The botanic gardens in Glasnevin, a few kilometres north of city is beautiful and free to visit. Right next door to it is Glasnevin cemetery final resting place of patriots, writers, politicians and ordinary Dubliners. Excellent guided tours are about €8.
Conde Nast, an American magazine, has just published their top ten 2018 friendly cities. Three Irish cities -Galway ,Cork and Dublin -were the only ones chosen in Europe. Americans are found all over Ireland as many of them hire cars and they see wonderful historical buildings. The countryside is beautiful and the Wild Atlantic Way is 2000 miles of coast in the west of the country. Last year three areas were chosen for part of Star Wars, the previous year was only on the majestic Skellig Rock. Almost everybody in Ireland has been to America so they are very used to the people of that great country. www.rte.ie is a the main Irish TV and radio website.
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Imagine the outcry were this an article on India, and it suggested going to an Irish pub to eat!
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Just walk around Dublin. It's a treat in itself.
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The Chester Beatty Library, on the grounds of Dublin Castle, is another must-see in my view - and admission is free! The collection includes an incredible array of ancient fragments and manuscripts, with particular strengths in East Asian and Islamic works as well as the earliest known copies of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.
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It’s a great article but there are quite a few things that are worth seeing in Dublin for free or for very little. The Chester Beatty Library as mentioned above is a gem containing a fantastic collection of oriental art and also some of the oldest existing copies of the New Testament existing It is free to visit and it is housed in Dublin Castle. The Castle is also well worth a visit. It was the seat of power in Ireland for about 600 years, a family ticket to visit is only about €17. St Patrick’s Cathedral is nearby and is worth a visit, there’s a small entry charge but try to schedule your visit around a concert, exhibition or educational tour. Around the corner is another gem, Marsh’s Library a beautifully preserved early 17th century lending library. Opening hours are a bit restricted but fairly cheap guided tours are available and are worth trying out. The National Museums are amazing and are worth visiting but so is the National Gallery on Merrion square. All are free to visit. When you are down there you can see Oscar Wilde’s birthplace and the polychrome sculpture of him in Merrion Square. On the Northside it is really worth visiting the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square, again free to visit, which contains a fantastic collection of impressionist paintings. There are dozens of other little gems around every corner although commercial areas are beginning to look like every other city. You won’t struggle to find a Starbucks but there are plenty of other options.
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@Joe Harbison Another library rarely mentioned but definitely worth a visit is Marsh's library, one of the first true public libraries in the world. A classic library of the early enlightenment, when it opened to the public in 1707 it was the first public library in Ireland. It was built to the order of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh and has a collection of over 25,000 books and 300 manuscripts.
It still has its original fittings, seating and shelving, with bookcases of Baltic oak with carved and lettered gables, some with bullet holes from the Easter Rising from the siege of a strongpoint at the hotel next door.
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Kilmainham Gaol is my favourite tourist attraction in Dublin. Its €5 to get in, and by far the most interesting historical tour. You must go to the Gaol. Its also really interesting to go to in May. My friend and I went, unbeknownst to us, on the anniversary of the execution of James Connolly.
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Don't miss the Little Museum of Dublin, a museum about modern Dublin you can cover in a couple of hours and it has a wry sense of humor. Right by Stephen's Green as well as Hatch and Sons, a nice place for lunch. For dinner I recommend Hugo's and Roly's Bistro in Ballsbridge. Not cheap but delicious.
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If you really want a flavour of Dublin on the cheap, good God, go to James Joyce Center: http://jamesjoyce.ie/visit/hours-admission/ (for 4.50 euros - nice self tour around the place) as well as the Hugh Lane Gallery: http://www.hughlane.ie/ (FREE admission with not only some really exceptional art works past and present but the Francis Bacon studio). If want a bit of seaside - take the Dart to any number of places (end of line Howth) and discover lovely artsy enclaves that you can walk around (and get some sea air)...
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You didn't mention the Chester Beatty Library. A terrific site right behind Dublin Castle.
Worth a visit for sure.
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Gotta include Rosie’s Cafe high on the list. It’s great for breakfast and lunch. Everything is homemade and delicious.
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I had the good fortune to visit Dublin in 1996 (hard to believe over two decades ago!) and absolutely loved it. It's such a compact, walkable city with beautiful architecture and lovely people. I always recommend it to friends who are planning their first trip to Europe.
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Free stuff in Dublin:
-The National Museum (the treasures are amazing)
-The National Gallery (Caravaggio, see Jack Yeats & the greatest stained glass artist of them all; Harry Clarke)
-The Chester Beatty Library (absolute gem; world-class collection of historical Korans)
-Walking through Trinity (gorgeous oasis in the heart of town)
-Walking on a literary tour (follow Joyce, Shaw, Beckett, Wilde through town).
