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Planning a trip to Dublin? You’re in the right place!
Figuring out how to make the most of a new city in just three days can be a challenge, but our epic Dublin itinerary has you covered. After multiple visits, we’ve pieced together the perfect blend of must-see sights, from famous landmarks to cozy pubs with live music.
We’ve thoughtfully crafted this guide so each day flows seamlessly, with realistic timing, walkable routes, and tasty food stops along the way. Follow this itinerary to make the most of your time in the city, without the stress. Let’s go!
Don’t Miss Out On Our Top Choice!
The tour we loved the most and suggest booking ASAP is this one!
Our personal FAVORITE thing we did in Dublin was this Book of Kells tour. Early access meant no crowds, the Trinity Library was stunning, and ending with a sing-along at the Molly Malone statue was such a fun surprise!
Day 1
Breakfast – The Stage Door Cafe
Start your trip to Dublin on a high note with a hearty Irish breakfast at the Stage Door Cafe. It opens at 6 am and is just an 8-minute walk to the meeting point for this morning’s tour, so you’ll have plenty of time to fuel up for today’s adventure.
As yummy as the food is, what we really love about this place is the fact that the staff and the owners banter with the guests in typical Irish fashion. We were in stitches!
Morning – See the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, and the Molly Malone Statue
As far as we’re concerned, this is THE Irish history tour in Dublin! It covers Dublin’s must-visit historical highlights, including the Book of Kells and Dublin Castle, with early access to Trinity College to beat the crowds. So what better way to kick off your first morning in the city?
Book this tour for 10 am, as it lasts for 2.5 hours, so it will end right in time for lunch! However, there is also a 9 am option if you’re a bit of an early bird.
Either way, it’s so exciting to see the Book of Kells inside Trinity College Library. For us, getting in early to see it before the crowds arrived made the experience so much better!
After that, you’ll enjoy a guided tour of Dublin Castle’s exterior. We never say “no” to visiting a castle, and Dublin Castle has been the site of some major historical events!
We also saw the famous statue of the folklore figure Molly Malone, which is a quick stop but an absolute must-see while in Ireland. Our guide, Richard, even taught us a few lines of “Cockles and Mussels”, which is Molly Malone’s anthem, and we all had fun singing them together before we parted ways.
This tour is the perfect way to get to know Dublin, and it’s a very efficient way to cover the city’s most important highlights. However, we should tell you that it usually sells out fast, so make sure to book in advance!
Check out THOUSANDS of 5-star reviews and book this tour here!
Lunch – RóCo Café
This morning’s tour ends at Dublin Castle, which is a 5-minute walk from RóCo Café, so head here for lunch. It’s such a cute little spot that serves great coffee, croissants, as well as all-day breakfast burritos and yummy sausage rolls. They even have great vegan sausage rolls!
We suggest grabbing a light lunch and a coffee here after this morning’s big breakfast. Then, it’s a 13-minute walk across the river to Smithfield, where this afternoon’s tour meets.
Afternoon – Tour the Dublin Jameson Distillery and Guinness Storehouse
Did you even go to Dublin if you didn’t drink Guinness and Jameson?
The answer is “no”, so book this combo tour and do both in one fell swoop! It’s a super easy and efficient way to visit both the iconic Guinness storehouse and the famous Jameson distillery, and do plenty of tastings along the way. Book it for 1:45 pm so that you’ll finish up around 5:45 pm.
One great thing about the combo tour is that it includes skip-the-line admission. Without this, we would have wasted a fair bit of time waiting outside of both attractions.
We started at the Jameson Distillery, where we discovered the origin story of the world-famous whiskey brand, and enjoyed a signature cocktail as well as a guided tasting. It was so much fun!
Next up, we went to the Guinness Storehouse, which is huge, just FYI! We dived deep into the history of Guinness as we explored the seven different floors, and learned about the brewery’s 9,000-year lease – yes, really! Best of all, we got two free pints of Guinness. We even got our faces printed on the foam of our first pints, which was a cool perk.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of Guinness and/or whiskey, this tour is totally worth doing. When in Ireland, right?
Book this great value combo deal here!
