If you were a tourist, how would rate Dublin?

jetsonx · 27-01-2018 07:12PM #1

If you were a tourist, how would you rate Dublin as a tourist destination?

For example, do you think that Dublin has more or less "character" compared to Galway or Cork? Or, is Dublin just another example of a globalised and generic capital city?

pjohnson · 27-01-2018 07:12PM

Well I'd probably ask in the Dublin forum.

Silentcorner · 27-01-2018 07:17PM

jetsonx wrote: »

If you were a tourist, how would you rate Dublin as a tourist destination?

For example, do you think that Dublin has more or less "character" compared to Galway or Cork? Or, is Dublin just another example of a globalised and generic capital city?

Dublin has a different character than Galway or Cork, or Limerick and Waterford for that matter.

It certainly isn't an example of a globalised and generic capital city....it has a very unique character and history...

I'd say what you take from Dublin (or any city) depends on what you bring to Dublin...

Remember, tourists are like a flock of sheep...not always a trustworthy guage as to what makes a city...

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 27-01-2018 07:19PM

Galway has the best character. Dublin okay if you know where to go but to be honest if I was a tourist it wouldn't leave a great impression on me

arybvtcw0eolkf · 27-01-2018 07:20PM

pjohnson wrote: »

Well I'd probably ask in the Dublin forum.

But the're mostly Dubliners and not tourists.

I'd rate Dublin pretty high, if you come here with your research done then there's enough to keep any visitor occupied for a while, more than the usual city break time of 3-5 days.

We're let down by being very, VERY expensive. Esp in Templebar pubs.

And the amount of addicts and drug dealers along the quays (north and south), O'Connell St and O'Connell Bridge and the usual congregation of addicts at the junction of Jury's Christchurch is disgusting.

I've worked on doors in Templebar for over twenty years and these really are the issues highlighted to me by visitors.

Rumpy Pumpy · 27-01-2018 07:21PM

Loads to see, plenty of decent restaurants, places like Howth, and the Bray to Greystones walk within an hour on the train. Ya, I’d like it.

OldMrBrennan83 · 27-01-2018 07:21PM

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biko · 27-01-2018 07:23PM

Smaller and with less things to see/do than London

27-01-2018 07:25PM

Great choice of restaurants pubs and evening entertainment- enough to keep you busy for a weekend visit. Come visit and spend your Stg and Euro

27-01-2018 07:27PM

It's grand for about a day. I always tell people going to Ireland, spend the first day in Dublin, go out on the lash and then get the f**k out of there and enjoy the countryside.

Howth is probably the best part of Dublin.

listermint · 27-01-2018 07:28PM

Most people have never seen their home city properly. This applies the world over . It's actually not a great question to ask a local contrary to what you would think locals are crap to judge from a tourists viewpoint

Knex* · 27-01-2018 07:29PM

Dublin is great. The more I actually travel to other cities, the more I appreciate it tbh.

The main Irish cities are improving all the time, imo. I've noticed steady improvement in both Cork and Dublin over the past couple of years in particular. Sure, there's issues, but not as bad as some people would make out.

Aglomerado · 27-01-2018 07:30PM

I'm here right now because there are things on here that aren't on in other parts of the country! (SPAMALOT!) Third event in Dublin this month alone for me. Happily my next gig's in Galway which makes a change. I like coming here but fcek it's expensive.

Klinkhammer · 27-01-2018 07:30PM

We have the Guinness Storehouse which is great if you like paying money to look at a few old ads with a couple of thousand other people and have a pint at the end for lots of money. I can see why the tourists flock there.

whoopsadoodles · 27-01-2018 07:32PM

Miriam Ugly Bearer wrote: »

We're let down by being very, VERY expensive. Esp in Templebar pubs..

It is mega expensive....but.....it's great fun for tourists.

And tbh, of all the places I've been in the past year it's on par with a few and certainly not the dearest of the bunch.

RobbingBandit · 27-01-2018 07:38PM

Travel very difficult lots of sightseeing very expensive for food and drink very dreary place too. Tourist trap is how I'd rate it purely from a tourist point of view.

Solomon Pleasant · 27-01-2018 07:40PM

Knex. wrote: »

Dublin is great. The more I actually travel to other cities, the more I appreciate it tbh.

The main Irish cities are improving all the time, imo. I've noticed steady improvement in both Cork and Dublin over the past couple of years in particular. Sure, there's issues, but not as bad as some people would make out.

Actually, there are some very serious issues, especially in Dublin.

The housing crisis and ever increasing rents is as bad as its being made out to be. As is homelessness and drug abuse.

Don’t sugarcoat the truth.

Aglomerado · 27-01-2018 07:41PM

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

It is mega expensive....but.....it's great fun for tourists.

And tbh, of all the places I've been in the past year it's on par with a few and certainly not the dearest of the bunch.

+1. Try going on the batter in Oslo or Reykjavik and it'll hurt you in the wallet. I did find €5 pints in Dublin last week ... Underdog on Dame Street!

Jimbob1977 · 27-01-2018 07:43PM

There's a few good attractions for tourists, but nothing to detain a person in the city any longer than 48 hours.

Guinness Tour

Glasnevin Cemetery

Dublin Zoo

Trinity College

Apart from that, Dublin tourist life is centred on pubs.

Howth and Dun Laoghaire are nice options also

corner of hells · 27-01-2018 07:44PM

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

Actually, there are some very serious issues, especially in Dublin.

The housing crisis and ever increasing rents is as bad as its being made out to be. As is homelessness and drug abuse.

Don’t sugarcoat the truth.

