edit Dublin Travel Guide

• National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology and History (http://www.museum.ie/archaeology/findus.asp)
  
• The Bram Stoker Museum - A frightening tour through the life of Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula.
• The Guinness Storehouse retells the story of Dublin's most famous drink. The exhibition is interesting and is self guided.
• No trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one (or ten!) of its many pubs

Dublin is split into two halves by the River Liffey. On the North side of the Liffey is O' Connell Street - the main thoroughfare which is intersected by numerous shopping streets, including Henry Street and Talbot Street. On the south side is St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street (shopping), Trinity College, Christchurch and many other attractions.

By plane

Dublin is served by a single terminal airport approximately 10km north of the city.

A full list of airlines flying to Dublin, along with timetables, can be found on the Dublin airport website: http://www.dublinairport.com/index.asp

There are three types of bus transport back to the city:

• Aircoach express service (large blue bus) connects to the city centre and many of Dublin's major hotels, most of which are on the south side of the city. Buses leave every 15 minutes and the journey time to the centre is approximately 30 minutes. The cost is €7 single or €12 return. They also offer services to other destinations within Ireland including Cork and Belfast.
• Dublin Bus offer an express AirLink service (routes 747 and 748) every 10 minutes at peak times to the city centre and bus station for €6. Some of these services now use the Dublin Port Tunnel to avoid the city traffic and can reach the city center in minutes. A one-day rambler ticket can also be purchased from the ticket machine or inside the airport (but not on the bus) that gives unlimited all day bus travel, also for €5. A pack of five one-day ramblers can be purchased for €17 inside the airport.
• Dublin Bus also offer substantially cheaper standard services to the centre and further afield in the southern suburbs, but these are non-express and take a rather circuitous route to and from the airport. Cost is €1.90 and buses run every 10-25 minutes depending on time of day. The 16A goes right through the city stopping off at O'Connell St. and Continuing up George's St. The 41 takes a slightly more direct route, and finishes on Lower Abbey Street, between O'Connell St. and Busáras (Bus Station). On a good day you can get into town in about 30 mins but during rush hour this journey can be over an hour. These may be worth getting if you are on a tight budget and they happen to be leaving shortly after you arrive.

A taxi to the city centre should cost around €25-30 - as such it can be comparable/cheaper than the bus options if you are in a group of three or more (as well as a lot less hassle).

By train

Dublin has two main train stations: Heuston, in the west of the city centre, serves much of the west of the country and Cork while Connolly in the north-east centre of the city serves the east coast, Belfast, suburban commuter services "DART", and Sligo in the west. The 2 main stations are connected by bus and Luas tram routes. Visit the website for all train services local and intercity.

The Luas (as the trams are known locally) runs frequently and reliably and journey time between the stations is around 15 minutes.

There are major plans for an underground interconnector line to join between the Heuston and Connolly, which would enable direct services between major urban areas throughout Ireland. Eg. Cork to Belfast, Galway to Wexford.

By car

By bus

The single bus station, Busáras, serves the entire country and is next to Connolly train station a 5 minute walk from O'Connell Street. There is an extensive bus service run by Bus Eireann which covers destinations country wide, as well as Britain and Eurolines services to Continental Europe. There are luggage lockers in the basement.

There are however a number of private bus companies operating out of the city centre. Kavanaghs has a good service to Limerick and Waterford. Citylink coaches has the best value price to Galway and the West.

The following buses go from the airport to the city centre: 16A, 41, 746, 747, 748 and the Airlink (faster but costs €5.50).

By boat

Dublin Port has several passenger ferry services to Wales and England, but more popular is the suburban port of Dún Laoghaire 10km south of Dublin city. The port of Dún Laoghaire is serviced by the "DART".

Public transportation has improved massively over the last few years but is still worse than in other European cities. This is more of a problem for the commuter than the visitor to Dublin, however, as the centre of the city is easy to get around on foot.

By Car

By Bus

A relatively extensive bus service operated by the state controlled Dublin Bus serves the city and its suburbs, right out to the very outer suburbs. However, the route numbering system is highly confusing, with numbers having been issued non-sequentially, suffix letters and alternate destinations, so obtaining a route map from Dublin Bus is essential.

It should be noted that, while there is effectively no queuing system at bus stops, those paying with cash generally enter to the left of the doors, and those using card tickets to the right. Your position in a perceived "queue" for a bus is effectively irrelevant once it arrives. If you have a prepaid ticket don't bother queueing, get onto the bus on the right hand side of the front door.

By Mass Transit

By Foot

Police

Fire Department

Hospitals

Crime

Smoking

Dublin's main shopping street is the pedestrianised Grafton Street, which runs between St. Stephen's Green and Trinity College. On this street can be found Dublin's most famous (and expensive) department store, Brown Thomas, along with a wide range of clothing shops, jewellers, photo shops, etc.

