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If you're intending on staying in the city, I can recommend the student-led tours at Trinity College, which include admission to the old library and Book of Kells exhibition: https://www.tcd.ie/visitors/tours/

 

If you enjoy walking, you won't need a HoHo or cab to reach most of the main sites in the city, although Kilmainham Gaol is further out.

 

If you'd like to get out of the city, it depends what your interests are. I'm interested in history, especially pre-history, and enjoyed a visit to Newgrange with Mary Gibbons: http://www.newgrange.com/tours.htm (We had 2 days in Dublin.)

 

Others I know on our sailing enjoyed the Wild Wicklow Tours: http://www.wildwicklow.ie/

And some others went on pub crawls, including a rural pub crawl tour: https://ruraltours.ie/package/dublin-mountain-pub-tour/

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I would love to do the Wild Wicklow tour but we only dock at 11:15am and stay till 10:45pm. So with these odd hours it won't be feasible. Drat!!!!

 

Contact them about a private tour and get a group together on your Roll Call.

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We will be in Dublin in April and would like suggestions and ideas. What are some of the tours and/or activities you would suggest not to miss? .........

 

Just got back from a 3 day stay in Dublin. Note we were not on a cruise this time. SIL found us a nice Air BnB a couple of blocks from Dublin Castle and Trinity Collage. We bought a three HOHO pass, which included airport transfers. The Green Bus HOHO. HOHO was great. We did St Patrick's and Guinness store house. More than one pint was had:eek::eek:. Along the way we saw the Book of Kells and a whiskey museum tour:eek:. We ate at least 4 different Pubs and had beer at each. Also, found some little cafes for breakfast. Lots of different things to see in the Temple Bar area. Most of this was easy to walk between.

 

Hope this helps you out.

 

Vic

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I think we are on your cruise. We were in Dublin last summer on another cruise. We took the ship's shuttle into the city and then walked to meet one of those "free walking tours". We felt it was excellent. We stayed with it until we reached the Temple Bar Area, and then, due to port time, we left them and had lunch in a pub. We caught the shuttle back to the ship.

 

This coming April, I think we will tout some other areas we missed, and then try to find a "real" Irish pub for dinner, drinks, and some music. I am glad we are staying there until 10:45.

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Just got back from a 3 day stay in Dublin. Note we were not on a cruise this time. SIL found us a nice Air BnB a couple of blocks from Dublin Castle and Trinity Collage. We bought a three HOHO pass, which included airport transfers. The Green Bus HOHO. HOHO was great. We did St Patrick's and Guinness store house. More than one pint was had:eek::eek:. Along the way we saw the Book of Kells and a whiskey museum tour:eek:. We ate at least 4 different Pubs and had beer at each. Also, found some little cafes for breakfast. Lots of different things to see in the Temple Bar area. Most of this was easy to walk between.

 

Hope this helps you out.

 

Vic

 

Thanks Vic - that sounds great!! Wish we were going to be there for 3 days too. the HOHO bus sounds like a great idea as do the pubs!!!

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I think we are on your cruise. We were in Dublin last summer on another cruise. We took the ship's shuttle into the city and then walked to meet one of those "free walking tours". We felt it was excellent. We stayed with it until we reached the Temple Bar Area, and then, due to port time, we left them and had lunch in a pub. We caught the shuttle back to the ship.

 

This coming April, I think we will tout some other areas we missed, and then try to find a "real" Irish pub for dinner, drinks, and some music. I am glad we are staying there until 10:45.

Think we are on the same cruise...Brilliance of the Seas. We were thinking of doing a hop on hop off bus tour, with stops at the Guiness Stonehouse, Dublin Castle and the Temple St area. The shuttle into the city you mentioned, what is the cost, Thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Just got back from a 3 day stay in Dublin. Note we were not on a cruise this time. SIL found us a nice Air BnB a couple of blocks from Dublin Castle and Trinity Collage. We bought a three HOHO pass, which included airport transfers. The Green Bus HOHO. HOHO was great. We did St Patrick's and Guinness store house. More than one pint was had:eek::eek:. Along the way we saw the Book of Kells and a whiskey museum tour:eek:. We ate at least 4 different Pubs and had beer at each. Also, found some little cafes for breakfast. Lots of different things to see in the Temple Bar area. Most of this was easy to walk between.

 

Hope this helps you out.

