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Wanting to visit Ireland but have limited time? This one-week Ireland itinerary is a great introduction to Ireland. Base yourself in Dublin, exploring the city’s history and food scene while taking day trips to see the island’s scenic side!
Green pastures dotted with sheep and cows for miles. Stunning coastlines and castle ruins. Hearty stews, fresh seafood, full pints of Guinness, and cozy pubs. This is Ireland in a nutshell and I loved every bit of it!
Ireland is rich in culture and history with scenic beauty at every turn. Its folklore that tells tales of giants and fairies make it all the more magical! And did you know Ireland actually has some pretty great food too? People like to downplay the cuisine in the British Isles, but I knew we’d find the most delicious things.
For our first trip to Ireland, I wanted to keep things relatively simple. Sure, we could have rented a car and braved driving on the left for that quintessential Irish road trip. But we only had one week and I wanted to maximize as much of that time as I could with sightseeing (and eating all the foods of course).
Here, you’ll find a very detailed breakdown of my one-week Ireland itinerary for our first visit to the Emerald Isle. In this post, I list out everything we did, how to book the same activities, and also note if there’s anything I might do differently.
Who This Itinerary is Best For
- First-time visitors to Ireland
- Those visiting Ireland with limited time
- Active travelers (there’s no downtime this week!)
- Travelers without a car (who don’t mind walking & bus tours)
Since we only had one week to explore Ireland for our first trip, I based us in Dublin so we wouldn’t have to worry about moving to different hotels. That meant we could just focus on exploring rather than spending extra time traveling in between places to stay!
Each and every day of our itinerary was packed full. This was by no means a relaxing trip. There’s just too much to see (and eat) in Ireland! My nature is to do everything I possibly can because I never know if I’ll get to visit a destination again. If you follow any part of this itinerary, comfortable walking shoes are a must. Your feet are gonna see some action!
Why no car?
Just being in Ireland for a week and not wanting to worry about transit time too much, we decided against an Irish road trip. Of course, seeing Ireland’s countryside and all the different little towns is one of the best parts about Ireland. Someday, we’ll return and explore more (maybe by car or maybe just by train or bus?).
Also, in Ireland, cars drive on the left. It may be easy for some to pick up straight away, but we didn’t want to have that added stress this trip. We were still able to see some really neat places by taking day tours from Dublin.
Our Travel Details
- Month Traveled: Last week of October (including Halloween!)
- Airline & Flights: SFO to DFW to DUB via American Airlines; Home – DUB to LHR to SFO via British Airways
- Transportation: We used taxis and Uber for our entire trip in Ireland (in addition to day tours on a bus). Even if you use Uber in Ireland, they are only allowed to be certified taxi drivers (which I actually like). The Uber app just makes scheduling your ride easier. Some drivers even prefer it to Free Now, which is another widely-used app for taxi service.
Where to Stay in Dublin
When it came time to choosing our hotel for our one-week stay in Dublin, there was only one real option for us – the Hyatt Centric Liberties! The main reason we chose this particular hotel was that we had Hyatt points to spend and it’s currently the only available Hyatt property in Dublin.
The Liberties is actually a great neighborhood in my opinion – it’s quiet and close to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as well as the whiskey distilleries (priorities!).
We stayed in a standard king room which was fine for a week. I do wish we could have splurged for a slightly bigger room but hey, sometimes you need to take what’s available.
Staying at the Hyatt put us within walking distance of 20 minutes or less to most things we wanted to see, and there were pubs and restaurants close by too. For convenience, there’s a Spar store just a block away for snacks and bottled water (we visited often) and Molloy’s for beer and liquor. Each room comes with a mini fridge to keep your provisions cool as well.
Book the Hyatt Centric Liberties on Hotels.com, Booking.com or direct.
One-Week Ireland Itinerary Summary
For our first trip to Ireland, I felt my one-week Ireland itinerary was a good balance of being able to see as much of Dublin as we could, along with exploration of must-see sights outside of the cities!
- Day 1: Arrival to Dublin plus a tour of the Jameson Bow St. Distillery
- Day 2: A full day exploring Irish food and drink (including the Guinness Storehouse tour)
- Day 3: Cliffs of Moher, Wild Atlantic Way, and Galway City all-day tour
- Day 4: Book of Kells, Trinity College, Dublinia Viking Museum, and more of the Dublin food scene
- Day 5: Half-day trip to Howth for seafood & afternoon tea back in Dublin
- Day 6: Northern Ireland day tour (including Belfast, Dunluce Castle & Giant’s Causeway)
- Day 7: Irish breakfast, doors of Dublin, St. Stephen’s Green, BrewDog & Dark Dublin Tour
Day 1 – Arrival to Ireland
On our first day in Ireland, we arrived in Dublin in the late morning and breezed right through customs and immigration. I was shocked at how fast we got out of the airport (but also super pleased)! That meant we had more time to explore the city on our first day.
We grabbed a taxi to our hotel where we got an early check-in, took a quick power nap, and then went out for lunch at The Brazen Head before our tour at Jameson. We ended the night at The Landmark Pub eating fish and chips and beef stew and sipping our first pints of Guinness while watching rugby. Is there anything more Irish?
