Description

Find out what not to miss in Dublin, where to go at night, how to find the best deals when eating out and more.

Transcript

Hello I'm Colm Hanratty from hostelworld.com and here are ten things you need to know about Dublin. The Irish capital is a young friendly and extremely compact city, so you can see loads and have an awful lot of fun in a short space of time. Going more and more multi cultural every day, Dublin is the home of Guinness, the birth place of some of the world’s vest known writers and musicians and its nightlife is legendary around the world. Now here is the first of those ten things. The river that divides Dublin in to north and south side is the Lefee. There are many bridges that cross the river Lefee, the best known being the Haitli bridge and this bridge here, O’Connell bridge which is longer in width than it is in length. Landmarks north of the Lefee include the Customs house and the spire, while south of the river, Dublin castle in Christ church cathedral are two of Dublin’s best known buildings. And the great thing about Dublin is because it is so compact, you can walk on Henry Street on the north side to Graphin Street on the south side in less than ten minutes. These are the bus, a light rail network called the Dart which service many of Dublin’s hostel suburbs, and this, the Lewis, which is Dublin newest mode of public transport. There are two lines, now they don’t connect, but there are some highly stops. Namely, both of Dublin’s train stations and the museum of declaration and history. Rome has the Colosseum, Paris has the Eiffel tower, and Dublin has the factory of one of its most famous exports, Guinness is brewed. After this world class attraction, you can discover how this famous drink is made and see many of its most famous ad works. You even get to pour your own pint. And the highlight of the visit to the Guinness store is the complimentary points you get here in Comedy bar in the seventh floor which overlooks the entire city. Literally, there are a lot more to see in Dublin than the brewery. Other attractions worth visiting include Dublin castle and Christ church cathedral which I mentioned earlier. But if you're looking for somewhere to chill out for a few hours, check out one of the city’s parks. Like St. Steven’s green at the top of Graphin Street or the Phoenix Park, the largest urban park in Europe. Another place worth to mention is this place, Tweedy College. It’s right in the middle of the city’s center. Its home to some of the oldest books in the world called the Book of Carrows and past people that include the Oscar Rile and Samuel Decks. If you are broke but you're still looking for something to do, it’s good to know that all of Dublin’s national museums and galleries are free. Like this one, the National Museum of Archeology and History, which are artifacts from prehistoric Rome, ancient Egypt and more. Others include the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History in Columns Barracks and the National Gallery on Marian Square which is Ireland’s primary art gallery. James Joys, Jonathan Swift, and Bernard Shaw all called Dublin home in the past. And present natives include Schnaedo Conners, U2, and Bob Galof. There are statues of the famous writers at different locations throughout the city. While an entire wall is dedicated to the city’s most famous singers in Temple Bar. For more detailed inside of some of Dublin’s famous writers, visit Dublin Writers Museum here in Paramount Square in the north side of the city. Among other things you can see, James Joys’ piano and the first edition of Dracula by Bram Stoker, another Dublin native. If you have the time when you visit Dublin, try and visit some of the city’s suburbs. Like this one called Wrights of Howth, a fishing village on the north side of the city. It’s in this suburb that both locals and tourist come to feed the seals as well as walk over Howth at breathtaking coastal views. Also north of the Lefee is Mallahard which is known for its cafes and restaurants and Port Mariner which is popular for its beach. On the city’s south side you’ll find Rannala, an area of Dublin known for its nightlife and Condonleri, a suburb popular at walkers that flock there in the evening for its long pier. It’s also one of the best places in the city to catch the sunset Howth, Mallahard, Port Mariner, Condonleri are all served by the Dart. But Ramlet is just 10 minutes from the city center on the Green Louis line. As you would expect from a capital city, Dublin is great for shopping. Henry Street is the main street north of the river. While on the south side, Graphin Street is where you’ll find well known stores along with more local ones not so familiar. There are also lots of shopping centers, like the Stevens Green shopping center at the top of Graphin Street. And while it’s both popular for stores and restaurants, it’s also one of the best places to seek up a bargain. Shop select, Sharpville and Flip, Dolphin Fame Street have both new and second hand clothes. While Wild Child on Crowe street has a great selection of vintage clothing. All over Dublin, restaurants promote early bird’s specials. Starting around 5 pm and ending anytime around 7:30 pm, these are usually deals where you get a starter and a main course for anything between 9 euro and 20 euro. One of the most popular in town is Chez Max at the gate of Dublin castle. While on Parliament Street, Da Pino, Cho Bellaroma, and Café Topolous all do extremely reasonable deals. If you're too late for an early bird, but you're still looking for somewhere a lot less expensive treat, try this place. It’s called the Elephant Castle in Tapavera. They’ve got a great selection of sandwich and burgers and their chicken wings are legendary here in Dublin. There is no doubt that any trip to Dublin should include a night out in the famous Temple Bar. As it is packed with good bars and there's always something going on in Dublin’s tourist quarter. But it is quite touristy here and you won't find any locals. Instead you’ll find them here in St. Therese which is the liveliest street in the city. These include bars like Dakota in south William which we both checked out. One of the strips include Bagget strip where you will find Odonoghues which is an extremely famous club and Camelon Street which is more alternative bars like Anseo and Solas. And if you're looking for a traditional Irish bar with lots of character that isn’t in the tourist trail, drop into Kehoe on St. Anne Street which dates back to 1803. Today you have ten things you need to know about Dublin. Hope you will make your trip to Dublin a little bit more enjoyable. Don’t forget, if you are planning a trip here, to log on to www.hostelworld.com for the biggest and best selection of hostels in Dublin.