3 days in Dublin: A city break at the heart of the Emerald Isle

Dublin is a crowd pleaser when it comes to weekend breaks – it’s great value, architecturally beautiful and astonishingly good fun. Whether you’re looking to soak up the local culture, explore the fantastic selection of eateries or want to catch a breath of fresh air by the sea, the Irish capital has it all.

Choosing the perfect location for a weekend break can be hard.

When you start juggling travel time, convenience and cost amongst other things, you can pretty quickly kill the magic by picking a location simply because it’s practical.

Fortunately, I think I’ve found the answer to the question “Where’s fun AND easy to visit in a weekend?”. It’s Dublin.

A compact city packed full of culture, good craic and glorious architecture: it’s also less than an hour’s flight from London. There’s a plethora of airlines flying daily to the Irish capital from airports across the UK and Europe – and you’re right in the thick of things as soon as you arrive. With no long transfers or complicated transport networks to negotiate, you can crack straight on with the job of enjoying yourself.

We headed across the Irish Sea for a long weekend at the end of February and surprised ourselves with how much fun (and good food) you can squeeze into three days. So, jump on board with my city guide as I show you how to spend 3 days on the Emerald Isle – where to go, what to do and what to eat in Dublin.

There’s no AI here! Every post on Travels with a Saddle Bag is written by myself and based on my own travels. This post was written in March 2017 and last updated in October 2024, and based on my visit to Dublin in February 2017.

Day 1: Barbecues, Temple Bar and the River Liffey – Getting to know central Dublin

We spent our first day getting to know central Dublin, and the banks of the river Liffey.

After checking into our hotel we crossed the Ha’Penny bridge (a pretty wrought iron number that is one of several pedestrian bridges spanning the river) and headed to Temple Bar. It’s a good place to start exploring, with inviting cobbled streets and bustling venues whatever time of day you arrive. Ignore its reputation as party central (unless you’re here just for the craic, in which case dive straight in) if that’s not your thing, as the Georgian buildings, cafes and restaurants make it worth a wander.

From here, it’s an easy stroll to some of Dublin’s central landmarks that are worth a look. Explore St. Patrick’s cathedral with its formal gardens, St. Stephen’s Green (a centrepoint in Ireland’s political history) and the graceful quadrangle of Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university. Grafton Street will lead you back towards Temple Bar along the city’s main thoroughfare, a busy shopping street with plenty of places to grab a coffee if you need a bit of sustenance.

If you’ve not had enough of pounding the pavements, head out of the centre and along the river. The docklands have seen substantial redevelopment over the last fifteen years, and striking modern offices and apartments jostle for space between renovated warehouses along the waterfront. Follow the northern bank of the river and pause for a moment to take in the famine memorial, a poignant reminder of a heart-breaking period in Ireland’s history. Cross over the eye-catching Sean O’Casey bridge and explore the Grand Canal basin, and keep your eyes peeled for some great murals along the way.

Evening eating

Now, if you’re like us, you’re probably going to be pretty hungry by this time. It might seem tempting to head to Temple Bar or retreat somewhere close to your hotel if you’re after something to eat. But instead, go a little further south of the river to the area around St. Georges Street and George Street Arcade to find a cornucopia of cafes and restaurants. You’ll be spoilt for choice, because if there’s one thing Dublin knows how to do it’s amazing food.

We made a beeline for the highly recommended, and highly recommendable, Pitt Bros BBQ. It’s one of those magic places that you know must be good, because you can’t reserve a table and service ends “when the meat runs out”. It’s a cracker of a restaurant, serving up barbecue favourites with succulent sides and an imaginative drinks menu. We loved it.

After dinner, stroll the streets awhile to get a feel for Dublin alive at night. Dublin castle is particularly picturesque lit up, but let’s be honest. You’re going to want to head to a pub. We nipped into the Brazen Head, allegedly the city’s oldest pub, to nurse a pint by the fire. I hate to admit it but it felt a little packed full of tourists and lacking in atmosphere. So we embraced a little of the Temple Bar spirit for the rest of night, finding more than our fair share of enjoyable drinking spots. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Day 2: ABC (Art, Botanicals and Comedy) – Dublin’s different districts

If you’re here on a Sunday morning like us, head over to Merrion Square after breakfast for art by the armful. The railings around the outside of this pretty garden become an impromptu gallery once a week where local artists display prints and original pieces for sale. It’s a great way to see Dublin and the Irish landscape through the eyes of some wonderfully creative sorts.

If the weather has got the better of you, don’t despair, explore the delightful Hugh Lane Gallery instead. Behind the picturesque Georgian townhouse facade you’ll find an impressive collection that includes stunning local works, Impressionist masterpieces and the Francis Bacon studio, dedicated to one of the city’s most famous sons. It’s also free of charge, so it’s a worthwhile trip even if you’re tight for time.

