See Dublin in 3 short Days : A First-Timer’s Guide to Pints of Guinness, Top Attractions & More
What you’ll get from this blog
This adventure began in England. I visited my best friend in Birmingham, and then I hopped on a train to Aberystwyth, Wales. After spending a beautiful weekend in Wales, I was ready to travel to Ireland (the Republic of and Northern Ireland).
So how did I get from Wales to Dublin?
I booked a train from Aberystwyth to Holyhead using the Welsh transportation website and app. It was about a five-hour trip. Holyhead is a major port, so I transferred to a ferry. I used Direct Ferries to book my ticket, and the journey from Holyhead to Dublin took a little over two hours.
Republic of Ireland is the 23rd country i’ve visited
Things to know about Dublin
When you get to the port in Dublin, you need to know that this is a new country, you are now in the Republic of Ireland so you will go through immigration, and they will look at your passport or stamp my passport. If you are from a country requiring a visa to enter the United Kingdom, Ireland, or the EU, you need a visa. So, I foolishly assumed that because Dublin is in Europe and their currency is the Euro, they were under the Schengen states, and I had a Schengen visa, so I thought it’d grant me entry into Ireland. SIKE!!! It did not.
Also, you need to know that Dublin, the Republic of Ireland, is not part of the United Kingdom. So, if you have a visa for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, that visa will not let you into Dublin, Ireland, either. Ireland does have its own independent visa requirements.
Anyway, thankfully, the luck of the Irish shone on me, and the immigration officers let me into the country because they went through my passport and saw that every single page of my passport had a visa! He let me in, saying he sees that I'm very diligent about getting all my visas and he’ll kindly let me in. It also turned out that he lived in Chicago for three months so we bonded over that.
Please don't make the same mistake I did. I can't promise that your immigration officer will let you into Dublin, Ireland if you don't have a visa.
I was so excited to be in Ireland! Like, thats my country for real. There will be multiple other trips to Ireland in my future. I love it, I loved it there. I’m unofficially naming myself a Citizen of Ireland, okay? Me and the Queen of Ireland, of course, Ayo Edebiri.
Where to stay
I visited Dublin for four days and stayed at a hostel because I feel like Dublin is definitely a place where I wanted to meet people. You know what I mean? So what better way than staying at a hostel. I chose one of the top-rated hostels called Clink i Lár; it was nice and queer-friendly, too.I stayed in a room of eight people and 4 bunks, each with its own privacy curtains and lockers. The bathroom was super clean, it was cleaned daily, no weird vibes AT ALL. I had a great time meeting people, and I strongly recommend it. Did I mention that it's in a central location, so everything was within walking distance, especially Temple Bar. If you’re going to Dublin, Temple Bar is the main nightlife area you want to be in. 10 Things you’ll enjoy in Dublin
One of the things I've been looking forward to doing in Dublin is seeing the Cliffs of Moher (pronounced 'more'). Technically, it's not in Dublin, so I booked a Get Your Guide day-trip/tour from Dublin to see it. I wanted to see this scene here as a die-hard Harry Potter fan (Team Ravenclaw). 
This is the scene where Harry and Dumbledore fight off one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. And I believe it's also in a couple of other movies and TV shows (It’s still fuck JK Rowlings btw). It was absolutely stunning. The Earth is actually just so fucking beautiful, you know what I mean? Seeing the rock formations and ocean waves crashing into the cliffs was so lovely to experience. Absolutely stunning. On the tour bus to the Cliffs of Moher, we stopped at the Barack Obama Plaza. So it turns out that Obama's great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was Irish! And when Obama visited Ireland during his presidency, a mall was built to honor him after his visit. Anyway, if you are visiting Dublin, I recommend a day tour to see the Cliffs of Moher and a city called Galway. It's worth the day trip.
I was excited to do and see so much in Dublin and top of that list was the New York- Dublin Portal! The Portal opened up earlier this year, and I’m so excited to see it. Whoever's initiative it was, it was fucking brilliant. It was closed temporarily because people were acting up, of course. But then I was so happy that on my trip, it was on and alive, we could see people from New York, and everyone was kind of waving at each other I honestly wish one of my friends could have gone to New York and waved at me from the portal that would be sooo cool. 
I visited in May, and I will say this: it's most likely going to rain and be chilly, and you’ll likely need a rain jacket, a warm jacket, a hat, an umbrella, or something because it was wet very often. So be prepared for that. If you want to spend a lazy day in Dublin, you can do that. It's so easy to just walk around the city; there’s so much to see. I loved wandering around and admiring all the beautiful colored bars—there are many!!! And while you’re walking around, you need to experience The Icon Walk. There’s a lot of art and murals in Dublin, and the Icon Walk is a must-see. You want to immerse yourself in it and take photos as well.
