Hello All,

I only have 2 days and 2 nights when I fly into Dublin. I thought I would stay in the city as it would be a great site to see for first time.
Here's the advice i need for a female travelling solo.
1.Accomadation: someplace cutural and not too costly (no portor or pool) just clean with own bathroom. No Hostels!Close to a sites and restaurants.Funky helps.
2. Suggestions for things must see & do - i like culture , museums, tours,shopping, sitting and watching sipping both coffee an Guiness.
3. Do I need a car ..really for 2 days?
4. Any tours take you outside of the city limits to see towns or natural sites?
5. best way to travel from airport
6. good affordable places to eat and must have irish cuisine
ps. I will be arriving on St.Patrick's day. is this a good idea and what a good way to soak all this in in the evening?
Thanks in advance

Hi

There's plenty to see and do in Dublin that should fill your 2 days. Apparently the open top bus tours are great. They will drop you off at some of the main tourist attractions - you can hop on and off the bus. You should go to the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin Castle. The National Gallery is also worth a look. For shopping, there are some nice funky shops in Temple Bar. Also the streets in & around Grafton Street are good for shopping - particularly between Grafton Street and Georges Street. The Powerscourt Townhouse centre has some lovely shops and is well worth a visit. For sitting and watching people and sipping a coffee or a Guinness, The Bailey on South Anne Street (just off Grafton Street) is good. They have outdoor heaters so you can sit outside and watch people stroll down Grafton Street. Cafe en Seine, Ron Blacks and Samsara (all on Dawson Street) are great at night time for people watching...you have to dress to impress to get in there though! There's also some lovely cafes and restaurants on Georges Street - try Cafe Bar Deli for delicious and very reasonable food, and SoSuMi across the road - another trendy spot for drinking. 4 Dame Lane is another great place for drinks - there's no shortage of trendy pubs in Dublin!!

You won't need a car if you're just staying 2 days and staying in the city. The city centre is small and is easily walkable.

I'm not sure about tours, but if you want to see outside the city, I'd recommend hopping on a DART to either Howth or Malahide on the northside, or Dalkey or Killiney on the southside (note that the southside DART is not working at weekends until mid summer). All four places are lovely seaside villages. Dalkey is the home to quite a few celebs (Bono and Eddie Irvine to name a couple), and, again there are lovely bars and restaurants in the area.

To get from the airport to the city centre, get the aircoach. It leaves directly outside the arrivals area and costs €10 for a return ticket, or €6 for a one way ticket to the city centre. There are several drop off points around the touristy areas. The bus driver will tell you where to get off if you let him know where you're staying.

For typical Irish cuisine, you could try the Gallaghers Boxty House in Temple Bar.

There will be plenty going on on St. Patricks Day - there's usually fireworks or concerts and all the pubs will be busy!! Have a look at http://www.stpatricksday.ie/ to see what's going on.

Andreazbc,

Forget the car you will never use it. Check out other recent accommodation posts from yesterday it will list places that are reasonable and good priced for example:

Kilronan house
Parliament Hotel
Russelcourt Hotel
Harcourt Hotel
Jury Christchurch
B&B's south side
Avoid staying on Gardiner Street if you are alone - Check other posts!

Take a bus tour and this will hit many sights. Check out the Kilmainhaim Jail, The Chester Beatty Library Behind Dublin Castle (Asian Art Museium) Great Med Cafe in the museum. National Gallery, Kildare St National Museum. See another post I answered today about tours that can be booked at the tourist office on Suffolk Street (Its in an old Church).

Shopping - Grafton Street(Southside outdoor shopping and Mall at the top). Henry Street off O'Connell is a large outdoor shopping street with the indoor Jervis Street Centre at the end.

Food - Cafe Bar Deli reasonable prices and great pizza and Pastas and salads (Georges Street), Indigo Yard - Georges Street, Salamanca (Tapas beside the tourist office reasonable prices) Wagamamma - at the side of the St Stephens Green Shopping Centre opposite the Gaity theatre.

Pubs/Bars - For an afternoon drink/coffee/snack - Cafe en Seine on Dawson. It hasto be seen. Lush french style cafe/bar. Not a place to be alone at night though it gets crazy. If its nice outside sit at Bruxelles which is off grafton Street near the Westbury Hotel. Anyone can direct you.

