Europe, Ireland

3 Hours in Dublin: What to see during a layover in Dublin

When you have a few hours to kill in the capital city of Ireland, why not make the best of it? I was invited to the LinkedIn EMEA HQ in Dublin this September and had about 3 hours of time in the morning before I had to take my flight back home. To save you time and effort, I did the research for you and found the 6 best things to do in Dublin in a short period of time. Layover in Dublin? Time to kill in Dublin? Want to see Dublin in a short amount of time? I got you covered.

 

  1. St Stephen’s Green

Coming from the South side of the river where my hotel was, I started my 3 hours in Dublin at St Stephen’s Green, a park with beautiful flowers, the greenest grass, a small lake and a lot of birds right in the middle of Dublin. The relaxed vibe and and beautiful colours of the flowers made it the perfect start of my tour through Dublin. St Stephen's Green Dublin Hashtag Explorers Ireland Park

  1. Trinity College

Trinity College is Dublin’s most renowned university. With its beautiful, old buildings and Harry Potteresque vibe, it is a must-visit when in Dublin. If you like British student cities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Leeds, you will surely enjoy Dublin and Trinity College too!

Trinity College Dublin Hashtag Explorers Ireland

  1. Trinity College Library + Book of Kells

When visiting Trinity College, make sure to get yourself a ticket to the Trinity College Library, so you can take a look at one of the oldest books in the world: the Book of Kells. Even though the room this book is held in, together with three other old books, is mostly crawling with tourists and looking at a book behind glass is really not that spectacular, bear with me. Go upstairs to admire “The Long Room”. This is the old library and it is absolutely spectacular.

Trinity College Library Long Room Dublin Hashtag Explorers Ireland

An adult ticket is €18, but if you still have a student card like me, you can get in for a mere €11.

#Explorers tip: Don’t wait in line to buy a ticket to go inside. Either buy a ticket online, or go to the vending machine just on the other side of the courtyard. In the image below, I marked the library blue and the ticket machine red.

Dublin Trinity College Library Ticket Don't Wait in Line Hashtag Explorers

  1. George’s Street Arcade

From Trinity College, you are only a short walk away from the George’s Street Arcade. There is a little market hid inside. There’s nothing special about the market itself, but the front of the arcade is pretty and the area surrounding it is a shopping area. The best thing about it, is that I found a hidden lunch gem on the way here.

George's Street Arcade Dublin Hashtag Explorers Ireland

#Explorers Tip: Just across from the George’s Street Arcade in Dublin, you will find Industry & Co. At first, I thought it was a shop with cutesy stuff for your home, but then I noticed the fresh salads and pastries on the side of the shop. That made me do a 180 and head right inside. I had the soup of the day for only €5,50, but I was also in doubt to get a small salad for €4,75. When you pick the small salad, you can choose two different salads that they will mix. And I can tell you, they all looked amazing. But why trust me on my word, check out the picture below.

Industry Café

Address: 41 a/b, Drury St, Dublin

Industry Café Dublin Hashtag Explorers Ireland Lunch Salad

  1. Dublin Castle

After having lunch and walking through the George’s Street Arcade, I continued my way towards Dublin Castle. By then I had about only 45 minutes left before I the desired time to head to the airport. However, I was determined to see something of this castle. Upon arrival it seemed like I couldn’t see anything of the castle unless I would pay for a tour, which I did not have time for. Disappointed, I was about to leave.

 

However, when you head out of the ticket office, take a right turn and keep on walking. After you have left the courtyard and passed underneath the arcade, you will see the tower of the castle on your right. You can actually walk all the way around it and even visit the small castle garden -all for free.

Dublin Castle Hashtag Explorers Ireland

  1. The Temple Bar

Last but not least, before you head back to the airport, visit The Temple Bar. Don’t get confused now! The Irish apparently named the whole bar area in Dublin Temple Bar. However, there is only one THE Temple Bar, which is red on the outside and covered in flowers. Surrounded by cobblestones, it makes for the perfect picture -if you manage to dodge the many tourists.

The Temple Bar Dublin Ireland Hashtag Explorers

Excited to visit Dublin now? Let me know what your favourite spots in Dublin are in the comments below!

Want to visit a beach rather than a city? Check out my blog about the Top 12 Tourist Highlights you need to see on Malta!

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Melissa is the founder of Hashtag Explorers. She is a Dutch, enthusiastic, and open-minded world traveller. Melissa enjoys her time researching new travel destinations, kickboxing, singing or horse back riding. Her strong desire to experience new cultures and meet new people has led to creating #Explorers. If you cannot find her in The Hague, where she is working as a civil servant, she is probably exploring the rest of the world, where she is reliving memories from the times she lived in Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Singapore, and Malta.

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