What is your dream vacation? Ireland has been on my list for years. I imagined green countryside, cobblestone streets lined with shops, cheerful locals toasting to life, and rolling green countryside.
Well, I was lucky enough to check Ireland off my “adventure wish list” this month. One of my best friends, Brittany came to visit me in Paris recently, and we decided to take a girls trip to Dublin! The flight from Paris to Dublin is a breeze.
We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon, checked into our adorable Air BnB, located across the street from City Hall (great location!!). First stop, Queen of Tarts, a well-known, quaint and cozy bakery. We stopped in for sandwiches and caffeinated pick me ups! immediately the locals appeared friendly and helpful to tourists. I have to admit after living in France for the last 4 months, hearing the english language buzzing in my ears was exciting.
December in Dublin was chilly! Naturally, we were ready to warm up with a Guinness! We walked to the Guinness Storehouse for the infamous brewery tour, along the way we saw some cool street art, several cathedrals, and a ton of pubs advertising “the best” Irish Coffee!
Almost to The Guinness Storehouse, we strolled down ancient cobblestone streets, that kind of had an abandoned vibe because it was SO quiet! We joked that we felt like we were in a scene from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory on the old, dark back streets. You know how it seemed almost creepy but interesting the original Willy Wonka?! Anyway, we made it, let the beer drinking begin!
The brewery is huge! Each level of the gigantic, warehouse is a different experience. During our tour we went into the tasting room and we were taught how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.
The best part of this adventure was The Gravity Bar on the top floor of the Brewery! The circular shaped bar had 365 degree ceiling to floor windows! The view of the city was stunning AND the sun was just setting over Dublin.
I don’t usually like Guinness, but it tastes SO much better in Ireland than anywhere else in the world! I don’t know how or why, but you’ve got try it to believe me.
Over the next couple of days, we explored the popular sites of Dublin and got lost wandering the streets.
Trinity College happened to have a graduation on the day we toured the immaculate, campus.
I had two favorite restaurants, one for food and one for the atmosphere.. First, Elephant and Castle, we ate there a couple of times lol. They American style food with the BEST chicken wings ever. Located in Temple Bar.
For the atmosphere, Bank On College Green! This is a gorgeous restaurant/bar very close to Trinity College, below you see the street view of this area. After sightseeing all day, this was the perfect stop.
Of course, we checked out the Irish Pub scene.
Well it seems like no matter what direction we walked, we always wound back in Temple Bar District. So we usually ended our days or nights pub crawling this area bc it was so close to our Air BnB and it was always turned up!
Quay Bar, in The Temple District was our spot to go. They have really fun live music, friendly locals, variety of drinks, and the space is big. We met all kinds of people here and the band played Disney songs and Christmas music (SERIOUSLY!!). Can you imagine drinking at an Irish pub in Dublin, and all the sudden you hear the band play, Circle Of Life!?!? Classic.
The “famous” Temple Bar is packed, but fun!! We had to check it out and of course, got we got drawn in because of the ugly sweater holiday party going on and Bob Marley music. I mean come on, who wouldn’t be interested?!
Some other beautiful, fun, and noteworthy spots
The Lifey River flows through the centre of Dublin.
We had a fabulous girls holiday exploring, eating, and drinking our way through Dublin. I will share our day trip from Dublin to the charming, town of Howth in an upcoming post!
Until next time, Sláinte Ireland! Sláinte is the Irish term for cheers!
Gardenia Trails 
You take of Dublin is so very much like your moms and mine when we about your age and toured the country ending up in Dublin our last night . Good food, good beer, and good local company. Loving your blog. Dad
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Sounds like you both had a wonderful time.
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Yes, thank you! We did. Dublin is a great place to visit. The people are so friendly and there are great places nearby that offer amazing nature views.
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Glad you enjoyed dublin time- my home town! The elephant and Castle was my favorite years ago! Good memories!!
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Thanks! I hope to go back one day (sooner than later). I know this week must be SO much fun in Dublin!!! 🙂
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