How to spend 24 hours in Dublin

Dublin is a great city to spend a short weekend break, reachable from most of Europe in just a couple of hours by plane. Because the city is relatively small, there’s plenty of attractions you can fit into just one day with ease. Below, discover some of my favourite things to do in Dublin that can be done over the course of a day.

12 noon: Guinness Storehouse

Our 24 hour period starts at midday with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse at St James’ Gate. The trip to the home of Guinness is not just a worthwhile pilgrimage for any self-respecting fan of the iconic Irish beer – the history of Guinness is also heavily intertwined with the history of The city of Dublin itself.

By the 1930s, the site was the largest brewery in the world, while the company itself was the seventh largest. That meant huge numbers of Dublin residents were employed by the company to keep the operation going.

 (the original Guinness yeast)

Along the tour you’ll learn what makes Guinness taste so unique, which includes being taught how to correctly taste the beer in a special tasting chamber. You’ll even be led through to a ‘mood room’, where the interior design has been decked out to match the drink.

Budding baristas can then take a lesson in what it takes to pour a perfect pint, before retiring to the bar on the top floor, offering a commanding view of the city.

6 pm: Dinner at The Brazen Head

The Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland, dating back to 1198. Here, you can enjoy some traditional Irish food, such as a hearty beef and Guinness stew. Ireland is also known for it’s sea food, so why not try steamed mussels, smoked salmon or battered cod?

There’s also live music at the pub every day, and if you happen to visit on a Sunday and are brave enough, you can sing with the live band!

Ireland is also a country which developed a culture of storytelling over the years, as Irish families would traditionally socialize at pubs, rather than staying at home. You can experience this first hand at The Brazen Head if you visit one of their storytelling nights.

8 pm: Dublin Backpacker Pub Crawl

What’s the best way to go to some of Dublin’s best pubs while meeting fellow backpackers from around the world? Go on a pub crawl! The Backpacker pub crawl costs just €12, taking you to a number of pubs around the famous Temple Bar area. You’ll get shots on entry, as well as a complimentary half pint of Guinness at the first pub!
 

The friendly guides take you to some great bars and pubs, avoiding the tourist traps, so you can enjoy the best nightlife in the city. There’s also drinking games like beer pong and flip cup, adding some potent social lubricant into the mix.

1 am: See Yiz in Coppers

 “See yiz in Coppers” isn’t just a statement, it’s a war cry. Copper Face Jacks has been described as a national phenomenon – a wildly popular club in Dublin that brings in massive revenues of €7 million per year and boasts over 63,000 Facebook fans. Similarly to Berlin’s Church of Techno, Berghain, Coppers has a devoted following – particularly amongst nurses, as the club offers a specific Nurses card promotion.

 For everyone else, there’s the mythical Gold Card, granting the bearer and a friend free entry on any night. The club has been known to hand out five of these lucrative cards to the eager crowds each night, though generally they are only given to the most loyal customers on an ad hoc basis, making the card itself a real status symbol in this city!

Coppers is open until late, so head over with a few new friends after the bar crawl’s final stop and see what all the fuss is about.

Upon arrival at Harcourt Street, the club looks like a nondescript venue in the basement of a hotel, however it actually opens up into a labyrinth of different rooms and dance floors, where you’ll discover a cross between a school disco and a rural nightclub, in the centre of the city. Once you hit the cheese room, the 90s will be flooding back and you’ll be having the time of your life!

9 am: Have an Irish Breakfast

The Irish breakfast is a large cooked breakfast of bacon, sausages, black and white puddings, eggs, mushrooms tomatoes and other vegetables, all fried in butter, served with Irish soda bread and washed down with orange juice and tea. We got ours from O’Shea’s, just a short stumble from our hostel on Gardiner Street.
 

Traditionally, the Irish breakfast was intended to prepare you for a hard day’s work in the field, but it’s equally good for curing the formidable hangover curtesy of last night’s antics.

Not only that, but as portions are large, you’ll be full for most of the day. This is good, as by the time you’ve finished breakfast, your 24 hours in Dublin will almost be up, so it’s time to head back to the airport.

Whats your favourite thing to do in Dublin? Is there anything else that you’d squeeze into a one day trip? Let me know your travel tips in the comments below!