Planning a Trip

Dublin is 222km (138 miles) NE of Shannon Airport, 258km (160 miles) NE of Cork, 167km (104 miles) S of Belfast, 309km (192 miles) NE of Killarney, 219km (136 miles) E of Galway, 237km (147 miles) SE of Derry, and 142km (88 miles) N of Wexford

Visitor Information

Dublin Tourism operates six walk-in visitor centers in greater Dublin that are open every day except Christmas. The principal center is on Suffolk Street, Dublin 2, open from June to August Monday to Saturday from 9am to 8:30pm, Sunday and bank holidays 10:30am to 3pm, and the rest of the year Monday to Saturday 9am to 5:30pm, Sunday and bank holidays 10:30am to 3pm. The Suffolk Street office has a currency exchange counter, a car-rental counter, an accommodations-reservations service, bus and rail information desks, a gift shop, and a cafe. For accommodations reservations throughout Ireland by credit card, contact Dublin Tourism at tel. 01/605-7700 or www.visitdublin.com.

The five other centers are in the Arrivals Hall of Dublin Airport; Exclusively Irish, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1; Baggot Street Bridge, Baggot Street, Dublin 2; The Square Towncentre, Tallaght, Dublin 24; and the ferry terminal at Dún Laoghaire Harbor (all telephone inquiries should be directed to the number listed above). All centers are open year-round with at least the following hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm.

For information on Ireland outside of Dublin, call Bord Fáilte (tel. 1850/230330 in Ireland; www.ireland.ie).

At any of these centers you can pick up the free Tourism News; or the free Event Guide, a biweekly entertainment guide, online at www.eventguide.ie. In Dublin, a biweekly arts-and-entertainment magazine selling for €3 ($3.90), is available at most newsstands, or online at www.indublin.ie.

City Layout

The city is neatly divided down the middle by the curves of the River Liffey, which empties into the sea at the city's farthest edge. To the north and south, the city center is encircled by canals: The Royal Canal arcs across the north and the Grand Canal through the south. Traditionally, the area south of the river has been Dublin's buzzing, prosperous hub. It still holds most of the best hotels, restaurants, shops, and sights, but the Northside is on the upswing, with hip new bars and trendy hotels making it the new place to be. Both north and south, Dublin is compact and easily walked in an hour. In fact, a 45-minute walk from the bucolic peace of St. Stephen's Green, up Grafton Street, and across the Liffey to the top of O'Connell Street offers a good overview of the city's prosperous present and troubled past.

The most interesting suburban towns tend to be along Dublin Bay -- these include (heading north along the bay) Drumcondra, Glasnevin, Howth, Clontarf, and Malahide; and (heading south along the bay) Ballsbridge, Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey, Killiney, Rathgar, and Rathmines.

Main Arteries, Streets & Squares -- In the town center just south of the river, Dame Street, which changes its name to College Green, Westmoreland Street, and Lord Edward Street at various points, is the main east-west artery connecting Trinity College with Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral. On one side of Dame Street are the winding medieval lanes of Temple Bar, which, with its many pubs and bars, is Dublin's party central. On the other side of Dame Street are lots of tributary streets lined with shops and cafes; the best of these is Great St. George's Street, which arcs off toward the south. Where Dame turns into College Green, the sturdy gray stone walls of Trinity College make an excellent landmark as you get your bearings, and at its southwest corner is the top of Grafton Street -- a lively pedestrianized shopping lane crowded with tourists, musicians, and artists, which leads to the bucolic, statue-filled peace of St. Stephen's Green. From there, heading back up via Kildare Street will take you past Leinster House, where the Irish parliament meets, and a turn to the right brings you to Merrion Square, another of Dublin's extraordinarily well-preserved Georgian squares.

To get to the Northside, most visitors choose to walk across the eminently photographable arch of the Ha'penny Bridge, but most locals take the less attractive O'Connell Bridge nearby. You can be different and cross via the Ha'penny's sleekly modern neighbor, the Millennium Bridge, which is beautifully illuminated after dark. The O'Connell Bridge leads directly onto O'Connell Street, a wide, statue-lined boulevard that is the north's main thruway. O'Connell Street runs north to Parnell Square, which holds a couple of marvelous museums and marks the edge of central Dublin. From the bottom to the top, O'Connell Street is lined with statues, starting with an absurdly ornate representation of the titular politician Daniel O'Connell surrounded by angels (one of which still has bullet holes left from the Easter Uprising). The street running along the Liffey's embankment is called the North Quays by all, though its name changes on virtually every block, reflecting the long-gone docks that once lined it.

In the older section of the city, High Street is the gateway to medieval and Viking Dublin, from the city's two medieval cathedrals to the old city walls and nearby Dublin Castle. The other noteworthy street in the older part of the city is Francis Street, Dublin's antiques row.