Dublin

14 Henrietta Street

Many Dubliners lived in buildings like this. Built in the 1740s, its first occupant was Lord Viscount Molesworth and his family, and after him came a series of Right Honorable This and Viscount That and Bishop of Wherever. But the union with England in 1801 drained power and money to London, and the neighbourhood went downhill. Rural folk flocked to Dublin after the famine, so the building was broken up into tenements, with 100 living here. From the 1930s the inner city drained out to new suburbs, and No 14 fell derelict in 1970 before being preserved. Visit by guided tour.

Wed-Sun 10AM-4PM·Adult €10, conc €8, child €6

Abbey Theatre

National Theatre of Ireland

Opened in 1904, and always at the centre of the Irish drama scene, the Abbey is a good venue for catching local playwrights' work but with a global repertoire. It's intended to replace the current building with two new theatres fronting onto the Liffey. This will mean a lengthy closure, but the work has not started.

Against the Grain

Owned by a Galway brewery, this has a wide variety of Irish micro-brews and world beers. No generic commercial beers on tap. A vibrant pub with an eclectic clientele.

Wed-Fri 4PM-midnight, Sat noon-1AM, Sun 1-11:30PM

Bad Ass Café

Modern pub and entertainment venue for US-themed food, plus trad Irish beer and live music.

Mon–Thu noon–11:30PM, Fri noon–1:30AM, Sat–Sun 9AM–1:30AM

Bang Restaurant

A great cosmopolitan menu. Not cheap, but food and presentation is excellent.

Mon–Tue 5–9:30PM, Wed-Fri noon–3PM and 5–9:30PM, Sat 1–4PM and 4–10:30PM

Bewley's Café

Grand stylish coffee shop, a Dublin institution. It's had some famous regular customers, from Joyce to Geldof, but they'll make you feel just as important.

Mon–Fri 8AM–6:30PM, Sat–Sun 9AM–6:30PM

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

Grand Canal Theatre

The theatre offers a wide range of shows featuring ballet, musicals, family shows, drama, concerts, comedy and opera. With a 2100-seater auditorium, the building was designed by Daniel Libeskind and completed in 2010.

Brasserie Sixty6

Large, stylish modern European restaurant gets good reviews for food, service and atmosphere.

Tue–Wed 5–9PM, Thu–Sat noon–10:30PM, Sun 10AM–8PM

Bruxelles

Lively pub founded in 1886. Spread over 3 bars the music is loud and the atmosphere is buzzing. Outside is a statue of Phil Lynott, from Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. For metal, rock and indie music go downstairs.

Sun-Wed noon-1AM, Fri Sat noon-2AM

Butlers Chocolate Café

Chain of chocolate-themed cafes, Wicklow Street is the original outlet. There are three others in city centre, plus airside in T1 and T2 at the airport. They also ship orders.

Mon–Sat 7:30AM–7PM, Sun 10AM–7PM

Caketopia

Artisan home-made cakes for any occasion for collection or delivery all over Dublin and surrounding areas.

Cakes starting at 70€ serving up to 10 people

Christ Church Cathedral

Holy Trinity

A wooden church was built by the Vikings around 1030, and the first stone church was from the 1180s. So this is the oldest building in Dublin, though it underwent a massive restoration in the 1870s. It became Protestant under Henty VIII, apart from a brief Roman Catholic interlude in 1690 when the exiled James II was campaigning in Ireland, and the Vatican still claims it. The oldest part is the large crypt, where amongst the items on display are a mummified cat and rat, which got themselves stuck in the church organ in the 19th century.

Apr-Sep Mon-Sat 9:30AM-7PM, Sun 12:30-14:30PM & 4:30-7PM; Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5PM, Sun 12:30-2:30PM·Adult €11.50, conc €10, child €4

Cornucopia

Smart modern restaurant for vegan and other wholefood options.

Mon–Fri 8AM–9:30PM, Sat–Sun 9AM–8:30PM

Croke Park Stadium

This stages Gaelic football and hurling for Dublin County GAA and national competitions, with a playing season April-Sep. The stadium has a capacity of 82,300 yet you may struggle to get tickets for big games. Tours of the stadium and GAA museum are also available, including a chance to try out these sports. You can also take the "skyline walk" across the stadium roof.

Dawson Lounge

Probably Dublin's smallest pub - 20 customers and it's packed.