Day 1 Highlights
- Arrival at hotel (with early check-in)
- Lunch at The Brazen Head
- Jameson Distillery Tour
- Dinner at The Landmark Pub
Check Into Hotel
After arriving to our hotel for the week, The Hyatt Centric Liberties, we were lucky enough to find our room was ready for us! If you’re a World of Hyatt Member and you book direct, you can request an early check-in (which I did). It’s not guaranteed, but why not try? We were glad to be able to get right into our room, shower, and take a power nap so we could feel refreshed for the rest of the afternoon.
Lunch at The Brazen Head
Our first adventure in Dublin was to visit The Brazen Head – Ireland’s oldest pub!
We actually had a little mishap on the way where I almost got my husband hit by a car (you can read all about that in my Biggest Travel Fails of 2023). Because of this, we were a little flustered by the time we arrived to the pub. In our traumatic daze, we ended up ordering chicken goujons. Sounds cool and exotic right? Goujons are, in fact, chicken strips and thus, not very exiting. They were good, but not exactly the first meal you want to order in Ireland!
I did at least get to have my first bowl of seafood chowder – one of the Irish foods I knew I’d be trying a lot of in Ireland.
If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t blown away by the food and vibe here but it was super cool to be able to say that we visited Ireland’s oldest pub! I’d recommend a stop here for a pint but skip the food.
Jameson Distillery Tour
As fans of Irish whiskey (and regular drinkers of Jameson back home in The States), the Jameson Distillery Tour was a must for our visit to Ireland. We arrived a little early before our tour start time and were happy to find a full-service bar where we could order a drink to sip on while we waited.
The tour itself was great and I found it very informative on the history of Jameson and their distillation process. As part of the tour, we also got to sample a few whiskeys, some of which are only available in Ireland!
We also had the cask draw add on, which I highly recommend. You get to pop into the maturation room and sample whiskey straight from one of the casks.
When the tour was over, we went back to the bar (surprise, surprise) and grabbed our “free” drink which was included with our tour ticket. We also ordered a pour of the Black Barrel Cask (which you can only get at the Jameson Distillery in Dublin) and an Irish coffee (because – when in Ireland, right?).
Book the Jameson Tour here.
Check out my Dublin Whiskey guide to read about more whiskey experiences you can have in Dublin!
Dinner at The Landmark Pub
For dinner, we took a walk down to The Landmark Pub, which was less than 10 minutes from our hotel. It was bustling! We ordered up some fish and chips and beef and Guinness stew in a bread bowl and it was fantastic first dinner in Ireland. It was also the perfect spot to sip on our first pints of Guinness, which we had while kicking up our feet to watch a bit of rugby.
I absolutely love pub culture. Visiting all the pubs was one of my favorite things about our first visit to London, and we tried to get in as many pub visits in Dublin too!
Day 2 – The Dublin Food Scene
Day two in Dublin was all about exploring food and drink and boy did we pack in a lot! Ireland has it’s own food culture and there are a ton of Irish dishes (and drinks) that you should try when visiting. I made sure to try a variety of not only distinctly Irish foods, but also some international options to showcase the diverse food landscape of Dublin.
And of course no visit to Dublin is complete without a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, which was the main event for this day!
Day 2 Highlights
- Quick breakfast of Argentine empanadas & an alfajor at Bakeology
- Guinness Storehouse self-guided tour
- Whiskey tasting at Roe & Coe
- Temple Bar & lunch at Gallagher’s Boxty House
- A visit to the Molly Malone statue
- Ice cream from Murphy’s
- The Whiskey Reserve for more whiskey tasting
- Dinner at The Fourth Corner Pub
Breakfast at Bakeology
On our way to our tour at the Guinness Storehouse, I wanted to make a quick stop at Bakeology – a highly-rated Argentine bakery. Who says you can’t have empanadas and cookies for breakfast?
We grabbed a couple of jamon & cheese empanadas and they were honestly the best empanadas I’ve ever had. I regretted not grabbing a few more, but we were in a bit of a hurry. I also snagged a chocolate-covered alfajor (Dubliners call them alfies) with passion fruit filling and yep, it was also delicious.
Breakfast of champs folks!
Guinness Storehouse Tour
Our big activity for the day was the Guinness Storehouse Tour. Even if you aren’t a big beer drinker, you’ve just got to visit the Storehouse! It’s important to learn about Ireland’s history and that includes its national drink.
A visit to the Storehouse is a self-guided experience, making your way through seven floors of interactive exhibits. At the Storehouse, we spent approximately two hours learning about the history of Guinness, the brewing process, and sampling the famous brew along the way.
There are also several add-on options to the tour, including a Stoutie (which we did) where you get your photo printed on the head of a pint of Guinness. Or, you can take a lesson on how to pour Guinness yourself. I think the Stoutie was a fun little addition and nice to get a pint before making our way to the top.
We ended our tour at the Gravity Bar on the top floor of the Storehouse where we got our “complimentary” pint of the black stuff. It was packed by the time we made it up there and unfortunately, there were no seats available. All good though – we just walked around with our pints and were still able to take in the 360° views of Dublin City.
Book a standard Guinness Storehouse tour with Viator or direct if you’re interested in the Stoutie or Guinness Academy add-ons.
Whiskey Flights at Roe & Coe
After the Guinness Storehouse, we headed around the block to get some whiskey tasting flights at Roe & Coe. We weren’t up for another tour at this point, so we were thankful we could just go to the bar and order flights to taste through.