Irish Cuisine is not reallly a cuisine. You can waste your money on a crappy meal at Gallaghers Boxty house or just get a caevery lunch in a pub. I know everone who visits like this (I am not a fan, I can cook better than theat but hey its different. Try fish and chips. I would not wast my money at night on a traditional Irish meal as it really does not exist and it not worth too much money.

I am running out of steam here but I see just now that you are thinking of coming for St Patricks day??? Its a bit late to be booking a room. I seriously doubt you will find accommodation at this stage.

SiobhanP & cailin thaks for the great tips!

Any of those accomadations you listed on the south side of the river?(canal!)
Thanks again!

On our most recent trip to Ireland, my very favorite 'Irish' cuisine was mussels - prepared numerous ways; I could've eaten them every meal, and nearly did. Of course, if you don't like mussels, that won't help!

there absolutely IS such a thing as Irish cuisine...cockles, mussels, dublin bay prawns, crab, irish stew, colcannon, boxty, soda bread, smoked salmon...and it's all lovely!!

Apoligies Cailin! I forgot the seafood as well. I just feel the food served in some of the touristy places is not really good quality. I used to work in the food business.

Andreazbc-Some of the best seafood places are by the sea King Sitric and Aqua in Howth and Cavistons in Sandycove. The Mermaid Cafe on Dame street is central to Dublin. Non are cheap but all top notch seafood. Neither are cheap though.

Thaks all...i love seafood especially mussels.
Hey can anyone tell me is Shannon an airport or a town? What is it s relation to Dublin?
Thanks!

Shannon is a town, an airport and a river. Its relation to dublin is that it is in the same country.

It's in the Middle of the country not very close to Dublin if thats what you are asking. Fly into Dublin you will not save much by going to Shannon and trains are fairly pricey here.

Book your hotel immediately if you haven't already done so. Dublin is packed full of tourists on St. Paddy's Day, and you might find it hard getting a room at this point.

Author: andreazbc
Date: 02/24/2004, 04:26 pm
Message: Hello All,

I only have 2 days and 2 nights when I fly into Dublin. I thought I would stay in the city as it would be a great site to see for first time.
Here's the advice i need for a female travelling solo.
1.Accomadation: someplace cutural and not too costly (no portor or pool) just clean with own bathroom. No Hostels!Close to a sites and restaurants.Funky helps.; HARCOURT ST. HOTEL (140 EUROS PER NIGHT CHEAPER FOR WEEKDAYS)-IT IS NEAR ST. STEPHEN'S GREEN--HAS IRISH MUSIC, PROBABLY IRISH FOOD.

2. Suggestions for things must see & do - i like culture , museums, tours,shopping, sitting and watching sipping both coffee an Guiness. TRINITY COLLEGE-BOOK OF KELLS

3. Do I need a car ..really for 2 days? NO.

4. Any tours take you outside of the city limits to see towns or natural sites? MORE TO SEE IN CITY ITSELF.

5. best way to travel from airport CAB

6. good affordable places to eat and must have irish cuisine WE FAVOR FRENCH-CONTINENTAL-BROWNS BRASSERIE OR LA MERE ZOU ON ST. STEPHEN'S GREEN VERY GOOD.

ps. I will be arriving on St.Patrick's day. is this a good idea and what a good way to soak all this in in the evening? SEE OTHER POSTS-INQUIRE DUBLIN-ST. PATRICK'S DAY (PERHAPS). I HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY-I BELIEVE IT IS MORE SUBDUED THAN NEW YORK OR BOSTON.


ONE TOUR WE LOVED IS THE WALKING OF THE 1916 REBELLION, LEAVING TWICE A DAY FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BAR-NEAR THE TOURIST BUREAU. 2 HOURS, 10 EUROS. CORMAC COLLINS IS VERY FUNNY AND KNOWLEDGABLE.

THE GAIETY THEATER, NEAR STEPHENS GREEN, CAN BE FUN DEPENDING ON WHAT IS PLAYING.

BLARNEY KNITTING MILLS HAS AN OUTLET WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE HARCOURT.

MANY BOOKSTORES-INDICATING THAT THE IRISH ARE THE MOST LITERATE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.

GOOD LUCK!!

ANTHONY SPINELLI