Well, what can I say? Only a 40-minute flight from Birmingham and I landed in Dublin. On arrival we collected our 'Dublin Passes', which we had pre-booked before we went. These allow you free access to top visitor attractions like the zoo, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Old Jameson distillery. We then caught the airport transfer, included in the pass into the city.
Because of our early flight we couldn’t check in to our room right away so we left our luggage at the hotel and decided to explore some of the sights. A little while later a kind local man saw us struggling with our map and offered directions to the Guinness Storehouse explaining it was quite a distance by foot. We soldered on this time but when we got there we decided to buy the 'hop on hop off' bus tickets costing 20 Euros each and lasting for 2 days. Now Guinness isn't my favourite tipple, but the storehouse is definitely a must see attraction, if only for the views from the panoramic roof top bar, and the free sample of Guinness!
Our next stop was the Jameson Distillery, where my husband became a volunteer whiskey taster sampling everything from Scotch, to American to Irish whiskies. This was an unmissable attraction and a very informative tour. Now if I remember rightly there were 23 stops on the 'hop on hop off' bus tour, but there’s so much to see that we only managed to cover a few during our weekend.
Later that day we checked into the Fitzwilliam Hotel overlooking St Stephens Green, a 5* boutique style hotel in a fabulous location with beautifully appointed rooms. That evening we visited the famous Temple Bar area with its cobbled streets Lined with bars, cafes and live music.
The following day we explored the excellent array of shops along Grafton St as well as a few more stops on the bus tour. We ended the day with a lovely meal at the famous F.X Buckley’s, which I strongly recommend you pre-book. The place is a must for any steak lover!
This beautiful city has some must see attractions, amazing history and by far the friendliest locals. We are already planning next year’s visit!
Travel Blog by Trisha Sayce
Phone Trisha: 01989 562555
Email Trisha: [email protected]
Visit Trisha: 12 Market Place, Ross On Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 5NU
