What Area of Dublin To Stay In
Area first. Hotel second
If you don't know Dublin well, stop searching for hotels first. Instead focus on finding the best area for you. Then once you’ve narrowed down to an area, look for a hotel.
I'm a Dublin tour guide and have been in just about every hotel in Dublin meeting my walking tour guests, so you're getting a lot of local knowledge here that will help you pick the best area to stay in.
Where Area I'd Choose
Georgian Dublin. It has just the right balance of local & tourist, quiet & city, parks & pubs. Book the 5* Merrion or 4* Alex there.
Guarantee
I‘m so confident that you’ll figure where t0 stay after reading this page, that by the end, if you're still not sure, leave a comment below and I’ll give you a free personalized recommendation.
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Near Trinity College
Temple Bar & Grafton St.
Best for: First time visitors, like the buzz of a city, nightlife.
Hotels Near Trinity College 1. The Grafton 2. The NYC Christchurch 3. The Chancery
What it's like: As soon as you set foot outside your hotel, you are in the heart of it. The areas around Temple Bar are the tourist centre of the city. The area around Grafton Street is more where locals hang out. But they're only ten minutes apart and are alive with people.
You'll have to search a bit harder to find quiet. If you stay near Temple Bar, it's tourist central which means high prices, less authentic and crowds.
Grafton Street and its surroundings is more genuine Dublin filled with locals.
My hotel picks:
5* The Westbury - A Dublin institution. Just off Grafton Street.
4* The Chancery - Quiet street behind Dublin Castle
4* The Grafton - Near the Creative Quarter's small streets of independent shops
4* NYX Hotel - Close to Temple Bar but in the quieter part of it
4* Trinity City - Behind Trinity College and close to Dart station
Georgian Dublin
Near Merrion Square
Best for: Culture lovers, luxury seekers, quieter stays
Georgian Dublin Hotels - 1. The Fitzwilliam 2.The Leinster 3.The Merrion
What it's like: Elegant Georgian architecture, upscale shopping, peaceful green spaces.
This is where Dublin shows off its refined side with parks, museums and government offices for neighbors. If you like peace at the end of a busy day of sights, this is where to stay. It's still very central, you'll be queuing for the Book of Kells within a 10 minute walk.
There's a reason most of Dublin's 5 star hotels are clustered around here. Here's a travel tip for any city in the world, look where these hotels are. They don't put them in bad areas. !
There's less shops and restaurants, but the ones here are of a high quality. The hotel bars here are Dublin's best, while classic Dublin pubs like Toners are just outside your door.
Pick your park, Merrion Square or St Stephen's Green where local artists display their work at the weekends. The Grand Canal is just a few minutes away too. So nice to walk along its bank.
This is my kind of area. Close enough and just far enough too.
My hotel picks
5* The Merrion - Discreetly tucked away. Quiet luxury
5* Shelbourne - Opulent & historic overlooking the park
4* The Leinster - More art pieces than a gallery.
4* The Alex- Stylish, very stylish. Love its secret garden
Ireland by Locals
Ireland by Locals
North City Dublin
Areas: O'Connell Street, Abbey St, Capel St
Best for: Affordability
North Dublin Hotels - 1. RUI Gresham 2. Ruby Molly 3. Motel 1
What it's like: Dublin is divided by the River Liffey. The Southside is the posh side, the northside is just a bit more gritty, less polished.
It does have some very nice hotels at good prices though. And there's less tourists, so if you'd prefer to walk into a pub of locals, then you'll like it over here.
My favorite hotels below are near Capel Street. This was made fully pedestrianized a few years ago and is a fantastic street of old Dublin pubs next to modern restaurants and food from different cultures around the world.
My Hotel Picks
5* The Morrison - Overlooking the river. Hilton 5 star. Fantastic
4* Zanzibar Locke - Might be the best reviewed hotel in Dublin.
4* Motel One - Superb & excellent location next to the river.
4* Riu Plaza The Gresham - Another Dublin institution hotel.
4* Ruby Molly - Cool is the word I'd use for Ruby. Very cool
Grand Canal Area
Areas: Ballsbridge, Portobello
Best for: More local Dublin and explorers
1. The Schoolhouse 2. The Mescal
What it's like: If you like staying in places where you can explore local neighborhoods and feel like you're living here, then stay close to the Grand Canal.
