Dublin's key ingredients: a thousand-year history, marinated until rich in heritage and sprinkled with hedonism. Visit and enjoy.
Dublin has it all, a charming mix of medieval, Georgian and modern architecture, a wealth of history and culture, a legendary literary tradition, wonderful shopping, dining, nightlife and of course fantastic characters! Dublin has been making waves since the 9th century, and while you may have to dig deep to find traces of its Viking past, the city’s rich history since then is in evidence all around you, from its medieval castle and cathedrals to the splendor of the 18th century, when Dublin was the most handsome Georgian city in the Empire and its magnificent public and private buildings reflected the elevated status of its most privileged burghers.
Georgian elegance aside, Dublin mightn’t seem as sensual or as sultry as other European capitals, but Dubliners will tell you that pretty things are as easy to like as they are to forget. Their beloved capital, about which they can be brutally unsentimental, has personality, which is much more important and lasts far longer. Garrulous, amiable and witty, Dubliners at their ease are the greatest hosts of all, a charismatic bunch whose soul and sociability are so compelling and infectious that you mightn't ever want to leave.
To experience Dubliners at their most comfortable and convivial, you’ll have to spend some time in a pub. Dublin’s relationship with alcohol is complex and conflicted, but at its very best, a night out in the pub remains the city’s favorite social lubricant and one of the most memorable experiences of a visit to Ireland. Everyone has their favorite pub: for some it’s a never-changing traditional haunt; for others, it’s wherever the beautiful people are currently at. Either way, you’ll have over 1000 to choose from.
The most popular visit in town is the beer-lover's Disneyland, a multimedia bells-and-whistles homage to the country's most famous export and the city's most enduring symbol. The old grain storehouse, the only part of the massive, 26-hectare St James's Gate Brewery open to the public, is a suitable cathedral in which to worship the black gold; shaped like a giant pint of Guinness, it rises seven impressive storeys high around a stunning central atrium. At the top is the head, represented by the Gravity Bar, with a panoramic view of Dublin.
