Dublin is a city made for exploring on foot, packed with history, pubs, and personality. This 3-day itinerary covers the must-see sights, great food spots, and easy ways to experience the city without rushing.
You've just arrived in Dublin, what now?
Lets create a 3 day Itinerary for your Dublin trip!
Day One
Let's imagine you get into the city at 12pm. You'll be checking in to your accommodation, drop your bags and lets get back out there.
Location wise I would suggest staying on the South Side, near St Stephens Green. Hotels can be expensive all over the city, but for the purpose of limiting any problems getting in and out of town it's easier to stay in the center. My parents stayed at 'The Green on Stephens Green'.
First item on the itinerary is to go get some lunch, for this we're going straight into the hustle and bustle of Dublin's bars and over to The Hairy Lemon. Since living in Dublin, this has been one of my favourite food spots for bringing family and friends - the chicken wings are supreme.
From here it is a 20 minute walk or a 10 minute taxi to The Guinness Storehouse, you can do this today or take it easy and leave it for another day. Generally last admission is around 5pm. Once you are out of The Guinness Storehouse, I recommend using FREENOW the taxi app to get back to the city center. I can't vouch for the ethicality of the horse and carriages that haunt St James Gate, bt either way you'll be charged a fortune.
Back into the thick of it all let's see what the Temple Bar area has to offer. Be prepared for busy, shoulder brushing intimacy's if you want to visit the actual Temple Bar Inn (The one where EVERYONE takes their Dublin photo - it's the only way to prove your visit). As a semi-tourist/local I always bring visitors through. I haven't bought a drink their since 2021 but there is a side walkway in that's usually less crowded than the main doors. This gives you a chance to see the performers and take a nosy around the interior, snap any pics and get out with minimal damage.
My personal favourite tourist central pub is The Old Storehouse. They have bands, Irish dancers on the bar and different levels- they also have sit down dining upstairs.
If you're not full on Guinness and are hankering for some food, depending on your stomachs capacity I recommend Beouf and Frites (Temple Bar) if you fancy a larger meal. This is 30 euro per person for unlimited garlic french bread, a steak or chicken main and profiteroles for dessert. It's quite a quick paced restaurant so if you want somewhere you can linger afterwards, maybe not the one. But if you are HUNGRY 100% check it out.
Couple options for food : Alfies (sit down), Masa Taco's (sit down), Bambino (takeaway slice)
Take the rest of the night easy and get some rest for your day 2!
Day Two
I suggest you pick one of these tours to do today : Kilmahaim Gaol, 14 Henrietta Street or The Jeanie Johnson or Viking Splash. If tours don't float your boat, that's no problem. You have an easy start to the day, get a coffee and a pastry and take a walk around St Stephen Street or Iveagh Gardens (quiet garden behind Iveagh House). Or sit down for a nice breakfast at Taste Co. on South William Street.
If you are booking a tour, book it early enough to give you the rest of the day for exploration. For this instance, your tour is at 11am and you are out by 1pm.
Option 1:
It's now about lunch time and we are LEAVING the city center, don't panic, it's not complicated and you won't get lost. We're going to a cute little town in North Dublin.
You're going to go along to Connelly station and get the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport - it's not rapid in anyway, don't expect a bullet train) to MALAHIDE. This is my bias coming forward and if you don't want to go I won't be offended.
What's there to do in Malahide? Okay it's not as much a tourist destination, there's not much in the way of 'To-Do', it's more of a stroll and enjoy kind of place. You can take a walk down the Marina, if it's nice get an ice cream, stroll along the beach or find a pub on the pedestrainised main street. There are many coffee shops, boutiques and food spots.
If you're into lovely little walks you can walk along to Malahide Castle and Garden, where there is a cafe, shop and playground.
(There are concerts here during the summer - if you're interested check out tickets on ticketmaster. If you are visiting over those days be prepared for busy busy DART's)
My personal favourite ppub in Malahide is GIBNEYS - this is also where you can get a nice pub lunch. Truthfully there are a lot of nice food spots in Malahide. If you time it right you can come for an early dinner/dinner and stop at Siam Thai - boujee and not budget friendly, or go to Al Fresco for some Italian.
Make sure to check the DART times, and DON'T miss your dart home or it'll be a pretty penny gone on the taxi back to town.
Option 2:
If you decided to stay in Dublin and not go to Malahide, let's give you some evening plans!
If you're visiting over a weekend one of my biggest recommendations is The Laughter Lounge. It's on the Quays, next to one of my favourite pubs, Meaghers(pronounced Mars) - if you're lucky in this pub you can snag the snug on the right as you come into the bar. Another good spot for food!
I was luckily invited to The Laughter Lounge in Summer 2025 where we saw 4 comedians and the MC, alcohol is reasonably priced and you can also order food! Definitely an underrated activity in Dublin. Check out their website as they often have deals running for tickets/drinks.
If the prospect of stand up comedy isn't doing it for you, try out Flight Club or Pitch (golf simulator). Both are bars and in the City Centre. I haven't personally been to Flight Club but have heard good things.
We went to Pitch as a group of 6 (3 golfers and 3 non golfers - me being non golfer), I would recommend skipping actual rounds of golf and only doing the games if you are a mixed group or novices. If you are decent at golf, crack on with the courses. The drinks are in line with Dublin prices, we did get a bottle of White wine which was delicious but the final price we paid was actually incorrect and we didn't realise. So double check your bill is my only advice.
Day Three
If today is your final day in Dublin and you have a flight home today/tonight, let’s create a relaxed half-day itinerary for you. You'll find some optional activities listed here, so feel free to adjust according to your interests!
Start your morning at a leisurely pace—take a stroll and enjoy a breakfast. If you haven't had the chance yet, be sure to wander through the grounds of Trinity College, head along Grafton Street for last minute shopping.
If you have time for an activity here are couple of suggestions:
Vintage Tea Bus - A cutesy bus that offers afternoon tea while driving around Dublin.
The Shelbourne Hotel - Book in for an afternoon tea. Having done this personally it is delicious and the savoury snacks can be refilled as much as you'd like. It's a lovely thing to do to unwind after a busy trip, and it doesn't have to involve alcohol!
If you're not in a hurry, find a charming pub to unwind and savor a hearty lunch before making your way to the airport.
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