Dublin, Ireland

Dublin was a great city and one my personal favorite places in Ireland! As it is the capital city of Ireland, there is great history to be discovered when visiting. One thing to keep in mind is that Northern Ireland is in fact owned by the United Kingdom. Therefore they use the pound sterling. The Republic of Ireland is completely separate and independent.  In the Republic of Ireland their form of currency is the Euro. I did not know that the two separate entities had different monetary methods and this would have been helpful beforehand. We were only in Dublin for one day but still managed to see a couple big sites which I would suggest visiting.

The Temple bar

Our last stop of Dublin included visiting a very well known landmark known as Temple Bar. The Irish are known for heavy drinking and that it absolutely true! Many pubs and bars open as early as 9am. Although this bar was a bit tourist it was a lot of fun! There was live traditional Irish music from an excellent band.  This bar, surrounded by adorable cobblestone, had great atmosphere and friendly people from all over.  It does get crowded so go early. More information found here!

Dublin castle

Ireland is filled with lots of castle however, this one was magnificent.  It was a huge complex consisting of a courtyard, gardens, church, and living quarters.  We took a guided tour of the castle which was definitely worth the money. The inside of the bedrooms and living rooms are ornately decorated with lavish fabrics and patterns.  It is free to tour the grounds however, to go inside some of the building there is an admission fee.  I believe it was pretty cheap for students about 7-10 Euros. Visit http://www.dublincastle.ie/ for lots of cool facts and information.

Guinness Storehouse

This place was awesome and one of the biggest attractions in Dublin.  Tickets will be about 13 Euros for an adult however, there do offer student tickets (with ID I believe) for about 10 Euros.  The unguided tour/museum consists of several floors filled with interactive exhibits and knowledge.  At the very top floor there was an observation lounge where you received you’re complementary pint of Guinness. We learned about the history and heritage of the company and also learned about the brewing process all of which was extremely interesting and new to me. For more information about the tour click here

Other famous landmarks to try and see:

Christchurh Cathedral- We actually ran into this by accident looking for Dublin castle but what an amazing church!

The Spire

The Millennium Bridge

Trinity College

The Ha’penny Bridge