Day 2 (Dublin) – Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse and so much more
We’ve an absolute peach of a day in store for you on day two of your Ireland road trip.
Grab a bit of breakfast wherever you’re staying and hit the road early.
1 – Trinity College and the Book of Kells Tour
// Grab a bit of breakfast wherever you’re staying and aim to arrive at Trinity for 9 //
Photo © The Irish Road Trip
Otherwise, you’ll be stood queuing outside.
The grounds of Trinity College are a joy to walk around and are arguably one of the best places in Dublin for a bit of people watching.
When you’ve had your fill of the grounds head for the entrance to the Book of Kells tour.
The highlight of which is the Long Room, which is often compared to a set from the Harry Potter movies.
Photo © The Irish Road Trip
There’s just something wonderful about the Long Room in Trinity College.
The smell of old books that hits you as you walk into the library, the high ceilings with their beautiful designs, the winding staircase, the dusty volumes – I love it all.
Photo © The Irish Road Trip
2 – The often overlooked GPO 1916 Tour
// Leave Trinity at 10:30 and arrive at the GPO for 10:45 //
The GPO 1916 tour is constantly overlooked by people that visit Dublin.
And I’m basing that on the hundreds of conversations that I have with people that are planning a trip to Ireland every month.
Photo by David Soanes (Shutterstock)
Walking into the tour is like stepping out onto a battlefield; from the minute the tour begins, you feel completely immersed in the action.
The exhibition puts you right inside Dublin’s GPO during Easter Week in 1916.
It’s highly visual, and conveys the events in an easy to digest, dramatic manner that’ll leave you with a totally different perspective of the General Post Office forever more.
3 – A bit of lunch on Capel Street
// Leave the GPO at 12:00 and arrive to Brother Hubbard on Capel Street at 12:10 //
As you’re in the area, I’m going to recommend that you take the short stroll up O’Connell St. and head for Brother Hubbard on Capel St. for a bit of food.
The Braised Beef Short Rib sounds amazzzzzzzing!
Fill the belly and take a little bit of time to recharge. We’ve a solid afternoon and evening ahead.
4 – Getting up close with the Vikings at Dublina
// Leave Capel St. at 13:20 and arrive to Dublina at 13:35 //
The Dublinia tour is one that has been recommended to me time and time again, both by people from Ireland and from those that visit.
Those that embark upon it will meet the Vikings face to face while learning about life during the Medieval period in Dublin.
Photo © The Irish Road Trip
How the folks at Dublina describe the tour:
‘Go back to Viking times in Dublin! See for yourself what life was like onboard a Viking warship. Learn of their long and challenging voyages, their weaponry and the skills of being a Viking warrior.
Try on Viking clothes, become a slave (watch those heavy chains) and stroll down a noisy street. Visit a smokey and cramped Viking house, learn the Viking runic alphabet and hear their poetry and sagas. Enjoy the myths and learn of the mysteries surrounding the Vikings and their legacy.’
Find out more about the tour here.
5 – The Guinness Storehouse
// The Dublina Tour takes around 90 minutes. Finish up there at around 15:10 and take the 15-minute walk to the Guinness Storehouse. //
I left the Guinness Storehouse out of a previous 2-day Dublin guide, and I received a tonne of mails (and I mean a tonne) saying that it’s well worth doing.
So, here we are.
Your journey at the Guinness Storehouse kicks-off at the bottom of the world’s largest pint glass and continues right the way up through seven floors that are packed to the brim with interactive experiences.
When you reach the top, you’ll be rewarded with a pint in the rooftop Gravity Bar, which you can enjoy as you look out over Dublin.
6 – Food and bed
When you finish up in the storehouse, head for a bite to eat (see the restaurant section in day 1 for recommendations) and then head back to the room to chill and sleep.
We’ve an active day on the cards for day 3 – in other words, you’ll be f****d if you’re hungover!
If you’re looking to pick up souvenirs from your time in Dublin, you can nip into Carrolls (you’ll find them everywhere… literally).
If you’re looking to pick up a bottle of whiskey – don’t. There’s no point lugging around a heavy bottle for the rest of your trip.
Just grab it duty-free in Dublin Airport before you fly home.
Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries. Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.
Leeann Nolan
Wednesday 15th of November 2023
Hi Keith Thank you so much for all the work you have done on The Irish Road Trip. I have used much of it to plan my 7 week trip to Ireland in 2024. It has been invaluable :)
Mick Bourke
Sunday 24th of September 2023
G’day Keith-thanks for your trip. My wife and I will be over there in late April and most of May (about a month in total before heading to Scotland for a couple of weeks). I think I’ll be using your trip (which is great (as also is the additional info at the bottom)) as the basis for ours, however, I would like to do abit more of the inland (like a figure eight of the island). Do you have any suggestions?
Keith O'Hara
Wednesday 27th of September 2023
Hey Mick,
Is there anywhere in particular you have in mind with the inland section?
Cheers,
Keith
MIchael Katekar
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
A big thank you for all of the time and hard work you have put into this blog. Great information. I don't think we can keep up with your pace but will certainly take up many of your suggestions.
Isabella Dennison
Sunday 26th of March 2023
Good day Keith,
Wow, what an amazing work you've done! I'm forever grateful!!! Please can you email this to me. We are planning to explore Ireland for the first time this year 2023, all the way from South Africa.
Thank you
Keith O'Hara
Monday 27th of March 2023
Thanks Isabell!
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply!
I've tried to get this converted to PDF on a number of occasions, but the result is very messy due to the volume of photos in it.
If there's any specific questions that I can help with, please fire them on and I'll do my best to answer them.
Keith
Jodie Wilson
Sunday 26th of March 2023
First retirement trip. Ireland for a month! Go big or go home. So excited to start this new chapter in our lives - and to hit the roads of Ireland. This guide is perfect - but I’d love a more readable copy if you could email it to me.