If you were my friend visiting Dublin, I would take you beyond the typical tourist traps. This city, where I was born and raised, has magic in its layers—revolutionary history, sweeping coastline, and world-class music. Here is your local’s guide to a long weekend in Dublin.
Day 1: History and a Proper Pint
After picking you up from Dublin Airport—mercifully free of extortionate drop-off charges—we will head straight to Glasnevin Cemetery. A graveyard might seem an odd start, but this 20-minute drive north of the city offers a walking tour (€17 per person) through Ireland’s history. We will visit the final resting places of iconic figures like Daniel O’Connell, Michael Collins, Maud Gonne, and Brendan Behan.
Next door, the Botanic Gardens (free entry) beckon with beautifully restored glasshouses. Then we will return through the cemetery to John Kavanagh’s The Gravediggers, a no-frills pub since 1833 serving what many call the best Guinness in Dublin. No music, no TV—just pints and traditional dishes like black pudding croquettes, Dublin Bay prawns, and coddle. Anthony Bourdain once signed the guest book: ‘Heaven looks just like this.’
With a non-alcoholic pint in hand, we will drive to Clontarf seafront for a bracing walk on Bull Island. Locals swim here year-round, even in subzero temperatures, with the candy-striped Poolbeg Chimneys as a backdrop. For warmth, we can grab coffee from Happy Out or Kennedy’s, or wine at Cooper’s.
Dinner is at Grano, a northside Italian that The Irish Times called the ‘restaurant that stole Dublin’s heart.’ After signature ravioli and tiramisu, we will head to The Cobblestone for live trad music—the finest in the city, often graced by famous faces. We will rest at The Shelbourne, a five-star hotel (from €731 per night).
Day 2: Culture and Cycling
After a walk through St Stephen’s Green, we will rent DublinBikes and cycle to Scéal bakery in Portobello for the best almond croissants in town. Then we will detour to The Liberties, an 800-year-old neighbourhood, to visit St Patrick’s Cathedral, stroll old city walls, and browse antique shops on Francis Street. If you have never been, we will stop at the Guinness Storehouse—worth a visit, but not more than once. I prefer Fallons, a pub dating to 1619 with great pints and toasties.
In the afternoon, we will drop the bikes at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells (circa 800 AD). Lunch at Caribou is a must—their roast beef sandwich with melted provolone, caramelised onions, and dipping gravy is legendary. Time permitting, we will catch Gaelic football or hurling at Croke Park. Hurling, often called the fastest game on grass, has been played for 3,000 years.
After a quick change, dinner at Bar Pez offers tiny tapas with excellent crab and an award-winning wine list. We will finish with a gig at Vicar Street or Flannery’s, and a nightcap at The Long Hall, The Brazen Head, or The Palace Bar—haunts of Ireland’s literary greats.
Day 3: Coastal Escape
On our final day, we will take the DART electric rail service south to Dún Laoghaire. Our base is Haddington House, a former Victorian schoolhouse with the Adelaide Suite (€455 per night) featuring a super-king bed and rolltop bathtub. If the weather is fine, we will use vintage green bikes to explore.
First, a swim at the Forty Foot, where Dubliners have swum for centuries (free). Then we will sweat it out at Sandycove Sauna by the Sea (€15 for 30 minutes) and cycle to Dalkey for a ‘picky bits’ lunch from ThymeOut deli. Next, choose between kayaking at Colliemore Harbour or a short ferry to Dalkey Island, uninhabited but with Neolithic evidence.
Dinner is at Daata, a Pakistani-Indian fusion restaurant in Glasthule village. We will retire to Haddington’s cocktail bar for a Two Queens and say oíche mhaith (good night).