Roe & Coe is officially my new favorite whiskey brand! We had some really unique whiskeys and man are they strong. My favorite was the Cask & Keg Citra IPA with notes of citrus sherbet, white peach, apricot jam and grapefruit peel. I wish I could find that specific one in the U.S.!
Flight prices vary from $18 to $27, depending on how fancy you want to get and I felt the tasting samples were generously poured for the price.
Temple Bar & Gallagher’s Boxty House
As any good tourist does when visiting Dublin, we made our way to the Temple Bar area to get a peek at the famous bar before heading to Gallagher’s Boxty House for lunch.
Boxty was on my list of must-try Irish foods for our trip to Ireland. Boxty is an Irish potato pancake made with a combination of shredded raw potato and mashed potatoes and can come in thick patty form or in the case of Gallagher’s, almost crepe-like with heaps of unique toppings. My favorite was the Gaelic boxty, topped with tender Irish beef fillet, roasted cherry tomatoes, fried onions and a creamy pepper mushroom gravy.
We also got the Spice Boxty, which had a punch of flavor! This boxty is a take on the Irish Spice Bag and came topped with crispy fried chicken, peppers, and onions packed with flavor from the curry sauce.
And I couldn’t resist trying their sticky toffee pudding (one of my favorite desserts) and a flight of the beer brewed just for them (Jack Smith). I wasn’t a huge fan of their beer, but the sticky toffee pudding was delicious!
Molly Malone, Ice Cream & Whiskey
After our hearty lunch, we wandered over to see the statue of sweet Molly Malone, the folksong of which is the anthem of Dublin City. In Irish folklore, Molly Malone was a fishmonger who sold cockles and mussels by day and was also a part-time lady of the night – earning her the classy nickname “The Tart with the Cart.”
Somewhere in time, it was decided to be good luck to put your hands on the breasts of the statue. The bronze has been clearly worn from all the boob grabs. Okay then.
Murphy’s Ice Cream
From Molly Malone, we headed over to Murphy’s to get some tasty Irish ice cream! Murphy’s was founded in Dingle but they have several shops on the island, including in Dublin. We had to try their Irish brown bread flavor which is filled with little bits of caramelized brown bread. Such a fun and tasty way to incorporate another Irish food! While the brown bread was good, the butterscotch was my absolute favorite.
Murphy’s ice cream is made with milk exclusively from the rare and indigenous breed of Kerry cow. Their ice cream is really creamy and top quality. It is a little pricey, but you can just grab a small one and be satisfied.
whiskey break
Before heading back to our hotel for a break before dinner, we walked back through the Temple Bar area and popped into The Whiskey Reserve – a beautiful, cozy bar where you can sample all sorts of different whiskeys. We sipped on some Jameson Black Barrel and 18-Year Tripled Distilled whiskey and had a nice conversation with some fellow travelers who were winding down their trip to Ireland in Dublin.
Dinner at The Fourth Corner
For dinner, we headed over to The Fourth Corner pub near our hotel and shared an nduja ketchup smash burger and some wings. While this meal wasn’t exactly Irish, the burger was absolutely delicious!
Since we visited, they’ve implemented a new menu where they source their food from the nearby Dublin Pizza Company. The burgers are gone! Sad, but the Dublin Pizza Company is also a highly-rated alternative.
Day 3 – Cliffs of Moher Day Trip
The Cliffs of Moher had been on my bucket list for a long time and there was no way we were going to Ireland without seeing them! We booked a tour with Wild Rover for a full day out to the Cliffs of Moher, the Wild Atlantic Way, and Galway City. It was a long day but it was filled with beautiful scenery and some delicious eats!
Book this tour direct with Wild Rover and get 10% off if you book two tours. Or, you can book with Viator.
Day 3 Highlights
- Cliffs of Moher
- Wild Atlantic Way and The Burren scenic drive
- Galway City
- Late lunch at Quay Street Kitchen in Galway
- Takeaway pizza for dinner from Coke Lane
Pro-Tip: Bring snacks or a handheld breakfast for the bus ride (no hot foods, though). Food is available at the cliffs, either in the café or one of the shops – but don’t fill up too much. Galway City has tons of restaurants to choose from for a late lunch!
Cliffs of Moher
Because we were based in Dublin for the week without a car, group day tours were the best option for us to get out of the city to see more of Ireland. Despite being a foggy day (more on that below), we really enjoyed our Cliffs of Moher tour with Wild Rover! Our guide, Sean, was well-versed in Irish folklore and he regaled us with so many fun stories to help time pass while we were on the bus.
Getting to see the countryside on the way out to the cliffs was everything you’d think of when it comes to Irish scenery. Green pastures went on for miles with fluffy sheep and little castles and ruins popping up everywhere. We were lucky to have the front-row seat, which I think offered the best views of the drive!
Upon arriving at the Cliffs of Moher, we decided to skip the visitor’s center and head straight for the cliffs. Sadly, the cliffs were shrouded in fog that morning. My heart sank! Fog was the thing I feared most – even more than a rainy day. However, I remained positive while we walked along the paths at the top of the cliffs, saying hello to the cows and waiting for the perfect moment for things to emerge from the fog.
Finally, towards the end of our nearly two hours there, the sun tried its darnedest to break through and the fog started to lift. It was not quite enough to see the cliffs in all their glory, but enough to get a glimpse of their natural beauty. It was definitely worth the wait!
