Ireland

Dublin, Ireland with a day trip to Cliffs of Moher and Galway

I stayed five nights in Dublin, Ireland, it was the first stop of my two month backpacking trip in Europe. I was with seven of my best friends and my little brother, so you could imagine our excitement to arrive in Dublin. We stayed at the most amazing hostel, “Abbey Court Hostel”. It was right in the heart of Dublin, walking distance to everything, and super fun environment! The famous Temple bar and surrounding area (shopping, but mostly restaurant and of course pubs!) was literally a three minute walk from where we stayed. Dublin Castle, the Guinness factory, Trinity College, and other famous museums were all within walking distance as well! I have to admit Dublin was one of my favorite cities in terms of getting everywhere by foot.

The Guinness factory was a bit of a disappointment, I still suggest doing it because if anything it is worth the price and experience for the rooftop bar at the end of the tour that over looks all of Dublin. (I found the Jameson Distillery down the street and the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam much better).

Dublin was an amazing city but as far as “touristy” things go you really don’t need a lot of time here. Two days is plenty to see the top attractions, after that  we found ourselves spending a lot of time in pubs and restaurants, which by no means is a lack of a good time! The Irish are some of my favorite company. Hanging out at the pubs in Dublin means new friends and a positive upbeat energy. If  you are a nightlife person, five nights was super fun for us, but if you just want to see the top sites and get a move on, two nights should be plenty!

MUST DO: Day trip to Cliffs of Moher and the City of Galway. It is a long drive and an all day event but a MUST DO. This day was one of our favorites throughout the entire trip. First off we found the tour online (Viator) super easy there are a ton of differnt tours to choose from, look for a day trip from Dublin to the “Cliffs of Moher with a stop in Galway” (we paid about 60$ per person). We were in a very comfortable bus with about 20-30 other people. The drive was beautiful, the greenest place I had ever been!! we made stops in small towns and really got to see the countryside of Ireland. Then we made it to the Cliffs….unbelievable!! Breathtaking!

 

After spending some time at the cliffs the tour continued along the coast, pasting castles to the city of Galway. Galway was a super cute little town in Ireland. Fun area to walk around markets, get some lunch and wonder the cobbled streets. If you are making the drive all the way to the Cliffs it’s a must stop!

TIP: (Clothing):  Cliffs are super windy and cold! Wear warm clothes. Dublin also rains quiet often even though it may not be cold at all, I wore a long sleeve shirt, lightweight rain jacket and jeans almost every day in Dublin and that worked well.