2-Day Dublin Sights with Guinness and Jameson

Transportation

Food

Activity

[*] This experience requires a reservation booked ahead of time

Day 0:

Arrive in Dublin Airport, Terminal 1 (generally the Terminal if you departed from USA)

Buy a Leap Visitor Card (72 hour one for 19.50EUR pp)

• This pass is useful for getting around Dublin as it is valid on Dublin buses, trams, and trains. 
• Get it at the Bus & Travel Information Desk (T1 Arrivals) Spar (T2 Arrivals) or WHSmith (T1 Arrivals)).

Take bus into town, check in to your stay to rest up before your first day in Dublin.

Day 1:

Beanhive Coffee for breakfast (open 07:15, good portions of Irish breakfast)

Walk (<10 min) to...

[*] Trinity Old Library: see the Book of Kells - Ireland’s most important piece of art from the Dark Ages and the world’s oldest book.  Be sure to book your reservation online ahead of time; 2-3 months in advance is recommended.

Walk (<10 minutes) to…

Oscar Wilde Statue (corner of Merrion Park, laid out in 1762 and ringed with elegant Georgian houses with beautiful doors, a Dublin trademark)

National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology Wing Free admission, you can spend about 1-2 hrs looking at all of the treasures here, from Viking boats to gold artifacts centuries old, open 10:00-17:00

For lunch: Avoca Suffolk Street (cafe on second floor of department store; there’s a bakery in the basement that serves a really good chicken sandwich)...or Klaw for great seafood (oysters from Irish shores, lobster rolls, etc), or Queen of Tarts for cafe/desserts

Meander along O’Connell Street, the "center of Dublin", and the widest boulevard there (possibly the widest in Europe!).  Check out the architecture, the General Post Office, and ample people-watching opportunities.

[*] Jameson Distillery Tour and Secret Tasting - 40 mins each; check in 15 minutes beforehand with mobile ticket barcodes to receive ticket vouchers before attending.  Book these experiences ahead of time to ensure an appointment, suggested about 2-3 months in advance.

Dinner at The Bank (grand Victorian bank lobby ambiance, arched Tiffany skylight - the mussel and oyster starters are great)

Sleep

08/31 Saturday

Tang for breakfast (open 07:30, shakshuka and pancakes / Mediterranean)

[*] Arrive 15 minutes early for your guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol: Historic jail used by the British as a political prison - today a museum that tells a moving story of the suffering of the Irish people.  

[*] Guinness Storehouse, basically Disneyland for beer lovers - crowds, loud music, TV beer ads on big screens. If you arrive late over 30 minutes from your time, you will be allocated to the next time slot if available.

• Ticket includes one beer, you can claim on level 4 (you can pull your own pint), level 5 at Arthur’s Bar (chose among other stouts: extra stout (4.2%), Dublin Porter (3.8%, 1796 recipe), West Indies Porter (6%, toffee flavor, 1801 recipe), Hop House 13 (4.1%, a hoppy lager), and Black Velvet (half and half sparkling wine and Guinness)), or at the top floor where there’s the most energy but drinks limited to basic stout or soft drinks
• Brewer’s Dining Hall onsite is pretty good option for lunch, with the menus suggesting beer pairings with your entrees

Enjoy dinner at O’Flaherty’s (Old Storehouse 3 Crown Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 CX67), an Irish pub serving great pub food with your pint of Guinness (which you are an expert in now).  They also occasionally have traditional music and dancing on stage in the back dining area.

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