Wild Atlantic Way Drive
From the Cliffs of Moher, we drove along the Wild Atlantic Way through the Burren National Park and around Galway Bay. I absolutely loved the scenery of this part of Ireland. The views were breathtaking! Little white cottages dotted the green and sometimes rocky landscape overlooking the sea. It made me long to spend more time on Ireland’s west coast.
Should we move here, I thought to myself? As someone who never really feels settled, I’m always in search of “my place” in the world. This could be a contender.
Galway City & Late Lunch
We arrived in Galway City shortly after 3:00 p.m. and we were famished! This Wild Rover tour does include a Galway City walking tour that lasts about 30 minutes, but we really needed food so we decided to head straight to lunch.
We made our way over to the Quay Street Kitchen where we ordered some delicious Irish comfort food, including seafood chowder, mussels, and a giant lamb shank with mashed potatoes and veggies.
The seafood chowder was packed with chunks of seafood and was so tasty. It’s worth coming here just for a bowl of it! The mussels were simple but aromatic and flavorful, steamed with onion, garlic, cream and white wine. And after digging into that hearty lamb shank, I felt like having a proper nap! It was lovely having a hot meal after the a visit to the windy and chilly cliffs and long bus ride.
After lunch, we wandered around quirky Galway City for a bit, checking out a few little shops before heading back to the bus for our journey to Dublin.
Check out my full Cliffs of Moher Day Trip rundown for how to prepare for your own day trip!
A Pizza Dinner
Arriving back in Dublin, pizza sounded so good after a long day so we found a spot just up the road from our hotel.
Located in the back of a funky bar called Lucky’s in The Liberties neighborhood is Coke Lane Pizza. While the bar scene was absolutely not my vibe (I don’t recommend hanging out here on a Friday night unless you want to go deaf), the pizza amazed us! We ordered our pizzas to go and happily ate them back in our quiet hotel room.
Pizzas from Coke Lane are Neapolitan style (my favorite kind!) and are 10 inches in size. We demolished every last bit of each (the answer is “yes, you can eat one whole pizza per person”).
Day 4 – Dublin on Foot
The theme of day four in Dublin: history in the morning, beer and whiskey in the afternoon! Even though I’m more of a foodie traveler, I do like to learn a bit of history about the destination we’re visiting. In the morning, we visited Trinity College to learn about the Book of Kells and see the Old Library, before heading over to Dublinia to learn about Viking history.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring more of the food, whiskey and beer scene of Dublin. Things we do best!
Day 4 Highlights
- Book of Kells & The Old Library Long Room at Trinity College
- Dublinia Viking Museum
- Beer break at Fidelity Bar
- Lunch at The Fish Shop
- Guinness Open Gate Brewery
- Whiskey tasting at Teeling Whiskey Distillery
- Dinner at Big Fan
Book of Kells & Old Library
One of the most popular attractions in Dublin is the Book of Kells, which is an old manuscript filled with artistic renderings of the Four Gospels. It’s a wonder how this old thing survived the Vikings’ raids on Ireland!
As someone who isn’t religious, there wasn’t a huge connection for me to see it. However, I will say the detailed artwork is pretty impressive. Seeing the actual book is a little underwhelming as they just have it turned to one page for viewing, so the preceding exhibit is actually the best part.
After the Book of Kells, we made our way to The Long Room at the Old Library, which is was what I really I wanted to see most at Trinity College. This library is such an incredible work of architecture!
On our visit, they had most of the books off the shelves for a years-long restoration project. Thankfully, there were at least a few sections with books on them so we could get a glimpse at how cool a filled shelf looks.
I recommend booking this experience ahead of arriving in Dublin, especially during peak season. This will sell out! Book your tickets here.
Fun fact: a lot of people tend to reference this as the “Harry Potter library” due to its similar look, but the real library used for filming is actually at Oxford University in England.
Dublinia Viking Museum
From here, I gave my husband a choice to either do the Irish Whiskey Museum or Dublinia. We thought it was a bit too early in the day for whiskey (the museum tour comes with tastings), so we headed to Dublinia to learn a bit about Vikings and medieval history in Dublin.
Dublin (and Ireland for that matter) has deep Viking roots. There was actually a lot to learn about and see in Dublinia!
I think this museum is also well-suited for travelers with children as they have quite a few interactive exhibits to keep things interesting. For example, you can write your own name in runes or try on Viking gear and take photos. They even have people dressed up in the marketplace replica that speak in first person about their goods and services.
You can also purchase tickets that include entry to Christ Church Cathedral, which is adjoined to Dublinia. It was time for us to move on to the foodie part of our day so we skipped the cathedral. It is a really beautiful church though, at least from the outside!
Beer Break at Fidelity Bar
After Dublinia, we still had a bit of time to kill before our lunch reservation. Having a museum and walking-heavy morning was tough on the feet and we needed somewhere to sit for a bit. I found Fidelity Bar on a whim, seeing it was close to our lunch spot, and it ended up being a really cool find!
Fidelity Bar is part of a collab from the owners of The Big Romance and Whiplash Beer, the latter of which supplies its craft beer to have on tap. After drinking Guinness primarily thus far, it was nice to have a good craft beer break.