Evening – Explore the Temple Bar area
Temple Bar is Dublin’s most famous neighborhood, and a total must-see while you’re in the city. Yes, it’s super touristy, but hear me out. I honestly expected this area to be overrated, but I absolutely fell in love with the energy around here.
The cobbled streets are buzzing with live music and colorful pubs, including THE Temple Bar itself. Pints of Guinness are famously expensive here at around €10 a pop, but I think of this famous pub as an attraction in its own right. It’s huge, and when I came here at Christmas time, the decorations were incredible!
Dinner – The Stags Head
For dinner tonight, head to The Stags Head, a delightfully old-timey Irish pub in the heart of the Temple Bar area. This place has some of the best traditional food around, and I must say, they really know how to pour a perfect pint! The beef and Guinness stew here is next-level, so I highly recommend trying that, or the shrimp and chips are also very tasty.
Related Read: Off to Scotland next? Make sure you check out our 2-Day Glasgow Itinerary here for a perfectly paced guide to the city’s top highlights.
Day 2
Breakfast – Soren & Son
Soren & Son is a trendy breakfast spot that’s only a 3-minute walk from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. You might even just want to grab a coffee here this morning because the food tour begins at 11:30 am and involves a LOT of food. However, if you do want a light breakfast, their pastries are hard to beat! This place opens at 7:30 am on weekdays, 8 am on Saturday, and 9 am on Sunday, so you’ll have plenty of time to grab something before heading to the cathedral.
Morning – Tour St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St Patrick’s Cathedral is an 18-minute walk from the start of the food tour, and it’s so worth taking the time to visit. And if you don’t have time to do this in the morning, you can always do it after the food tour instead!
This cathedral really is a window into Ireland’s past. It boasts over 800 years of history, and its Gothic architecture is incredibly impressive. We got an audio guide to explore at our own pace, and I loved hearing all of the stories that these walls hold. I was especially fascinated to learn that Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, once served as dean here!
The cathedral opens at 9:30 am on weekdays or 9:00 am on weekends. While you can buy tickets at the door, I definitely recommend booking ahead on Viator. It’s the same price, and it saves you waiting in line, so it’s a win-win situation! Plus, they offer free cancellation in case your plans change.
Mid-day – Taste your way around Dublin on a food tour
One of the things that surprised me the most the first time I visited Ireland was how delicious the food was! And we found a lot of our favorite Irish dishes on this top-rated food tour, so it was really worth its weight in gold.
Exact departure times for this tour vary according to the day, but I recommend booking the 11:30 am tour if possible. If not, choose the closest time slot that you can!
Of course, the only way to kick off an Irish food tour is with an Irish coffee! And on this food tour, we not only got to drink them, but we also learned the proper way to make them. Then we headed to a local bakery to soak up the booze with some sausage rolls. There was another secret snack too, but we won’t ruin the surprise!
Over the course of the tour, we also did an Irish cheese tasting, sampled fresh oysters, and ate stew and homemade soda bread in the iconic Temple Bar area! Finally, we rounded off the tour with an indulgent ice cream treat. We were absolutely stuffed, but very happy. In fact, this tour is my favorite thing that we’ve ever done in Dublin!
We loved the shared tour as group sizes are small, but you can also upgrade to a private tour if you prefer. It’s actually a pretty cost-effective choice if you’re in a big group! Either way, you’re in for a real treat when you book this tour, I can promise you that.
Reserve this tour now and get FREE cancellation 24 hours before you go!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
Afternoon – St. Stephen’s Green and Museums
The food tour should wrap up at around 3 pm, and from there it’s a short 6-minute walk to St. Stephen’s Green. This is one of Dublin’s prettiest parks, so it’s the ideal place to stroll around and let all of that delicious food digest! There are also plenty of museums nearby which are definitely worth checking out. Do keep an eye on their closing times, though, as most shut their doors by around 5 pm.
Here are a few of the best options (and their closing times):
- MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland – One for the bookworms! Ireland is famous for producing great writers, and this museum is a beautiful space celebrating the country’s rich literary history. Closes at 5:30 pm.
- The Little Museum of Dublin – This charming and quirky museum tells Dublin’s story through donated objects. It’s definitely worth trying to catch the last tour of the day at 4 pm, as this experience put huge smiles on our faces! Closes at 4:30 pm.
- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology – This museum is home to an incredible collection of Celtic and Viking artifacts, and the bog bodies exhibit is haunting and unforgettable. A must for history buffs! Closes at 5 pm.
- National Gallery of Ireland – This place houses an impressive collection of European and Irish art. It’s ideal for a quiet afternoon wander. Closes at 5:30 pm, or 8:30 pm on Thursdays.
Dinner – The Place Proper Street Food
Street food trucks have really taken off in Dublin over the past few years, so take advantage! The Place is a fun street food collective with tons of yummy options on offer, from Polish pierogies to South Indian curries and lots of Thai treats. If you can’t find something you like here, then I can’t help you! It’s an 18-minute walk from St Stephen’s Green, and you’ll go past Merrion Square on the way, so take your time and enjoy the stroll!
Related Read: Heading south after Scotland? Check out our guide to the 10 best things to do in Liverpool, including famous Beatles landmarks and local favorites you won’t want to miss!
Day 3
Breakfast – Grab on the go!
This morning’s tour starts early at 6:45 am. You can choose to meet the tour in North Dublin or Temple Bar. Since you’ll definitely need a caffeine fix today, we’ve listed a coffee shop near each pickup point to help get you going this morning.
For Temple Bar pickup, head to the appropriately-named Insomnia Coffee Company, which is open 24 hours a day. Yes, really! It’s actually really a convenience store that features a coffee shop, so you could always grab a quick snack here, too. Best of all, it’s just a 3-minute walk to the meeting point.
For North Dublin, go to Vamo no Brasileiro, a tiny spot that offers amazing takeout coffee. In fact, I think they might have the best latte art in Dublin! Plus, it’s just a 7-minute walk from the meeting point. Vamo no Brasileiro opens at 6 am on weekdays, although unfortunately, on weekends it’s not open until 7 am, which is too late for this tour, so you might have to grab coffee at your hotel instead.
Visit the Cliffs of Moher on a full-day tour
The Cliffs of Moher make up some of Ireland’s most stunning coastline, which is why this full-day trip from Dublin is a must!
The cliffs are about a 3.5-hour drive from Dublin, but renting a car for a single day just isn’t worth it – plus, we really didn’t want to drive ourselves. And this tour has over 18,000 5-star reviews, so you know it’s a good choice!
As mentioned, this tour leaves early, at 6:45 or 6:55 am. However, we found that this early start was totally worth it because we got to spend two full hours at the Cliffs of Moher, which is longer than any other tour we looked at.
And trust me, the cliffs did not disappoint. We loved exploring the area and taking in the incredible views. Scenery like this is a big part of why we wanted to visit Ireland in the first place!
After admiring the Cliffs of Moher, we continued to the picturesque city of Galway. It’s known for its colorful houses and shopfronts, as well as the scenic harbor. Oh, yeah, and it’s the festival capital of Ireland, so it’s one of the best places to enjoy the famous Irish “craic”!
There’s an optional walking tour in Galway. We chose to join in and we’re so glad that we did, as we learned about the city’s thriving music, art, and culture scene.
The tour gets back to Dublin at around 8 pm, so it’s a long day, but we promise it’s worth it. The country is too beautiful not to check out scenic areas like Galway and the Cliffs of Moher!
Book this tour with THOUSANDS of 5-star reviews here, before dates fill up!
Dinner – Live music at O’Donoghues
There’s only one way to end a trip to Dublin—with live music, of course! O’Donoghues is a Dublin staple. It’s an 18-minute walk from the tour’s endpoint, but trust me, it’s worth the walk. It’s a cozy pub with hearty food, including huge burgers and hearty stews, and it always has a fantastic atmosphere. We had so much fun enjoying the live music here and there were tons of locals in the pub, which is really the ultimate seal of approval!
Related Read: If you enjoy our step-by-step guides, check out our 3-day London itinerary for the perfect way to explore the city’s top sights, hidden gems, and best local eats!
Where to Stay in Dublin, Ireland
Now that you have your itinerary planned, it’s time to find a great place to stay. Now, I warn you, Dublin is not the cheapest city to stay in, but if you do some research and book a room early, you can snag a good deal! And if you don’t feel like doing tons of research, then you’re in luck because I’ve sorted through the best options and outlined my favorites below.
