️ Dublin Complete Travel Guide - City Tour of Ireland & Travel Ideas ️
Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ultimate Bucket List, and this is your complete guide to the city of Dublin. Where to go, what to do, how to have your face printed on a pint of Guinness, and how to have the best time in one of the most cultured cities in all of Europe. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the capital of the Emerald Isle. Dublin is a world famous city full of culture, history, some excellent nightlife and music, and is the epicentre of Irish culture. But if you take a look at a map of Dublin, you'll realize that everything is literally everywhere. It’s a place that's divided into two by the River Liffey, and there's two major stations; Connolly stationed to the East and Heuston Station in the West. But to keep things really simple,
here are the following things that you can find on a map of Dublin. Drinking, drinking, churches, historical sites, museums, park space, shopping, sports and more drinking! But let's start first of all on how to actually get here. Most of you will be flying in to Dublin International Airport, and rather inconveniently it's the only major European airport that doesn't have its own train system. Ao when you leave the airport there's a whole plethora of buses that will take you to the city centre and it can get quite confusing as to which one to take. So I'll explain in detail at the end of the video how to actually do this. But once you arrive in the middle of Dublin, you'll notice the historic mix with the modern. And when you walk around the streets, you'll notice various historic things such as
this the statue of Molly Malone. No prizes for guessing what people rub for good luck here?! And when you walk the streets you'll notice some impressive looking buildings. This is the Bank of Ireland by the way, but the entire city is full of buildings like this. As mentioned in
the introduction the entire city is split into two by this; the River Liffey. And if you've got some time I recommend that you walk all the way along it and cross some of this iconic bridges. You'll see some pretty cool stuff on the way such, as this old clipper ship: the Jeanie Johnston. But the main bridges you'll probably come across are the Millennium Bridge, the Samuel Beckett Bridge, the O'Connell Bridge, and possibly the most famous one of them all: the Ha’penny Bridge. Yes it looks pretty old and pretty rickety, but this is one of the most famous bridges in Dublin. And on a nice day like today you honestly don't mind the sightseeing trip walking around bridges. It provides some amazing photo and video opportunities.
But let me show you now one of the most visited attractions in all of Dublin. Yes, as you probably guessed from the video clips, it's to do with drinking and we're here at the Guinness Storehouse. This is the original distillery for Guinness, and now they've turned it into a major tourist attraction. Once you go inside you'll learn all about how they make Guinness, why
it's black, and all the cool stuff that's involved with the making of the black stuff. They'll even give you an insight as to the iconic advertising that they use in order to market their product. “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” huh, well that's pretty much true I guess.
It's all a very interactive experience and even if you're not a fan of Guinness, it's definitely worth going just to see all this stuff. If you're not a fan of drinking, they have some pretty fancy restaurants there too. But the highlight of any tour of the Guinness Storehouse, is the fact that you get to go into the gravity bar, and you get a free pint of Guinness yourself. You've
got some amazing looking views over the city here, so even if you just come for that, that's great. If you actually like Guinness it actually tastes a lot better here than it does everywhere else. I don't know what exactly they put in this stuff to make it taste so good, but yeah.
You can actually pay extra to have your face printed on actual pint of Guinness. Do here's my face on a pint of Guinness. You're paying €8 for the novelty, but you know whilst you're in Rome, I guess? If you want to buy some more to take home with you, you can literally buy it in the gift shop downstairs. Ut's probably the cheapest price that you'll find in the entire city. I should hope so, given that they actually make it here.
But if Guinness isn't your thing, how about whiskey? You can also take a tour here at the Jameson Distillery, the most famous brand of Irish whiskey in the world. It's very similar to the Guinness Storehouse except nowhere near as fancy. You get to learn all about how it's actually made, and all of the historical bumf that goes with that.
And no surprises here, you actually get three drams of the stuff, so you get a tasting session of all the different Jameson whiskeys, before they give you a complimentary drink right at the end. I think most people just come just for that. If you're a whiskey fan or a scotch fan, this definitely comes highly recommended. Especially hanging around in the Jameson bar afterwards,
it's a pretty friendly place, and you'll find that most people here are just after a good time. But let's say drinking isn't your thing. You'll notice when you're walking around Dublin that there's an awful lot of churches here. In fact, there's like hundreds of them. But the two most famous ones that you'll probably come across is this; St Patrick's Cathedral. One of the oldest Christian cathedrals in the world. If you've got time take an actual tour
of the place. So this guy right here, his name was Eamonn, he did a fantastic tour about some of the most historic things that you'll find here in this Cathedral. And I do highly recommend that you take a tour of this place, because otherwise if people don't explain some of this stuff to you, you’ll probably walk past it and won't know what it is. Overall though it is a very nice Cathedral to walk around. If you don't want to pay to go inside, that's okay. You can always hang around St Patrick's Park which is literally adjoined to the cathedral.
