<p>My friends and I are trying to figure out spring break plans, and we’re all interested in spending a week or so in Dublin. We’ve found relatively cheap roundtrip tickets, and we’re thinking of staying in a hostel. Our spring break does fall around St. Patrick’s Day, so we’re a little worried about finding reasonable accommodations then. For those of you who’ve been to Ireland around this time, how was the weather? Is a week in Dublin more than enough time (for doing relatively tourist-y things)? Can you recommend any particular hostels? How was your overall experience? Any insight is much appreciated!</p>
<p>I have some friends who went there on our spring break last year because our university’s band performed in the dublin st paddy’s day parade! they loved it! they went to the guiness factory and stuff like that. I think you should prepare for rain and chilly weather, since it’s is technically still winter and the british isles are all about rain. You probably don’t need to spend the entire week in Dublin though, it’s not a huge sprawling city like London. Try traveling around Ireland a bit, the interior (ie the countryside) is supposed to be really pretty, and there are some other cool towns in Ireland like Galway and Cork as well. I would go ahead and book your hostel now to make sure you all get one together. Try hostelworld for reviews and then book on the hostel’s website so you don’t have to pay booking fees.</p>
<p>I’ve lived in Dub for one summer, and it’s a beautiful city, especially if you are a tourist.
- Book hostels. Now. Pay them with your credit card. The guys are known for exploiting tourists on weekends, bank holidays and St Paddys- I reccommend Isaacs (there are two of them and both are okay), they are clean, filled with people from all over the world and the prices are reasonable. Under no circumstances stay somewhere in Lower St. Gardiner Street -(except Isaacs) - if you haven’t been roadbroken by backpacking before, you won’t survive this for a week.
- The weather in spring is … well, unpredictable. Layers is the key.
- There are areas in Dublin where you are scared ****less during daylight. You’ll only notice them if you live there longer, but stay in the areas marked in that tourist map you’ll get at the tourist info.
- The airport shuttle bus is horrible. They’ll rip you 10€ - don’t take it. Take the regular bus, it’s 3€ or something. (If it’s 6 - take the other one…) It’s at the same station, and no matter what lies they tell you, it’s not that much slower. Get out at the place with the ‘needle’. That’s the most important place, and you’ll know what I mean.
- There’s a nice, cheap market in Henry Street, where you can get fruits for almost no money. There’s a Lidl, too, which is important, cos Dub is fairly expensive.
- One week is enough. Do the touristy thing and go to Temple Bar, don’t be suprised by the prices for alcohol. Don’t drink at the Temple Bar though, go to Fitzgeralds…, or the pub at the other side. Visit the guiness factory, do the viking city tour (it’s supposed to be good), maybe go to a few museum of interest (Hugh Lane gallery for modern art - I stayed there for days…),…
- Take the DART (20 min, 2€) to a little village called Howth, it’s at the seaside and very beautiful. </p>
<p>… my lecture calls…</p>