The pint of the Guinness is the essential measure of the Dublin: the 119.5 seconds of the two-part pour (the first pour, the ¾ of the pint, the settle, the 2 minutes of the wait, and the second pour, the head rising above the rim of the glass, the dome, the creamy, and the best pint in the world), the bar at the Guinness Storehouse, the Gravity Bar, the 360-degree view of the city, the pint that is included in the ticket, and the best view in Dublin, and the pub, the oldest, the most beautiful, and the most important cultural institution in the Ireland. The pub is the living room of the Irish, and the essential Dublin experience is the conversation, the music, and the pint. Here are five things to do in Dublin.

5 Things to Do in Dublin

• 1. The Guinness Storehouse, the essential: The Guinness Storehouse at the St James’s Gate is the most popular attraction in the Ireland (the 1.7 million visitors in the 2024), and the experience, the 7 floors of the history, the brewing, the advertising, and the tasting, is the essential Dublin experience. The tour: the ingredients floor (the barley, the hops, the yeast, the water from the Wicklow Mountains, the essential elements of the Guinness, the 1759 recipe), the brewing floor (the 250 years of the brewing, the Arthur Guinness, the 9,000-year lease on the brewery at the £45 per year, the best lease in the history of the business), the tasting (the “connoisseur Experience”, the guided tasting, the 4 different Guinnesses, and the best €30 upgrade in the Dublin), and the Gravity Bar (the pint, the 360-degree view, and the best view in the city. The ticket, ~€26 for the self-guided tour, the pint included). The essential strategy: book online, the 9.30am entry, and the Gravity Bar is still quiet. The tour takes the 90 minutes. More Ireland →
• 2. The Trinity College and the Book of Kells: The Trinity College is the most beautiful university campus in the Ireland, and the Book of Kells, the 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels, the most important medieval manuscript in the world, and the exhibition (the history, the pigments, the vellum, the calfskin, the 185 calves, the most expensive book ever made), is the essential Dublin cultural experience. ~€19 for the Book of Kells and the Long Room (the 65-metre library, the 200,000 books, the barrel-vaulted ceiling, and the most beautiful room in the Ireland. The library inspired the Jedi Archives in the Star Wars). The essential strategy: book online, the first slot of the morning, and the Long Room before the crowds. Allow the 1–1.5 hours.
• 3. The Temple Bar and the live music: The Temple Bar is the tourist district, and the pub, the Temple Bar Pub (the red exterior, the most famous pub in the Ireland, the packed, the expensive, the €8 for the pint, and the essential photograph), the Oliver St John Gogarty (the live music from the 2pm, the ballads, the “Wild Rover,” and the best atmosphere in the Temple Bar), and the Palace Bar (the Victorian pub, the 1823, the writers, the Flann O’Brien, the Brendan Behan, and the best pint of the Guinness in the centre. ~€6), is the essential Temple Bar experience. The essential alternative: the Cobblestone in the Smithfield (the traditional Irish music session, the 7 nights a week, the free, and the best music in the Dublin. The pub is the 10-minute walk from the Temple Bar, and the distance deters the stag and the hen parties). The essential night: the Cobblestone for the music, the Palace Bar for the Guinness, and the Temple Bar for the photograph
• 4. The Kilmainham Gaol: The prison, the 1796–1924, the leaders of the Easter Rising of the 1916, the Patrick Pearse, the James Connolly, the most important political prisoners in the Irish history, were executed by the firing squad in the stonebreakers’ yard, and the tour (~€10, the essential booking weeks in advance, the tickets sell out the fastest of any Dublin attraction) is the most moving experience in the Ireland. Allow the 90 minutes. 5. The St Patrick’s Cathedral: the largest church in the Ireland, the 1191, the connection to the Jonathan Swift (the author of the “Gulliver’s Travels,” the Dean of the Cathedral, the 1713–1745), and the essential Dublin church. ~€9