 

Vic

 

Vic, any leads on where/what that AirBnb was?

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  • 2 months later...

Yes, you are on our cruise. I believe the shuttle was free, but not certain. It is sponsored by the city. We were going to do Guinness Storehouse, but now we are considering the Whisky Museum, as it is closer to the drop off point. We figure we can do that, hit Temple Bar area for some live music, and then get to our dinner reservation at 6:30. All places are close together.

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Think we are on the same cruise...Brilliance of the Seas. We were thinking of doing a hop on hop off bus tour, with stops at the Guiness Stonehouse, Dublin Castle and the Temple St area. The shuttle into the city you mentioned, what is the cost, Thanks.

 

Looks like we will be doing similar things on that day. I like teacherman's idea of switching Guiness Storehouse for the Whisky museum as well. We can also chat about it at Trivia :p

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Yes, you are on our cruise. I believe the shuttle was free, but not certain. It is sponsored by the city. We were going to do Guinness Storehouse, but now we are considering the Whisky Museum, as it is closer to the drop off point. We figure we can do that, hit Temple Bar area for some live music, and then get to our dinner reservation at 6:30. All places are close together.

 

I saw you were looking for an authentic pub and music place for dinner this trip. I guess you found one .... where did you decide on?

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Looks like we will be doing similar things on that day. I like teacherman's idea of switching Guiness Storehouse for the Whisky museum as well. We can also chat about it at Trivia :p

Good morning ( here on Australia, anyway)

We have already booked the skip the line tour at the Guiness Storehouse. Open ticket, so can go anytime. Also plan to visit the Temple bar area, Dublin castle, Trinity College. Not sure if it is walkable or we may have to catch cabs.

See you on board at the trivia. Hope you are doing abit of study :D

Jo

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If you'd like to get out of the city, it depends what your interests are. I'm interested in history, especially pre-history, and enjoyed a visit to Newgrange with Mary Gibbons: http://www.newgrange.com/tours.htm (We had 2 days in Dublin.)

 

Trosebery, could you give me more information about the Newgrange tour with Mary Gibbons. I’m particularly interested in how you got from the cruise ship to the pick up point for the tour and how long it took to get there. Also how long was the tour? Did you have any trouble getting back to the ship in time? We really want to go to Newgrange and the Hill of Tara but can’t find any tours that leave from the port. Did your tour include Tara? Also how large was the tour group? Was it a full size bus?

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Trosebery, could you give me more information about the Newgrange tour with Mary Gibbons. I’m particularly interested in how you got from the cruise ship to the pick up point for the tour and how long it took to get there. Also how long was the tour? Did you have any trouble getting back to the ship in time? We really want to go to Newgrange and the Hill of Tara but can’t find any tours that leave from the port. Did your tour include Tara? Also how large was the tour group? Was it a full size bus?

 

Hi! We had intended to take a taxi from the port to the tour pick up point on O'Connell Street, but since the shuttles from the port were free, taxis weren't coming to the port. We hopped on a shuttle, intending to take a taxi from the shuttle drop off (near Merrion Square), but the shuttle driver was willing to drop us near where he turned to cross the Liffey (we were stopped at a traffic light) and we walked from there (about 15-20 minutes?).

 

We had plenty of time to get to O'Connell Street since the tour pick up wasn't until 10:10 am and this was the second day of our overnight stop, but if we were to do it again, we might have met the tour at the 9:50 am pick up near St. Stephen's Green, which is only about 10-15 minutes from the Merrion Square shuttle stop.

 

So how long it will take you to get there will depend on the taxi/shuttle situation. I found it frustrating trying to plan because we didn't know, ahead of the cruise season, what the situation at the port would be, which is one reason why we planned the tour for our *second* day in Dublin. Do you have two days? If not, what time does your ship arrive?

 

At the end of the day, we were dropped at St. Stephen's Green at 4:30 pm, which gave us plenty of time to walk back to Merrion Square and catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

The tour group was a full bus, although you're broken into smaller groups at the Newgrange site. Mary's role was one of coordinator -- she arranges everything, including the timed tickets at Newgrange -- and narrator. She talked for the entire bus trip, mostly in answer to questions that people threw at her, and ranged over the entire history of Ireland -- not just prehistory and early history but also the Battle of the Boyne, the Famine, etc. At Newgrange, you're handed over to the official Newgrange guides. And it is an amazing experience actually walking inside the site. At Tara (we did visit Tara), you're left free to wander the hill on your own -- it doesn't take long; it's a hill with mounds and trenches in the grass. Be sure to read the signage at the entrance with the diagrams and aerial photos so you know what it is you're walking over. Even though it is, really, just a hill, it is, again, an amazing experience to stand on *that* hill and look out over *that* view of Ireland.

