Ireland: My 8 Day Itinerary

In the summer of 2016 a few friends and I went to Europe. We went to Portugal, Spain and Ireland. Portugal and Spain were a girls only trip, then my husband joined us in Ireland. I have split each country into its own post: Welcome to the Ireland!

This was not my first time in Dublin, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t love it any less. My last trip to Dublin was few years earlier to visit a friend who was studying abroad for a semester. I went in December and fell in love with Dublin. It was right before Christmas and Dublin was decked out for the holiday! I strongly recommend seeing Dublin around then.

While we were in Ireland it was the 4th of July, so we decided to be obnoxious Americans and go to London for the day to celebrate our American holiday. We spent the day finding pubs near popular sites and drinking (our plan to be obnoxious didn’t work out since everyone was so nice and wished us a happy 4th of July!). On the way back from London we stopped by Belfast. After the fact I wish we had spent more time in Northern Ireland… oh well, next time!

Check out my post: Spain: My 14 Day Itinerary to see what the second leg of my trip looked like, and to see what type a tips I have for planing your next trip to Spain.

	My 8 Days Dublin Itinerary
*Dublin*
Day 1:	Morning: Arrive
	Afternoon: Wander and Drink
Day 2:	Morning: Pick up Ben from the airport
	Afternoon: National Museum of Ireland (archeology), then Viking Splash tour
Day 3:	Morning: Christchurch/wandering
	Afternoon: Dublin Castle
Day 4:	Day trip: Cliff of Moher and Galway
Day 5:	Day trip: Wicklow Mountains
Day 6:	Morning: Bus to Dublin from Belfast (we spent one day in London and one day in Belfast)- You could spend this time touring Kilmainham Gaol
	Evening: Musical Pub Crawl
Day 7:	Morning: Guinness Factory
	Afternoon: Book of Kells & Jameson Factory Tour
Day 8:	Late Morning: Flight Home

Check out my post: Portugal: My 9 Day Itinerary to see what the first leg of my trip looked like, and to see what type a tips I have for planing your next trip to Portugal.

Highlights:

I had never done the Viking Splash tour, but I LOVED it! I was the perfect combination of educational and funny.
I loved the day trip we did to the Cliffs of Moher, but I wish I had more time to explore Galway (which we stopped at on the return to Dublin)
This was my second time going to the Wicklow Mountains, and it was no less magical.
The Musical Pub Crawl was an absolute blast! The tour taught you about traditional Irish music while touring various pubs in central Dublin.
Though I didn’t go to Kilmainham Gaol this trip, I loved exploring it last time I was in Dublin, and highly recommend seeing it.

Cliffs of Moher

Type A Tips:

Book your tickets to Kilmainham Gaol in advance. The only way to view the beautiful and historical building is with a tour. When I went to Dublin in December I had no problem getting a ticket, however when I went in the summer all the slots were sold out, so we were unable to see it.
Viking Splash Tour
Do the Viking Splash tour! You get on a World War II amphibious vehicle (can drive on land and water), and yell Viking cries at all the tourist you pass all while wearing viking horns. I booked this tour only a day in advance.
I recommend doing a day tour of the Wicklow Mountains. If you have more time you can hike them on your own (this is something I really want to do).
Both the Wicklow Mountain tour and the Cliff of Moher tour I booked through my hostel.

Guinness Lake
If you like looking at mummified Viking then you must check out the National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology. Plus admission is free!!! This is one of my favorite museums in Dublin.
Book your Book of Kells tickets in advance to help skip some of the lines.
Butler’s Hot Chocolate- seriously good!
Butler’s Chocolate Cafe serves some amazing hot chocolate, made with actual chocolate! It is a great place to warm up while exploring this marvelous but sometimes cold city.