-Walking through Georgian South Dublin (Merrion Sq.) spotting blue plaques on houses commemorating more famous people than you can shake a stick at.
-Science stuff: Broom Bridge where Hamilton (that Hamilton) carved the solution to quaternions into the stone at his eureka moment.
Worth it stuff:
Patrick's Cathedral (home of Jonathan Swift- the original great satirist)
A pint in the Brazen Head- the oldest (medieval) pub in Dublin.
Environs:
Powerscourt Gardens: Bus from town to Enniskerry. Gorgeous village in the Dublin mountains then walk up a steep hill to one of the world's great gardens.
Newgrange/Knowth/Dowth: The greatest concentration of prehistoric burial mounds/complex outside Egypt. Incredible structures, astronomically aligned and 5000-5,5000yrs old. The original great cathedrals.
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@A Professor With Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange be aware that visitor numbers are limited and times - get there early, especially in summer. The recent drought has caused new passage graves and a henge to be discovered at Knowth/Dowth.
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When I was a student at Trinity College long ago, I would help out the occasional American tourist in line for the Book of Kells (Trinity students could get into the library and the Kells exhibit for free with their ID, including guests); it was always nice to have a chance just to walk through that library between classes.
Also, not sure if it’s still the case but anyone could eat in the lovely Georgian dining hall under the portraits of wigged scholars, and the buttery underneath was the cheapest place around to grab a pint. So for a real cheapskate/frugal experience, befriend a TCD student and then see the Book of Kells.
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Real cheapskates will be thrilled to hear they don't need to travel to Dublin to enjoy Guinness beer. Opening today, Friday, August 3 (or so the website says) is the Baltimore Guinness Brewery.
Steve Solosky
www.travelingprofessor.com
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You neglected to visit such historic saloons such as MDaid's. where Brendan Behan held court, and Neary's frequened by the actors who perform at the Gaity theatre.
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I can't believe you didn't include the Brazen Head which is Dublin's oldest pub dating back to the 12th Century. It's an incredible place to get a real feel for the music and vibe of Ireland. If anyone goes to Ireland, this is a MUST stop!
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The idea that Brazen head dates back to 12th century is laughable and a yarn sold to tourists. All the pubs he actually mentioned are frequented by actual Dubliners and have a low tourist to Dubliner ratio.
I’m surprised any non-tourist would visit the likes of the Brazen head or Temple bar in general.
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The main thing about Dublin is the life affirming people who are encountered for nothing.
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since the explosion of credit and the paper tiger in the mid-1990s Ireland sold off most of it's (few) material assets in country houses at inflated prices and drank itself into a tourist ether before burning in 2008, being strangled and hijacked by the IMF and €-Merkel bailouts, those with actual cash left, the Polish went home, leaving an over-inflated pnt of Guinness and faked-up castles for coachloads of American tourists on carefully chosen trails avoiding the supermarket carts in the rivers and canals, dilapidated bungalows desecrating Kerry, empty and unfinished holiday homes blighting Kinsale, ghost towns in Kildare.
i can only think of one true pub serving decent Guinness on Dublin's south side, Toner's, which, thankfully, is not for tourists. a few swish, overpriced hotels. plus ca change. as i always said when i landed back at Dublin airport (going to my penthouse - 70ft barge - on water at the Grand Canal in Kildare), twice the price, half the quality.
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While I'm sure the aforementioned Conor McHugh is great we don't have any professional players in the GAA in Ireland.
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If Conor McHugh was kicking the ball between the uprights, he was kicking points rather than goals; something Dublin footballers do far too well!
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Dublin Ireland: "But the city is victim of it's own success"
Ditto: Nashville, Portland, San Francisco, NYC, Santa Fe
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Very disappointed in this cheapskates guide. Is there nowhere in Dublin where you can buy Irish food? The thought of visiting a city so rich in history and eating at an Indian restaurant is over the top to me. A late night kebab while drunk is understandable but did nowhere offer Irish stew? What about bacon and cabbage with parsley sauce? Boxty? Champ? Sofa bread? One of the things I really like about the New York Times is its food pictures and to see an Indian meal flaunting itself in a story on Dublin is a real no, no.
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@Judy
I think you hit the wrong key: it's "soda" bread, of course, not "sofa" bread--though you can eat it while lolling on the sofa. Interestingly, soda bread in Ireland never contains raisins (at least in my experience), while in the U.S. it always does. Don't eat it here; go to Ireland.