In my usual fashion, I get on a city tour bus—in this case, a hop-on, hop-off bus—to see all the sites of the city, especially if I only have a few days to explore. On the ride, I saw many monuments, including the Irish Museum of Modern History, Oscar Wilde’s home, the House of Parliament, the Spiral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Brewery, and the home of Arther Guinness and his wife, who apparently had 21 kids!!!
This should probably have been number one, but why are you going to Ireland if you're not going to a pub? You need to pop into a pub. As I mentioned, I don't have any recommendations, but there are many, and the most popular place is Temple Bar. In that whole Temple Bar area, there are a lot of amazing bars where you gotta meet people, clink your glasses in a toast and say Sláinte (this is the Irish version of cheers) listen to live Irish folk dance music, and I guess have a pint of Guinness. Let me tell you something. Beer is trash. I don't understand how people willingly drink beer, but I don't regret doing the Guinness Experience.
The Guinness Storehouse is the top tourist destination in the Republic of Ireland. Even though I think beer is trash and can't believe people drink it willingly, I highly recommend visiting. Guinness really opened its purse and delivers a fantastic experience showing how Guinness is made. I recommend going in the morning because a line of people will be waiting to get in. 
It was spectacular. I would do it all over again. And it was, you know, the tour was at 10 a .m. and at the end of the tour, the tour was so amazing. The tour lasts about two hours, but let me tell you, you are so engaged and wouldn't even realize how much time has gone by. It was amazing. At some point during the tour, they teach you how to drink Guinness, right.How to drink Guinness
Place under your noseTake a very generous gulp and immediately swallow.Exhale through your nose, and repeat!
At the end of the experience, you will find the Gravity Bar, a 360 degree bar at the top of the Guinness storehouse, where you can have a panoramic view of the city. And with your voucher, you get a free pint of Guinness. Yup, people were downing pints at ten a.m. in the morning. First, I generally dont like to drink beer, and I had a train to catch to Belfast, Northern Ireland, after my tour, so I ordered a Guinness Zero, and STILL, I hated the taste, but as I’ve been saying, I'll do that experience all over again.
Need a new pair of jeans? Say less; there is a Levi's store in the shopping area of Dublin that makes alterations/fittings for free as part of your purchase. On-site tailors will customize or repair your jeans at no additional cost, and girl if you don't jump to if you don't jump to put your jeans on, don't feel my pain, so I got a pair of jeans that fit perfectly. Plus, the customer service? 10/10!! and the turnaround time was really fast too.
Another experience I enjoyed was visiting Trinity College. What drew me to this site was their library called the Long Room, first of all, look at this picture below; that's all I needed to convince me, but being there in person was even more magnificent. Libraries are really where I belong. If you visit, I recommend going towards the end of the day, as there will be fewer people. I booked a ticket for the ongoing exhibition at Trinity called The Book of Kells Experience, and that’s how I got to experience the glory of The Long Room. I 100% recommend. Quick not,e though; you can't bring in camera gear, tripods, or gimbals.
Depending on where you're staying, one of the most popular bridges in Dublin is the Ha'penny Bridge. It's adorable and an excellent spot for a photo. Of course, it's busy during the day, so if you want to get pictures here, go early in the morning. 
On my last day, I went to a ring-making class that I found on Airbnb Experiences. I’ve given up on Airbnb, but I love their experiences. You can find unique activities in a city you’re visiting with locals. I always find them memorable and intimate. Usually, there is a memento I can take back to Chicago with me. In this case, it was a silver ring that I made myself!Places to Eat in Dublin
First, the customer service at every place I enjoyed dining was exceptional, and I was tipping heavily. I learned that tipping isn’t expected but appreciated because a few times, the server asked me if I was ‘sure’ when I added a tip. Have tea at The Ivy; it is probably best to have a reservation.Enjoy breakfast at The Joy of Cha, a tea -shop that is also a fantastic cafe, from their tea collection to the food to the decor and service.Lemon Jelly was another great breakfast place. It's an LGBTQ-friendly place that was packed every time I walked by. You might have to wait a bit to secure a seat indoors (or outside), but the food, vibe, and service were great!Love a good crepe and beverage? visit the Turkish cafe Sweet O’Clock.Dinner, drinks, and yummy dessert at The Green Hen.
I honestly cannot wait to go back; I had a marvelous time. The first four people I met in Dublin have been to Chicago. Chicago has a really big Irish community, and it felt so good to connect with other Irish folks who’d experienced Chicago too :) There were so many other things that I'd have loved to experience in Dublin, but I didn't have enough time, but I'm gonna be back. You hear me, Dublin? Your girl's gonna be back!I’ve made it easy for ya’ll by hyperlinking all the important spots. If you want some more juicy deets on my Dublin trip, click here. Until I book another flight somewhere… who knows where, follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more travel stories, tips, itineraries, and gist.xxx- Summer