A week in Ireland with buddies (1st visit and would love advice)
 

A few buddies and I have recently planned a trip into Dublin May 2nd thru May 9th. We had planned to backback and just make decisions on a whim! A visit to Scotland isn't out of the question considering time permits. Our interests and requests for suggestions include:
1.We intend to spend a lot of time in pubs..Are there any specific bar reccomendations in Dublin or surrounding area?
2.Reccomendation on places to stay in Dublin,preferably near nightlife.(relatively cheap? Hostils available? Somewhat safe areas?)
3.Givin only 7 days, are there other cities that are reccomended to visit? (aside from a lot of pubbing, a little site seeing is definatley in the picture.)
4.If a trip to Scotland is possible, is a flight or boat trip suggested and what towns best cater to party goers? Should we book the ferry ahead of time, or just wing it when we get there?
5.Is there a rail system in Ireland, or is car rental the best way to travel? (remember drinking is in the picture and we realize they are very strict in that sense?)

Thank you and we appreciate your thoughts...

If you type in "Dublin Pubs" in the seach area you'll have a wealth of information at you fingertips.

Have a great time in Dublin. The Temple Bar area of Dublin is a hot spot for pubs and clubs. Some may say it is too touristy but if you are a tourist, it might not be a bad place. A pub I went to when I was there was Mulligan's on Poolbeg St. It was not a tourist place but great fun.

Places to stay: I stayed at O'Neills Townhouse and Pub. It is a B&B and a pub downstairs - the best of both worlds I suppose. Here is their website: http://www.oneillsdublin.com. There is also a hostel that I looked at right on the Liffey called Abbey Court. Here is their website: http://www.abbey-court.com.

I am sure you will get lots of opinions but be aware that Dublin isn't the cheapest place in Europe so be prepared. :)

There is a lot of information about Dublin in www.visitdublin.com .Visit Newgrange and Glendalough nearby for something you will never see in America.

1.We intend to spend a lot of time in pubs..Are there any specific bar reccomendations in Dublin or surrounding area?

Temple Bar is OK, but is very touristy. Try areas around Grafton Street instead. Some great places to try are Cafe en Seine, Ron Blacks and Samsara - all are on Dawson Street. They're all huge bars, and are very trendy - so dress to impress! Also worth trying are Cocoon in the Hibernian Way and the Bailey on Duke Street. 4 Dame Lane (on Dame Lane funnily enough!!) is another great place. All the above are trendy, modern pubs. For a more traditional pub, Kehoes on South Anne Street is great and Mulligans on Poolbeg Street (as was mentioned by Coldwar27) is well worth a visit - they serve the best Guinness in Dublin, so pop in for a pint. Davy Byrnes on Duke Street is another good pub. All the pubs I've mentioned above are within a few minutes walk of Grafton Street. Baggot Street is another good place for traditional pubs - try Doheny & Nesbitts or Toners.

2.Reccomendation on places to stay in Dublin,preferably near nightlife.(relatively cheap? Hostils available? Somewhat safe areas?)

Jurys Inn in Christchurch is a good, relatively cheap hotel. Otherwise there are a few hostels. There's one called Kinlay House that's supposed to be good - again it's on Dame Street near Christchurch.

3.Givin only 7 days, are there other cities that are reccomended to visit? (aside from a lot of pubbing, a little site seeing is definatley in the picture.)
If you?re hiring a car, you could see quite a bit in a week (around Kerry/Cork/Galway), however if you?re just going to use public transport, you could just stick to the cities - Galway would be the best option out of the three mentioned. Again, there?s plenty of pubs there for you to visit, and it?s a lovely city!!

4.If a trip to Scotland is possible, is a flight or boat trip suggested and what towns best cater to party goers? Should we book the ferry ahead of time, or just wing it when we get there?

You could check out www.ryanair.com and see if they have any cheap flights to Edinburgh ? it?s a lovely city and you can get there very cheaply sometimes.

5.Is there a rail system in Ireland, or is car rental the best way to travel? (remember drinking is in the picture and we realize they are very strict in that sense?)

It all depends on what you want to see. You could do a day trip or two from Dublin ? perhaps to see Glendalough in Wicklow, or Newgrange in Meath, and then maybe get a train to Galway and spend a few days there. Otherwise, you could rent a car and go to the South West ? but you would really need a car to travel around there as public transport only goes to the main cities.

Some Hostels if you are interested are:

Barnacles - Temple Bar 19Temple Lane,
Temple Bar,Dublin 2

Avalon House,
55 Aungier Street,
Dublin 2,


Kinlay House (Close to Temple Bar)
2-12 Lord Edward Street,
Dublin 2,

Ashfield House
19-20 DOlier Street,
Dublin 2,

Oliver St Jouhn Gogarty (Also a pub)
18-21 Anglesea Street,
Temple Bar, Dublin 2,

Bridge House
4 -25 Parliament Street,
Dublin 2

Check out the site www.backpacker.ie fopr more details and prices.

for more regular pubs less trendy definately Try mulligans as the others reccommended and Kehoes. Some others are McDaids off grafton street beside the Westbury hotel. In good weather sit outside at Bruxelles (Across from McDaids).

Have fun

S

It's a long trip by ferry from Dublin to Scotland (I'm not even 100% about the route). Definitely fly.

you could always get the train to Belfast from Dublin and the ferry from there to Stranraer is just under 2 hours. Flying would be a quicker and probably cheaper option.

Hi Muehl,

I'm not sure where you're from - but don't they have pubs there?

A ferry trip would certainly not be worth it with only a week in Ireland. Personally, I don't think I would consider Scotland if you want to venture outside of Dublin in Ireland. Guessing that you'll spend your 1st two nights in Dublin and your last (the 8th if you leave on the 9th, that only gives you four days. You might be able to do one of those high speed tours like paddywagon (http://www.paddywagontours.com/all.html). They seem to cover the country at break neck speed and I think drinking is highly encoraged. You stay at hostels and they are pretty inexpensive by bus tour standards. It might be a lot of fun for your group.

Bill