DK Eyewitness - DK Eyewitness Top 10 Dublin

Clockwise from top: The headland at Howth, Titanic Belfast, the Famine Memorial in Dublin, Temple Bar pub, the Giants Causeway, colourful buildings in Dublin Castle grounds, Bantry Bay

The word craic sums up the spirit of Dublin. Just like the city, they represent a bubbling, sparky mix of fun and banter, fellow-feeling, warmth and conviviality. This is quite possibly the most sociable city in the world. With Eyewitness Top 10 Dublin, its yours to explore.

Dublin is a place that loves to party, as any evening spent on the cobblestones of the hyperactive Temple Bar district will prove. But Irelands capital has much more to offer than just its famous pubs. It boasts gorgeous Georgian architecture and a number of world-class museums and galleries, many of them free to visit, and some of them gathered around the picturesque quadrangles of ancient Trinity College. The city has had a fairly turbulent history, beginning with Celts and Vikings, and tied together by threads of mass migration and a titanic struggle for independence. Exciting interactive attractions such as EPIC Ireland and GPO Witness History will immerse you in all these stories. Dublin also has a major literary tradition, spanning Joyce and Yeats, Swift and Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Roddy Doyle as well as a vibrant live music scene that will have you reeling and jigging all through your stay.

Beyond the metropolis, Ireland is a nation rich in myths and legends and enlivened by laughter, with irresistible coastal scenery all the way from Kerry to Donegal, as well as a burgeoning food culture in cities such as Kilkenny and Cork.

Whether youre coming for a weekend or a week, our Top 10 guide brings together the best of everything that the city and country have to offer, from atmospheric monastic ruins and fine art to a peerless pint of Guinness or plate of prawns or oysters. The guide has useful tips throughout, from seeking out whats free to avoiding the crowds, plus five easy-to-follow itineraries designed to tie together a clutch of sights in a short space of time. Add inspiring photography and detailed maps, and youve got the essential pocket-sized travel companion. Enjoy the book, and enjoy Dublin.

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Two Days in Dublin

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Day 1

Morning

From College Green, wander through the courtyards of , choosing between Viking skeletons in the Archaeology Museum and the Dead Zoo at the Natural History Museum. Stop for lunch at the museums caf.

Afternoon

Swerve into grassy offers a quiet spot for some contemplation.

Day 2

Morning

Start with a sobering circuit of : it pays to pre-book; the first tour is at 9:45am daily (9:15am JulSep). Then stroll the tree-lined avenue to Kilmainham Hospital, for cutting-edge art at IMMA. Its basement caf is great for lunch.

Afternoon

Its a shortish walk to the has miles of wandering and a monumental free storehouse of manuscripts and decorative arts.

The Guinness Storehouse is the best place to learn all about Irelands national drink.

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Seven Days in Ireland

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Day 1 and 2

Follow the two-day Dublin itinerary.

Day 3

Wicklow Mountains

For a hit of wild hills, head south into County Wicklow, spending a morning at fountain-sprinkled , with its brace of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Day 4

Cork

Irelands second , treating yourself to super-fresh shellfish on the multicoloured seafront.

Day 5

Killarney

Forty square miles of lakes, mountains and marauding red deer await in Killarney National Park the way to see it all is by taking a jaunt in a car, or a traditional pony-and-trap (see has good options for dinner and digs.

Day 6

Dingle Peninsula

The Ring of Kerry has endless dramatic driving, and a loop around the Dingle Peninsula gives a great flavour, taking in ocean views, early Christian relics and lunch at Dingles .

Day 7

Galway City

The cobbled city of is full of live music and bustling pubs it even has its own Latin Quarter.

Visitors sitting outside Quays Bar in Galway City.

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Top 10 Dublin Highlights

The magnificent Long Room at Trinity Colleges Old Library, Dublin

Top 10 Dublin Highlights

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TRINITY COLLEGE

Trinity College is Dublins most famous educational institution and, since its foundation in the 16th century, has produced many impressive alumni, including Jonathan Swift, William Congreve, Oliver Goldsmith, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett. Entering through the colleges West Front is like walking into a bucolic time-warp: a cobbled quadrangle, smooth green lawns and an array of fine 18th- and 19th-century buildings. A number of the buildings are open to the public, the most outstanding being the Old Library, home to one of the countrys greatest treasures, the Book of Kells.

Students in the quadrangle, Trinity College

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