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Hi! We had intended to take a taxi from the port to the tour pick up point on O'Connell Street, but since the shuttles from the port were free, taxis weren't coming to the port. We hopped on a shuttle, intending to take a taxi from the shuttle drop off (near Merrion Square), but the shuttle driver was willing to drop us near where he turned to cross the Liffey (we were stopped at a traffic light) and we walked from there (about 15-20 minutes?).

 

We had plenty of time to get to O'Connell Street since the tour pick up wasn't until 10:10 am and this was the second day of our overnight stop, but if we were to do it again, we might have met the tour at the 9:50 am pick up near St. Stephen's Green, which is only about 10-15 minutes from the Merrion Square shuttle stop.

 

So how long it will take you to get there will depend on the taxi/shuttle situation. I found it frustrating trying to plan because we didn't know, ahead of the cruise season, what the situation at the port would be, which is one reason why we planned the tour for our *second* day in Dublin. Do you have two days? If not, what time does your ship arrive?

 

At the end of the day, we were dropped at St. Stephen's Green at 4:30 pm, which gave us plenty of time to walk back to Merrion Square and catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

The tour group was a full bus, although you're broken into smaller groups at the Newgrange site. Mary's role was one of coordinator -- she arranges everything, including the timed tickets at Newgrange -- and narrator. She talked for the entire bus trip, mostly in answer to questions that people threw at her, and ranged over the entire history of Ireland -- not just prehistory and early history but also the Battle of the Boyne, the Famine, etc. At Newgrange, you're handed over to the official Newgrange guides. And it is an amazing experience actually walking inside the site. At Tara (we did visit Tara), you're left free to wander the hill on your own -- it doesn't take long; it's a hill with mounds and trenches in the grass. Be sure to read the signage at the entrance with the diagrams and aerial photos so you know what it is you're walking over. Even though it is, really, just a hill, it is, again, an amazing experience to stand on *that* hill and look out over *that* view of Ireland.

 

What cruise line were you on and what time did the first shuttle start on the second morning. We are on Brilliance of the seas doing a walking tour from the Spire on day 1 and an 8:30am tour from the same area on day 2. I know there is a tram that we can use if we choose to walk to the Arena area

Thanks

Dave

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What cruise line were you on and what time did the first shuttle start on the second morning. We are on Brilliance of the seas doing a walking tour from the Spire on day 1 and an 8:30am tour from the same area on day 2. I know there is a tram that we can use if we choose to walk to the Arena area

Thanks

Dave

 

That I don't know, as our tour didn't leave until 10:10 am so we weren't leaving the ship until after 9 am. And if the shuttles are provided by the port and not the ship, RCCL probably won't know either? Someone else who took an early tour will hopefully read your question and report back.

 

My husband can't walk long distances, so the HOHO would be prefect for us. Is it possible to catch the bus near the cruise ship terminal?

 

Last year, port shuttles were free and the HOHO companies met the shuttles at their Merrion Square drop off. I saw representatives from both the green and red HOHOs there.

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Good morning ( here on Australia, anyway)

We have already booked the skip the line tour at the Guiness Storehouse. Open ticket, so can go anytime. Also plan to visit the Temple bar area, Dublin castle, Trinity College. Not sure if it is walkable or we may have to catch cabs.

See you on board at the trivia. Hope you are doing abit of study :D

Jo

 

How did you book an open time? I only see time slots.

 

Thanks M

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We aren't docking until 11:30 on a Sunday - it looks like the busses only run until 2pm, so that may not work for us. Too bad because we have an overnight in Dublin and no need to rush to be back on the ship.

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We aren't docking until 11:30 on a Sunday - it looks like the busses only run until 2pm, so that may not work for us. Too bad because we have an overnight in Dublin and no need to rush to be back on the ship.

 

We arrived on a Sunday as well, and I'm sure I saw the red City Sightseeing buses until at least 5 pm, which is when we were heading off to the Brazen Head pub for our evening folk dinner.