Luxury – $$$
The Shelbourne, Autograph Collection, is my top pick for a luxury stay in the heart of the city. No detail is overlooked here! The rooms provide top-tier comfort in a gorgeous, historic setting. There are also four restaurants on site, plus a spa, and the property is within walking distance of Trinity College and Grafton Street. Exploring the city couldn’t be easier when you stay here!
Rooms start around €400 and can be booked on Booking.com.
Mid-range – $$
The Address Connolly has a range of room options that won’t break the bank. From twin rooms all the way to king suites, they promise comfort and great service. But for me, the best thing about this hotel is its location! It’s within walking distance of Dublin’s top sights and best restaurants, so you’re never too far from a pint of Guinness – phew!
Prices range from €150 to €350 and can be reserved on Booking.com.
Budget – $
If you’re looking for cheaper accommodation or just a great way to meet other travelers, check out the Ashfield Hostel. Located in downtown Dublin, this hostel offers dorm beds for about €30 or private rooms for around €135. That’s a bargain in Dublin terms! There are common areas, ensuite bathrooms, and a kitchen, so you’ll have everything you need for a comfortable stay.
Check availability and book this stay on Booking.com or Hostelworld.
For more options, check out all the hotels in Dublin here!
Renting a Car in Europe
Exploring Europe by car is a fantastic way to uncover hidden gems—think charming villages, scenic countryside, and off-the-beaten-path spots that trains and buses might miss. Driving here is generally straightforward, but it’s good to be prepared for some regional quirks.
We always use Discover Cars to book our rentals and can’t recommend them enough. It’s super easy to compare prices, check company ratings, find automatic cars (which can be tricky in Europe!), and add affordable full coverage insurance. If you want a full breakdown, check out our Discover Cars review here.
Tips for Renting a Car in Europe
- Know the local rules: Most European countries drive on the right-hand side, except for the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta, where you’ll drive on the left. Some countries also have unique road signs or rules, so it’s worth doing a quick check before you go.
- Practice defensive driving: In parts of Europe, especially in the south, driving can feel fast-paced and a little unpredictable. Make sure you stay alert and keep a safe following distance.
- Insurance is essential: I highly recommend adding full coverage insurance to your rental. Whether it’s a parking lot ding or a chipped windshield on a mountain road, full protection gives you peace of mind. Plus, it’s super affordable through Discover Cars!
- Pick the right vehicle: Most rentals in Europe are manual, and automatic cars are limited, so book early if that’s what you need. Also, a compact car is great for narrow village roads or tight city parking. With Discover Cars, it’s super easy to filter for exactly what you need, whether that’s an automatic, a diesel engine, or extra luggage space.
- Watch for restricted zones: Many cities have low-emission or restricted traffic zones. Driving into these without a permit can result in fines, so always check local rules if you’re heading into a city center.
- Be prepared for border crossings: While crossing borders is usually easy within the Schengen Zone, some rental companies require you to declare your travel plans in advance. Always check with Discover Cars if you’re planning to drive into another country.
What You Need to Rent a Car in Europe
- A valid driver’s license from your home country.
- If you’re from outside the EU, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended—and in some countries, it’s legally required.
- A credit card in the driver’s name is typically needed for the security deposit.
- Most rental companies require drivers to be at least 21 years old. If you’re under 25, expect a young driver surcharge—and in some countries, the minimum age may be higher.
Ready to hit the road? Book your car with Discover Cars here and discover the freedom of exploring Europe on your own terms!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind. You can read our honest review of SafetyWing for all the pros and cons.
Thanks for reading!
There’s so much to experience in Dublin, but we hope this 3-day itinerary helps you plan an unforgettable trip. We followed this exact route on our most recent visit and felt like it hit all the right notes—iconic sights, delicious food, and a healthy dose of Irish charm. Whether it’s your first trip or a return visit, this guide will make your time in Dublin smooth, fun, and stress-free.
Exploring more of Europe soon? Check out our other Europe blogs here, or scroll down for some of our personal favorites.
10 Awesome Things to do in Dublin, Ireland