More about hotels in Dublin
Dublin is a city built for wandering. Georgian doors in mustard yellow and postbox red line the squares around Merrion Square and St Stephen's Green, buskers hold down five regular pitches on Grafton Street, and Trinity College's cobbled quads open straight onto the footpath in the middle of it all. Inside the college's Old Library sits the Book of Kells, a 1,200-year-old illuminated manuscript and one of the finest examples of medieval European art still on public display.
You could spend a morning wandering Dublin Castle's Georgian courtyard, an afternoon at the Guinness Storehouse learning how the city's best-known export is made, and still have time for a pint in Temple Bar before dinner. Pick your base around how much of that pace you want right outside your door, and how much quiet you want to come home to.
Where to stay in Dublin
- Temple Bar. Cobblestoned laneways and live trad music spilling out of pub windows from lunchtime onward, plus Dublin's biggest concentration of nightlife. Great if you want everything on your doorstep, best avoided if you need an early night.
- Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green. The Georgian heart of the city, all doorways and doorknockers, with Trinity College at one end and Dublin's flagship shopping strip at the other. The most walkable base for a first trip.
- Ballsbridge. Leafy, residential, and noticeably quieter, with Herbert Park for a morning stroll and the Aviva Stadium nearby on match day. A solid pick for couples or anyone staying more than a few nights.
- Docklands. The newer side of Dublin, all glass and steel along Grand Canal Dock, with some of the city's sharpest restaurants and rooftop bars. A short tram ride from the centre, but a world away in feel.
- The Liberties. Dublin's oldest working quarter, now home to the Guinness Storehouse and a growing run of craft breweries and markets. Good value and full of character.
How much is Dublin accommodation?
Expect to pay around AU$220 a night for a solid mid-range hotel in the city centre. It's more if you want a Georgian townhouse address on St Stephen's Green, and less if you're happy to share a dorm or stay a short tram ride out.
- Hostels/Backpackers. From AU$45 per night for a dorm bed. Temple Bar and the Liberties have the biggest cluster of hostels, most within a 10-minute walk of the main sights.
- Budget hotels/Guesthouses. From AU$130 per night. Family-run guesthouses just outside the centre are usually your best value, especially around Ballsbridge and the North Circular Road.
- Mid-range/Apartments. From AU$220 per night. This is where most visitors land, and it's enough to get a proper city-centre location with a private bathroom and breakfast included.
- Boutique. From AU$340 per night. Converted Georgian townhouses and design-led properties around Merrion Square, with more personality than the big chains.
- Luxury. From AU$550 per night. Dublin's grand dames sit right on St Stephen's Green and Grafton Street, with a few sleek newcomers down in the Docklands.
Top-rated hotels in Dublin
- The Shelbourne, Autograph Collection. Right on St Stephen's Green and open since 1824, with a wood-panelled bar that's been pulling in Dubliners for just as long.
- The Westbury Hotel. Tucked just off Grafton Street, close enough to hear the buskers without any of the street noise once you're through the door.
- The Merrion. Four Georgian townhouses joined into one hotel, with interior courtyard gardens that make you forget you're in the middle of the city.
- Anantara The Marker Dublin. A striking, angular building on Grand Canal Square with a rooftop terrace that's one of the best sunset spots in the city.
- Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge. A reliable, well-priced base in leafy Ballsbridge, an easy bus ride from the centre and close to the Aviva Stadium.
Tips for finding the perfect accommodation in Dublin
- Book your Temple Bar stay on a side street, not the main strip. The area is loud well past midnight most nights, and rooms set back a block make a real difference to your sleep.
- Dublin has no direct train link from the airport, so factor in a 25 to 40 minute bus or coach trip either way. A hotel near a bus route (routes 16 and 41, or the Aircoach 700) saves you a taxi fare.
- Rates jump hard from June through August and around big rugby or GAA weekends at the Aviva or Croke Park. Book well ahead for those dates, or shift your trip to shoulder season for a noticeably better rate.
- Grab a Leap Card on arrival if you're using buses, the Luas tram or the DART train more than a couple of times. It's cheaper than paying cash fares and covers all three.
- If Trinity College and Grafton Street are your priority, a hotel between the two, around Dame Street or College Green, puts most of the big sights in walking distance without St Stephen's Green prices.
Combine your stay with a look at flights and things to do in Dublin on Traveloka, or use the city as a base for day trips out to the rest of Ireland.
