I had wanted to go to Ireland for as long as I could remember and in April of 2018 we visited the Emerald Isle. We flew out on a Monday(arriving Tuesday) and flew back on Thursday, it was super quick but we had a great time and hope to go back to explore more of Ireland.

So what do I think you should do in Dublin if you only had a couple days? Here are a few things that we loved!

Have a full Irish

This was the first thing that we did when we got to Dublin. Andrew had been chatting up another airline employee who was also traveling to Dublin while we were waiting to board. He had been to Dublin before and was meeting up with his girlfriend there; he brought us to a pub that had just what we needed, a pint and a full Irish. Try  M.J. O’Neill’s for breakfast or lunch it was delicious.

See some live music in a local pub

Right around the corner from our airbnb was The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland. We had a delicious dinner there and then returned later for some Irish music.

It was quite busy each time we were there but many of the people that we talked to were locals, which is always nice. A place that’s been around since 1198 could easily be seen as just another tourist trap but it s definitely worth a stop and a pint. Oh and the fish and chips were SO good!

Do the Guinness Tour

Speaking of tourist trap, this is just something that you need to do when in Dublin. It was very informative and you end the tour with the best view in Dublin. Andrew already knows a lot about beer and the process but the history and memorabilia were cool to see. Also, the view from The Gravity Bar is amazing.

Take a Day Trip

We took a 30-minute train ride to Howth for an afternoon. Howth is an Irish village east of central Dublin and it’s very charming.

There are cliff walks to explore and you can see Ireland’s Eye from the shore. If you’re feeling brave you can take a boat tour out to the eye, it was super windy the day that we went so we were not feeling particularly brave and just admired from the breakwater. Make sure you grab lunch or dinner because the seafood is amazing.

Explore! Just walk around

This seems like a no brainer but so many people plan out every minute of their trips and we are just not those type of people (if you’re a super planner that’s fine, just not for me 🙂 ) Don’t get me wrong, we always have our “must dos and sees” but it’s the things that you stumble upon when you really embrace a city that make a trip so meaningful.  I mentioned a cool umbrella street that I had seen on Instagram to Andrew and he was like, “you mean like that street over there?” and just happened to look down a side street and see what I was talking about! What are the odds?!?!?!? Pretty good if you’re willing to just explore, you never know what you may stumble upon. Also check out the VCC or Vintage Cocktail Club, another thing/place that we just happened to find, and it was such a cool place! They had super good cocktails and the decor was crazy. If it hadn’t been for a neon Liquor sign that drew us in, we never would have known about it.

We loved Dublin and cannot wait to go back to explore more of Ireland. What are your suggestions?