Emerald Isle - Ireland Series: Dublin, Ireland

When you arrive to Dublin, grab a taxi to get to your hotel.  It's cheap, safe & easy.  Drop your bags off at the hotel and jump on one of the Hop on/Hop off city tour buses.  The tour lasts 1 1/2 hours (start to finish), but you'll want to hop off to sightsee and take photos.  The buses pick up at 25 different well know locations and stop every 15 minutes.  No locals, only tourists use these buses.  It's a terrific way to get the lay of the land of the city and then use it over your stay to get around without having to pay for taxis.

Guinness 

Jameson


Do as the other tourists do, plan a visit to either the Jameson or Guinness factories.  It's one of those checklist items that make the trip memorable during your 1st time in Dublin.

O'Connell Street

Arlington Hotel

half penny bridge

Find a restaurant to enjoy dinner and a show.  We selected the Arlington Hotel because it hosted an "Irish Dancing Night".  Live Irish music, dancing and dinner.  We had a great time!  You can find the same set up at many of the restaurants and bars at the Temple Bar neighborhood or 
Bachelor's Walk.














One of the things that really stayed with me was how tourist friendly & safe Dublin is.  From the ease of getting around, by either walking in the city center, by using the hop on/hop off buses to see sites outside the city center, friendliness of the locals, use of the Euros and English is the primary language spoken.  More importantly was how safe we felt as we walked in the city, including at night.  Not saying that you don't have to be mindful of your surroundings, but you don't have locals seeking you out as targets.  Feeling safe made a much more enjoyable visit and willingness to venture out of the hotel at night which is when the city came alive.

Let's use Dublin as our starting point in our travels of the East coast.  How will we get from city to city?  We will rent a vehicle from Hertz on our last day in Dublin.  Next stop is Carlingford.

Happy Traveling!