When you arrive in a new place for the first time, it’s nice to be able to go off the beaten track instead of getting swallowed up by tourist traps.
You’ll get a real feel of the city if you live like a local, venturing off the beaten trails and the tourist routes. We’ve drawn up a renegade itinerary for anyone looking to discover the real Dublin.
Follow this plan – and share it with any visiting locals you come across – for two days filled with amazing food, great sights, fantastic pints and a whole load of craic!
Saturday
11am – Breakfast at Brother Hubbard
Looking for a hearty breakfast to set you up for the day? Look no further than Brother Hubbard, or their sibling café Sister Sadie, depending on where you’re staying. Their menu has all sorts of amazing dishes with semolina pancakes, middle eastern breakfast plates and the option of adding a heap of pulled pork to most dishes.
1pm – Grand Canal Dock
After filling up on food, ease yourself into the day with a leisurely walk around Grand Canal Dock. The architecture is just stunning and it’s a really gorgeous place to chill for a few hours, or wander around looking for all the international offices in the Silicon Docks.
3pm – Stroll Up The Grand Canal
From Grand Canal Dock you can walk up the length of the canal as far as Portobello, there’s plenty of cool barges, statues, wildlife and swans to feed.
5pm – Pizza on the Big Blue Bus at the Bernard Shaw
Considering you’re in the neighbourhood, it would be rude not to stop into one of our favourite pubs. Known to locals as ‘the Shaw’, it’s a bar with great music, a massive heated smoking garden and an old bus that houses one of Dublin’s best pizza kitchens.
Pizza and a pint cost €10 before 8pm, but we recommend getting a side of their homemade garlic mayo on the side – it’s the stuff dreams are made of! You could end up spending the rest of your evening here listening to tunes and playing pool without even noticing time passing
7pm – Pints in P Mac’s
The night is rolling in, so it’s time to get on the beer! P Mac’s have a massive range of craft beers from across the world, as well of loads of board games and a really fun atmosphere. It’s also pretty central, so you’ve got your pick of the cities’ clubs and pubs right beside you if you feel like going for a dance later on in the night.
11pm – Go for a bop at Mother
Saturday nights were made for dancing, and while some tourist guides would send you in the direction of Harcourt Street, we reckon you should check out Dublin’s best club night, Mother. Housed in the basement of a hotel, Mother takes it back to basics with a retro and modern synth-pop dancefloor fusion at Copper Alley.
Expect everything from the Human League to Electropop, Numan to Murphy, Lennox to La Roux, Depeche Mode to MGMT, with sweet synth synergy. A night dancing at Mother is equivalent to three gym sessions, so you have to check it out!
Sunday
1pm – Brunch at White Friar Grill
No matter what time you wake up at following the antics of the night before, one thing’s for sure: You. Need. BRUNCH!
White Friar Grill do the best in Dublin, and their bloody mary with chorizo-infused vodka will bring you right back to life. Their menu is perfection, with 10 types of eggs to choose from as well as unreal wings and ribs, and a full cooked breakfast that you’ll struggle to finish.
No matter how full you are though, you just have to try the Belgian waffles for dessert they’re covered in nutella, caramelised bananas, chantilly cream, ice cream and toasted hazelnuts – insanely good!
3pm – Afternoon Adventure
So you’ll either be full of beans after brunch, or in desperate need of a nap – but that’s okay because we’ll give you a few options for what to do with the rest of the afternoon. Provided the weather is nice, you can head to the Iveagh Gardens or St Stephen’s Green for a few hours and soak up the sunshine.
If you get bored you can head across to the Little Museum of Dublin, to see a different side to Dublin. Alternatively, If you’re looking for something a bit more active, go for a walk along the South Wall where you’ll see gorgeous views of Dublin Bay.
5pm – Have a pick-me-up at Clement & Pekoe
All hangovers need caffeine, and delicious treats, and Clement & Pekoe on South William Street serve both.
They have a whole range of paleo and gluten-free goodies, and there’s a bench outside the shop which is the perfect spot for people-watching.
6pm – Get back on the session at Pygmalion
A mere one-minute walk from the café, you’ll find Pyg, a great spot for Sunday night drinks. They’re all about squeezing every last drop out of the weekend, and Pyg Sundays means 40% of all drinks.
The terrace is always rammed, with people on the rollover from the night before, then as the evening creeps in people take to the dancefloor for a bit of a boogie. This Sunday, New York DJ Tim Sweeney of Beats in Space in will be playing a DJ set, so the place will be absolutely buzzing!
So, if you’ve only got a few days in our gorgeous city – follow this guide, and have a real Dubliner’s weekend!
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