Dublin Beyond Temple Bar: Pubs, Literary Walks, and the Neighborhoods Locals Never Leave

Book your timed slot at least a week ahead, especially in summer. The Long Room, one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, reopened after extensive renovation. Go early in the morning when the light through the windows is best and the crowds are thinnest. The Trinity campus is free to walk through and worth exploring after your visit.

Merrion Square is lined with perfectly preserved Georgian townhouses and has an Oscar Wilde statue lounging on a rock in the park. The National Gallery of Ireland (free) has an excellent Caravaggio and a strong Irish collection. For lunch, walk to Fade Street or Drury Street for independent restaurants away from the tourist corridor. Assassination Custard on Drury Street does exceptional sandwiches.

St. Stephen's Green is a peaceful Victorian park surrounded by busy streets. Grafton Street, Dublin's main pedestrian shopping street, runs from the park to Trinity College and always has buskers. The quality of the buskers is genuinely high, as Dublin has a busking permit system. Do not buy anything on Grafton Street unless you enjoy paying 40 percent above normal prices.

Kehoe's on South Anne Street, Mulligan's on Poolbeg Street, or The Long Hall on South Great George's Street are all within walking distance and serve Guinness the way it is supposed to taste. Sit at the bar if you want to talk to people. Order at the bar, not at your table. Your first Guinness in Dublin should not be in Temple Bar, where a pint costs 8 to 10 EUR for the same stout you can get two streets away for 6 to 7 EUR.

This is the single most powerful museum experience in Dublin. The guided tour walks you through the prison where leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held and executed. Tickets sell out immediately when released (28 days ahead, at midnight Irish time). Set a reminder. If you miss it, check for cancellation tickets released between 9:15 and 9:30 AM on the day.

A 5-minute walk from Kilmainham Gaol. The Royal Hospital Kilmainham building is stunning, predating the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. The contemporary art collection rotates frequently. The formal gardens are worth walking through even if you skip the museum.

Walk east from Kilmainham into the Liberties, one of Dublin's oldest areas. Lunch at Coke Lane pizza (behind Lucky's on Meath Street) or the Fumbally for seasonal Irish cooking. The Teeling Whiskey Distillery (16 EUR tour with tasting) and Pearse Lyons Distillery (housed in a converted church, 20 EUR) are both in this neighborhood. Christ Church Cathedral anchors the eastern edge.

The Chester Beatty, located in the grounds of Dublin Castle, was named European Museum of the Year. It houses one of the finest collections of manuscripts, rare books, and artistic treasures from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Free admission, free audio guide in 13 languages. This museum alone is worth a trip to Dublin. The Dublin Castle tour is fine but not essential.

Take the DART from Connolly Station to Howth (30 minutes, sit on the left for coastal views). The cliff walk loop is about 6 km and takes 2 hours at a comfortable pace. The views of Dublin Bay and Ireland's Eye island are spectacular on a clear day. Wear proper shoes, as the path gets muddy after rain, which is most days. Back at the harbor, get fish and chips from Beshoff's or Octopussy's (10 to 14 EUR).

Book a timed slot online. The self-guided tour through the history of Guinness brewing ends at the Gravity Bar on the top floor, where your included pint comes with a 360-degree panoramic view of Dublin. The afternoon is less crowded than the morning. The experience is polished and commercial, but the Gravity Bar view makes it worthwhile. Skip the overpriced food inside.

Walk north from the Guinness Storehouse into Stoneybatter (15 minutes) for one of Dublin's best local neighborhoods. The Glimmer Man has a beer garden with rotating food trucks. Slice does excellent brunch-style food. L. Mulligan Grocer on Stoneybatter Road pairs craft beer with elevated pub food. Alternatively, head south to Portobello for canal-side drinks and dinner at Lennox Street Grocer or Eathos.

Phoenix Park is 707 hectares, making it one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe, roughly twice the size of New York's Central Park. A herd of wild fallow deer has lived here since the 1660s. Enter from the Parkgate Street entrance and walk toward the Wellington Monument and the Magazine Fort. The Victorian walled garden (free) is a hidden highlight. You will not see the whole park in one visit. Focus on the eastern half nearest the city.

Smithfield Square is a broad cobblestoned plaza on Dublin's northside that has transformed from gritty to genuinely interesting. The Jameson Distillery tour (28 EUR, includes tastings and a cocktail) is more interactive and less crowded than the Guinness Storehouse. The Cobblestone pub, a 5-minute walk from Smithfield, hosts some of the best traditional music sessions in Dublin most evenings. Get there before 9 PM to secure a seat.

The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (departing from The Duke on Duke Street) has been running since 1988. Professional actors perform excerpts from Joyce, Beckett, Wilde, and Behan across three historic pubs, with a private visit to Trinity's front square. If you prefer to go solo, walk from Davy Byrne's on Duke Street (where Leopold Bloom ate a gorgonzola sandwich in Ulysses) to Toner's on Baggot Street (Yeats's pub) to McDaid's on Harry Street (Behan's haunt).

For a memorable last meal, The Winding Stair on the Liffey serves modern Irish cooking with river views (mains 25 to 35 EUR, book ahead). For something more casual, the market at Eatyard in the Liberties or Wowburger for smash burgers (12 to 15 EUR). End the night at The Cobblestone in Smithfield or O'Donoghue's on Merrion Row for a proper trad session. Do not talk over the music. Listen, clap between sets, and let the session happen.