Lunch at The Fish Shop
The Fish Shop in Dublin popped up on a lot of “must eat” lists for restaurants in Dublin, so I, of course, made a reservation to check it out for myself. This restaurant is a tiny, very cozy spot with maybe 10 to 15 seats total. Reservations are a must even for lunch.
At The Fish Shop, they focus on a limited menu of fresh seafood dishes and have a lovely curated wine menu. For starters, we each ordered a Gilda pintxo and shared the squid and capers on toast. I’m typically weary about squid dishes (it’s a texture thing for me) but this was actually my favorite bite of food here!
Next up were cockles in sherry and chorizo. It was our very first time trying cockles and I’m definitely a fan! And we couldn’t resist splitting an order of the haddock fish and chips. The batter on the fish and chips was light and well-seasoned and I appreciated their nice thick-cut chips.
At the end of our meal, we saw some fresh oysters come out for another guest and we just couldn’t pass them up. Ireland is known for having great oysters and I can confirm, these are a must-try.
A+ to The Fish Shop for a delicious meal!
Guinness Open Gate Brewery
Originally, a visit to Pearse Lyons Distillery was next on the itinerary. However, you can’t get in there to taste the whiskey without a tour (bummer) and we had just missed the next one. So we crossed the street and stopped in at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, where they serve experimental beers and a pub-style menu. We paired our beer order with their Guinness caramel panna cotta and it was the perfect after-lunch dessert!
Whiskey Tasting at Teeling
Still needing to get our whiskey fix for the day, we headed down to Teeling Whiskey Distillery because I knew we could get in there without having to do a tour.
At their Bang Bang Bar, we ordered a flight of whiskeys to try, along with a couple of their signature cocktails. We sat by the window sipping our whiskeys and drinks while watching the rain patter against the glass. Maximum coziness!
Dinner at Big Fan
When traveling to a bigger city, there’s usually going to be a diverse food scene to check out and Dublin is no exception. As much as I love pubs, I didn’t want to eat pub grub every single day. So, I scoured the Dublin restaurant landscape for some unique eats and found Big Fan – a Michelin-recommended modern Chinese restaurant. If you like bao buns and dumplings, this needs to go on your must-eat list!
Everything we ordered at Big Fan were little plates of happiness and comfort. The absolute standouts for me were the crispy duck wings, wagyu cheeseburger jaozi, and the pork snowflake dumplings.
Have you ever had duck wings? Forget chicken wings. These were unlike anything I’ve had before – super crispy with zesty flavors of Chinese-five spice and rich-flavored duck meat. I almost had to get a second order. And don’t even get me started on wagyu cheese burger dumplings – just say yes. If you are a cheeseburger fan, these are a must!
Dinner at Big Fan was the perfect ending to our day – even though back at home, our water heater busted and we got the call during our dinner here. Such is life.
Day 5 – Howth & Afternoon Tea
Day five in Ireland got off to a bit of a rocky start as there were issues with public transportation that affected our travel plans! However, we figured out a (very expensive) workaround and ventured out to the little seaside fishing village of Howth. Our mission here? To eat all the delicious seafood we could find! We ended the day back in Dublin at The Morrison Hotel with a cheeky his and hers afternoon tea.
Day 5 Highlights
- Half day trip out to Howth
- Lunch at Baily Bites at Kish
- Explore Howth
- Crab claws at King Sitric
- Afternoon Tea at The Morrison
Trip to Howth
Let me just say that sometimes things don’t always go your way with travel (this was another one of my big travel fails of the year). I had planned for us to take the DART train out to Howth but after walking 30 minutes to the train station from our hotel, we found the trains were not running that weekend! Cool.
What’s Plan B? Take the bus. After asking for directions several times, we finally located the correct bus stop. Unfortunately, the bus was running late and when it finally came, it sat forever while they changed out drivers. By that time, there was a swarm of other people ready to pounce once the doors opened. Lovely.
Since it was also raining pretty heavy at this point, we said “screw it” and just grabbed a taxi just around the corner. We ended up having a very pleasant (and private ride) out to Howth! While it was pricey, I don’t have any regrets.
Howth Transportation
If you’re looking to get to Howth, here’s a recap on the transportation options if you don’t have your own car:
- DART Train – travel time: approximately 30 minutes from Tara Street or Connolly Station; cost: €5.00 for roundtrip ticket
- Bus – travel time: approximately 40 minutes; cost €2.00 to €4.00, depending on departure point
- Taxi – travel time: approximately 40 minutes, depending on traffic; cost: approximately €40 plus tip, depending on departure point
- Day Tour – take the worry out of the equation and book a guided tour which includes tour bus transportation from Dublin, plus a guided cliff walk!
Lunch at Baily Bites at Kish
And here is the reason we have no regrets paying close to €100 for a roundtrip taxi ride to and from Howth: lunch at Baily Bites at Kish was our favorite meal in Ireland!
Upon arriving in Howth, we walked down the West Pier to Baily Bites at Kish – a little airstream trailer tucked away next to Kish Fish. We ordered fresh oysters and cold beers, a bread bowl filled with seafood chowder, and the fish and chips combo with both haddock and smoked hake. Everything was as magical as you’d want a seafood lunch to be.
The seafood chowder was incredible – packed with flavor, super creamy, and loaded with chunks of delicious seafood! That steaming hot chowder was perfect for this cold, windy and rainy day.
