Dublin - Am I Missing Anything?
 

Will spend 4 days in Dublin, am I missing any major attractions or Pubs/Restaurants from the list below?

ATTRACTIONS:
St. Stephens Green
Grafton Street
Temple Bar
Parliament House
O?Connell Bridge
Liffey River
Customs House
Parnell Square
Writers Museum
Nassau Street
Trinity College (Book of Kells)
Merrion Square
National Gallery of Ireland
National Library
Natural History Museum
Shelburne Hotel - Tea
James Joyce Center
High Street
Francis Street (antiques)
Dublin Woollen Mills
House of Ireland
Blarney Woollen Mills
National Concert Hall
St. Stephen?s Green Shopping Mall
St. Patrick?s Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral
National Museum
Old Jameson Distillery ? The Chimney
Dublin Castle
Guinness storehouse

RESTAURANTS / PUBS
Musical Pub Crawl
Gallagher?s Boxty House Pub
O?Shea?s Pub
Old Stand Pub
Dome Restaurant
Doyle's Irish Cabaret
Café En Seine
Odessa Restaurant
Brewley?s Café
Brewley?s Oriental Café
Stags Head Pub
O?Donoghue?s Pub
Odeon Restaurant
Zanzibar Restaurant
Burdocks fish and chips

A few other suggestions...if you like art, the National Gallery is great. Don't miss the Chester Beatty library while you're at Dublin castle. If the weather's nice, you could take a day trip on the DART...the southside train to Bray is a particularly nice route by the sea (although I'd get off at Killiney or Dalkey rather than Bray!). Otherwise, take the northward train to Malahide and visit Malahide castle.

You could also visit Kilmainham Gaol if you have time, and a stroll around Temple Bar.

You've actually missed out one of the most renowned pubs in Dublin - you have to go to Mulligans on Poolbeg Street for a Guinness - it's reputed to be the best in Dublin (I can't confirm that as I haven't been to every pub in Dublin - but it's certainly a good pint!).

Gallaghers Boxty House isn't a pub - it's a restaurant. IMHO it's a bit too touristy and the food is not great. You can get better food elsewhere.

I've never heard of O'Sheas or Old Stand pubs - where are they? And is the Dome restaurant the one in the Stephens Green centre? if so I'd give it a miss...it's just a cafe (daytime only) and it's not great. A better place for lunch is the Epicurean Food Hall on Middle Abbey Street (just off O'Connell Street) or the cafe in Avoca Handweavers on Suffolk Street.

Zanzibar is a pub rather than a restaurant (although they may serve food too!).

If you're looking for places for dinner - in the ?reasonable? price range, try Café Bar Deli on Georges Street, 101 Talbot on Talbot Street, Bang on Baggot Street, The Chili Club just off South Anne Street. Odessa is already on your list - I would also recommend that!
In the more expensive range, L?Ecrivain, Chapter One, Les Freres Jacques, One Pico, Patrick Guilbaud, Shanahan?s on the Green, Thorntons and The Unicorn are all fantastic.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know!

The lunch is also good in the Chester Beatty Cafe.

As for the rest:
St. Stephens Green - you can walk through in a 1/2 hour. Beautiful flowers.

Grafton Street - shopping. Dont's miss Henry Street as well with more smaller shops and 3 major department stores.

Temple Bar - Just an area with a bunch of bars. Have a pint. or a bite to eat. Picks up at night.

Parliament House - its called the Dail (Pronounced dawl or doyle) - Not the most exciting spot of interest

O'Connell Bridge - You will walk over several times to go to various places.

Liffey River - Not that exciting you will also see this a lot.

Customs House - I have not done the tour but it should be interesting.

Parnell Square Nothing really here and a more inner city part of town.

Writers Museum - good place to visit.

Nassau Street - What do you want to see here?? Its just a main street in the city full of bus stops.

Trinity College (Book of Kells) - Good

Merrion Square - Nice park here and artists showing their paintings at the weekends

National Gallery of Ireland - Beautiful place go see the Carravaggio and do a tour.

National Library - Not sure if you can wander in here.

Natural History Museum - Beautiful

Shelburne Hotel - Tea - Nice place for this.

James Joyce Center - Yes good

High Street - What is this??? does not exist to my knowlesge unless you mean the shopping high street and this is Grafton Street and Henry Street

Francis Street (antiques) - Great for browsing in the morning.

Dublin Woollen Mills - Just a shop nothing special and it's on the way to Henry Street over the Ha Penny Bridge

House of Ireland
Blarney Woollen Mills
All of the above are fairly similar versions of eachother. Kilkenny shop as well is good on Nassau Street

National Concert Hall - Are you planning on seeing a concert? Every Tuesday at lunchtime (1:10) there is a concert for 1 hour during the summer.