You can walk around chic neighborhoods like Donnybrook, Ranelagh & Rathmines. Eat in places Tripadvisor doesn't have in their top (tourist) ten. Be a regular at the village coffee shop. It's calmer around here too, go for a walk along the canal and watch the swans glide by.
Grand Canal is an interesting 20 minutes walk from town. Buses take 10 minutes.
My Hotel Picks
4* The Mespil. Love this place next to the canal. Very popular with my guests
4* The Schoolhouse. Boutique old red brick schools house on banks of canal
4* NYX Portobello. Food lovers will love this area. Tiny cafes & restaurants galore
Do My Dublin Jet Lag Walk While You Wait To Check-In
Ireland by Locals
Dublin Docklands
Areas: Quays,
Best for: Business travelers, concertgoers, modern amenities
What it's like: Dublin's tech hub with modern buildings, waterfront views, and the 3Arena. Feels like a different city from historic Dublin.
There's been a lot of new hotels opening here which makes sense since a lot of offices are here. Hotels in older parts of Dublin are made to work in old buildings, while dockland hotels are newly built from the ground up and still have the new paint smell so if you like things that always work, then you may like here.
It's quieter here at the weekend without the office workers. But it doesn't have the charm of other parts of Dublin though. I'd stay here if I was on business, going to a concert at 3 Arena or even a game at the Aviva or Croke Park, but not on holiday unless it was a really good deal.
My Hotel Picks
5* The Anantara - If the company is paying the tab, stay here
4* The Samuel - New, modern, extremely comfortable
4* The Spencer - Riverfront with a rare pool in Dublin.
Seaside Villages
Areas: Dun Laoghaire, Malahide, Clontarf
Best for: Sea views and escaping city crowds.
What it's like: People automatically start looking for hotels in the city, but I strongly urge you to consider staying in places like Dun Laoghaire, Clontarf, Howth & Malahide.
I do most of my Dublin walking tours in these areas for a simple reason. They're the nicest parts of Dublin.
Open your hotel room curtains and look out at the gorgeous Dublin Bay. Have dinner by the sea, walk along the pier as the sun sets. Go sea swimming with the natives and have a pint in the village pub.
The Dart train line is fantastic. It runs along the whole of Dublin Bay and brings you into town quickly and cheaply. It also brings you to other seaside villages like Dalkey & Greystones. You'll see from my Dublin Itinerary how much I love these areas.
Staying here gives you the best of both worlds, quiet seaside life and easy access to the city, but you might just stay by the sea.
My hotel picks:
- Haddington House: Old looking on the outside, private club feeling inside.
- Royal Marine Hotel: Classic Victorian seaside hotel with gorgeous views
- Clontarf Castle: A seaside castle just ten minutes from the city
1. Clontarf Castle Hotel 2. The Haddington Dún Laoghaire 3. The Royal Marine Dun Laoghaire
Near Dublin Airport
Best for: Early flights, late arrivals, car rentals
What it's like: If you're flying back to the US, do yourself a favor and get an airport hotel the night before your flight. You already have a long travel day ahead of you. With US Preclearance in Dublin, you have to check-in three hours before your flight. You may have to drop a rental car off. Don't stay in Dublin City Centre and have to find parking & battle traffic.
No, instead stay near the airport. You could even drop your car off the night before. One less thing to do on travel day.
My top recommendation is to stay in Malahide. A gorgeous coastal village just 15 minutes from the airport. Have one last night of strolling around an Irish village before you fly home. It's a lot more relaxing than the city.
My hotel picks
- Grand Hotel Malahide Watch the sun set over the beach one last time
- Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin Airport: Walk to the terminal
- Crown Plaza Dublin Airport: Short shuttle to the terminal
Close to Dublin Airport - 1. Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links 2. The Grand Malahide
Other Areas
I knew this would happen! As soon as I published this post, I got comments from readers "but what about this other area?". I'm trying to keep the post from getting too long and overwhelming you with choice.
It's like when I turn on Netflix, I spend more time looking through the thousands of shows than actually watching one. I really think less is more when it comes to hotels. There's enough to pick from in the areas above for everyone.
Smithfield, The Liberties, Ranelagh: All great areas too. But I think the ones I've written about above cover everything from luxury to budget, city to local.
If you still can't decide which area to stay in?
Book a trip planning call with me and you'll quickly have a confident plan.
Ireland by Locals
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Ireland by Locals
