Dublin, the capital of Ireland, like most places around the world deserves more than just 24 hours in it. But sometimes circumstances only give us 24 hours and, put frankly, a day and a night in Dublin is infinitely better than no day and night in Dublin. And hey, you might be like me and spend just 24 in Ireland, before coming back a few months later and spending three months there. Whatever your reason for being in Dublin for one day, I hope my blog post helps you.
24 hours in Dublin - things to do and where to stay
I was in my final year of university and having stressed my way into passing with a 1st the first two years, I felt like I could relax a bit in the final years, (in the holidays at least anyway). During the one month Christmas break (perks of uni in the UK) I went to Brest, France to visit my bestie. There, we watched "Before Sunrise", which is only an okay film, but did at least inspire me to go somewhere myself, with my love, even if it was just for a short period of time. (I feel there is an irony in going to France to then be inspired by a film to travel, but that seems to be the sort of person I am.)
In the Easter holiday, my then-bf and I went to Dublin for 24 hours to see what we could see. I originally wanted to go for 24 hours, stay up all night and pack everything in. My (now ex) bf though was more in love with sleep than adventure and insisted we get a hotel. But what I want to highlight is even if you are strapped for cash and time, you can still travel somewhere just for 24 hours. It's allowed, and it will give you a thirst for more. If you stay up all night you'll not just save cash but you'll have more time to make memories too, it's a win-win (unless of course, sleep deprivation sends you manic, mental health first kids!).
Dublin, like Amsterdam, is a much smaller capital than say London or Paris. Thus, it's easy to get a really good feel for the city (and see most of the main touristy attractions) of Dublin in just 24 hours. I flew in from Birmingham and as my carrier was Ryanair, the flight was cheap! From Dublin airport it's just a short bus ride into the centre. (Which costs €6.) The best part of the bus ride was that there was a massive blockage of people and cops:
Tom Cruise was there! He was there for his Oblivion premiere. Now I can't guarantee that you will see Tom Cruise if you go to Dublin, I can definitely not guarantee that actually lol, but I can guarantee that you'll have a great time especially if you go to Temple Bar:
Things to do in Dublin at night
Visit Temple Bar
Whilst there literally is The Temple Bar right in the center of it, Temple Bar itself generally refers to the cobble-stoned neighbourhood by the river. By day, it's a cute place to buy (expensive) souvenirs, by night, it comes alive with live music and lots of drinking. I visited The Temple Bar itself, had dinner and a couple of pints of Guinness.
Go on a pub crawl
Then my ex and I went to the (many) other pubs right next door to Temple Bar, we tried and failed miserably at the 8 pint Guinness challenge, I think I managed three
and Tom managed two
before we switched to whisky. I started to feel ill and we bought burgers and had an early night lol.
And thus my romantic adventurous dream of staying up all night with my beloved died. A few years later we broke up and I married a guy who used to work in Dublin and, get this, he would stay up most nights, working in a bar and walking home. So I guess that's the person I should have been staying up all night in Dublin with after-all.
Dublin in one day - itinerary
The advantage of getting an early night was that my ex and I had ample time to get up and see things the next day before catching our evening flight. So what can you do in Dublin in one day (I will be assuming that you've already seen Temple Bar the night before or you will go at night.. if you only have the day go in the day, but it's more 'real' at night):
Visit The Guinness Factory
The Guinness Factory is more a museum about Guinness than a factory. It's an interesting interractive museum, where you are rewarded with a free pint at the top and a great view of Dublin:
The Ferocious Mingle Marcade
On the way to the Guinness factory (if your way is from Temple Bar) is an amazing market called The Ferocious Mingle Marcade. It's only open Thursday to Sunday but if you're around on those days it's definitely worth a look.
Where to stay in Dublin
Best Hostels in Dublin
My ex and I booked a room at KGT House. I really enjoyed my stay there and it came with an awesome Full Irish Breakfast:
(This was before I went vegan and before I travelled Ireland as a vegan).
In terms of how different Ireland is from the UK, at first look it didn't feel too different to me (evil english woman): they have the Irish accent, but most people we met there were immigrants. They have Euros instead of pounds, but they still have the British socket. My favourite difference was the postboxes.
Update 2021: highly recommend watching 'Rebellion' on Netflix to learn something about the Irish uprising.
For more on Ireland a friend wrote about a Day Trip to Giant's Causeway highly recommend it :)
Over to you: what are your favourite things about Dublin and Ireland?
ABOUTME
We overland. We eat plants and fungi. We live outside as much as possible. We are all connected. A female travel blogger overlanding and writing about ecotourism, ethical and sustainable travel, socially conscious travel and housesitting. An online travel magazine since 2015.
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