Mon-Thu 4-11:30PM, Fri Sat noon-12:30AM, Sun 12:30-11PM

Dublin Castle

Former seat of British rule in Ireland. The guided tour takes in the medieval basements and Chapel Royal, then you see the State Apartments in your own time. You can skip the tour and just see the apartments for less.

Daily 10AM-5:15PM·Guided tour €12, apartments alone €8

Dublin Zoo

Opened in 1830 and extended in 1997, this Zoo has a dozen habitats and is the largest in Ireland.

Daily 9:30AM-6PM·Adult €24, conc or child €18

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

Over the centuries more than 10 million people emigrated from Ireland; this is the story of why they left, where they went and how they shaped the world.

Daily 10AM-5PM·Adult €21, child 6-12 €10.50, teen 13-17 €14.50, under 5s free, senior €19

Fire Steakhouse

Casual dining restaurant in the former Supper Room of the Lord Mayor.

Mon–Fri 5–9:30PM, Sat–Sun 1–9PM

Frank Ryans

This pub and pizzeria has friendly bar staff and a mixed crowd of students, law types, trendies and locals. Expect weekly trad nights interspersed with Rockabilly, Country and Soul on the jukebox.

Mon-Sat 4-11:30PM, Sun 6-11PM

GPO Museum

The GPO is the headquarters of the Post Office in Ireland, built in Neo-Classical style 1814-1818. In 1916 it was occupied by Irish rebels led by PH Pearse, who read the Proclamation of the Republic outside the front door of the building. The interior was burnt out by shelling from government forces against the rebels, but the exterior survived. Subsequently the GPO was restored, reopening in 1929, and remains a busy working post office. The museum within it is a multimedia exploration of the Easter Rising.

Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM·Adult €17, conc €15, child €8.50

Gaiety Theatre

Founded in 1871 so this is the oldest continually operating theatre in Dublin. It hosts popular musical shows, opera, ballet, dance and drama.

Gallagher's Boxty House

Good traditional Irish fare and not expensive. A boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake filled and rolled up. Also try the Irish stew and the chowder. Small, friendly, traditional Irish decor.

Daily 9AM–10PM

Gate Theatre

This has a focus on European and American theatre ranging from classics to modern plays. It was established as a theatre company in 1928 by Hilton Edward and Micheál MacLiammóir.

Glasnevin Cemetery

Reilig Ghlas Naíon

This opened as an RC cemetery in 1832, in an era when the Catholics weren't allowed their own parish churches, and their burials were begrudged affairs in Protestant ground. Glasnevin has grown and grown, expanding south across Finglas road into the St Paul's section, but the famous names are north side. You can visit the cemetery free, but to make sense of it go to the visitor centre (daily 10AM-5PM, closed M Tu in winter). Walking tours visit the graves of Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera and many others of historic or architectural interest. A back gate connects to the Botanic Gardens.

Daily 9AM-5PM·Tour adult €14, conc or child €12

Green on Red Gallery

Commercial gallery exhibiting Irish and international modern art.

Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM·Free

Grogan's

Castle Lounge

Wonderful trad pub, no music or TV. Great Guinness and a mixture of tourists and locals, with a hotchpotch of interesting art on the walls.

Mon-Thu 10:30AM-11:30PM, Fri Sat 10:30AM-12:30AM, Sun 12:30-11PM

Guinness Storehouse

Guinness is brewed in 49 countries and Ireland just happens to be one of them. The St James Gate brewery is still in production, now part of Diageo, and this vast storehouse has become an exhibition (self-guided) on the drink and the Guinness family. Price of entry includes a pint at the seventh floor Gravity Bar, which forms the head of the giant pint of stout formed by the atrium. Outside, touristy-trappy horse-drawn carriages ply for hire, but a stretch limo for the 2 km ride back to city centre might be cheaper.

Sun-Thu 9:30AM-5PM, Fri Sat 9:30AM-6PM·Adult €26, child €10

Hartigan's

Popular student bar, good choice after international rugby matches.

Mon-Thu 12:30-11:30PM, Fri Sat 12:30-12:30AM

Hugh Lane Gallery

Sir Hugh Lane (1875-1915) was one of the first collectors of modern art. He died in the sinking of Lusitania and this public gallery reflects his Will, which involved about as much negotiation, fudge and compromise as the Treaty for Irish independence. The permanent exhibitions are mostly contemporary Irish artists, plus Francis Bacon's studio, relocated from London in 2001. Charlemont House was built in 1763 and in 1929 its gardens were built over to create the gallery, which is wheelchair accessible.

Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 11AM-5PM·Free