Botanic beauty

With a full day to play with, take the opportunity to explore a little farther out from the city centre. Looking for a little splash of spring on a cloudy winter’s afternoon, we headed to the National Botanic Gardens, about 3 miles north of the river.

Even when the weather’s not on your side you can potter to your heart’s content around the graceful glasshouses, the sweeping lawns or explore the native woodland. Look out for the collections of tropical plants and orchids on a grey day, or warm up with a brew in the cafe just inside the gates. The palm houses were great (and a good place to warm up!).

Having trekked a fair few miles over the course of the day (we walked to the Botanic Gardens, but there’s helpfully a bus that will do the hard work for you if you’re more sensible than us), we decided that we’d earned ourselves some afternoon tea. Brother Hubbard was a chance to get to know Capel Street, with its brightly coloured buildings and eclectic mix of shops. Pop in for a ganache hot chocolate (that tastes as good as it sounds) and stay for what might be the best scones known to man. It might be a little on the upmarket side, but the cosy atmosphere and fabulous aromas make it worth the while.

We meandered back into the thick of things as darkness started to fall. We grabbed some food, but it was after dinner that things got interesting.

Comedy central

To finish off our day, we had one of life’s lucky moments. There are plenty of things we do plan when we travel, and plenty that we don’t. Sometimes we just go for a wander and see what we find. Fancying an after-dinner drink we found ourselves in the Stags Head in Temple Bar, a stunning building with an old fashioned bar and stained glass windows. This in itself made it a good find. What we hadn’t banked on was discovering that they host regular free stand-up comedy gigs in their basement.

One thing led to another (or one drink led to another, something like that) and we ended up spending our evening with a front row seat for some of Ireland’s best comedians. I couldn’t recommend it enough. We laughed, drank, laughed even more, and somehow managed to get a free ice cream. If you’re in Dublin don’t miss The Comedy Crunch, it’s wonderful!

Day 3: Cafes, coast paths and chippies – Getting out of Dublin

We wanted to venture a little way out of the city on our last day. As with any good plan, it started with a good breakfast – this time at The Woollen Mills, close to Ha’Penny Bridge. This cafe is a Dublin institution, even if its hipster interior belies it. We tucked into huge plates of delicious food over a morning cuppa and watched the world go by outside.

Hills of Howth

Suitably filled, we headed to Tara Street station and hopped on a train to Howth. Less than half an hour away from the city centre, Howth is a pretty fishing village perched on a windswept peninsula, looking out across the Irish Sea. Dubliners love this place and it’s not hard to see why. The colourful terraced houses, restored waterfront warehouses now home to seafood restaurants and oyster bars, the views across to water to the pretty little offshore island of Ireland’s Eye – it’s everything you’d hope to find by the sea.

Happily, there are miles and miles of coastal path leading to, from and around Howth. We spent a pleasant, if a little windy, couple of hours exploring the coastline and taking in the views across the water.

Contented after a few hours of walking, we warmed ourselves up with chips on the seafront before returning to the quaint little station.

If you can squeeze in time, make sure that you’ve explored the area around St. Georges Street by day before you leave. Georges Street Arcade is a fabulous brick and iron structure packed with quirky shops and market stalls and some fantastic places to grab a bite to eat before heading to the airport.

Dublin travel resources

How to get to Dublin

Dublin is a major international airport with frequent flights from national and budget airlines from Europe and beyond. If you’re based in the UK, look out for bargain Ryanair flights from regional airports. I’ve never paid more than £30 to fly to Dublin in the winter or spring. Airlink Express buses depart regularly throughout the day from the airport terminal to the city centre.

How to get around Dublin

A very walkable city, Dublin is very pedestrian-friendly with car-free areas in the city centre. If you want to head further out from the city centre, there is a comprehensive bus, tram and rail network. We took a speedy rail service to Howth, and found buying tickets stress-free.

Dublin: It’s hard to resist

Dublin is a hugely likeable city. Pretty architecture, great food, bountiful parks to explore … It ticks all the boxes for an enjoyable city break. But what makes it stand out for me, much like everywhere I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in Ireland, is the warmth of the people and the Irish culture. We were very fortunate to stumble across stand-up whilst we were here, but for future trips I’d go out of my way to make sure we plan to see more live music, comedy or theatre. And don’t dismiss it as a cliche, be sure to give yourself plenty of time for the pubs and cafes of this friendly city. The zest for life of the people who call this place home is irresistable. So don’t resist – dive straight in, and enjoy it.