3 Days in Dublin: The Best Dublin Itinerary for your Visit

Author: Veruska Anconitano, Award-Winning Food Travel Journalist, Sommelier & Outdoor LoverAuthor information
Veruska
About the author
Veruska Anconitano
Veruska is a a food travel journalist with awards to her credit, such as World Best Food Travel Journalist. She holds a certification as a sommelier and she is also an ardent lover of the outdoors. Aside from this, Veruska is a Multilingual SEO and Localization Consultant and co-owns multiple websites that cater to a global audience.
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Are you staying 3 days in Dublin and you’re looking for things to do and what to see? Are you considering a 3 days break in Dublin and now you’re looking for more information to decide?

Whatever your situation, here is a detailed guide on what to see in Dublin and the perfect Dublin itinerary for 3 days with all the things to do, tips on where to eat and where to drink a great pint of beer if you have 3 days to live the city at the maximum by visiting not only the classic attractions but also those less touristy.

In fact, our approach is different from what you find elsewhere: we’ve been living in Dublin for ages, we deal with tourism on a daily basis and we know very well the city and Ireland. That’s why we give you less tourist advice and more real advice, comp.

For this reason, if you are looking for information on what to see in Dublin in 3 days we suggest you read our detailed and always updated guides that you can find by clicking HERE with the photos always taken by Giuseppe.

And if you’re looking for at least one reason to come to Dublin, here are 20: we’re sure you won’t have any more doubt!

NOW NOW WITH OUR TIPS ON HOW TO SPEND 3 DAYS IN DUBLIN!

3 days in Dublin: when to go?

Ireland is famous for its decidedly un-Mediterranean and often grey climate. It is no coincidence, then, that the majority of the tourists pour into Dublin, for 3 days or more, especially in the summer or from May to August. But it is also true that things have changed a lot in recent years and today the city is always crowded with tourists. Dublin is a city that lends itself to being visited all year round keeping in mind the following things:

  • Dublin in the summer: people everywhere, prices decidedly above the average but more or less the weather is better;
  • Dublin in the fall: slightly fewer tourists, the colors of the city tend to reddish, much rainier and often cold but the possibility to enjoy the city at its best;
  • Dublin in winter: like autumn, with even fewer tourists and even colder. During the Christmas period, the tradition of the 12 pubs is unmissable, one of the most unique traditions ever;
  • Dublin in the spring: the flow of tourists begins, and this starts from St. Patrick and extends until August. The temperature is among the most difficult to predict, prices start to rise but the days get longer and this makes spring one of the best times of the year.

Where to Stay in Dublin for 3 Days

So said, it is not easy to find a cheap hotel in Dublin center at almost any time of the year. Remember that Dublin can be visited by feet and is ideally divided into two zones, the area north of the river and the area south of the river: this also means that hotels and accommodations in the South are more expensive than those in the North, but if you plan well you can find interesting offers in the North that will allow you to save on accommodation and enjoy the city to the fullest.

Cielo Dublino

3 Days Dublin Itinerary: How to Spend 3 Days in Dublin

Dublin can be really enjoyed in a couple of days but there’s more than just the city to visit. The surrounding ares, the small coastal towns and the villages are one of the reasons why 3 days in Dublin are (almost) a good amount of time to spend in the city.

These are some of the must-see things in Dublin:

  1. Guinness Storehouse: read our review and find out why it is the most visited attraction in Ireland;
  2. Trinity College and Library, with the famous Book of Kells;
  3. Christchurch Cathedral: the cathedral in the heart of the medieval city where you can see the mummified remains of a cat and a mouse;
  4. Saint Patrick Cathedral: the symbolic cathedral of Dublin and Ireland, where you can stop outside just to admire the gardens;
  5. Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s Green: the main street of the city that reaches the most famous park in Dublin;
  6. O’Connell Bridge and Henry Street: the widest and shortest bridge in Europe that will take you to the shops;
  7. Temple Bar: the amusement park of tourists passing through Dublin, unmissable in the evening, definitely better on Saturday mornings when the market is set up;
  8. Dublin Castle: to visit especially for the Chester Beatty Library, always free;
  9. Molly Malone: the representative statue of Dublin;
  10. Phoenix Park: the largest park in Europe, which also includes a zoo.
Guinness gate

Read Also: Places to visit in Dublin if you’re in town for the first time

3 days in Dublin to discover the most hidden things in the Irish capital

In addition to the most important and well-known attractions, we advise you not to miss Kilmainham Gaol: opened in 1796 as the new County Gaol for Dublin and closed its doors in 1924. It’s closely linked to the making and breaking of the Union between Great Britain and Ireland and here many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, were imprisoned and executed together with thousands of ordinary men, women an, children. A visit to the former ex-prison gives you a dramatic and realistic insight into what it was like to have been confined in one of these forbidding bastions of punishment and correction. Do not miss a visit to Sweny’s Pharmacy, also mentioned by James Joyce in Ulysses. If you love Joyce, then, you need to take time to visit at least some of the places of the Ulysses, set right in Dublin, following our itinerary.

