Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [83]
Recommended agencies:
Belgrave Agency ( 280 9341; 55 Mulgrave St, Dun Laoghaire; fee per hr €18)
Executive Nannies (Map; 873 1273; 43 Lower Dominick St; fee per hr €20)
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TOURS
Dublin is an easy city to see on foot, so a guided walking tour is an ideal way to double up on a bit of culture and exercise. For longer tours or a cushier ride, there are numerous themed citywide bus tours, and several companies also do day trips further afield.
Bus Tours
City Sightseeing (Map; www.city-sightseeing.com; Dublin Tourism, 14 Upper O’Connell St; adult/child/family €15.50/7/38; every 8-15min 9am-6pm) City Sightseeing’s time-tested hop-on, hop-off open-top tours. Allow 1½ hours.
Dublin Bus Tours (www.dublinbus.ie; tours €15-25; tours daily) O’Connell St (Map; 872 0000; 59 Upper O’Connell St); Suffolk St (Map; Dublin Tourism Centre, St Andrew’s Church, 2 Suffolk St) Offers a variety of tours, including Dublin City Tour, Ghost Bus Tour, Coast and Castles Tour, and South Coast and Gardens Tour.
Dublin Rock’n’Roll Writers Bus Tour (Map; 620 3929; www.dublinrocktours.ie; 3 Westmoreland St; tours €15; noon, 2pm, 4pm & 6pm Wed-Sun) Dublin’s rich rock legacy is explored audiovisually from the comfort of a kitted-out tour bus. The bus stop is outside O’Brien’s sandwich shop on Westmoreland St; the tour lasts about 90 minutes.
Gray Line Dublin Tour ( 872 9010; www.irishcitytours.com; adult/child/student/senior/family €15.50/7/13/13/38; every 15min 9.30am-5.30pm, to 6.30pm Jul & Aug) Bachelor’s Walk (Map; 33 Bachelor’s Walk); Suffolk St (Map; Dublin Tourism Centre, St Andrew’s Church, 2 Suffolk St) Another hop-on, hop-off tour (1½ hours) of the city’s primary attractions.
Wild Wicklow Tour (Map; 280 1899; www.discoverdublin.ie; Dublin Tourism Centre, St Andrew’s Church, 2 Suffolk St; adult/child €28/25; 9.10am) Award-winning and lots of fun, this top 8½-hour tour leaves from Dublin Tourism Centre and does a quick city run before heading down the coast to Avoca Handweavers, Glendalough and the Sally Gap.
Walking Tours
1916 Easter Rising Walk (Map; 676 2493; www.1916rising.com; International Bar, 23 Wicklow St; adult/child €12/free; 11.30am Mon-Sat, 1pm Sun Mar-Oct) A recommended two-hour tour run by graduates of Trinity College, it takes in parts of Dublin that were directly involved in the Easter Rising. Leaves from the International Bar.
Dublin Footsteps Walking Tours (Map; 496 0641; Bewley’s Bldg, Grafton St; adult €10; 10.30am Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat Jun-Sep) Departing from Bewley’s on Grafton St, these excellent two-hour tours weave Georgian, literary and architectural Dublin into a fascinating walk.
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (Map; 670 5602; www.dublinpubcrawl.com; The Duke, 9 Duke St; adult/student €12/10; 7.30pm Mon-Sat, noon & 7.30pm Sun Apr-Nov, 7.30pm Thu-Sun Dec-Mar) An award-winning 2½-hour walk-and-performance tour led by two actors, exploring pubs with literary connections. There’s plenty of drink taken, which makes it all the more popular; get to the Duke pub by 7pm to reserve a spot.
Dublin Musical Pub Crawl (Map; 478 0193; www.discoverdublin.com; Oliver St John Gogarty’s, 58-59 Fleet St; adult/student €12/10; 7.30pm Apr-Oct, 7.30pm Thu-Sat Nov-Mar) The story of Irish traditional music and its influence on contemporary styles is explained and demonstrated by two expert musicians in a number of Temple Bar pubs. Tours meet upstairs at Oliver St John Gogarty’s and take 2½ hours.
James Joyce Walking Tour (Map; 878 8547; James Joyce Cultural Centre, 35 North Great George’s St; adult/student €10/8; 2pm Tue, Thu & Sat) Excellent 1¼-hour walking tours of northside attractions associated with James Joyce, departing from James Joyce Cultural Centre.
Pat Liddy Walking Tours (Map; 831 1109; www.walkingtours.ie; Dublin Tourism Centre, St Andrew’s Church, 2 Suffolk St; adult €6-22, child €5-20) Award-winning themed tours of the city by well-known Dublin historian Pat Liddy, ranging from the