How to spend 2 days in Dublin and love it: best things to see and must-have itinerary [Updated 2025]

How to spend 2 days in Dublin: a Dublin Itinerary to make the most of your time in Dublin Fair City. Best things to see in Dublin, where to eat, how to plan your days at best.

Dublin is a lovely destination for a city break and a place I always recommend when people ask for quick getaway ideas in Europe.

A small capital city, I often think of Dublin as the best of both worlds: a dynamic city with a lot to offer, yet a compact enough size which means it is not overwhelming nor daunting to explore.

I know Dublin well. I have been living in Dublin for many years and for the longest time, my job here was in the marketing department of a school of English, which means I spent my days looking for cool things to do here so that I could convince people this was a great destination!

As you can imagine, this meant a lot of exploring, a lot of testing, and a lot of fun! My curiosity for Dublin stayed with me even after I left that school so, year after year, I have kept looking at the city with that unique eye of the local who scouts it as a destination for visitors. The best eye of all, if to ask me!

Based on my experience, this is my favorite way to see Dublin in two days.

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Visiting Dublin in two days: need to know

Two days are a good amount of time to see Dublin and get a taste of what the city has to offer.

In 2 days only, you will not be able to go very deep into the character of the city.

However, you will be able to see the city’s most famous sites, have a taste of pub life and a get a nice sense of the city center.

To make the most of your time and have top attractions on your doorstep, if budget allows, I recommend you pick accommodation in the city center, ideally in the area around Trinity College / Merrion Square.

This is a perfect location for sightseeing, puts you in close proximity to pubs and restaurants, and allows you to get almost anywhere on foot or by public transport, including going to and from the airport (not a bad option, considering the cost of taxis).

Places I recommend you check out are: The Grafton Hotel, Citizen M, The Merrion Hotel all in the center, excellent and coming it at different price points

2 days in Dublin itinerary Day 1

Morning: Start your day with a filling breakfast

There is no better way to start a day in a new city than indulging in a nice breakfast and Dublin offers many options for a satisfying breakfast or brunch in the city.

For a proper Irish start, you want to indulge in a full Irish breakfast: this is an earthy and filling meal with rashers (bacon), potato fritters, sausages and eggs and if you are thinking that this sounds delicious and pretty intense, you’d be absolutely right!

If you are up for the challenge, great places for Irish breakfast in Dublin city center are Lemon Jelly Cafe, The Hairy Lemon, the Coffee Bean L’Gueleton but do not worry: a filling Irish breakfast is never too far away from you, pretty much no matter in the city center you happen to be.

Of course, Dublin also offers different breakfast options and has fully embraced avocado toast times so you’ll have no issues there either: Alma Cafe in Portobello, Richmond on Camden Street, Brother Hubbard, taste foof company are only some of the many you’ll encounter in the city.

You can also go for coffee and croissants, in which case I recommend ‘Le Petit Parisienne’ on Wicklow street – which ok, is not traditionally Irish but lovely and right in the center of town!

If you fancy pancakes, I recommend you try Balfes in the Westbury Hotel, just off Grafton Street, in town.

Mid -morning: Visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells

After breakfast, I recommend you make your way to Trinity College and the Book of Kells, one of the most important attractions in Dublin and a must-see.

Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland and it is interesting for visitors from many points of view.

The campus itself is lovely and worth seeing for its architecture and studenty buzz. Its ancient library is a marvel of architecture and has a copy of each book ever published in Ireland, an absolute marvel of a place!

Last but not least, Trinity College hosts the exhibition of the Book of Kells, which is a medieval manuscript with unbelievably beautiful miniature writing, dating back to the 9th century.

The Book of Kells is such a significant and unique part of the Irish cultural heritage that now has its very own immersive and interactive exhibitions that is really fun and worth seeing.

To make the manuscript come to life, the exhibitors have created immersive rooms with videos, music and narrative and now you feel like you are basically walking inside the book itself! The exhibition is great fun and a different, memorable way to learn about the book and its meaning (suitable for all ages)

You can read here >>> all about Trinity College and the Book of Kells + how to visit

Trinity College Campus is open and free to visit, while the Book of Kells and the library are ticketed attractions. You can get skip the line tickets to Trinity College here

Have a stroll in Grafton Street

After Trinity College, yyou can stretch your legs takeing a stroll in the Grafton Street, the main street in Dublin Center South,

Grafton Street is closed to traffic and has a plethora of coffee, restaurants and shops options to suit absolutely every taste plus lots of shops to go window shopping and, usually, plenty os buskers and street performers that make it a fun, upbeat (and busy) place to be.

Lunch – Have lunch at Temple Bar

Temple Bar is a street in Dublin city center famous for nightlife, however, I find it much more pleasant during the day, when you can see how pretty the street actually is and when you can notice some of its non-drinking attractions.