Sweny’s Dublin

And for nature lovers, we recommend a walk to Poolbeg Lighthouse, to see the majesty of the coast of Dublin: the wind always blows very strong but when you get to the lighthouse, which is located in the middle of the sea, the excitement is real:

Poolbeg

Go graffiti hunting, if you love street art: you can find them in the Liberties area and in the Camden area!

Graffiti Dublino

The coastal area of Dublin in 3 days

We can also recommend a ride in the many coastal towns that you can easily reach from Dublin in DART (the fast train) or even by bus or, if you prefer to move in complete autonomy, by car (discover all about car rental in Ireland by clicking here).

  • Dalkey, a village dating back to the Vikings now the residence of the rich in Ireland and beyond (do you know for example that just in the vicinity of Dalkey are located the houses of famous people like Enya or Bono?). Not far from Dalkey is Forty Foot, a natural pool where the Irish in the early morning, regardless of the season, find themselves bathing. The area is also famous because at Christmas it is traditional to come and swim in costume right here;
  • Howth, very famous because of its panoramic promenade, its lighthouse, the sea lions waiting for tourists and its rarefied and almost still atmosphere;
  • Bray e Greystones, connected by a really incredible walk that will make you taste a little bit of Ireland a few kilometers from Dublin;
  • Glendalough: known for being the residence area of the San Kevin the hermit, today it is a free monastic site that develops around two lakes, Lower and Upper Lake. From Glendalough in a few miles you can get to Powerscourt, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains famous for its gardens; in the area also the Powerscourt Waterfall, the highest in Ireland that fall from 121 meters and at the base of which you can stop to eat or stroll.
40 foot

Where to Eat in Dublin During 3 Days

If like us, you travel to taste the world, you are wondering where to eat in Dublin well and, above all, without ending up in places frequented only by tourists and therefore excessively expensive and not very interesting in terms of food and wine. We give you the excellent news: in recent years the city has changed a lot and today the food and wine offer is really interesting. Obviously, since it is an extremely touristic city, there are many places where the price is excessive and the kitchen is very little. As a good local, we recommend a series of places frequented by the locals where you eat very well and, above all, where you can taste Irish cuisine or at least taste the typical flavors of Ireland.

Click here to find out which typical restaurants we recommend considering if you come to Dublin for 3 days and find out where to make the best brunch in Dublin.

Where to Drink a Beer in Dublin

Dublin is full of pubs, they say you can attend a different pub every day and get to the end of the year without being able to visit them all. We do not know if it is a legend or truth, but we know that in every corner of town there is a typical pub and really the choice is difficult. Most tourists pour into Temple Bar where the offer is wide and varied but at the same time, the prices are prohibitive precisely because it is a real amusement park for tourists.

For this reason, we wanna give you advice from real local pubs that you can not miss the city that you find by clicking here: remember that the pub is a serious thing for the Irish and for this reason learn the etiquette and you’ll see that you will not have any problem !

spillatura guinness fase 6

Useful tips for your 3 days in Dublin

  • Wear layers: the weather can change a lot from one minute to the next and can be very unpredictable. The Irish sky often changes tone and you’ll need lots of layers to avoid suffering from the cold or heat. Take a waterproof coat, even in summer, and avoid umbrellas.
  • If you want to use public transport get yourself a Leap Card for Visitors (you can buy these at the airport), load it up and use for all your trips in Dublin and also in metropolitan zones;
  • If you intend to visit lots of attractions get hold of a Dublin Pass which gives you access to attractions at a discounted price or lets you jump the queue (very useful at the Guinness Storehouse) and you can use the Hop On Hop Off bus to go from one place to another in the city.
Meteo Dublino

YOUR GUIDE ON HOW TO SPEND 3 DAYS IN DUBLIN IS READY! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US.

Do you want to visit Ireland and are you looking for information to plan an unforgettable trip? CLICK HERE!

cliffs of moher

Read Also: One Week in Ireland: Western Ireland Itinerary

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