The Dublin of the new millennium is a shiny, pulsating city with an increasingly multicultural and cosmopolitan population.
New cafes and bars are opening in its cobbled streets, joining antique jewelry shops, boutiques, galleries, and restaurants.
The river has also been given a facelift, with the new Docklands development boasting riverfront bars, restaurants, and smart
apartments.
While Temple Bar has lost a little of its cool factor, Cow's Lane is
filled with fashionable boutiques and furniture shops. The
Cow's Lane Market especially is the destination for every hipster.
Then this being the city of Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Roddy Doyle,
there are fine literary museums and libraries located
amidst gorgeous Georgian architecture.
- A visit to Trinity College.
- The outstanding collections of the National Museum of Ireland.
- The best of Irish art in the National Gallery.
- A tour of Dublin Castle.
- The medieval Christ Church Cathedral.
- St. Patrick's Cathedral, the country's largest church.
- Touring the Guinness Storehouse.
- The contemporary and modern art of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
- Walking and stopping for a drink around Temple Bar.
- Relaxing in PHOENIX PARK.
Look for the hotel or hostel that best matches your budget, type of trip
or personality. Here you can guarantee a room but you do NOT pay
anything at the time of booking. Payments are only made at the hotel and
there are no booking fees.
Most hotels allow cancellations with no penalty if done up to 24 or 48
hours in advance. You'll see that information at the time of booking and
again in the confirmation email.
 
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Restaurants in Dublin are surprisingly expensive, often even more so
than in London or Paris. One cause may be the high taxes, but another is
also the increased quality and sophistication in the city's restaurant
scene over the past few years. That means you get what you pay for, but
if you like to spend your money elsewhere, there are plenty of cheaper
options at cafés and pubs. Irish cuisine doesn't really have the best
fine dining reputation, but modern chefs have started a gastronomic
revolution. That's another plus when dining in Dublin, as you'll savor
some pleasant surprises and likely have your expectations exceeded.
 
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You first must stroll through
Grafton Street, the most famous pedestrian street in Dublin. Its upmarket shops may lure you in, but so will
Brown Thomas,
the city's smartest department store. It's a Dublin institution, home
to collections of Irish designers and products, but also to the stores
of international labels such as Prada and Chanel.
On the streets radiating from Grafton are the smaller specialist shops if you're looking for books, handicrafts, or gifts.
More gift options are found in
George's Street Arcade, a charming Victorian building for you to browse through old books, bohemian jewelry, and vintage clothes.
Another street you should place in your shopping list is
Francis Street,
lined with antique shops. You'll find more of them in its
surroundings, which together make Dublin one of Europe's best for
antiques shopping. Be warned that what you'll find is not exactly
cheap.
For other cool designs (if you're in town on a Saturday) move on to the
Cow's Lane Market,
a designer market found at the western edge of Temple Bar. You'll have
all the alternative and innovative youth fashion there, including many
handmade originals. Browse the funky clothing and accessories both
outdoors on Cows Lane and indoors in the Viking Centre.
