Hello, We are traveling with our two children (18 & 12) to Europe in late June and stopping in Dublin for 1.5 days. Could you suggest some hilights to be sure we see as well as a B & B stay that is central and will give us a good night's sleep? Thank you!
Posted by
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
255 posts
Stay at the Maldron Hotel, a 15 minute walk to Temple Bar area and since you are very limited time wise take the Hop on hop off bus and see the sights where it takes you. Covers just about everything.
Posted by
OP
28 posts
I was hoping for a suggestion for a cozy, quaint B & B.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
If you want something centrally located, you aren't going to find a B&B. You might look at the Glen Guesthouse, which is on Gardiner St, close to the town center and across the bridge from the Temple Bar area. Their website is www.glenguesthouse.com
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15781 posts
Dublinia is a very hands-on museum about the Viking settlement, good for kids and adults. There's a Viking tour bus that looks pretty corny (kids wear Viking helmets) and you may get splashed on the ride, but it seems that everyone has a good time. My 70+ friend took her teen granddaughters on it this summer and they all loved it.
The national archaeology museum is very interesting, and free. There's a leprechaun museum (guided visit in small groups) that's a bit kitschy but the guide I had this summer was excellent, the folklore was interesting and enjoyable, and the kids on my tour had a lot of fun.
Another great thing to do is the Literary Pub Crawl (kids welcome) in the evening.
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
1806 posts
As mentioned, quaint B&Bs are further out from the center of Dublin. With such a short stay, you don't want to waste time in transit getting to the tourist sites you'll want to visit. Trinity College (which is a very historic site in itself - and contains the Book of Kells) offers accommodation to tourists during the summer. They vary from twin ensuite rooms (you can contact them about getting adjacent rooms for your teen & pre-teen) which are located right in the historic part of the campus to apartments located nearby. When I stayed in one of Trinity's ensuite rooms in the middle of the campus, breakfast was included in the rate (continental was free or you could upgrade to a full hot breakfast for a few Euro and the dining hall looked like the set for Hogwart's in the Harry Potter movies). You can't get more central in Dublin than Trinity College - you are easily within walking distance to Grafton and O'Connell Streets, St. Stephen's Green, Merrion Square and Temple Bar. Your family might enjoy Kilmainham Gaol. The National Museum of Ireland features an exhibit of bog bodies (similar to mummies) that the kids would like, and St. Michan's Church offers a tour of the crypt underneath the church which also has some bog bodies (that aren't encased in glass) that's fun to see.