dublin_experiences
active family travel,  Travel

My Seven Favourite Dublin Experiences

I had so many amazing Dublin experiences recently when visiting the city in the Fall. Dublin is a creative, amazing city that recently earned National Geographic’s Best of the World distinction and it’s easy to see why. If you have not been yet I strongly suggest finding a way to visit. It’s more than worth the time and energy to get there.

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Stop and savour the Dublin food scene. So many Irish Showstoppers that are memorable and truly well done. Stroll the city by foot, and take a tour while you are there too.

Consider this Game of Thrones and Giant’s Causeway Tour!

Also this private tour of Ring of Kerry from Sneem. You shouldn’t miss Ring of Kerry

Explore the many landmarks, historical sites and museums and of course go to the theatre. Dublin is culturally brilliant and a feast for the eyes and tastebuds. There are more than enough Dublin experiences to last a lifetime. Here are my favourites.

My Seven Favourite Dublin Experiences.

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  • Lazy Bike Tours –

Have you ever been on an electronic bike? If the answer is no then it’s time to give it a shot. These bikes are fun to ride and a great way to see the city. You need not worry too much about overexerting yourself. They are fairly simple to operate. But they also aren’t as lazy as the name implies. Owner Hugh, is extremely knowledgeable about the city of Dublin which makes this one of my top Dublin experiences. He adds a lot to this fun eco-friendly sightseeing adventure.

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A stop at Chester Beatty library. And so many more stops along the way. We visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a moment from the outside and then on a different day as a group we went indoors. But here you see Hugh telling us about the area near the library and several public art pieces and buildings. His anecdotes about famous Irish people were memorable too.

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If you think that museums are dry, even you, or especially you, will be amazed and generally overwhelmed by EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum. My favourite of all the museums or theatres or libraries visited in Dublin. For me this is one of the things you simply cannot skip when visiting Dublin.


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  • Epic – The Irish Emigration Museum

THIS is everything. One of my top 5 museums that I have ever visited anywhere globally. Epic lives up to its name and then some. Epic, The Irish Emigration Museum is new and it was built with backing of a private funder. In fact it almost didn’t come about because it was to be a publicly funded build and then funding fell through. Thankfully, a visionary private funder backed the museum and built it into this incredible work of art.

Are You one of the 70 million?

There are 70 million people globally in the world right now who claim Irish heritage. You will see yourself reflected in this experience somewhere both physically and symbolically. LOVED the genius integration of technology and creativity to bring history to life.

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So incredibly grateful we had the chance to see this. Epic is moving and emotional. This museum is family friendly, but I think to get the most out of it I would recommend bringing older children, 9 and up. For me, the museum was the intersection of art, poetry, history, culture and technology all woven intricately together. Beyond impressive how every single period of time, or topic I could have imagined is dealt with here.

  • The Talking Statues

More creativity on stage here throughout the city of Dublin. Throughout the city of Dublin there are numerous talking statues voiced by famous Irish actors and actresses. When you are sightseeing or visiting a museum and you spy one of these talking statues, you download an app to scan the QR code and take a picture of it. Moments later your phone will ring and it will be Oscar Wilde or James Joyce, or George Bernard Shaw. I was standing beside someone when they received a phone call from Oscar Wilde. It was both hilarious and awesome. Imagine James Joyce phoning you. Wait, you don’t have to imagine – in fact you can make that happen in Dublin.

Many cities have tourist attractions and many have museums and history on display. Not many take all of this and turn it on its head with interactive cultural and historical displays, that make history relevant even for digital natives, breathing life into Irish figures.

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  • Trinity College

Wow. Just wow. Check this out from outside while doing the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl or visit it on your own during daytime. They don’t build colleges like this anymore. This is the college that many famous Irish authors attended, including Oscar Wilde.

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  • Dublin Castle

If you visit Dublin, or any spot in Ireland, and don’t see a castle then you must have been sleepwalking through the visit. There are castles all over Ireland. Dublin Castle is gorgeous inside and out. Stop by and take pictures. I loved the incredible details here. The architecture is stunning all over Ireland. Dublin castle is one of my top Dublin experiences.

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  • The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

This might easily have been number one or maybe two on my list. The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl is dramatic and educational and downright FUN! Loved this. These two actors made the pub crawl come to life. We followed them around the city one night. The pub crawl begins in Duke Pub on Duke Street. Good thing the city is so walkable. They created historical narrative experiences that were like mini plays all over the city. Magical.

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My final favourite of all my Dublin experiences was this incredible photo walk with Photographer Darren McLoughlin. Let me just say here though that everything in Dublin was remarkable. The food scene is vibrant and really a shocker because it is unexpected. Scenery of course is historical and stunning and the museums are well worth a stop, especially EPIC. But I had never done a photography tour and this was a gorgeous way to end my time in Dublin.

  • Panoramic Ireland photo walk

Many influencers have done these many times in different locations. However I had never done one so I was really keen to pick Darren’s brain and just observe while hopefully picking up a few pointers.

I’d like to think that my photos got better as our tour went on throughout the day. That is a wonderful gift.

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All the Dublin Experiences

Dublin is culturally and historically relevant even still and such a creative city to visit. I can’t simply say these are the only Dublin experiences to do when there because there are so many more. These were my favourites of all the incredible spots we visited and tours offered while there. For a comprehensive look at Dublin read my Drama of Dublin tour guide.

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Many thanks to Failte Ireland and TBEX for offering such a great adventure to travel influencers. I was part of the Drama of Dublin Tour and as such was provided with accommodations, meals, transportation and activities while in Dublin. My opinion is all my own and it is always truthful. 

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

8 Comments

  • Stacie

    I’ve always wanted to visit Dublin! We actually took a trip to Ireland last year, but we didn’t head to Dublin. I need to make this our stop the next go around.

  • Florence Cochrane

    I am going to Ireland this spring flying into Dublin. We are spending a week in Ireland and a week in France. I am bookmarking the post to share with my trip organizing daughter.

  • Carol Cassara

    Those are all such awesome experiences in Dublin! It would be nice to go biking around and just enjoy all the sights! I think it’s a place that’s really worth visiting! Without a doubt.

  • Ruth I.

    Biking around is one of the best ways to tour. It’s more convenient and you will have more time to really experience and appreciate the place. I bet you had fun! The photos are beautiful!