Travel to Dublin: Don’t Miss and Dismiss
ByDon’t Miss & Dismiss is an occasional series of travel guide posts about the best (Don’t Miss) and worst (Dismiss) tourist sites in cities all over the world.
When I learned a buddy was planning to travel to Dublin, Ireland, I set about putting together a travel guide of things for him to do on his Irish travel trip. Here are my Don’t Miss and Dismiss Dublin opinions.
Don’t Miss: Trinity College Tour
The student-led tour of the grounds is easily my favorite thing to do in Dublin. I enjoy the school’s interesting history and the guides’ often-humorous insight into Irish college life. The tour also includes a visit to the famous Book of Kells and the library’s impressive long room.
Dismiss: Temple Bar
I admit you should take a stroll through the Temple Bar, but don’t stay long. If you’re looking to hang out with a bunch of other tourists, this is the place to find them.
Don’t Miss: Irish Music Pub Crawl
You bet it’s hokey and touristy, but it’s also a darn good time. Led by local musicians, the tour visits a handful of pubs and provides a fun and educational look (and listen) inside traditional Irish music.
Dismiss: Guinness Storehouse
You can’t visit Dublin without drinking a Guinness. That said, I humbly suggest that you throw back your pint of the dark drink somewhere other than the Guinness Storehouse. The expensive (€15) admission doesn’t cover any of the working parts of the brewery, but provides plenty of opportunity to purchase Guinness-branded souvenir junk.
Don’t Miss: Kilmainham Gaol
I likely would have skipped the Kilmainham Jail, but my lovely wife insisted we visit, and I’m glad she did. The guided tour is excellent and brings the jail’s history to life. Kilmainham is a must for anyone remotely interested in Ireland’s struggle for independence.
Dismiss: O’Connell Street
This big, wide boulevard straddles an uninspiring collection of statues honoring Irish heros and is also home to the 390-foot monstrosity called the Spire of Dublin. We found O’Connell Street so mediocre that we didn’t even take any photos.
Don’t Miss: Number 29 Georgian House
An entertaining museum, Number Twenty-Nine Georgian House represents a middle-class Georgian home and
provides an informative look at everyday life in the late 18th century. As an added bonus, the museum is located right off Merrion Square, a great place to photograph a slew of Dublin’s characteristic and colorful Georgian doors.