Their fish and chips (particularly the smoked hake) was one of the best meals of fish and chips we’ve ever had. The smoked fish introduced us to a whole new flavor profile for fish and chips and the batter was perfectly crisp (not to mention they had the best chips of the trip too).
We topped it all off with a round of fresh oysters washed down with our beers before heading off to explore Howth. Seafood mission accomplished.
Wandering Howth
After lunch, we walked to the end of the pier for some scenic views and to locate the footprints of King George IV. The king’s footprints were cast by a stonemason commemorating his first visit to Ireland in 1821 (allegedly after staggering off the boat quite inebriated). What tiny feet he had! The footprints can be hard to find, so just look for the blue plaque pointing you in the right direction.
harbor seals
Heading back down the West Pier towards Howth Market, we spotted some seals in the water gathered close to the dock in the harbor. Tourists used to feed them years ago, which is now banned because c’mon…wildlife should not rely on humans for food. Apparently, some seals were even into the habit of waving after getting a fish. Clever fellas using tricks to draw the crowds! I’m guessing by the fact that they still congregate where there’s a group of humans suggests people are still slipping them some fish…
howth market & escaping the rain
At this point, the sky decided to dump buckets of rain and I was glad for my water resistant leggings and umbrella (husband did not fare so well with his jeans)! We quickly walked through Howth Market, which showcases local crafts and goods. I longed to snag some pretty cookies and cupcakes but we were stuffed from lunch and the heavy rain made wandering through the stalls less than ideal.
We ended up ducking into a pub that had a couple open seats on a covered, heated patio to enjoy some drinks while we dried off a bit and waited out the rain.
Crab Claws at King Sitric
While we sat at the pub enjoying our drinks, I started searching for other things to do in Howth. Please tell me why I decided to Google more restaurants after eating an enormous lunch? Foodie life, I guess?
I came across a photo of some gorgeous crab claws swimming in garlic butter at King Sitric, just around the corner from where we were. Once I showed the picture to my husband, there was no turning back.
The crab claws were indeed worthy of expanding the waistline for – delicate and rich, complemented well by the plate full of melted garlic butter and a glass of crisp white wine.
Fun Fact: If you’re following in the footsteps Anthony Bourdain, he ate here during his travels to Ireland!.
Afternoon Tea at The Morrison
Our last activity for the day was afternoon tea at The Morrison Hotel back in Dublin. I had reserved the Fancy Pants Tea for myself (their traditional tea offering) and the Gentlemen’s Tea for my husband.
I chose The Morrison specifically for their unique Gentlemen’s Tea, which has a rugged menu of things like sausages and sliders paired with a beer. It’s not just for men of course, but I figured it would entice my husband to go to afternoon tea a bit more than dainty tiers of tea sandwiches and sweets.
The Morrison’s ambiance has a modern hotel lobby feel versus cozy or high end. But I was okay with that because I didn’t really pack a proper afternoon tea outfit for this trip.
In terms of the food, my scones and clotted cream were delicious (scones are usually my favorite afternoon tea snack), but I think the sandwiches and some of the sweets could be improved upon. My husband enjoyed his Gentlemen’s Tea offerings, which I would rate slightly higher. The savory components on his plate were definite winners! Overall, I’d give the afternoon tea experience here about a 7/10.
After our afternoon tea, we were pretty stuffed and called it an early night so we could be well-rested for our next day tour up to Northern Ireland.
Afternoon Tea Alternatives
Some other unique and highly rated afternoon tea alternatives in Dublin include:
- The Vintage Tea Bus Tour – a fun ride around Dublin in a vintage double-decker bus serving afternoon tea
- Upscale afternoon tea at The Shelbourne
- The Merrion’s lavish afternoon tea with sweets crafted to look like actual works of art!
And many, many others!
Day 6 – Northern Ireland
Day six in Ireland was all about exploring the north on another tour with Wild Rover – this time, to Northern Ireland. Did you know that Northern Ireland is its own country under the United Kingdom? Kind of neat to be able to say you visited two countries on one island!
Our day tour included a Black Cab Tour in Belfast to learn about the history of The Troubles, a visit to Dunluce Castle (which doubled as the House Greyjoy in Game of Thrones), and Giant’s Causeway. It was another long day but we got to see some unreal scenery!
I booked this tour direct with Wild Rover to get a discount on two or more bundled tours. This tour is also available to book via Viator.
Day 6 Highlights
- Black Cab Tour in Belfast
- Dunluce Castle
- Lunch at The Nook
- Giant’s Causeway
- Burrito takeaway from Boojum for dinner
Currency Note: Since Northern Ireland is a part of the U.K., they use GBP (pound sterling – £) as their currency. Coming just for the day with Wild Rover, you can get away without bringing cash in pounds if you have credit cards.
Belfast Black Cab Tour
First up on our tour after the drive up from Dublin was a Black Cab Tour in Belfast to learn about the tumultuous times of The Troubles.
On this tour with Wild Rover, you actually get to choose between two options for your time in Belfast – the Black Cab Tour or a visit to the Titantic Museum. It was a tough choice because the Titanic Museum is pretty state of the art! In the end, we wanted to learn a bit more history of Northern Ireland.
Quick breakfast & rest stop
Thankfully, the Black Cab Tour pickup spot was at a small mall. We were able to use the restroom and grab something hot to eat, which was much needed! One of the cafes is well-prepared for the tour bus crowd and has a few menu items set for churning out quickly.
