Where Mac Went

Guinness Storehouse

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Christ Church Cathedral

Ultimate 3-Day Ireland Itinerary: From Dublin Landmarks to Cliffs of Moher & Guinness Brewery

Day 1 – Arriving in Dublin

We arrived to Dublin at 1:30pm after an easy flight from London-Heathrow. Through brief research ahead of time, I knew there was a bus that would take you from the airport to the city center and various stops. We made our way to the Aircoach and figured out what stop we needed to make it to. So for a total of €21.80, we got on the bus and took it to Morehampton Rd bus stop. It was a ~30 minute bus ride, followed by a 10 minute walk to the Airbnb.

We met our Airbnb host since we were staying in a private room in his home. When I tell you this was the loveliest host we’ve ever had, I mean it. He gave us a map of Dublin, told us about local restaurants and pubs that weren’t going to be too crowded, and how to get around the city. We dropped our bags and made our way to get some food at Searson’s. We were starving and ordered so much food and drinks, to include a wonderful seafood chowder (10 out of 10) for $104.

We then walked 20 minutes to Iveagh Gardens to stroll around. There is a fun maze, flower garden, and waterfalls surrounded by beautiful greenery here. We kept walking to St. Stephen’s Green, which was just across the street. We eventually ended up at Trinity College just 10 minutes from there. We didn’t pay for the Book of Kells Experience, though we knew it was a hot tourist experience. We walked around the college for a bit, taking in the historic buildings and cobblestone walkways.

We were pretty beat by now and needed a small dinner. We ended up at Milano (which we found out was exactly like Pizza Express from London, just with a different name). We spent $60 and had a lovely dinner by the water canal. We kept walking our 45 minute walk home and got ready for our early morning the following day.

Day 2 – First Full Day

We had tickets this day for a 13 hour bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway from the center of Dublin. This tour was the first tour I booked for this entire trip, months in advance. Tickets were $168 total, which was an insane deal considering you have transportation, tickets, and a guide along the way. We left Dublin around 7am and arrived to the Cliffs of Moher at 10:30am. It was a rainy and dreary drive there, but the guide was spectacular and told us many stories, facts, and bits of history along the way.

We completely lucked out with incredible weather at the Cliffs. It was sunny with no fog or rain – perfectly clear views of the Cliffs! We were allotted 2 hours here before having to get on the bus. It was busy, but not terrible. We were free to roam around at our own leisure, and get some snacks at the cafe and buy souvenirs. I can’t even begin to describe just how incredible the Cliffs of Moher was, and pictures don’t do it justice. The only piece of advice I can give is to DO IT!

From here, it was a 1 hour 30 minute drive to Galway. It was raining a bit in Galway and we hadn’t planned much of anything to do here other than grab some food. We went off the beaten tourist path and found Harry’s Bar for beer and burgers for $55. The food was delicious! We got some coffee, walked through the touristy streets, and got back on the bus. We made it back to Dublin after our final 2.5 hour bus ride.

Lastly, I made reservations the night before to have dinner at the Church Cafe Bar. This bar is an authentic Irish bar in an old church. The vibe was incredible and every 30 minutes, they have Irish dancers perform with an Irish band. The drinks were good, the food was okay, and the price was crazy ($138). We liked the experience but felt it was too pricey for the quality. We finally walked 40 minutes back to the Airbnb for some well-deserved rest. It was a long day, but it was worth it.

Day 3 – Second Full Day

Today’s main focus was the Guinness Storehouse. I booked 2 tickets a month in advance for $70 total. We took a FREENOW for $28 toward Guinness because it was going to be a 50 minute walk with intermittent rain. I found a lovely breakfast place called the Sunrise Cafe tucked away just a few blocks from Guinness. This was one of our favorite breakfasts – the food was great and the servers were so kind.

After eating, we walked to Guinness with our pre-booked tickets on my phone with an entry time of 10:45am. We got our free Guinness vouchers while we waited to enter the experience. Chris and I had no expectations of this place but we were immediately blown away at the detail! There were so many immersive features and eye-catching exhibits that we didn’t know how to take it all in. The Guinness Storehouse is 7 levels and each level brings something different.

The last level is the Gravity Bar where you can use your free voucher for a pint of Guinness and take in the 360-view of Dublin. We spent nearly 2.5 hours at Guinness and left with bellies full of Guinness and handfuls of souvenirs. We walked 20 minutes to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for our entry time of 2pm. I bought tickets the night before for €22. We spent no more than 20 minutes here and left – it was beautiful, but wasn’t really our jam.

There was a farmer’s market just outside the cathedral and a local art studio where we purchased some local jewelry and art pieces. We grabbed some coffee and pastries before we kept walking to Temple Bar. We didn’t want to spend €15 on a pint of Guinness, so we just walked to Temple Bar for pictures of the iconic pub and kept it moving. We walked back to the Airbnb for a small nap before getting ready for dinner. We were craving Japanese food, so we found Zakura Izakaya. For a ton of food and great service, we spent $72 and were so, so pleased. We got back to the room and packed up our suitcases for the following morning.

Day 4 – Leaving Dublin

I bought return tickets the night before for the Airbus from Morehampton to the airport for €21.60 total. We got to the airport by 8am for our 10am flight to Edinburgh.

Things to Note

  • Our favorite part of the Guinness experience was how they explained to properly drink Guinness – it really was a game changer on how to taste it properly and enjoy it!
  • Plan for a whole day dedicated to seeing the Cliffs of Moher if you are based out of Dublin – I recommend a bus tour so you don’t have to deal with driving and getting a rental car
  • Hotels were very pricey at the time we were going, so I booked our Airbnb about 5 months in advance. The longer you wait, the more expensive they get
  • Prepare with rain gear as you can guarantee there will be a sprinkle here and there
  • Avoid buying drinks at places like Temple Bar – walk down a few blocks to less crowded bars and cheaper drinks

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