You’d think it would be easy to pick where to stay in Dublin. It’s not a massive city — especially compared to other European capitals — but somehow, it’s still weirdly hard to get it right.

There’s a lot more to think about than you’d expect. Some areas sound great on paper but feel completely different when you’re actually here. And other spots you might not even come across unless you know where to look.

That’s where I come in. I live here, I know the city inside out, and I’m going to walk you through it properly — no sugar-coating, no tourist brochure talk. I’ll tell you the best areas to stay, the ones you might want to be a little cautious about, and a few things you won’t find mentioned in your average guidebook.

First things first…

Before you even think about booking a place, you need to figure out what your wants and needs are. What kind of traveller are you?

Do you want to be right in the middle of all the action? Are you hoping to experience some nightlife? Or would you prefer a quieter street where you’re not kept awake by the sound of taxis and late-night chatter?

You might even want to stay out by the coast, somewhere with a direct transport link into the city — close enough to explore, but far enough to get a break from the hustle and bustle.
Or maybe you’re someone who wants to be able to walk to the top tourist attractions like Trinity College, Grafton Street, the Spire, or the Guinness Storehouse without thinking too hard about buses or taxis.

That’s the purpose of this guide — to show you where everything is, so you can make an educated decision about where you should stay based on your travel style, your needs, and your wants.

Let’s start with the areas that have a central location.

For the purpose of this guide, I’m going to call them neighbourhoods, even though some of these places are not considered neighbourhoods in the traditional sense. It’s just an easier way to break things down.

These four areas are where a lot of the main attractions are based. Staying in any of them will give you a good idea of what’s within walking distance from your hotel — and what you might need to hop on public transport for if you don’t fancy an extra 30-minute walk.

Dublin City is quite compact, so generally speaking, if you’re staying somewhere central, you’ll be able to walk to a lot of places. But depending on your travel style (and how much you like walking!), you might prefer to use transport now and again — and there’s always a public transport option if you want it.

The four main central areas we’re going to look at are:

• The Liberties
• St Stephen’s Green & Grafton Street
• Merrion Square
• North of the Quays

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