The other major cathedral in the city is down the street and it's this; Christ Church Cathedral. The most interesting bit about Christ Church Cathedral is the underground Crypt. It's super creepy, but very historically significant. And you'll find a lot of historical artefacts down here. Upstairs, as you can imagine from a cathedral, it's very nicely decorated. It's a lot larger than Saint Patrick's Cathedral that we've just been in, and you'll also find some pretty cool things like the heart of Saint Lawrence. His actual heart. Mmmm-kay?!
But those are the two churches I highly recommend that you visit. Around the corner from Christ Church Cathedral, you'll find one of the most historical buildings in all of Dublin. This is Dublin Castle. Whilst you're walking the streets of Dublin you might actually miss it. If you found the Round Tower, you definitely know that you found the castle.
Now walking around the grounds is free of charge and you can get some nice photos and videos here. But you can also pay (for a very reasonable rate) for a self-guided tour of the state apartments. Very similar to walking around Buckingham Palace, it's one of the most historical buildings in all of Ireland. It's a place where traditionally the Presidents of Ireland will generally do their business, and you'll see various historical things, paintings, and what people forget is that Ireland up until fairly recently, was under British rule. So you'll find lots of reminders of this here. Such as this one; a painting of Queen Victoria. And they still have a throne room here! This is
traditionally where the British monarch would sit when they're here in Ireland. There's some amazing rooms here such as the portrait gallery, but none are more grander than St Patrick’s Hall. Decked out on all these flags, the ceilings are painted, and this is where every President of Ireland is inaugurated. So historically, it's one of the most important rooms in the country. It'll take you a while to see the state rooms at Dublin Castle, but if you're a bit short on change and I can't imagine you would be? But if you want a free of charge thing to do instead, literally hop around the corner to visit the Chester Beatty Library. Contrary to its name, it's not just the library. It's actually more of a museum where you could see all sorts of ancient manuscripts, lots of artefacts, books, costumes, it's all pretty educational.
And the fact that it's actually free and located right next to Dublin Castle is a massive bonus. There's even a Sky Garden where you get some nice views of Dublin Castle from here. Across the city you'll also find Trinity College Dublin, one of the oldest universities in Europe. Entering the university grounds is free, but what isn't free is its most famous attraction. This long queue right here is for something called The Book of Kells.
It's a very famous medieval manuscript that's permanently on display here at Trinity College. Once you've bought your ticket you'll be shown a very short exhibition, before being led into the Book of Kells. Now you can't actually take pictures or videos of it, and you'll only spend about 30 seconds looking at it, before they let you into the old library. Arguably this is the more interesting bit of the tour. You get to see this wonderfully old library and it provides some excellent photo opportunities. More interesting than The Book of Kells is this thing right here;
the Brian Boru harp. This is the exact reason why the emblem of Ireland is a heart and is the inspiration of the Guinness logo. But if I'm being brutally honest this was a total rip-off. It costs €18 to see this stuff, and you'll be done in literally 20 minutes or less. Especially with
the Book of Kells bits, they usually flick it to a page where there's no artwork, it's just text. And the fact that you can't take pictures of it and you only spend about 30 seconds looking at it. You can see it if you want to but if I'm being brutally honest it was a total waste of money. If you want more bang for your buck, head on over to the complete opposite end of the city where you'll find this; the Kilmainham Gaol. Okay it's a jail, it doesn't sound very interesting in theory. But once you consider that people used to be executed here, it's kind of creepy and cool at the same time. It's definitely a much better attraction to pay for than the Book of Kells.
Whilst you're around there, actually try and visit the Royal Hospital and the Royal Hospital grounds. From the air it's actually quite nice. If you're absolutely itching for something else to do, Dublin is not short on things like museums.
Such as the National Wax Museum, boy that sounds riveting(?) The Irish Rock and Roll Museum experience, the Little Museum of Dublin. You can learn all about Dublin in just 29 minutes. But the one I urge you to go to is the National Gallery of Ireland not just because it's free, but because you'll find some of the most famous paintings that you probably would have heard of or probably seen before. You'll find paintings from Picasso. Van Gogh or “VEN KH-OO-KH” if you want to pronounce it correctly. Paintings by Claude Monet, and you'll even find this famous painting of Anne Bolelyn. I'm not entirely certain why that's here, but you know it's cool that I can see it in person.
If you're an art lover this will take several hours to see, so make some time for that. The other major Museum that I highly recommend that you check out is the National Archaeological Museum. It's slightly more historic and definitely less painty, but it's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of museums. If it’s a nice day outside, there's plenty of
parks around here in Dublin. The main ones that you need to know about are this one St Stephen’s Green. It's a very tranquil Park space, but it has some very very strange statues depicting death. As you do of course?! Around the corner you'll also find Merrion Square. But you'll have to go across the city to find one of the biggest parks in all of Europe. This is Phoenix Park. Not only is this a massive green space but you'll also find a giant crucifix, the Wellington Monument, and also Dublin Zoo is within its grounds. So if you feel like seeing some animals you can
do it right here at Phoenix Park. If it is a nice day, it's definitely worth a picnic trip or two. If you want to do some shopping you'll need to go north of the River Liffey and go to the section next to Parnell Square. By the way this is the area where you'll find various statues, this giant needle sticking out the ground known as the Dublin Spire. You can't really miss it because it's freaking massive. And this also highlights that you're in the
shopping district. If I'm being brutally honest Dublin City Centre is no different to any other major city in Europe as it pertains to shopping. The only couple of places that I recommend that you check out is Carrolls for some Irish gifts. Arnotts, the famous Irish department store. And within it you'll find various shopping centres that aren't too dissimilar to the ones that you find back home and … urrrghh! What's that doing here? But if you're not into shopping how about sports? Ireland is famous for its Gaelic Sports. Gaelic football and hurling. Just north east of the city centre you'll find this; Croke Park.
