Remember that time I scored direct flights to Dublin for $250? Remember how that was my very first fully solo trip?!
As a university student, I was only able to take a short 3-day trip, but what an awesome 3 days it was!
Where I stayed
As I typically do, I booked my hostel through Hostelworld for my stay at Isaac’s Hostel. It was only a 10-15 minute walk to most of the sites and museums, so that was a major plus. At €24 per night ($29US), it was one of the more affordable options that was still located in a great area.
It really wasn’t a bad choice for my very first solo trip! The bathrooms lacked a bit of cleanliness, but the rooms and bed themselves were actually pretty nice. The lockers were also located all the way in the basement, so I ended up carrying most of my valuables around with me and left my bag locked up under my bunk.
The common area was a great place to hang out and meet people (and also the only place in the building that had wifi), with so many people just jumping into conversations!
What I Did
Dublin has a treasure trove of things to do. As the capital, there are tons of museums and incredibly architecture to be seen.
- Trinity Collge (inc. the Old Library and the Book of Kells) (€11-14 per ticket)
- Get there early. I arrived around 10am and managed to avoid most of the crowds.
- Pro tip: if you’re a college student (past or present) and still have your student ID without an expiration, BRING IT! It will save you so much money.
- Dublin Castle (€6-8 per ticket)
- Take one of the tours if that’s your sort of thing! It was a little bit pricey, but it was interesting.
- Christ Church Cathedral (€8 per ticket)
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral (€7-8 per ticket)
- The National Leprechaun Museum (€14-16 per ticket)
- I had a blast here!
- Lots of Irish folklore and it was super interactive
- National Museum of Archaeology (FREE!)
- We love a free attraction!
- Museum is huge–plan to spend a few hours here learning about Irish history and culture
- Guinness Storehouse (€19.50+ per ticket – BOOK IN ADVANCE!!!)
- THE stereotypical thing to do in Dublin
- Worth it? YES!
- You’ll spend a few hours here learning about the brewing process and what makes Guinness, Guinness, and learn how to pour a proper perfect pint of Guinness!
Day Trips
Since Dublin is the capital, there are ENDLESS options to explore more of the country within a day.
- Cliffs of Moher from Dublin
- I have nothing but good things to say about Galway Tours.
- Our bus stopped at a number of different spots with historical significance, along with taking lunch in the small, charming fishing village of Doolin before making it to the cliffs.
- We spent 2 hours walking along the coast and miraculously, the clouds disappeared just as we arrived–absolutely MAGICAL!
- Belfast from Dublin
- Though Belfast is in another country (Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom), it’s only a few hours by bus from Dublin and dare I say…even MORE interesting than Dublin!
- Titanic Belfast has been named one of the best tourist attractions in the entire world, and it’s absolutely amazing.
- Northern Ireland has been through a LOT in the past century, something that’s very evident when walking local streets and visiting the Ulster Museum.
- Explore the street art littered around the city.
I loved Ireland! Dunkin and Belfast were both breathtaking I wish I could move there!
YES Dublin and Belfast are both great! And there’s so much more of the country to explore!
DUBLIN not DUNKIN lol