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Hi! We had intended to take a taxi from the port to the tour pick up point on O'Connell Street, but since the shuttles from the port were free, taxis weren't coming to the port. We hopped on a shuttle, intending to take a taxi from the shuttle drop off (near Merrion Square), but the shuttle driver was willing to drop us near where he turned to cross the Liffey (we were stopped at a traffic light) and we walked from there (about 15-20 minutes?).

 

We had plenty of time to get to O'Connell Street since the tour pick up wasn't until 10:10 am and this was the second day of our overnight stop, but if we were to do it again, we might have met the tour at the 9:50 am pick up near St. Stephen's Green, which is only about 10-15 minutes from the Merrion Square shuttle stop.

 

So how long it will take you to get there will depend on the taxi/shuttle situation. I found it frustrating trying to plan because we didn't know, ahead of the cruise season, what the situation at the port would be, which is one reason why we planned the tour for our *second* day in Dublin. Do you have two days? If not, what time does your ship arrive?

 

At the end of the day, we were dropped at St. Stephen's Green at 4:30 pm, which gave us plenty of time to walk back to Merrion Square and catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

The tour group was a full bus, although you're broken into smaller groups at the Newgrange site. Mary's role was one of coordinator -- she arranges everything, including the timed tickets at Newgrange -- and narrator. She talked for the entire bus trip, mostly in answer to questions that people threw at her, and ranged over the entire history of Ireland -- not just prehistory and early history but also the Battle of the Boyne, the Famine, etc. At Newgrange, you're handed over to the official Newgrange guides. And it is an amazing experience actually walking inside the site. At Tara (we did visit Tara), you're left free to wander the hill on your own -- it doesn't take long; it's a hill with mounds and trenches in the grass. Be sure to read the signage at the entrance with the diagrams and aerial photos so you know what it is you're walking over. Even though it is, really, just a hill, it is, again, an amazing experience to stand on *that* hill and look out over *that* view of Ireland.

 

Thank you, Trosebery, for answering my post. Our ship is only in Dublin for one day, a Monday. When I first emailed Mary about the Newgrange tour I included our port times. We get to Dublin about 6 AM and leave at 5 PM. When Mary replied she said I would be picked up at AIB Bank 37/38 upper O Connell St at 8:15 AM and we would be back at 3:15 PM. Since I have no idea where the AIB Bank is in relation to the port, I was planning to just take a taxi. It never occurred to me there wouldn’t be any. I will have to somehow find out if there are taxis at the shuttle drop off point. We probably need to leave the ship at least an hour before the 8:15 pick up. Better to have to wait than to miss the tour.

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Thank you, Trosebery, for answering my post. Our ship is only in Dublin for one day, a Monday. When I first emailed Mary about the Newgrange tour I included our port times. We get to Dublin about 6 AM and leave at 5 PM. When Mary replied she said I would be picked up at AIB Bank 37/38 upper O Connell St at 8:15 AM and we would be back at 3:15 PM. Since I have no idea where the AIB Bank is in relation to the port, I was planning to just take a taxi. It never occurred to me there wouldn’t be any. I will have to somehow find out if there are taxis at the shuttle drop off point. We probably need to leave the ship at least an hour before the 8:15 pick up. Better to have to wait than to miss the tour.

 

Sounds like Mary's adjusting her usual schedule to accommodate the ship's schedule -- which makes sense, given that a significant fraction of the people on our tour were also from our ship. I don't think you'll have a problem getting to the bank (which is at the corner of Parnell and O'Connell, if you're Googling it) as long as you give yourself enough time. Even if you don't see taxis at the port (and you might, even if the shuttles are free, given that you have only one day in port), you should see some (or be able to call some) in the city centre. Have fun!

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We arrived on a Sunday as well, and I'm sure I saw the red City Sightseeing buses until at least 5 pm, which is when we were heading off to the Brazen Head pub for our evening folk dinner.

 

That would be perfect - I was just going on what their web site said.

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That would be perfect - I was just going on what their web site said.

 

These are the buses I saw the most of:

https://city-sightseeing.com/en/50/dublin/60/hop-on-hop-off-dublin

 

Although there were plenty of these too:

https://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/dublin-sightseeing-tour-bus/citytour

 

I don't see anything on their websites about shorter hours on Sundays, but you could ask if you're concerned?

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