St. Stephen's Green Shopping Mall - Same as Grafton street at the top.

Many of these below can be done on the hop on hop off bus tour:
St. Patrick?s Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral
National Museum
Old Jameson Distillery ? The Chimney
Dublin Castle
Guinness storehouse

Now for food and Drink:

Musical Pub Crawl - 7:30 most nights starts upstairs at the Oliver St. John Gogherty worth the price

Gallagher's Boxty House Pub - I just think its a tourist terap with terrible food. Don't bother.

O'Shea's Pub - it's ok but the The Brazen Head across the road is much better and fun

Old Stand Pub - You will see it on the Literary pub crawl. Nothing special.

Dome Restaurant - Great for Lunch how did you find this? Most people don't know it but the food is excellent and it's like a sunny conservatory at the top of the Stephens Green Shopping centre. Go here for lunch when shopping in the area. SOup is always good. Its only open in the day cafeteria style.

Doyle's Irish Cabaret - It's a bit old fashioned and cheesy but if you like that stuff then hey go for it!

Café En Seine - Trendy bar but its a crazy place at weekend nights. It has food during the day and a nice place for a coffee. Beautiful decor.

Odessa Restaurant - directly across from the Stags head pub. Good food I would reccommend it.

Brewley?s Café - It's pretty awful and expensive don't bother

Brewley?s Oriental Café it's the same thing as above

Stags Head Pub - This is a real pub. Go to the snug in the back. Definatly a must see

O'Donoghue?s Pub - Music most nights. Good pub tiny toilets.

Odeon Restaurant - more a bar than restaurant. Does brunch on the weekends but the food is just ok.

Zanzibar Restaurant - this is a bar not a restaurant

Burdocks fish and chips - good to go when you are visiting Christchurch


Frank to be honest you really seem to have just copied this out of a book without researching. I am writing this for others as well. These places seem to vary in tastes so pick the major ones and work around that.

cailin:
Thanks for all the great suggestions. O'Shea's Merchant is located in O'Shea's Hotel on Lower Bridge Street and Merchant Quay not far from Christ Chruch. The Old Stand is on Exchequer Street an looks authentic, claims to have been around for 300 years. You can check theire website at oldstandpub.com. Thanks again.

SiobhanP: You seem like a Dublin expert, thanks for all the pointers and suggestions. As you can see, I'm still a little hazy about some of the attractions and restaurants, but your review has been most helpful. Thanks again.

Thanks Frank. I do know the Old Stand now - just from walking past it. To be honest, it's not somewhere that would strike me as a good place to go (you can certainly forget the "ask any dubliner" bit they have on their website!!).

I still don't know O'Shea's!

Siobhan - High Street is just up past Christchurch.

Frank - I would also recommend a trip to the theatre - try either the Abbey or the Gate.

Four Courts, if you can sit in on a trial, is interesting. Wigs and robes on all the lawyers. At least for legal types like me.

The Rebellion of 1916 Walking Tour was one of the best things I've done in my numerous trips to Dublin. Kilmainham Gaol (take the tour, don't do it on your own) was fascinating and a close second.

The Zoo is really nice unless you've been to San Diego's (which is the only one better IMHO). Especially the sea lions.

Not a lot to do in Killiney, Bray or Dalkey once you get there, other than stalk famous Irish rock stars and walk the beach. Killiney Hill has a nice view, but I wouldn't recommend the trek to a first timer to Dublin. There's plenty to do in the city.

And for fish & chips, Beshoffs over Burdocks! (Beshoffs is about halfway between O'Connell Bridge and Grafton Street, on Westmoreland, I believe.

I always like having a Guinness in Mulligan's.

Never ever ever eat anything at Bewley's, particularly any of the pastries. I tried the cheesecake there and have never tasted anything so vile in my life. That said, I do enjoy having a cup of coffee there and watching the world go by.

amyb: Thanks for the great suggestions, particularly Beshoff's.

ann41: Thanks for the heads-up on Bewley's. Will check out Mulligan's.

Thanks again.

If you are from any sizeable US city, Grafton Street is no big deal. Are you really going all those places? If so, fuel up at the Temple Bar area so all that hiking around will be more fun ;-)

Thanks Cailin..how sad I used to live there and never notice the street names! Same like the old stand. It's just not really any atmosphere.

Frank, - Go across the roiad from the old stand to the international bar. This is a really unusual place. It's kinda older victorian style and the people I have met here are real characters. Tried to get a pint one night and a man/lady at the bar infomed me they ran out of my drink. I had to do a double take as the poor guy was the worst dressed transvestite I had ever seen. I have seen him a few times there since. Mad place

Thanks all for the great suggestions!