Christchurch is the best to do a tour of if you want to do one. There's a lot of Dublin history in it.
Don't go to Guinness just yet, that is tomorrow! This page has full details of this route.
Darragh
Dubliners Dublin
In the afternoon, we leave the tourist trail behind and go to more local Dublin, where Dublin itself is the attraction not museums.
1pm-2pm: Lunch
One block from Grafton Street is my favorite part of all of Dublin, the Dublin Creative Quarter with its independent Irish shops, coffee shops and restaurants.
You're going to have lunch here and people watch while you eat. Pick from:
- Fallon & Byrne Foodhall Restaurant quality food served from counter. Very popular with nearby workers. Chat to locals at the communal table.
- Loose Cannon I see visitors asking about "authentic Irish food" all the time. It's not fish & chips, definitely not anything with corn beef. No, it's the humble toasie. If you don't know what a toastie is, come here to learn.
2pm-4pm
On the walk this afternoon, you'll pass Grafton Street, the Little Museum of Dublin, The National Museum, the Molly Malone Statue, George's Street arcade, the Powerscourt Townhouse centre, Stephen's Green with its buskers and the hidden Iveagh Gardens.
Just like this morning, walk off an explore the side streets. You can't get lost around here and if you do, ask a friendly local for directions.
If you are tired from walking, there's lots of excellent pubs like Nearys or the Old Stand to take a break in. Or you could sit down and:
- Forge your own Irish Claddagh Ring in Silverworks.
- You could take the Afternoon Tea on a vintage bus.
- Lunchtime theatre in Bewley's Cafe. One hour plays in this historic cafe.
Here are more full details for this afternoon's route
5pm : Your Hotel
I've been in just about every hotel in Dublin to meet my Jet Lag walking tour guests. Here are all my Dublin hotel recommendations.
The Green is one of my favorite Dublin hotels and is central to all of today's tours. It's a fantastic hotel.
7pm-Bed: Camden Street
You're going to spend the evening in Camden Street. It's full of restaurants and bars. This is where Dubliners go at night, not touristy Temple Bar.
Dinner
Here are my favorite restaurants on Camden Street. Book ahead for all of them.
- Camden Kitchen: Book ahead for this tiny but delicious restaurant. You'll be touching elbows with your neighbor but it just adds to the atmosphere. Love it!
- Richmond Restaurant: Michelin Bib Gourmand tells you all you need to know. A minimalistic menu which I love, less decisions, more eating.
- Delahunt: A beautiful setting where The Former Prince Harry & Meghan once ate.
Drinks
The beauty of the Camden Mile is that you just walk into any bar that you like the look of. There's always another next door. Here are some of my regulars.
- Cassidy's on Camden is a classic Dublin pub. On Wednesday nights they have trad music. Not playing for tourists, but for themselves.
- The Bleeding Horse has been here for a few hundred years, at least they claim. I've enjoyed my few decades of pints in there.
- Devitt's has a lovely bar with a strong whiskey collection. Can be very busy and usually has music. Sometimes a younger crowd, always friendly.
Pub Tour
I lead pub tours if you'd like a local expert (really, I've spent way too much time in Dublin pubs) to show you around. Stories & pints. The perfect combo.
Day 2: Coastal Dublin & Guinness
Today is about getting out of the city and seeing my favorite part of Dublin, by the sea. It's the nicer part of Dublin for me and a side many visitors skip.
9am-1pm: Dalkey Island & Killiney Bay
Take the Dart train 25 minutes to Dalkey. This is a wealthy area with the most gorgeous sea views in Dublin. You'll take a 5 minute boat to an old Viking island and then walk along the Vico Road, Dublin's most expensive road, for views over Killiney Bay.
This is the most popular and my own favorite of all my walks. Full details here.
Ireland by Locals
The Goat Boat
You could also do see this area from the water. This fast boat brings you on a wildlife and history tour in this part of Dublin Bay. It's the most fun thing to do in all of Dublin for me! You have to book well in advance for it. Superb!
1pm-2pm: Lunch
Dalkey has so many excellent food spots. My favorites are:
- Queens has been open since the 18th century and is overlooked by a castle.
- The Country Bake is my go to for something quick but tasty.
Have lunch out here surrounded by Dubliners, not other tourists. Then take the train back to the city.
3pm-6pm: Guinness Storehouse
Ok, no more waiting, it's time for Guinness. Honestly though, I'd be just as happy spending the money in some of Dublin's best pubs, but I get that everyone wants to go to Guinness when they're in Ireland. And it is a very good experience. The views from the Gravity Bar are worth it alone.
There are different tour options which people find confusing:
- Regular Entry: This is a self guided tour through the Storehouse with a free pint at the end. Noisy & crowded, but lots of fun.
- The Connoisseur Experience: Think of it as the Business Class of Guinness with a personal guided tour and tasting in a private bar. It gets very high ratings.
- Guinness Storehouse, Roe & Co Irish Whiskey Tour: Skip the line guided tour of Guinness & a whiskey distillery.
4pm-5pm Pearse Lyons Distillery
If you want a more relaxed day or crowds aren't your thing, you could do this instead of Guinness. Just across the road from Guinness is the Pearse Lyons Distillery. I like that it is the only Irish family owned distillery in Dublin. It is in an old church and I love that you get a whiskey as soon as you walk in!
Darragh
If It's Raining
It's Ireland and a sprinkle of rain is always possible so pack a good rain coat and you'll be ok. Our rain tends to be light mist rather than torrential downpour.
Here are some other things to do in Dublin on a rainy day. Go to a museum. Here are all my museum reviews
Darragh
pm
7pm: Last Night In Dublin
Relax at the hotel before heading out for the evening. You've had a busy day so we're going to stay very central tonight. All of these restaurants are within 5 minutes walk of Trinity College.
Dinner
It's your last night in Dublin (for now), so let's go somewhere nice and relax after a busy two days
- Comet: The Irish Times headline in their review was "Is this Ireland’s next Michelin star restaurant in the making?". Book now while you can.
- Notions @ Two Pups: If you like ultra local and superb food, go here. It's near Guinness so stop on your way back but you must book ahead.
Here are all my favorite places to eat in Dublin
Ireland by Locals
Drinks
You've had some Guinness already, so let's go for a cocktail tonight.
- 9 Below is in a basement as all good cocktail bars should be. Dark & moodily lit.
- The Sidecar at the Westbury. A hotel bar but don't let that fool you. Locals go here too for one of their 18 superb cocktails.
If you do want one last pint of Guinness, here are my favorite pubs in Dublin. A lifetime of research has gone into this.
In just two days, you'll have been all over Dublin City, both during the day and night and seen places even some locals haven't been to.
You might even go home with hint of a Dublin accent.
Read Next
This page has links to all my posts about Dublin. You'll have a PhD in Dublin if you read them all.
Darragh
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