A Dublin city break on about 70 EUR per person per day is realistic. The formula: sleep in The Liberties, walk instead of riding (the center is compact enough), build days around free anchors like Dublin Castle / Christ Church Cathedral, and eat where the locals do. Getting in from the airport is cheap too: Dublin Airport has no rail or tram link, so the fastest way in is a coach. The Airlink 700, Aircoach and Dublin Express all run from the terminals to the city centre in about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic, for roughly 7 to 12 EUR one way, with departures every 10 to 20 minutes through the day. A taxi from the rank costs around 25 to 30 EUR and takes 20 to 30 minutes off-peak; there is no surcharge fixed fare, so the meter runs. Buy coach tickets from the driver or online, and check whether your hotel is nearer the O'Connell Street or the Grafton Street side stops..
Daily target
70 EUR
Sleep in
The Liberties
Airport
Dublin Airport has no rail or tram link
Free sights
5+
The picks under 140 EUR that do not feel like a compromise.
First visit€€Design boutique · Temple Bar
A slick boutique on Fleet Street in the middle of Temple Bar, so the trad-music pubs and the Ha'penny Bridge are a two-minute walk from the door. Ask for a room off the street side, as the cobbles stay loud with stag and hen crowds until late at weekends.
from ~155 EUR/night
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Couples€€Victorian townhouse · Portobello
A red-brick Victorian on Adelaide Road between St Stephen's Green and the Grand Canal, run as an adults-only townhouse with a candlelit gin and tea parlour. It is a ten-minute stroll to the Green yet sits on a quiet leafy street away from the crowds.
from ~145 EUR/night
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Budget€Modern hostel · Docklands and Silicon Docks
A big, well-run design hostel beside Connolly Station and the Busaras coach station, with private rooms as well as dorms and a busy self-catering kitchen. The airport coaches stop right outside, which makes it the easiest cheap bed for a short break.
from ~35 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
These cost nothing and carry a full day each. Build around them and the paid tickets become optional extras instead of a budget drain.
Dublin Castle
FreeTipThe courtyards and gardens are free to wander any day, while the State Apartments and the medieval undercroft need a ticket you can usually buy on arrival outside peak times. Take the guided tour rather than the self-guided one to reach the excavated Viking and Norman foundations under the yard, and check the site is not shut for a state event.
Christ Church Cathedral
FreeTipThe city's oldest cathedral holds Dublin's largest medieval crypt, where a mummified cat and rat known as Tom and Jerry are on display, and the ticket includes it. Time a visit for choral evensong when the choir sings, and combine it with Dublinia next door, the Viking and medieval museum linked by the covered stone bridge.
St Patrick's Cathedral
FreeTipIreland's largest cathedral was where Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, served as dean and lies buried, with his epitaph on the wall. Buy the ticket on arrival, allow 45 minutes, and enjoy the free public park beside it, one of the oldest green spaces in the city, if you only want the exterior.
St Stephen's Green
FreeTipThis Victorian park at the foot of Grafton Street is free and open from morning until dusk, with a lake, bandstand and lunchtime concerts in summer. Enter by the Fusiliers' Arch at the Grafton Street corner, and use it as the green pivot between the shopping streets, the museums on the east side and Iveagh Gardens hidden behind.
Howth by DART
FreeTipTake the coastal DART train north from Connolly or Tara Street to Howth in about 30 minutes for a fishing harbour, a cliff-walk loop and fresh seafood, the easiest half-day escape from the city. Buy a Leap Visitor Card for the DART, walk the signed cliff path for the sea views back toward the city, and check the return timetable as trains thin out in the evening.
The oldest part of Dublin, southwest of the centre around the Guinness Storehouse and the Teeling and Roe distilleries, keeps a working-class heritage and a fast-changing, up-and-coming feel. Prices ease, the pubs are old and unpolished, and you are on the doorstep of the city's brewing and whiskey history. Base here for local atmosphere and better value, trading a slightly longer walk into the centre.
Now put it in order: the 2-day Dublin itinerary works on this budget with the swaps above.
A Dublin city break on about 70 EUR per person per day is realistic. The formula: sleep in The Liberties, walk instead of riding (the center is compact enough), build days around free anchors like Dublin Castle / Christ Church Cathedral, and eat where the locals do. Getting in from the airport is cheap too: Dublin Airport has no rail or tram link, so the fastest way in is a coach. The Airlink 700, Aircoach and Dublin Express all run from the terminals to the city centre in about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic, for roughly 7 to 12 EUR one way, with departures every 10 to 20 minutes through the day. A taxi from the rank costs around 25 to 30 EUR and takes 20 to 30 minutes off-peak; there is no surcharge fixed fare, so the meter runs. Buy coach tickets from the driver or online, and check whether your hotel is nearer the O'Connell Street or the Grafton Street side stops..
The strongest free sights in Dublin: Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral, St Stephen's Green. Several paid sights also have free or reduced windows; check the tips on each itinerary page.
The Liberties. The oldest part of Dublin, southwest of the centre around the Guinness Storehouse and the Teeling and Roe distilleries, keeps a working-class heritage and a fast-changing, up-and-coming feel. Prices ease, the pubs are old and unpolished, and you are on the doorstep of the city's brewing and whiskey history. Base here for local atmosphere and better value, trading a slightly longer walk into the centre.