Ireland

Dublin

Temple Bar's sessions are cheerful but priced for coach parties.

Best forNightlife · Groups of friends · Culture seekers
In June18°C · 14 rainy days
Ideal stayA long weekend
Approx. flying time~10h 30m from Los Angeles

Dublin, Ireland Open in Google Maps Powered by Geoapify · © OpenStreetMap contributors · © OpenMapTiles

CurrencyEUREuro
LanguageEnglish and Irish
Local time12:11same time as the UK
PlugsType GUK plugs fit
Drive on theLeftSame as the UK
Dialling code+353

Why go

Dublin works at a human scale for a capital city: the main sights, Trinity College, the Georgian squares, the Guinness Storehouse and the two cathedrals, all sit within an easy walk of each other along the River Liffey. Beyond the obvious pub crawl, the city has a strong literary pedigree, with Joyce, Wilde and Beckett all commemorated in museums and walking trails, and a live-music scene that runs well beyond the tourist trail into genuinely local sessions.

A long weekend covers the centre comfortably, with day trips to the Wicklow Mountains or the coastal villages of Dalkey and Howth adding an easy contrast of scenery. Weeknights, especially outside summer, offer a better version of the pub scene than weekends, when Temple Bar fills with stag and hen parties. The weather is unreliable in any season, so it is worth planning for rain regardless of when you visit.

Ideal stay: A long weekend
The vibe: Literary, sociable, unpretentious

From our guides

The real thing happens at The Cobblestone in Smithfield, a pub with a music problem where trad players gather nightly in the front corner and the drinking arranges itself around them — stand quietly, don't request Galway Girl. Whelan's on Wexford Street covers the rock and songwriter end. Weeknights beat weekends; the musicians stay later when the crowds are thinner.

Featured in Ten cities with world-class live music every night

Things to do

Trinity College and Book of Kells

Ireland's oldest university, home to the illuminated medieval manuscript on public display in the Old Library's Long Room.
Guinness Storehouse

A seven-storey exhibition on the city's most famous export, topped by a rooftop bar with views across the whole city.
Temple Bar

The cobbled, pub-dense quarter on the south bank, lively but firmly on the tourist trail and priced accordingly for it.
Kilmainham Gaol

A former prison central to Ireland's independence history, now a well-regarded museum best visited with a guided tour.
Howth

A fishing village on the coast, reached by DART train, with cliff walks and seafood restaurants along the harbour.
Traditional music sessions

Informal live folk music in pubs across the city, strongest away from the main tourist strip and best found on a weeknight.

Getting there

Fly to
Dublin (DUB)

Nearest airport to Dublin, about 9km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Dublin

Airport coaches reach the city centre in about 30 minutes, and taxis take a similar time outside rush hour.
On the ground
Getting around

The centre is compact and walkable, with two Luas tram lines and the DART running along the coast.

Public transport: Good in the city: Luas, DART and frequent buses, all on the Leap card.

Flights

Los Angeles Dublin, Ireland

Flying from

Fly from anywhere — search 4,000+ airports worldwide.

Roughly 10h 30m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

Search flights

Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 8°C in January to 19°C in August. Wettest in July, with rain on about 16 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

June18° · rain 14 daysCool and often wet.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to stay

City hotels of every size, a strong aparthotel supply and plenty of guesthouses in the Victorian suburbs. Genuinely cheap beds are scarce and mostly hostels.

Best base overall
City centre south (Grafton Street to Camden Street)

Walking distance to Whelan's, the Georgian squares and the good pubs, without being inside Temple Bar. Expect street noise on weekend nights.
Find stays in City centre south (Grafton Street to Camden Street)
Best for nightlife
Smithfield and Stoneybatter

For the real trad sessions, with the Cobblestone on the square and good bars nearby. It is a fifteen-minute walk into the centre and quieter midweek.
Find stays in Smithfield and Stoneybatter
Best value
Rathmines and Portobello

Just south of the canal, with cheaper guesthouses and apartments and a short walk or bus in. Residential, so the choice of hotels is thin.
Find stays in Rathmines and Portobello
Quietest
Ballsbridge

Embassy streets and larger hotels with actual room sizes and gardens, near the DART. A twenty-five-minute walk from the centre, and dull in the evening.
Find stays in Ballsbridge

Worth knowing before you book: Rugby internationals, big concerts and Saint Patrick's weekend empty the city of rooms and triple the price, so check the fixture list before fixing dates.

Search everything else in Dublin by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

Or see everything in Dublin

Good to know

Getting there: Dublin Airport has frequent short flights from across the UK, plus a fast bus link into the city centre.
Timing: Weeknights offer a livelier, more local music scene than weekends, when stag and hen parties dominate.
Pack this: Waterproofs are worth packing regardless of season, given the unpredictable Irish weather.
Cash or card: Cards are accepted almost everywhere, though pubs sometimes prefer cash for rounds.
Driving: The city centre is best explored on foot or by tram; a car is unnecessary unless heading further afield.