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What is ‘Irish cuisine’ though? The dishes you mention are basically only served in Tourist traps selling a ‘image of Ireland’ — I myself (and many other Irish I suspect) would never order let alone pay for such food in a restaurant. I would also avoid said ‘tourist traps’ as they tend to be overpriced and aimed at fleecing tourists.
Zaytoon is a Dublin staple for late night post pub munchies, I’m impressed to see it mentioned in the NY Times.
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I'm an expat living in Ireland (now with dual citizenship), so I feel I know Ireland a bit, at this point. I wrote a response that was too long for this comments section (maybe I should start a travel blog! Haha!) so had to erase most of it.
Once again, an article somewhat poorly edited and though interesting, missing a great deal that would benefit the readers.
Hurling is not like lacrosse enough to not describe it better, here. As was quoted recently on Twitter when shown on British tv for the first time: it's like a mixture between lacrosse, baseball and a bar fight. There's rarely THAT much blood at a lacrosse game!
Professional assumes "paid." Gaelic football players (such as the one mentioned) are not paid. They pride themselves on being non-paid players at the highest of levels.
I talk to MANY tourists (I have a HONY style "page" where I ask tourists what they see & do, what they like and don't; and lately I worked as a consultant via Failte Ireland. Trust me: tourists hate Dublin as they continue to get ripped off!
This is ANOTHER "xyz on a budget" article that the comment section shows isn't well received or appreciated. NYTimes better get their act together and give readers what they are willing to pay for: excellent content! So you don't end up like Conde Nast.
Maybe I'll write that blogpost after all! Or send it to an outlet that actually does give budget tips to readers wanting such!
Susan Baughman
Expat in Waterville
Ring of Kerry
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Other things to do for free:
• Take a walk along the Great South Wall - sometimes called the South Bull Wall (especially fun in mild storm or gale)
• Visit the Casino at Marino - which is not a gambling casino, but a spectacular Paladian jewel €7
• go to the dogs, i.e., the Greyhound races - sadly only one track left at Shelbourne Park.
• Go to Dún Laoghaire and walk the walls of Captain Bligh's great harbour design.
• Take a swim in Joyce's "scrotum tightening sea" at the Forty Foot, women now allowed, bathing suit required, free
• Visit Iveagh Gardens, The former garden of Iveagh House
• Tour the spectacular Iveagh House, home of the foreign ministry, but before a palace built by the UK's richest man, Lord Iveagh, the original owner of Guinness during Heritage Week 18-24 August
• Wander in and out of the former bank buildings on the South Side of Dame Street and college green (and some banks) including Allied Irish (74 Dame Street), the H&M store and marvel at the opulent plaster ceilings the competing 19th century banks had.
• Visit Dublin's spectacular old city hall (Dame Street)
• National Gallery of course but also both branches of the National Museum including Collin's Barracks
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I am surprised that you highlighted the Book of Kells on a "cheapskate's guide" to Dublin. At 14 euro, it is pricey for what you see - four pages at most. Instead, I tell people to visit the Chester Beatty Library; admission is free and it has a rich collection of ancient manuscripts from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Likewise, the National Museum of Archaeology is free and fascinating - see the original Tara Brooch!
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And the bog people!
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Gaelic Games are proudly amateur sports in which you represent the county where you live or were born in front of crows up to 82,500.
Which is a long way of saying Conor McHugh is not a professional player as there is no such thing!
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@DKB. Well now, I'd have to think that if it's crows you're talking about, then crowk park can hold a lot more than 82,500, given that half of them would be hovering or under the seats pecking at the ice loll wrappers :-)
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No trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit to St Michan’s, an Anglican church on Church Street, where a young Bram Stoker may have received inspiration for his novel “Dracula”.
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There are rooms available at Trinity College itself- not sure to book since my friend did it for me- but the price to me is 67E a night.
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...and other universities as well, even cheaper!
There are also hostels that rent family rooms: great if traveling with kids.
The discounted tax for hotels is going to expire soon. So hotel prices are about to jump even more! I believe they pay 13% now when the regular tax rate is 23%. That's a big jump.
Susan
Expat in Waterville, Ireland.
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Hi Lucas. A good article but I have to point out one inacuracy. Conor McHugh, though a great player, is not a professional. The GAA has always been an amateur organisation and no players are paid, even at elite level. Most hold down full-time jobs in addition to their training and playing duties.
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The Cobblestone was a highlight of a recent trip to Dublin. My intentions were to read my favorite passage from a Sam Shepard play.This is the pub where he hung out and played live music. I didn't get a chance to read (I'll just blame the noise level) but the local patrons I met were some of the most interesting and genuine people I encountered on the entire trip. And the Guinness draft I was gifted by one of them was as good and maybe better than the pint I drank at The Gravity Bar.
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