Don't let this footage fool, you because this is the third largest stadium in all of Europe. If you can catch a game here, it's a pretty good shindig. But if not, I highly recommend that you take a tour of the place. Check out my previous video to see what that's like. If you're a fan of the traditional sports like football and rugby, you'll need to go to the other giant stadium across the river. This is the Aviva stadium, and is home to the national Football and Rugby Union teams. And again it's a pretty cool place to watch sports too.
It's no secret that Dubliners and Irish people in general like to have a good time. And as soon as the sun sets and night falls, the city comes alive. Drinking, live, music and having a good time is pretty much guaranteed here in Dublin. With over 700 pubs and clubs, there's definitely no shortage of places for you to explore and have a great time yourself. The most famous area where you'll find the most famous bars is right here south of the River Liffey in the Temple Bar area. There's definitely no shortage of drinkeries here, the most famous of which is this Temple Bar Pub.
Now when I went past it was during the day and it was technically shut. But at night, this place comes alive with live music and is possibly the most iconic drinkery in all of Dublin. Now I've drank here before with friends and if I'm being brutally honest it's massively overrated. It's a little expensive for what it is, and there are definitely more places to have better times here in Dublin. I'd say go in for a pint just for the novelty but I wouldn't stick around this place all night long. But overall guys if you do come to Dublin you'll have an amazing time. It's definitely not short on things to do, and if you enjoy
having a good time and drinking this is pretty much the perfect city break for you. Definitely add this to your bucket list to experience Irish culture and … well, drinking. I guess? Okay Ninh I’m sold, what do I need to do? Well, you'll need to come here to Dublin. As mentioned in the intro you'll probably fly into Dublin International Airport, and it doesn't have its own train station which means that you'll have to take one of the many buses or coaches to the city centre. My advice is to pick a bus company that will take you roughly to where your hotel is.
I’m staying next to Connolly Station, so I decided to take the Aircoach. You can buy tickets online or from the ticket seller standing outside the airport. But other bus and coach companies will offer you similar services at similar prices. I urge you to figure this out beforehand but even if you don't, there are plenty of signs around the airport telling you where to go and which bus companies to take. Alternatively Dublin is very well connected with trams, buses, trains and you can even drive yourself here. But bear in mind the traffic around Dublin City Centre is bloody awful,
so just be warned. Whilst you're in the city centre actually, you don't need buses or trams to get you by. It's a very walkable city, and if you are planning to see absolutely everything, you'll be walking a lot! Alternatively you can actually cycle around the city. There's plenty
of bike hire stations dotted in and around the place, and there's plenty of cycle super highways that will take you around the city without fear of being run over. It's actually a very friendly cyclable city and it's a fun way of seeing all the sites on bicycle, especially if it's nice outside. If you're looking for a place to stay, I've got some bad news for you. Dublin's hotels are some of the priciest in all of Europe. Along with Copenhagen Vienna and Edinburgh, the hotels here are some of the priciest that you'll find this side of the Atlantic. Try and stay next to a famous landmark or next to somewhere that's easy to get to like Connolly or Heuston Station, because then you'll easily find your hotel in and amongst Dublin's narrow streets.
The cost of attractions is reasonable enough, definitely don't go to the Book of Kells unless you really really want to. But the price of food and drink can be quite extortionate, especially if you're visiting bars in the Temple Bar area and drinking the night away. I hope you've brought a lot of money, because it's certainly not cheap. Is there anything else I need to know? Yes, during the summer months; Dublin is quite a busy place and with the most popular attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse you'll need to book in advance to guarantee your spot. So I advise you to make a list of the attractions that you want to visit and book tickets in advance. If you're coming in winter time, just like me you
can virtually get away with walking in, and it's not really a problem. Also, even though we're past the COVID pandemic, there are various places that will insist on enforcing COVID measures, such as wearing face masks. So please bear that in mind and have a face mask handy just in case. If you have found this video at all helpful, please be sure to like, share and subscribe. Comment on the comment section below, and if you have any other questions or ideas: feel free to Tweet them at me. If I get enough suggestions, I'll probably make a video about it. But guys thanks very much for watching, and we'll see you in the next episode. Ninh Ly – www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK
2022-12-18 18:16
