Dublin Impressions and Experiences

I had no idea what to expect from Dublin—I could hardly imagine. Before visiting, all I knew was that Dublin is famous for its Guinness beer, so I pictured a city full of places to drink it.

On the ride from the airport to Trinity College, as we approached the city, I noticed that the houses we passed looked dark, old, and quite shabby. I mentioned my impression to the taxi driver, who agreed. He explained that the city intentionally maintains this appearance to preserve its historical charm. Interestingly, the taxi driver was from Turkey, an immigrant to Ireland.

As we neared downtown Dublin, the buildings no longer appeared old and shabby but rather grand. I noticed the abundance of double-decker buses on the roads. As the days passed, I realized that Dublin is smaller compared to other European cities I had just visited (like Oslo and Helsinki), yet it seemed to have more buses than any other city. The buses were constantly on the move, sharing the roads with trams and pedestrians, with many streets lined with train tracks. The streets were narrow, mostly no more than two lanes.

During my stay, I was lodged at Trinity College, right in the heart of "Old Dublin" downtown. Stepping out into the city center, I was struck by the sheer number of tourists. The narrow streets made the density of people feel even more intense. Everywhere I went, the streets were crowded with tourists.

I was surprised by the number of bars and restaurants—literally every corner had one, offering all kinds of alcohol. Many of them had live music playing even during the day. I visited two bars that featured traditional Irish music played on the fiddle and banjo.

The most famous bar in Dublin is Temple Bar. To avoid the crowds and have a better chance for photos, I visited in the morning. I imagined that in the evening, it would be nearly impossible to take decent pictures with the crowds and loud music, so this turned out to be a smart move. Even at 11 am, there were still quite a few people drinking beer and enjoying some live music. I told the bartender it was a bit early for me to drink, but I’d like to take some photos—they smiled and welcomed me.

Temple Bar is famous for a reason. Once inside, I realized there were multiple rooms with different bars, each uniquely decorated. I can imagine it’s a cozy place to meet friends for drinks and listen to music.

One late evening (on the third day), I was trying to find a place to eat, but most bars and restaurants were packed with people drinking massive amounts of beer. I’m not sure if it was because it was a Saturday, but most places stopped serving meals by 10 pm, including the convenience stores.

Speaking of convenience stores, there were many throughout the city where you could buy food, snacks, and some groceries. Some even sold alcohol.

Like other European cities, Dublin has its share of churches, cathedrals, castles, and museums to explore. I visited Dublin Castle, but I didn’t find it particularly exceptional compared to other castles I’ve seen. For me, the most impressive experience was visiting the old library at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. To do so, you must purchase a ticket for The Book of Kells Experience. It’s better to buy it online to avoid the long queue at the entrance.

According to the taxi driver, the Irish are known for their love of beer and drink a lot of it. When I asked if drinking and driving was an issue, he said no because there are very strict laws against it.

Dublin is very colorful! The old town’s hip bars and Irish pubs were all beautifully decorated with flowers and murals. I enjoyed photographing them, as well as the many doors and windows.

Lastly, I enjoyed walking along the River Liffey and photographing the many bridges that cross it. I walked as much as I could to visit as many bridges as possible, capturing them in the morning, daytime, and afternoon for the best shots. All the bridges are short and easily walkable.

During my visit, I also took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and the city of Galway, which I’ll write about in another post.

Overall, Dublin is a popular tourist destination—a fun and vibrant international city. I enjoyed my visit very much. However, note that it’s also an expensive place to visit. For example, my stay cost almost twice as much as my stay in Tallinn and Helsinki, and the food and grocery costs are comparable.

The weather in August was very pleasant, with sunny days interspersed with periods of rain and wind.

Lastly, when flying from Dublin Airport to the U.S., be prepared for long lines at check-in, security, and passport control. However, the good news is that once you’ve completed these steps, there won’t be a passport check when you arrive in the U.S.