There’s nothing fancy about watching the sunset. No ticket required, no reservation, no password at the door.
Maybe you’re standing in a car park, maybe on a roof with a warm can of beer, maybe your feet are in sand or soaked from city rain; doesn’t matter. The sky doesn’t care.
The clouds go blush-pink and peach-fuzz gold, and for a few quiet moments the city forgets it’s in crisis. You’re still a slave to the algorithm with a God complex, a cog in the capitalist machine waiting for the world to catch fire and never go out. But for a second, your jaw unclenches. If you’re paying attention, the bullshit fades. The emails, the noise, the chase. All of it dissolves into that low, burning horizon. You remember you’re a tiny thing on a spinning rock in the middle of everything.
That’s what a Dublin sunset can do. Not solve anything, but remind you to look up. To pause. To feel like you live somewhere beautiful. Even if it’s a city currently being auctioned off to tech landlords with names like John or Michael O’Brien who wear head to toe Gym+Coffee gear and say “let’s circle back.”
Letting the day bleed out in front of you. It’s harrowingly good for your heart. Not in the wellness influencer way, but in the way that strips you back to the studs. Because the sky doesn’t perform for you. It just does what it does, indifferent and magnificent. And in that indifference, there’s a kind of mercy. The world owes you nothing, but it’s still throwing out this wild, wordless beauty every damn day while the sun is shining.
So here they are: ten of the best places to catch the sun hitting the hay over this our city.
Howth Cliff Walk
You’ll have to time this one right because you don’t want to be caught in the dark halfway through your walk.
This 6km looped walk takes about two hours to complete, bringing you up, down and around the Head of Howth, providing stellar views of Lambay Island, Ireland’s Eye, Dublin Bay and more. When the sun is setting after a bright day, it’s simply unmatched.
If you’re not in the mood for the full loop walk, you could simply ascend to the top of Howth Head from the car park, chill on the pier or make your way down to the little hidden beach just after the village.
Hellfire Club
Spookiness aside, Montpelier Hill (AKA the Hell Fire Club) has some pretty nice views from the top. It’s a 30-minute drive from the city centre and gives you the chance to watch the sun go down over bustling Dublin.
Dollymount Strand
The sunsets here are spectacular. Making your way onto the beach, on the right say you’ll see sweeps of orange and pink roll over the dunes as well as the city centre, creating a feeling of time standing still.
Malahide Estuary
Although it’s not too far from the city, an evening in Malahide feels like a little staycation. Making your way through the bustling down, passing stunning restaurants and the marina, prepare for seriously fab sunset views as you make your way over the dunes to the beach. If you want to soak up the views as you move, you can walk from there to Portmarnock Beach, where the sun sets behind the dunes there.
Dun Laoghaire Pier
Located in the centre of the town, a short stroll down to the end of the pier is the best place to witness the sunset when in Dun Laoghaire. Relax and watch the sun go down over the boats and the unique Dun Laoghaire landscape and skyline. Simply bliss.
Grand Canal Dock
Where new and old Dublin mash together in the most charming way possible. Perched on one of the benches around the square, watch as the sky turns pink and hits the nearby buildings to create the ultimate ambience.
Guinness Storehouse
It’s no secret that the Guinness Storehouse gives some unbelievable panoramic views of Dublin, and the sunset views are no exception. And what better way to do it than with a pint of Guinness in hand?
Tiknock
One of the most gorgeous hikes in Dublin, if you ask me! Making your way to the top, you’ll be treated to unreal views of the city down below, which are only made more magical when you pick an evening with a gorgeous pink or orange sunset.
Clontarf Promenade
With plenty of parking spaces and loads of benches on which to perch yourself, Clontarf Promenade offers unique and simply stunning sunset views over the city centre, the docklands and the Poolbeg Towers.
Great South Wall
Make your way out to Poolbeg Lighthouse at the end of the pier and look back as the sun sets over a busy city. Once it gets dark, you’ll have even more fab views of the city at night, lights glistening as the city starts to sleep.
Go now, before the clouds roll back in. Before the drizzle resumes. Before someone turns the view into luxury apartments called The Solstice.
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