As well as many nice restaurants it is worth taking a walk here to see the IFI (Irish Film Institute, with some interesting movies and a nice cafe), the Irish Music Wall of Fame, which is a tribute to Irish artists and bands, and the nearby Ha’Penny Bridge, a Dublin icon.

Places I like for lunch here are the Poort House (Spanish), the Queen of Tarts (Tarts, sandwiches etc), Milano (Italian, good for families with kids too) but really, the choice is almost endless.

Afternoon Visit Dublin Castle

For the last cultural visit of the day I recommend you visit Dublin Castle, a short walk from Temple Bar.

Depending on your interests, you can visit the castle inside, you can just take a walk along its (small) grounds or visit the Chester Beatty, which is a wonderful free museum hosted in the grounds of the castle and wit an incredible collection of treasures from North Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Evening – Have dinner with music at the Brazen Head

A day in Dublin wouldn’t be complete without a night in a pub listening to traditional music and a good place to do that but also get a meal is The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin (it dates back to 1198!).

If you prefer a more modern setting instead, you can take your pick among the infinite places in Dublin city center.

Some I like are Rosa Madre (Italian, Temple Bar), the Poort House (Spanish, South William Street), Opium (Asian, Camden street area, nice but a little loud, feels a little like a club), the exchequer (Irish, European, Wicklow street area)

Dublin day two itinerary

Morning – Start with a visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral

On day two I recommend you start with a visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral, the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland and one of the most beautiful in the country.

The church is worth seeing for its impressive naves and architecture but also for the important personalities buried here including  Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, who was Dean of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1700s and now rests here.

Visit haunted Marsh’s Library

Just around the corner from the main entrance to St Patrick’s cathedral, you find the Marsh’s library, one of my favorite attractions in the whole of Dublin!

The library is compact yet stunning, with rooms and rooms covered in books, and it is said to be inhabited by the Ghost of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, who died in 1713 and is buried just outside of the library!

Lunch – Have a lunch near Dame Street

St Patrick’s Cathedral is close to the same area you explored the day before and I recommend you go back to the Dame Street / Temple Bar area for lunch.

This will give you a good selection of places to choose from but also put you in the right place to catch a bus to your next destination, the Guinness Storehouse!

Visit the Guinness Storehouse

Guinness is, for many, the first thing that comes to mind when you say ‘Dublin’ and indeed, it is an iconic drink and one you have to taste at least once in Dublin, even if you had it before (It is just better here!).

The best way to enjoy a pint of Guinness and also learn about it is by taking a tour of the impressive Guinness Storehouse, an absolutely wonderful architectural space and one of the best Dublin attractions of all.

The tour shows and explains the making of Guinness and finishes with something special: a complimentary drink at the Gravity Bar, the panoramic bar at the top of the Storehouse with 360 degrees views over Dublin.

Non-drinkers are welcome too: you can choose between Guinness and nonalcoholic beverages as part of the visit.

The Storehouse gets busy: make sure you grab your tickets well in advance here.

Dinner – Have dinner in town

For the last night in town, I recommend you head back to the city center and have dinner first, then head to a pub for a last drink.

My favorite area is between Dame Street, Grafton Street and Camden Street.

As mentioned above some you may want to try are Rosa Madre (Italian, Temple Bar), the Poort House (Spanish, South William Street), La Gordita (Spanish), Richmond (excellent, contemporary coooking)

If, after dinner, you feel like a local Irish pub experience, you can go to traditional or modern.

Nice places for a real pub night are the Long Hall, Grogans, Neary and Kheos.

If you prefer a different atmpsphere, The Vintage Cocktail Club, Stella Cocktail club in Rathmines, 9 Below may all meet your fancy.

Other things you can do with two days in Dublin

Dublin is packed with things to do. You can easily mix, match and swap with those mentioned above.

Things I recommend to first-time visitors are:

Hop on hop off bus tour, so you can cover a lot of ground without effort – Dublin is significantly more spread out than it seems!

A different take on a bus tour is offered by this traditional double decker bus tour with afternoon tea – a cool and different way to experience the city, ideal on a rainy day.

Take the Dart (city train) to Howth, Dublin’s historic fishing harbor where you can get a lovely seafood meal and, usually, see seals in the wild

Learn all about Irish Whiskey in the really cool Jameson Distillery or take a cocktail making class to discover the delightful concoction Jameson Whiskey lends itself to

Take a Traditional Pub Tour with a local guide and like-minded visitors, perfect if you prefer not to venture in alone

Learn to Irish dance to exciting traditional music with this music show and Irish dance class

I hope you enjoyed this itinerary to see Dublin in 2 days and gave you some good ideas. Safe Ireland travel planning!