We got a simple ham and cheese toastie to scarf down before getting in the cab. It was the perfect amount of food to hold us over until lunch and a much better option than the Tayto Crisps breakfast we had on our tour to the Cliffs of Moher…
The Tour
Learning about The Troubles is important when visiting Northern Ireland as it is a big part of their modern history. The Troubles were a decades-long political conflict wherein more than 3,000 people lost their lives.
The conflict essentially existed between loyalists who wanted to remain under the United Kingdom (largely Ulster Protestants) and nationalists/republicans who wanted one united Ireland (many who were Irish Catholic). The Troubles technically ended in 1998, though evidence of tensions still exist.
For the tour, we piled into black cabs in groups of four to five, and our guides drove us around to different spots in Belfast to acquaint us with history and show visual memorials relating to The Troubles. We visited many mural sites, stopped at a Sinn Fein political office, wandered through an old church, and ended at a large peace wall.
Word of warning – the Northern Irish accent can be tough to understand and is completely different than the rest of Ireland! A lot of the stops on our tour were by busy roads and noise from passing cars made it even more difficult to understand our guide. There was a lot of awkward smiling and nodding. Liam Neeson – you did not prepare us well for this.
Overall, I found learning about The Troubles to be a fascinating but somber experience, but I’m glad we did it.
Dunluce Castle
Onto more upbeat things! Next up on the tour was a visit to Dunluce Castle, also known as House Greyjoy from Game of Thrones. The scenery around Dunluce Castle included some of my favorite views of the Irish coast! Just look at those beautiful limestone arches stretching along the coast. Stunning.
We had about 30 minutes to explore the castle ruins and take in the beauty of the location before heading onto our next stop on the tour. This was plenty of time to explore and admire the scenery.
It was quite cold and very windy here so I definitely recommend bringing a hat and wind breaker-style jacket to keep warm.
Lunch at The Nook
After our black cab tour and stop at Dunluce Castle, lunch was much needed. We were given two options to choose from that are right near the Giant’s Causeway entrance – The Nook or the restaurant at The Causeway Hotel. We chose The Nook since we were dropped off right at the pub’s entrance.
Eating first before exploring the Causeway was a brilliant idea. We were honestly just really hungry at this point and were lucky to get in and out before the pub filled up with people!
Our food came out fast and it was surprisingly delicious for being a pub so close to a major tourist attraction. We got the lamb stew with a side of brown bread and I immediately understood why Irish stew is the national dish of Ireland. Warm and hearty stews pair so well with the moody Irish weather!
We also ordered the Steak & Guinness Pie, which was topped with a puff pastry and served with peas and mashed potatoes. This was so rich and flavorful! I only wished our portions were bigger to enjoy it all the more.
Giant’s Causeway
Finally, it came time for us to head down to the Giant’s Causeway – a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of roughly 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns.
Irish folklore tells of how this phenomenon was formed by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (aka Finn McCool) who built the Causeway to fight the giant Benandonner over in Scotland. After seeing how large Benandonner actually was, Fionn decided to outsmart him instead. His wife disguised him as a baby and Benandonner was fooled into thinking the “baby’s” father (Fionn) must be an even greater giant by the size of the “baby!” He destroyed the Causeway while fleeing back to Scotland.
The less exciting version of how The Giant’s Causeway was formed was the basalt columns were a result of volcanic activity. I’m personally more of a fan of the Irish folklore version.
Regardless of how it was formed, the Giant’s Causeway is really a unique geological wonder and an absolute must when visiting Northern Ireland!
Pro-tip: There is some walking involved to get down to the Causeway site. If you aren’t up for the walk, you can pay one pound to take the shuttle down or up (and they do take credit card if you haven’t brought cash).
Read this post for more details on how to prepare for a Northern Ireland day trip.
Late Night Burritos at Boojum
After a long tour day, we decided to grab some burritos on our walk back to our hotel room from the tour drop off back in Dublin. We swung by Boojum, which is essentially Ireland’s version of Chipotle. Was it truly Irish cuisine? No, but I’m okay with that. I think Chipotle is a bit better but I was happy to visit a spot selling one of my favorite comfort foods.
Day 7 – The Wind Down
I had originally planned for our last full day in Ireland to be a chill day in Dublin but we ended up walking A LOT, much to my husband’s dismay (his feet were dead at this point). What can I say – so much to see, so little time!
We started our final day in Dublin with a full Irish breakfast at the Cheeky Piglet and walked off our hearty meal at St. Stephen’s Green. I drug my husband all around Merrion Square hunting for unique colored Georgian doors before heading over to The Docklands to pay a visit to the BrewDog taphouse. We ended the day with a Dark Dublin walking tour (which also happened to be on Halloween). That was truly a gruesome (but super cool) way to end our time in Ireland!
Day 7 Highlights
- Breakfast at The Cheeky Piglet
- Meandering through St. Stephen’s Green
- Hunting for pretty Georgian doors
- BrewDog for beers and late lunch
- A quick visit to the Irish Famine Memorial
- Dark Dublin walking tour
Brekkie at the Cheeky Piglet
I had intended to try an Irish breakfast nearly all week long but we are terrible about getting up and being ready for breakfast before our daily activities. We just don’t prioritize it when traveling. However, Irish breakfast is something you’ve got to try at least once when in Ireland!