A tourist is hardly going to voice an opinion on housing or rental cost and most likely make just a passing comment in drug use and homelessness .

McMurphy · 27-01-2018 07:44PM

As others have already said, Dublin is let down by the price gouging that does go on in and around the Templebar area (though I find grub reasonable, but gargle is rip off) but so is any other tourist trap like it around the world.

The junkies are really problematic , and I don't know how that epidemic can ever be solved, they are everywhere .

In saying that, I still love the place. Great atmosphere, great city and (not being biased) dubs are salt of the earth people. I have lived all over the world, and it's in Dublin only that the the locals strike up random conversations with ya at bus stops or waiting on a luas etc.

You just don't get that friendliness elsewhere in cities.

Rumpy Pumpy · 27-01-2018 07:52PM

Dublin really isn’t that expensive, even around Temple Bar. Try London, Paris, Venice etc and see what expensive is. Loads of free attractions as well.

LirW · 27-01-2018 07:53PM

When I got together with my man I came here plenty of times as a tourist doing touristy things. Once I started living there it quite changed. That said I never found Dublin was a super exciting or charming city.
If you're staying in Temple Bar, doing Temple bar things and Guinness storehouse and maybe catch the Dart to Bray/Howth you'll have a nice time for a handful of days. But beside that Dublin doesn't have exciting districts like loads of other cities do, Dublin has a serious lack of public bins and you can see that when you're not on the main shopping streets.

The public transport is incredibly poor and a nightmare to get around. When I had family members over and they'd stay at an Airbnb and they wouldn't simply wanna go to the city centre there were a lot of awkward journeys on public transport involved. Transport from the Airport into the city is awkward too.
If you wanna come on a quite short notice is a nightmare to find half decent accommodation and you sometimes end up paying top dollar for some grimey Airbnb rooms or you have to go with the top end because everything affordable is long gone.

Now that I'm not living in Dublin anymore I sometimes go up for a night or two to see the In-laws and it's nice going for walks or having a wide variety of amazing food but I'm quite happy being back home again.

worded · 27-01-2018 07:56PM

Temple Bar is the cultural quarter of Dublin ... more culture in a tub of yoghurt

Franz Von Peppercorn · 27-01-2018 07:56PM

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Travel very difficult lots of sightseeing very expensive for food and drink very dreary place too. Tourist trap is how I'd rate it purely from a tourist point of view.

All tourist spots in Europe are tourist traps.

andekwarhola · 27-01-2018 08:01PM

corner of hells wrote: »

A tourist is hardly going to voice an opinion on housing or rental cost and most likely make just a passing comment in drug use and homelessness .

The first thing I look for when booking a continental weekend break is somewhere with a significant housing crisis.

andekwarhola · 27-01-2018 08:05PM

LirW wrote: »

When I got together with my man I came here plenty of times as a tourist doing touristy things. Once I started living there it quite changed. That said I never found Dublin was a super exciting or charming city.
If you're staying in Temple Bar, doing Temple bar things and Guinness storehouse and maybe catch the Dart to Bray/Howth you'll have a nice time for a handful of days. But beside that Dublin doesn't have exciting districts like loads of other cities do, Dublin has a serious lack of public bins and you can see that when you're not on the main shopping streets.

The public transport is incredibly poor and a nightmare to get around. When I had family members over and they'd stay at an Airbnb and they wouldn't simply wanna go to the city centre there were a lot of awkward journeys on public transport involved. Transport from the Airport into the city is awkward too.
If you wanna come on a quite short notice is a nightmare to find half decent accommodation and you sometimes end up paying top dollar for some grimey Airbnb rooms or you have to go with the top end because everything affordable is long gone.

Now that I'm not living in Dublin anymore I sometimes go up for a night or two to see the In-laws and it's nice going for walks or having a wide variety of amazing food but I'm quite happy being back home again.

If you can only afford a crappy Airbnb miles outside the city, it's going to impact your stay.

You're better off visiting a cheaper location if cost is such an issue.

I know you lived here but I'm thinking from the perspective of a potential tourist.

Plus as others have pointed out, there's quite a few cities in Europe that are as or more expensive than Dublin

humberklog · 27-01-2018 08:05PM

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

Actually, there are some very serious issues, especially in Dublin.

The housing crisis and ever increasing rents is as bad as its being made out to be.
Don’t sugarcoat the truth.

Yeah, that's really tarnished any experience of a foreign city I've visited.
But I try my best to take on the domestic socio political woes of the locals wherever I go. Makes the experience feel real.

Then I retire to me cheap as chips air b and b 3 bed apartment on my own.

worded · 27-01-2018 08:06PM

Went to Coopers on Wed night and the ventilation was excellent.

My mate and I got hit on by a young wan as well, Couldnt recomend the place enough

tonycascarino · 27-01-2018 08:17PM

Overrated, overpriced with walking zombies and beggars everywhere

pauliebdub · 27-01-2018 08:26PM

I had visitors over a few years ago who had never visited Dublin before so I took a few days off and did some touristy stuff some of which I'd seen before.

The highlights were Kilmainham Gaol, St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty library, the stunning Georgian architecture , Howth and a trip around Dun Laoghaire, Killiney and Dalkey were enjoyed as were the pub crawls around some of the better bars in Dublin some of which had live music and a great atmosphere.

Low lights were the Guinness store house, which we thought wasn't interesting enough to justify the expensive fee, temple bar an expensive kip, Trinity college and the book of keeps were considered underwhelming. Eating out was also expensive if we wanted something better than carvery lunches or fast food. The city centre can be dirty and run down in parts with an anti social element.

If you were a tourist, how would rate Dublin?

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