Dublin in a day!

To kick off my 2016 travels, I took a 50 minute flight over the Irish sea to the beautiful city of Dublin, Republic of Ireland. I went during that funny week between Christmas and New Year when you don't really remember what day of the week it is and you don't really know what to do with your life. Fortunately, I live quite close to 2 major airports so we booked a cheap Ryanair ticket, packed a small bag and hopped on a extremely turbulent plane to Dublin.

I was technically in the country for 2 days but only had one day in the actual city centre.  To get the best out of our 12 hours in the city centre, we bought a Hop on, Hop off bus ticket to see all the sites.  If you want a tour of a cities best parts with the opportunity to explore more of sights that interest you, then City Sightseeing is the thing for you. 

8am - We left the hotel we were staying at in Tallaght on the outskirts of the city and took the Luas(the tram) into Dublin city centre, where I had my first Irish breakfast.

9am- Looking like the eager beaver I am, we hopped on the first city sightseeing bus. I wanted to absorb all of city sites so from 9am until around 10:30am we sat on the bus taking pictures and taking in history and being 'cultured'. Note to self: Never sit on the top deck of an open air bus in just a leather jacket in the month of December EVER again.

Apparently this is a stainless steel, pin-like monument standing at 121.2 metres tall. It's located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street and nicknamed The Monument of Light.

And of course, who can forget the Temple Bar district. This is the part of Dublin occupied by loads of Bars, Pubs and Restaurants; it is so nice at night, the people are lovely and the atmosphere is great.

We had planned to go to the Kilmainham Gaol where Irish revolutionaries and the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, were imprisoned and executed but it sold out for the day within an hour of opening. I would recommend getting here super early i.e. 9.01am if you want to take a tour around the Goal.
By 11am we had visited Trinity College and the Book of Kells, walked around the grounds of Dublin castle and visited Phoenix park.  I would've loved to go to Dublin Zoo but time was limited so that calls for another trip to Dublin!

Slainte (That means 'Cheers')

The shopping is unbeatable in Dublin. Grafton street is the main shopping area in the city centre where you'll find all the high street shops such as River Island, Zara etc. But wandering down the side streets and finding little unique shops is another great thing about Dublin. I probably spent way more Euros than I should have done but got some great buys whilst I was over there.





It would make no sense visiting Ireland without visiting the number one tourist attraction in the country. The Guinness Storehouse is a Guinness-themed tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery. I can completely understand how four million visitors have been to the brewery site since it opened as it is absolutely packed.  The Storehouse covers seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. You have the opportunity to take part in a tasting session AND you get a free pint of Guinness to drink on their viewing deck whilst looking out onto the city skyline.

Although I had a great 12 hours in Dublin city centre, I am eager to go back again for longer and visit other parts of Ireland.

And yes, I drank excessive amounts of Irish coffee. 

Mx