Best Areas to Stay in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin’s city centre, as is to be expected, is home to some of Dublin’s oldest and liveliest neighbourhoods.

Situated on both sides of the River Liffey, Dublin City Centre is characterised by its collection of Georgian and Victorian buildings, narrow streets, shady squares and green parks.

Dublin’s Old Town, which roughly stretches from Thomas Street east to Dubh Linn Garden, is home to the city’s surviving medieval landmarks, such as Christ Church Cathedral, St. Audoen’s Church, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Dublin Castle.

One of Dublin’s most recognisable landmarks, Dublin Castle was originally built in the early 13th century on the site of an earlier Viking settlement. Until 1922 it served as the seat of the British government’s administration. Today, the castle is a major tourist attraction and hosts two museums (Garda and Revenue Museums), frequent art exhibitions and concerts. Right next to it, the Chester Beatty Library displays an exceptional collection of rare manuscripts and works of art.

Further east lies the impressive Trinity College Dublin. Established in 1592 and regarded as one of Europe’s elite universities, this elegant campus is home to several museums and the impressive Old Library, which displays the famous Book of Kells, a 9th-century manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament.

The area between the Trinity campus and the castle is Dublin’s commercial core. This area, which stands out for its lovely Georgian and Victorian buildings, is home to the city’s main shopping streets such as Grafton Street and Kings Street.

Nearby, the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin’s main art institution, offers an impressive collection of European art from the 14th to the 20th century. Meanwhile, the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology is home to Bronze Age, Viking and Medieval artefacts, and also has a small Egyptian collection.

North of this area lies Temple Bar, Dublin’s most famous nightlife area. We’ll cover that area below.

The Guinness Storehouse, located west of the Old Town is Dublin’s most visited tourist attraction. Here, you can learn everything you always wanted to known about Ireland’s most famous beer. Book skip-the-queue tickets for the Guinness Storehouse here.

North of the River Liffey you’ll find Dublin’s hip up-and-coming areas like Smithfield and Stoneybatter, former industrial districts turned into creative hubs home to the local hipsters.

The Northside is also home to tourist attractions such as Phoenix Park, the Jameson Distillery, The Custom House or EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum.

Dublin City Centre is vibrant and compact enough that you can easily get around on foot. If you prefer to use public transport, the area is served by buses, the Luas and commuter train services.

Heuston Station, Dublin’s main Intercity train station, is located west of the city centre.

Dublin’s Temple Bar area is one of the best-known neighbourhoods of the Irish capital.

This lively nightlife district is located in the heart of Dublin, on the south bank of River Liffey and is one of the oldest parts of Dublin.

Temple Bar is mostly famous for its large concentration of pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants and, as such, is the best area to stay in Dublin for nightlife.

The nightlife scene in Temple Bar is quite varied and caters to all types of people. While traditional Irish pubs are very popular, this area is also home to several live music spots, posh cocktail bars, and old industrial warehouses turned into nightclubs and concert venues.

Temple Bar is also home to the main LGBTQ nightlife area in Dublin. Located on South Great George’s Street and founded in 1985, The George (Ireland’s oldest gay club) has been a haven for the queer community long before homosexuality was even legal in Ireland.

Temple Bar is also considered Dublin’s restaurant area par excellence. Here, you can find anything from traditional Irish to the most exclusive seafood restaurants, greasy spoons, fast-food joints international eateries and everything in between.

Because Temple Bar is a lively fashionable area in the centre of Dublin, its accommodation offer is very varied. Here, you can find lots of midrange and luxury hotels, exclusive tourist apartments and quite a few trendy hostels and inns.

Opened to the public in 1880, Saint Stephen’s Green is a garden located in Dublin City Centre.

This lovely city park is the largest of Dublin’s main Georgian squares. Others include nearby Fitzwilliam Square and Merrion Square.

Saint Stephen’s Green, locally known simply as Stephen’s Green is very close to Dublin’s main shopping streets like Grafton Street and adjacent to Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, one of the most popular malls in town.

Set in the heart of Georgian Dublin, the neighbourhoods surrounding this park are some of the most exclusive in the Irish capital. As a result, this area hosts a lot of luxurious hotels and upscale tourist apartments.

This area is also considered Dublin’s cultural hub; home to many museums, art galleries and concert halls. Some of the most important tourist attractions in this area include the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, The Little Museum of Dublin, the Museum of Literature Ireland and the National Concert Hall.

The Portobello district, southwest of the Green, is Dublin’s Jewish Quarter and a lively food and nightlife area.

Saint Stephen’s Green is very central and well-connected by the Luas system. Walking from this area to Temple Bar shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.

Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) is a business district created in the late 1980s to accommodate the city’s booming financial and technology industries.

This business centre, located in the North Wall area, near the port, quickly became one of the fastest-growing districts in Dublin and included congress venues, office towers, retail spaces and leisure areas.

The IFSC is also home to some attractions such as the Irish Emigration Museum, the Jeanie Johnston ship and Samuel Beckett Bridge.

