Or jumping the pond for the St.Patrick's day festivities?
Dublin, Ireland
"Be right back!" we said when leaving the office early one day on a Friday! Driving to LAX from San Diego to catch a ten hour direct flight to Dublin for the weekend! This was definitely a trip that was manifested and made possible due to some good friends who decided to take a leap and go big for the weekend! We chose St.Patricks day in Dublin, Ireland.
Now what makes Dublin very do able for a weekend is... The Dublin Airport is one of few airports outside the USA that offers a US Preclearance facility. The benefit of passing clearance from US Customs in Dublin, is passengers arriving in the US are treated as domestic arrivals, allowing them to avoid immigration queues upon arrival. You just pick up your luggage and go! This is key. For more information on US preclearance, check out www.dublinairport.com
This is truly what makes a weekend adventure in Dublin filled with pubs, pints, shots, and a little sight seeing possible! And being a little adventurous goes a long way too!
Once arriving in Dublin we grabbed a taxi for a short 20 minute ride to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express City Center which is right off O'Connell Street where the parade passes through. If your one of the lucky one's that gets a room facing O'connell Street you can watch the parade from your hotel room. Now a street side room or not, the great thing about this hotel is that its in the city center and a buffet breakfast was even included! It is really convenient having breakfast included in our stay as we saved money and time on breakfast. Another key here is "time", as we didn't want to waste time in the morning trying to figure out where to have breakfast as there was six of us on this trip and it can get a little hectic trying to please everyone, I'm sure most can relate. Since our stay was only going to be two and a half days, we had to make the most of our time, so here is how we did Dublin...
Guinness Storehouse
Day 1
After a quick check in at our hotel we headed for the Guinness Storehouse as it was highly recommended and a must do by a friend who is a native. We purchased tickets in advance through TripAdvisor (we highly recommend doing) which included front of the line entrance, a voucher for a pint of Guinness, and a nice keepsake souvenir gift. The Guinness Storehouse is seven floors of different attractions, bars, restaurants, and cool displays. We made our way up to every level of the storehouse, coming across green water falls, a room filled with fresh hops, and wood aged beer barrels. There is lots to see as you make your way to the top, eventually finding yourself at the world famous Gravitybar.
This is where we recommend using your "voucher" for your FREE pint of Guinness beer if you want to enjoy a #pintoftheblackstuff while soaking in a spectacular 360 degree view of the city of Dublin.
There will be plenty of areas to use your voucher along your journey up to the top, but if you don't save your voucher until you reach the Gravity Bar, they will unfortunately not sell you any beer when reaching the Gravity Bar. So be sure to choose wisely where you want to redeem your voucher for a pint of Guinness.
The Gravity Bar can be very crowded during the St. Patty's day festivities, but no need to worry, there are plenty of other bars and restaurants through out the Guinness Storehouse along your way up or down that will sell you beer.
Don't forget to check out the gift shop at the end which is quite a sight. We rarely spend much money at gift shops, but I was told this gift shop was incredible and surely we thought it was going to be over rated, but we found the Guinness storehouse shop being quite the experience and very impressive.
The Temple Bar - Dublin
Upon exiting the Guinness Storehouse we headed to the world famous #templebar,
a neighborhood filled with pubs hosting live folk music and tons of restaurants serving Irish cuisine but also a diversity of restaurants like Asian and American eats through out the cobbled stone streets that run alongside the #riverliffey.
Have a little patience while you wait to get served, considering the crowds, the staff and bar tenders are pretty fast to pour a pint. The Temple Bar isn't very big inside but there are plenty of other pubs through out this area. Just a heads up, you can order beer at the bar and walk outside the pubs and enjoy your beer if the pub is overcrowded inside. Its exactly what we had to do during the busy weekend.
Venturing from the Temple Bar area we would continue walking a few more blocks through crowds of green attire on a pub crawl across the city all the way back to our hotel to what would be the of a fun first night!
All in all, our first night in center city Dublin was quite the experience. Lots of friendly locals and cozy low ceiling pubs. By the end of the night we were chasing our pints of beer with a shot of Redbreast12.
Trinity College Library - The Book of Kells
Day 2
The next morning our plan was to try and squeeze in a little sight seeing. Ireland has plenty of beautiful sites across the country though we didn't have much time with only a day and a half left on our weekend, we had to keep working with the time we had. We started the day at The Book of Kells with plans to head to the parade after. We should mention if the St. Patricks parade is something you definitely want to see, be sure to arrive a hour and half early to get a decent spot. Arriving once the parade begins can be a disaster and impossible to maneuver through the crowds, so plan accordingly.
Going back to The Book of Kells Exhibition, which is another absolute must see when visiting Dublin. It is located in Dublin City Center at the Trinity College Library which takes you back to the 18th century and considered by many as one of the top ten tourist attractions to see in Ireland. This is the world's most famous medieval manuscript produced in the late 6th through the early 9th centuries in monasteries in Ireland, Scotland, and England and is Ireland's greatest cultural treasure. The 9th century book is a richly decorated copy of the four Gospels of the life of Jesus Christ, created by Celtic monks some time around 800 AD.
The Brian Boru's harp, also known as Trinity College harp is a medieval musical instrument which is also displayed at the long room at Trinity College. It dates back to around the 14th-15th century and is one of three oldest surviving Gaelic harps. The harp is considered to possibly be the oldest existent harp in the world.
Tickets can be purchased upon arrival or you can also purchase them online through The Book of Kells. This is a self guided tour where you go at your pace through the entire exhibition. Be aware there are area's in this exhibition that does not prohibit photos to be taken. When entering the library its absolutely breath taking with high ceilings, towering rows of book shelves, and the scent of ancient history. It's truly a grand place to experience.
After the Library we headed for O'connell Street for the world famous St. Patricks Day parade. Since we arrived a little late, we were stuck in the massive crowds but still managed to see enough of the parade. Next time around we will definitely be arriving early to get a good spot!
(UPDATE: the following year of 2019, we would return and found its best to actually arrive two hours prior for "best" parade spots)
Pack up, coffee, airport
Day 3
Day three had arrived and what felt like a blur and just surreal, time had come to pack up and head home! We woke up, grabbed some coffee and headed for the Dublin Airport for our return flight. A weekend for the ages, and a festival that is so vibrant with green, white, and orange colors displaying Ireland's rich culture and heritage...Until next time Dublin!
Stay tuned for next years St.Patrick's Day adventure or better yet, maybe see ya there! We hope to return with more time and explore the country side, down Southern Ireland towards the city of Cork and Kilkenny. We hope to check out Blarneys Castle and Gardens and explore Pubs like "The Worlds End Bar" and of course more pubs, more beer and whiskey!!! "Sláinte!"
(UPDATE: Stay tuned for our 2019 trip on a new blog update on Kilkenny, the brewery, pubs and more!)
Newest video from the 2019 St. Patty's Day, Dublin to Kilkenny, and hanging with the locals!
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