Kris629

My husband is going to Dublin for a conference the beginning of June. We can add a few days on either side of the trip to see the sights. What do you consider the must sees with the time constraints?

latedaytraveler

Kris, I would suggest visiting the IRISH NATIONAL STUD in County Kildare about 45 minuets out of Dublin. Home to some of the most beautiful thoroughbred horses in the world, the extensive grounds also include a lovely Japanese garden.

A stop at the Stud could be included as you venture further afield in Eire from Dublin.

jaja

You're spoilt for choice, actually:
Glendalough
Powerscourt
Vale of Avoca
Trim Castle
Brú na Bóinne
Hill of Tara
and of course the aforementioned Irish National Stud
Plenty to do in Dublin City, also.

Have a wonderful trip!

china_cat

I didn't get to Powerscourt, but Glendalough was fantastic. I would definitely consider doing the two of those (they are quite close). You could also go to Kilkenny which is a nice town with a great castle.

We did a 1 day guided tour from Dublin which went to Tara, visited a chamber tomb at Four knocks, and a couple of other monastary ruins. And if ancient sites interest you, don't forget Newgrange...one of the most famous. All of these are easily doable as a day trip from Dublin.

nytraveler

Absolutely visit Newgrange - if you like prehistoric sights and are not at all claustrophobic. We loved our visit despite the contretemps resulting from a person who apparently didn't know the meaning of claustrophobia.

di2315

As well as the suggestions above:
If the weather's nice, take a ride on the BART train that hugs the coastline from Dublin. You can buy a day pass, and hop on and off where ever takes your fancy. There are some interesting sea-side resorts and walks you can do along the way. Di

Tony2phones

What do you call a few days? Dublin is a hub for Bus and Rail travel to many parts of Ireland if you get chance to see some of the North, South and West. As they say there is Dublin and then there is Ireland.

sullivankzs

There's PLENTY in Dublin. It's a great walking city. Depending on your hotel, start w/a stroll through St. Stephen's green. Buy the 2-day (green) hop on- hop off bus pass (18 euro). My top choices would be kilmainham gaol (jail) w/so much Irish history & impressive tour guides, Museums (History w/bog bodies, Collins Barracks w/military & decorative arts), Jameson Whiskey tour, Dublin Castle, etc. Finish by 5 and enjoy a different pub every night. There are so many to choose from. At 7:30pm there's a Literary Pub Crawl. If it's a nice day, take the train to HOWTH (20 minutes?). Walk the path along the cliffs. The blue route is the shortest. You'll finish in 2 hours. There are longer routes if you are more ambitious. In the town center when the hikes end there are tons of restaurants. Extreme Ireland runs some great day tours. Sign up on line, or go to their shop across from the Trinity College gate. Cliffs of Moher, or Giants'Causeway & Belfast (includes the North coastline which was beautiful!)

Kris629

Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions. I think we will have at least three days so we should be able to check out quite a few of these sights.

Tony2phones

For anyone wanting 3 days in Dublin, Ireland.com have got some pointers.

ireland.com/travel/648856

Kris629

Thanks all for your suggestions. We ended up staying at the Crowne Plaza, a bit outside Dublin, for our three days before the conference. There is a nice park across the street and you can take a short walk to the bus in the morning with about a 30 minute ride to downtown Dublin. We got it on points but would recommend a more central location if you have a choice.
On the first day took in some Dublin sites; Temple bar, a pub meal at the oldest tavern, The Brazen Head and the Guiness factory tour. The Brazenhead food was soso but ate in the outside area which was very quaint and pretty with beautiful flower boxes. I would recommend the Guiness tour; it was very informative with a free drink at the end of the tour in the bar at the top of their factory. The 360degree view of Dublin was outstanding.
The next day we did a tour of Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Avoca. It was a very nice, comfortable tour. Glendalough was so peaceful and pretty. I could feel any stress I had release as I walked around the grounds. Avoca was a very quaint, little place. We enjoyed seeing how the blankets and different materials were made. We had the best lunch of our whole trip there; delicious Guiness stew.
Our third day we went on a rail/ bus trip to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway. It was rather a long day but I am glad we did it. The Cliffs were fantastic and the information center made into the side of the Cliffs was very well done. Take in the movie there, it is fascinating. The trip around the Burren was ok, I got a little bus sick with the long ride. The scenery was beautiful and worth seeing. What really made this tour was our wonderful guide and hearing him talk about the history of Ireland and the people. It touched our hearts and really brought Ireland to life for us. We ended up in Galway for the ride back to Dublin. There wasn't much time to tour around Galway but would like to go back for another visit.
During our conference we toured a bit after hours to the jail in Dublin(a must see and hear for the tour), a wonderful dinner and Irish music at The Arlington House in Temple Bar,Dublin Castle, a trip to Trinity College, where there was a wedding in progress on the steps of the chapel.
The trip was outstanding and while the sights and scenery were part of it, the thing that stands out in my mind as the highlight were the Irish people. They were welcoming, helpful, friendly, and always had a funny story to tell! Slainte!

latedaytraveler

“The trip was outstanding and while the sights and scenery were part of it, the thing that stands out in my mind as the highlight were the Irish people. They were welcoming, helpful, friendly, and always had a funny story to tell! Slainte!”

Kris, so glad that you enjoyed Dublin and were able to take in other sites including the dramatic cliffs.

Your above conclusion indicates that you enjoyed the quintessential Irish experience – the people!