Despite being a European capital, Dublin only has 500,000 inhabitants (1 million in the metropolitan area) and just over 300 places to stay, according to the website Booking.com. Yes, the capital of the Republic of Ireland is quite small and cozy, thankfully. <3
The city is cut by the river Liffey and the names of its neighborhoods are pretty easy to remember: Dublin 1, Dublin 2, Dublin 3, Dublin 4, and so on. Upstream from the river are the odd-numbered neighborhoods, and downstream, the even-numbered (more expensive) neighborhoods. On the map below, the only thing missing is the river, but from the description above, you can guess where it is, right?
Well, you'll find most of the tourist attractions in Dublin 2 and Dublin 8, but it's in Dublin 1 that you'll find the best shops and malls in the city. Since these three neighborhoods are quite small and safe, it's quite common for people to walk around them without getting too tired.
WHAT IS THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD TO STAY IN DUBLIN?
The best neighborhood to stay in Dublin is, without a doubt, Dublin 2 (D2), the smallest of them. I say this because it is the most pleasant and functional of all, as it has great restaurants, interesting streets, well-kept parks and several tourist attractions. If you want to stay in the best area of the city, look for a hotel in the Park Stephen's Green and the Trinity College (region marked below in red). This area is great because the streets are quiet, but you can still find several restaurants and shops. The main street in this area is Grafton Street, which is for pedestrians only and is in gray in the left corner of this rectangle.
One detail: The best hotel in the city – the Shelbourne – is highlighted on the map above. It is located in the best block in the city, facing the park (if you are curious to know the daily rate, Click here) and has a beautiful facade!
If you can't stay in Dublin 2 because the daily rates are a bit steep, I recommend Dublin 1 and Dublin 8 as your second and third options, respectively. These neighborhoods are usually quite safe during the day, but at night, depending on the location of your hotel, I recommend taking a taxi, bus or bike to circulate. I think it's worth it feeling and everyone’s common sense, right…
WHICH HOTEL DO YOU RECOMMEND?
If you are our friend or relative, of course it is our home, right! 🙂 (Update: we moved from Dublin in June/2018)
But if that's not the case, let me explain something: we never stayed in any hotel/ bed & breakfast / AirBnb / hostel in the city and we also don't let anyone we know do this. But since we're curious and want to help you have a wonderful experience in Dublin, we took a look at the many options available on the website Booking.com and we have selected some places that we found interesting.
If you’re like us, I think these tips will be very useful. Just a reminder of our criteria…
- We look for places that are neither pigpens nor palaces. The right middle ground.
- We insist on having a bathroom inside the room.
- We don't mind small rooms as long as they have a comfortable double bed.
- We always filter hotels in Booking.com that have a rating above 8.
- The goal is always to stay in a well-located hotel, but when the price is too high, we look for one near a subway station or bus stop.
- Our spending limit for hotel stays is 80 euros. We only exceed this limit in extreme cases.
Well, that said, let's get to the tips! Oh, I repeat: we NEVER stayed at any of them and we are not earning anything for recommending them. It's just feeling To try to help our reader, I have placed below the map with the 3 hotels that we have selected and after the map, more detailed information about each of them.
ALBANY HOUSE (letter A on the map)
This hotel is located at the bottom of the park Stephen's Green in a typical Georgian house in the city, that is, pure luxury. Calm down, it's not a fortune. I found it daily rates of less than 80 euros for rooms that look very comfortable. Look how delicious:
To find out more details about this hotel, Click here.
KILRONAN HOUSE (letter B on the map)
This award-winning Bed & Breakfastt has been around since 1854 and is wonderfully located in what they call the Georgian Quartier of Dublin in Dublin 2. I found daily rates of less than 70 euros for double rooms with breakfast, parking and Internet. I found it very cozy!
To find out more details about this hotel, Click here.
GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL HOTEL (letter C on the map)
This hotel is in the region of Temple Bar, which is the most popular in the city. But, as it is not on the main street with all the pubs, I don't think the noise will be a problem. The hotel looks very modern and comfortable and I found daily rates of less than 80 euros. You can book a hotel room or an entire apartment. Check out the options!
To find out more details about this hotel, Click here.
I think that's it! I hope it helps you in some way.
0 responses
Fernanda!!! I already missed your posts, they are always amazing!!!! On February 27th I arrive in Dublin... I can't wait to go on my third backpacking trip around the old continent!!!! Fe, I need some help understanding how to purchase and use the transport pass in Dublin. Where should I buy it and can I top it up at the same place I bought it?
Would you also be able to tell me how to get from the airport to Malahide Castle by bus and then get to Dunlin 1? I need a 3-day pass.
Thank you !!!! Kisses
How cool!!! You're going to love it here...I'll be in France this week. How many days are you going to stay here? Are you going to Norway too?
You have to buy the leap card at any convenience store. It is a prepaid transport card, valid on buses, trains and trams, so you load it with x euros and deduct it. Important: you have to tell the bus driver where you are getting off, because the fare varies.
I've never been to Malahide Castle, but I know you can get there by train (Dart). There's just no station at the airport. If you want to go from the airport to the city center, you'll have to take a bus, because there's no subway here.
If you want, send me your itinerary for Ireland so I can give you some tips…lol.
Kisses!
Ah….. Fe, I ended up changing my itinerary twice… including the last change was 1 week… because of the time change when I was going to land in Copenhagen… I canceled the leg and changed it to London. My final itinerary was… Switzerland (Geneva, Montreux, Interlaken and Lucerne) France (Paris and Chamonix), Ireland (Dublin 3 nights), Spain (Madrid and Seville), England (London)….. Total of 23 days. I'm going to spend my birthday in Paris on 11/03/2016 (08, 09, 10, 11 and 12/03/2016… days in Paris). Ah…… if I don't go to the Cliffs of Moher… my trip ends in Ireland. lol My dream is to get to this place even if it's raining cats and dogs I'll go to the cliffs of Ireland. My heart is beating 1000 times for this trip. If you can give me any advice I'd like to. Thank you very much! A big hug.
How cool! Your trip is going to be amazing! Celebrating your birthday in Paris is not for everyone, huh? 🙂 You can go to the Cliffs of Moher on a tour directly from Dublin. It costs about 40 euros and is the best option, because you can't get there by train. They are super punctual and serious. Check out the companies Paddywagon and Cliffs of Moher Tours. You can go and come back on the same day. Let's hope the weather helps and you can see everything!!! 🙂 In Spain, I would stop in Córdoba, which is halfway between Seville and Madrid. The cathedral/mosque there is sooo cool!! The city is also beautiful. I don't know if you can change that. Kisses!
I read something that Malahide Castle is about 40 minutes by bus from the airport…and it seems that there is a line that passes the Terminal and goes to Malahide Castle.
Fe…still taking advantage of your tips…as I will only have 3 days in Dublin…one day being wasted doing Cliffs of Moher…what would be the most beautiful park in Dublin to visit?
The most beautiful is Stephen's Green, which is right in the city center, next to Trinity College and Grafton Street. The largest of all is Phoenix Park. It's a little far away, but it's also really cool. There's the zoo, JD Botanical Garden and you can see deers roaming around freely. You can even touch them, they get so close! See which one you prefer :-). I would leave Phoenix for last, in case you have time on the second day... What else are you going to see in Dublin? You're going to go into the Trinity library, right? Lol Kisses