The Best Places in Dublin

Over the past few months, I have been able to explore Dublin and all that it has to offer. With that, I have found plenty of new places that I have fallen in love with:

Park: Iveagh Gardens

Dublin is full of small gardens or squares, many of which were originally home to the richest Dubliners. However, these areas have been made public for decades now and have come to be very popular spots for walking, taking a lunch break, or sunbathing (when the sun’s actually out). St. Stephen’s Green is arguably the most popular spot, but with this it is full of both people and seagulls who are anxiously waiting to steal your food. Just a few minutes walk south of St. Stephen’s Green is Iveagh Gardens, often referred to as Dublin’s Secret Garden. This area is definitely a bit harder to find as it is still mostly surrounded by buildings or a stone wall. Because of this, it is much less crowded and most visitors are Dublin locals rather than tourists. Additionally, there are WAY fewer birds, so you can actually enjoy your lunch in peace. The gardens have endless green space for dogs to run around in or for a spot to sit and enjoy the sun (as I am doing now on a rare 60 degree, sunny day in Dublin). There are a few fountains and even a small cascading waterfall around the park, making Iveagh Gardens a perfect little sanctuary away from busy Dublin.

Coffee Shop: Beanhive

During my time here, I have been to many, many coffee shops. I would love to tell you that it has been a cheap habit, but the coffee prices here unfortunately match those of Starbucks in the states. Nevertheless, I haven’t found a coffee that I haven’t liked; but my absolute favorite place is Beanhive. Beanhive is located right across from St. Stephen’s Green in a very small store. There are only a few tables inside and a few outside, but that does not stop anyone from coming. Beanhive is known for their coffee art. If you order certain coffees, they come with intricate coffee art that ranges from an Irish flag to a picture of your face drawn on top of your coffee. While it may feel wrong to drink such a cool creation, their coffee tastes just as great as their art looks. They also have a menu full of sandwiches, wraps and salads that are just as delicious. The line outside their door does get quite long, but it is well worth the wait.

Pub: The Celt

There is absolutely no shortage of pubs here as drinking is a favorite activity in Ireland. My absolute favorite pub to go to, however, is The Celt. From the outside, the pub is quite deceiving and it looks like one small room at the front. In this room, they do have nightly live music which is always very enjoyable. Once you keep going, the pub opens up to room after room, and you realize that the place is deceivingly massive. The Celt draws in quite a range of people making it quite a fun place to meet new people. If you aren’t able to find a spot by the live music, they still have music playing in the back that never disappoints. The pub is also full of knick-knacks covering every wall, so there is no shortage of things to look at. If you get there in time for some dinner, their food is also delicious. 

Walk: Bray to Greystones

If you hop on the Dart, you can get an easy ride up and down the coast. My absolute favorite place to go to on the Dart is down to Bray to do the Bray to Greystones walk. Once you get off in Bray, you walk down to the beach that will be full of families and dogs on a nice day. The walk then starts at the end of the beach and goes along the coast all the way over to Greystones. If you prefer to stay in Bray, you can do the Bray cliff walk, which is a bit of an uphill hike, but so worth it at the top. Regardless, the whole trail will give you beautiful views of the Irish Sea as well as plenty of perfect photo opportunities. The walk takes a couple of hours, but is relatively easy. Once you get into Greystones, you can walk into the marina to see all the boats, or into town for plenty of restaurants. Both Bray and Greystones are full of places to grab some food and are great towns to wander around, just an hour south of Dublin city.

Restaurant: ???

The one thing I can’t choose is the best restaurant in Dublin because I truly do not think you can go wrong. No matter what you’re craving, you will be able to find it here. Dublin is full of food from different ethnicities, so you can get Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Thai, or anything else and it is delicious. I truly have not had a bad meal here; even the fries (or chip’s, as they call them here) from a pub are delicious and always served with some sort of garlic sauce. 

This list could definitely go on forever as Dublin is full of many hidden gems and places to see, but this list is a start to experience all that Dublin has to offer.