Alongside the historic Trinity College you will find Nassau Street where there are many shops selling tourist related items such as Waterford Crystal, Belleek Pottery, Aran sweaters and other Irish craft items. Shops to look out for selling these items include House of Ireland, Blarney Woollen Mills and Kilkenny Design.

The Powerscourt Centre[18], just off Grafton Street, is one of Dublin's most attractive shopping centres, set in a beautifully restored 18th century town house. Here you will find clothes, cafes, galleries and Irish designer jewellers. Beware the overpriced antique dealers, some of whom will drop a price by 50% after only the merest suggestion that you are willing to haggle (and it still may not be a bargain!). For gifts, there is an engraving business based in the centre next to the Bonsai tree shop.

Leaving Powerscourt via the ornate steps on to South William Street, you will find yourself facing a small pedestrianised street called Castle Market, which leads to a covered red-brick shopping arcade known alternatively as the Market Arcade or the George's Street Arcade. This area worth a visit for vintage clothing, fabrics, unusual accessories, vinyl and clubwear, and also features some small cafes.

There is also an extensive shopping area on the Northside of the river, centred on O'Connell Street and Henry Street. Clery's (O'Connell Street) and Arnotts (Henry Street) are large department stores each with a long history. Two large shopping centres, The Jervis Centre, and the ILAC, are also on Henry Street. The latter also houses Dublin's Central Public Library.

Just off of Henry Street is Moore Street, which has a Fruit, Vegetable and Fish market, worth a stroll if you want to get a slice of life from the less gentile side of Dublin. At the top of Henry Street on Parnell Street is Chapters Bookshop, which has a massive selection of books mostly cheaper than other highstreet stores, as well as a large second hand section. Especially great for 'Coffee-Table' Style Art books

For those for whom it just wouldn't be a holiday without hanging out at the mall, there are various shopping centres located around Dublin, including Blanchardstown (39 and 70 bus routes), Liffey Valley, and The Square in Tallaght (red luas to the end of the line). The largest shopping centre in Ireland is the recently opened Dundrum Town Centre, which is served by the Luas tramline from St. Stephen's Green. It was awarded the title of best Shopping Mall in the world 2006.

Dublin is not cheap for general shopping, although visitors from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT (sales tax - 21%) on their purchases. Just look for the refund sign and ask in the shop for details. Keep in mind that most stores will only issue VAT refund vouchers on the same day of purchase.

There is fairly extensive duty-free shopping at Dublin Airport, at prices which are sometimes cheaper than the rest of the city.

• To the north, just outside town, the peninsula of Howth is very nice for a walk. Just take the bus or DART (€3.60 return from Connolly Station) out to Howth and walk around the cliffs! The whole tour around takes about 2-3 hours. It is most beautiful in August/September when the heather bathes the cliffs in red. There is also a boat that departs from Howth harbor that goes out to the island off the coast called Ireland's Eye. You can visit it and the monolithic ruins on it for a very reasonable price and if you're lucky you might be able to get the island to yourself. The King Sitric fish restaurant at the harbour serves freshly caught fish, as do many other local restaurants.
• Carlow has rapidly become one of Ireland's fastest growing counties. Carlow town boasts some of the best architecture in the country - with its courthouse from the mid 1800s and its Cathedral which was completed in 1833. Other items of historical importance include Browneshill Dolmen, with the largest capstone in Europe, and the ruins of Carlow Castle. Modern attractions are also available, and Carlow is a great place to shop. Carlow town has several shopping centres which are all within easy reach of one another.
• Wicklow, within easy reach to the south of Dublin, is known as 'the garden of Ireland' and has good hill walking and some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. The gardens and waterfall of Powerscourt are a popular visit, located near the town of Enniskerry 20km south of Dublin, while the town of Glendalough contains an important monastic settlement. Easily accessible by Dart is the rapidly expanding commuter town of Bray. Although the town centre is of little interest to most people, there are numerous spectacular walks including climbing to the top of Bray Head or walking to Greystones via the Cliff Walk.
• The Brú na Bóinne megalithic tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are the most important archaeological sites in Ireland and are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The site is located 50km north of Dublin on the banks of the Boyne. Admission to the tombs are paid for at the visitors centre, guided bus tours that include admission to Newgrange are available, those run by Mary Gibbons are highly recommended, Bus Eireann and others also run tours. Bus Eireann's tours are booked at the central bus station, Busàras.
• The Curragh racecourse is in County Kildare, south west of Dublin, about 50Km from the city. In Kildare Town itself are the Japanese Gardens, home to many varieties of exotic flora and fauna.
• There are 'political' day trips to Belfast. On the way, the bus driver talks about Ireland's history and with emphasis on Belfast. A black cab tour of Belfast is included in the package. Booking can be done at the Dublin Tourist Centre and costs around €30 to €40. The bus leaves Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.