Irish breakfast is similar to an English breakfast but with an Irish, you get black and white puddings along with some type of potato. It’s a hearty meal packed with lots of protein!
We visited the Cheeky Piglet in The Liberties neighborhood and they did an outstanding job with all components. I even enjoyed the black and white puddings! Black pudding is a blood sausage but it’s nothing to be afraid of. This was such a great and filling meal to get in before a day of sightseeing.
St. Stephen’s Green
St. Stephen’s Green is a beautiful park located in Central Dublin and I figured it would be the perfect place to burn the calories from breakfast. It was so peaceful to walk through the lush, green park. Even though it was an overcast day, the park was filled with people taking walks and watching all the birds in the pond.
I absolutely love experiences like these when traveling because they remind me of the need to slow down.
Georgian Doors
Next up on the itinerary for the day was something a little unique – tracking down different-colored Georgian doors around the squares. It’s hard not to miss these vibrant doors when visiting Dublin!
I’ve heard different versions of why they’re painted in such a way, one being to defy a royal decree to paint them all black to mourn the passing of Queen Victoria. Another story suggests women painted the doors to stand out to their men coming home drunk from the pubs! Either way, I love the pop these colors add to the buildings of Dublin.
I tried to snap photos of as many colors as I could but could have spent hours trying to find them all. Most of mine were seen around St. Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square, but you can also find more around Fitzwilliam Square, Pearse Square, and Mountjoy Square – just to name a few.
BrewDog
After my Georgian door hunt, we hoofed it all the way out to the Docklands. It was truly quite a trek and a strong beer was much-needed by the time we reached the tap house!
We love visiting breweries when traveling. BrewDog has become a favorite of ours since our first trip to London where we visited two separate BrewDog locations. We’re making it a point to visit one wherever we travel! We just enjoy their beer and it’s sort of nostalgic for us too.
We kicked back for a couple of hours here, tasting many beers and devouring some wings and pizza.
Irish Famine Memorial
After our BrewDog visit, we started making our way back towards the center of the city for our evening walking tour. We passed by the Jeannie Johnston ship and the Irish Famine Memorial, which was pretty sobering. From 1845 to 1849, 1 million people died and 1 million more ended up emigrating from Ireland. It’s a sad part of Irish history and these sculptures really captured that.
I actually intended to also visit the EPIC Irish Immigration Museum at this point but we had run out of time. If you get to breakfast earlier in the day, you can easily add this on the route.
Dark Dublin Walking Tour
Our last night in Ireland fell on Halloween so I wanted to do something spooky seeing as Halloween actually originated in Ireland. I stumbled upon the Dark Dublin tour, which is a walking tour around Dublin that dives into some of the dark details of Dublin’s past. I’m talking tales of torture, murder, proposals to eat babies, and so on. Yikes!
The tour was indeed quite dark and fitting for Halloween night! Our tour guide, Cillian, was brilliant and we enjoyed the tour very much. It was a great way to end our time in Ireland!
Tipping: One thing I observed was the lack of tipping to the guides. This tour is quite affordable and I highly recommending throwing some euros at your guide if you enjoyed your time with them.
What to Pack for Ireland
What to pack for your trip to Ireland is going to be entirely dependent upon the season. I have a separate, detailed post of everything I packed for our trip to Ireland, but here are some essentials for fall travel:
- Waterproof shoes that are comfortable for walking – I brought my Waterproof Vessi sneakers and Waterproof Boots from Timberland and both worked well.
- Fleece Jacket
- Rain Jacket
- Umbrella (for city walking)
- Moisture-wicking beanie
- Wool socks like these or these
- Water resistant fleece-lined leggings
I typically travel with a backpack instead of a purse or cross-body bag because I need something big enough to hold my camera gear. My favorite travel backpacks are somewhat stylish, “waterproof,” and anti-theft and I absolutely love both of these bags that come in black nylon and brown faux leather. My brown backpack was the perfect color for fall and kept everything in my bag dry!
Read More: What to Pack for Fall in Ireland
General Ireland Travel Tips
- Currency: Euros in The Republic of Ireland and Pound Sterling in Northern Ireland
- Driving: Driving is on the left side of the road. If you don’t want to drive in Ireland, you can easily get around by bus, train, or rideshares (like we did)!
- Street Crossing: Because cars may drive on the opposite side of the road than your home country, be sure to look in the proper direction when crossing streets. I speak from experience that if you don’t do this, you’re playing a dangerous game (just read all about how I almost got my husband hit by a car!).
- Tipping: Small tips are acceptable in Ireland but not always necessary. For tours, however, I recommend a generous tip – especially to the guides and drivers on the long bus tours! It’s hard work keeping us tourists entertained for 12 hours.
- Taxis: You can use Free Now or Uber apps to hail taxis in Ireland. All drivers must be certified taxi drivers, even with Uber. This is great for safety!
I hope you enjoyed my one-week Ireland itinerary recap! The Irish people are so friendly and welcoming and I was blown away by the country’s scenery – especially along the west coast and the coastal areas of the north.
There are SO many things I’d love to see on a return visit to Ireland. It’s always hard to pack things in with limited time, but I feel like we did our first week in Ireland justice. I can’t wait to come back!
Are you ready to discover Ireland’s magic yourself?
Read Next: What to Eat in Ireland: Must-Try Irish Dishes, Drinks & Snacks
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