- Currency: Euro (€)
- Capital city: Dublin
- Languages: English/Irish
- Key phrase to learn: Sláinte! (Cheers!)
- Time difference: None
- Average flight time: One hour
- International phone code: +353
- Emergency services number: 999 and 112
- Public holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1), St Patrick’s Day (March 17), Good Friday (the Friday before Easter Sunday), Easter Sunday, Easter Monday (the Monday after Easter Sunday), May Day (the first Monday in May), June Bank Holiday (the first Monday in June), August Bank Holiday, (the first Monday in August), October Bank Holiday (the last Monday in October), Christmas Day (December 25), St Stephen’s Day (December 26).
- Link to FCO travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ireland/
Why go to Dublin?
Dublin is a city with warmth and soul. Mention the Irish capital to fellow travellers and it will usually cause a twinkle in the eye, a smile on the lips and a growing thirst for a pint of the black stuff.
Few international cities have forged such a reputation for their heritage and hospitality, and a cheap break in Dublin shows you exactly why the place is so special.
Dublin might lack the grand set-piece sights of some European neighbours, but when dusk is falling on the Liffey and music is in the air, who needs postcard-worthy landmarks?
Take your pick: Dublin on the cheap or Dublin ultra-luxurious; cultural or historical; laid-back or action-packed. It’s all there for the taking!
Few international cities have forged such a reputation for their heritage and hospitality, and a cheap break in Dublin shows you exactly why the place is so special.
Dublin might lack the grand set-piece sights of some European neighbours, but when dusk is falling on the Liffey and music is in the air, who needs postcard-worthy landmarks?
Take your pick: Dublin on the cheap or Dublin ultra-luxurious; cultural or historical; laid-back or action-packed. It’s all there for the taking!
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City of culture
A trip to Dublin is all about enjoying the simple things in life: eating well, drinking plenty and soaking up the atmosphere of a cultured city with links to everyone from James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and U2 to Maeve Binchy, Oscar Wilde and WB Yeats.
Whether you’re visiting for a weekend break or you’re using your short holiday in Dublin as the jumping-off point for a longer break in Ireland, you won’t be short of entertainment.
Suited to all tastes
How you spend your time on a short break in Dublin is up to you. You can wander the prim, cobbled grounds of Trinity College before wallowing in the Georgian architecture of Merrion Square and St Stephen’s Green.
You can shop at local fashion boutiques, unwind at a plush Dublin hotel spa and dine out at the latest Michelin-starred restaurant: there are no fewer than four of them in 2016, all reliant on Ireland’s high-quality produce.
Alternatively, do as the locals do and simply browse the cheap Dublin markets, shop for deals, graze on street food and sink into the pubs and bars of the backstreets.
Young at heart
Dublin was hit hard by the economic crisis, but take a trip to Dublin in 2016 and you’ll find it busily facing the future.
From its home-grown chefs and ever-evolving art scene to its free live music and sporting prowess, Ireland’s capital city now balances graceful, old-world looks with a defiantly youthful energy. We’ll drink to that.
When to go
Summer is the peak tourist season for Dublin, when days are at their longest and temperatures are at their peak (although a hot day in Ireland is a relative concept).
The only drawback of looking for weekend breaks in Dublin between June and August is the seasonal rise in hotel rates.
Spring and autumn are both good times to come calling, and winter in the city has its own appeal as the nights draw in and there are cheap Dublin holiday deals to be had.
Events for your diary
The ideal date for your diary? It has to be St Patrick’s Day on March 17. If you’re looking for a hog-whimpering-ly good knees-up, it’s the most obvious time for a Dublin break as the city comes alive with a huge parade and a hefty helping of communal merry-making.
It also gives you the perfect excuse (as if one were needed) to sup a pint at the city’s famed Hole in the Wall inn. The boozer enjoys the accolade of having the longest bar in the country and, just like the festival, it never seems to end.