In the last two decades, Dublin’s business district has expanded further east and south.

As a result, the Dublin Docklands have seen many new developments and avant-garde office towers, modern squares, shopping centres and cultural landmarks have opened everywhere in the district.

As it couldn’t be otherwise, The Docklands are home to some of Dublin’s top-rated business hotels and upscale modern tourist apartments.

The whole Docklands area is extremely well-served by Dublin’s public transport network; Connolly Station, located west offers commuter and Dart railway services and the Red Line of the Luas goes through the IFSC. The area around the Grand Canal also has train links.

As an added bonus, the Docklands area is very close to the Port of Dublin and its many passenger terminals, so it’s a great area to stay if you’re planning to take a cruise or a ferry.

The Dublin Docklands is the best area to stay in Dublin for business travellers.

Smithfield and Stoneybatter are located very close to Dublin City Centre, north of the River Liffey and directly east of Phoenix Park.

These Northside neighbourhoods, traditionally regarded as working-class, industrial areas are now considered Dublin’s creative epicentre.

Smithfield is the area closest to the river. This revitalised industrial district is known for landmarks such as the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery, the Observation Tower and the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History.

Further north lies Stoneybatter, Dublin’s “hipster quarter.” Like many other alternative districts around the world, this area has gone through a gentrification process to become one of the most desirable districts in Dublin, especially among young people.

Oftentimes called “the ’Batter,” this up-and-coming district is the place to go for ethnic food, thrift shopping, cool cafés, speciality stores and anything hipster-related.

West of Stoneybatter lies the massive Phoenix Park. Its 707 hectares make it the largest enclosed city park in Europe. Phoenix Park contains large areas of grassland, tree-lined avenues, wild fallow deer and a number of stately homes, including the Irish president’s home (Áras an Uachtaráin), Farmleigh House and the US Ambassador’s residence.

Smithfield is connected to the rest of Dublin through Museum station (Luas Red Line) and is also within walking distance from Heuston Station (located on the other side of the river). The easiest way to get around Stoneybatter is by bus or taxi.

Ballsbridge is located southeast of Dublin City Centre.

This upscale area is known for its many shady parks, stately homes, embassies and business centres.

At its centre lies Herbert Park. This massive green space was home to the 1907 Irish International Exhibition and is one of Dublin’s most beautiful urban parks. It includes playgrounds, several formal gardens, sports facilities and a large duck pond.

Ailesbury Road, one of the most expensive streets in the world, is home to several embassies and diplomatic bodies. Nearby, the Embassy of the United States of America is a notable landmark thanks to its avant-garde cylindrical shape.

The RDS Arena holds major sporting and music events, while nearby Aviva Stadium is used for football and rugby matches, as well as large concerts.

Several big technology companies like Facebook and Google have campuses in Ballsbridge or nearby.

The DART train network (Lansdowne Road and Sandymount stations) connects the eastern part of Ballsbridge to the rest of Dublin and beyond.

Drumcondra is a mainly residential suburb located in Northside Dublin.

Drumcondra’s main tourist attraction is probably Croke Park. With over 82,000 seats, this major stadium is the largest sports venue in Ireland and hosts GAA (Gaelic football, hurling, handball and camogie) events from April to September.

The Croke Park complex is also home to the GAA Museum, the Irish Handball Centre and a 4-star hotel (The Croke Park Hotel).

A couple of kilometres northwest of Croke Park lie the National Botanic Gardens. This lovely park offers hundreds of local and exotic plants, Victorian gardens, an arboretum and a greenhouse.

Drumcondra Station, located a few blocks west of the stadium, offers commuter services to Connolly Station and Phoenix Park. For Central Dublin destinations, there are several bus stops along the main thoroughfares like Drumcondra Rd. or Botanic Rd.

Drumcondra is not the most centrally-located district on this list of the best areas to stay in Dublin. That said, this neighbourhood offers cheap accommodation, a quiet suburban atmosphere and is a great district to stay in the Irish capital for Gaelic sports fans.

Rathmines is an inner suburb in Dublin’s Southside.

It is located about 3 kilometres south of the City Centre.

Traditionally a lower-middle-class suburb, in recent times, the area has gone through a gentrification process to become one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse areas in the Irish capital.

Rathmines is home to a few local attractions such as the Cathal Brugha Barracks, the Rathmines Library and the Church of Mary Immaculate.

To move around the area and reach Dublin City Centre, Rathmines is served by the Luas light rail system and there are several bus lines also covering the area.

Dublin Airport is the airport serving the city of Dublin. It is located in Collinstown, 7 km north of Dublin City Centre.

This major international airport, the busiest in Ireland and one of the busiest in the European Union, serves as the main hub for several airlines including the Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus and low-cost airline Ryanair.

This airport offers a wide variety of short and medium-haul flights, as well as a growing long-haul network focused mainly on North American and Middle East destinations.

Serving as the main gateway to Europe to thousands of people arriving from the US and Canada, the area around Dublin Airport is the best location to stay in Dublin during a layover.