Dublin, Ireland sightseeing?

[luv2kruz]

We will be docked in Dublin from 6am to 6pm and was considering taking a ship shuttle to a HOHO bus or a private tour guide. This will be our first but not last visit to Dublin and would appreciate your input for our choice:

Private tour or HOHO bus?

[retrieverdad]

We di the British Isles a few weeks ago on the Century. In Dublin we did the HOHO and it was fantastic.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Mark

[drk]

We also did the HOHO bus in Dublin and thought it was a good way to go. If you book in advance on their website you save 20%!

[cruisintwinsmom]

We used a private tour to see the part of Ireland where our ancestors were from. Figured we had seen a number of cities and wanted to see more of a rural area. We really enjoyed it, but didn't see anything much of Dublin.

[chrismch]

Definitely take the HOHO - it gives you a great overview and you can get on & off as you wish. We stayed in Dublin for 5 days so we did most of it by foot. Here's what I suggest IMHO as stops to see...Trinity College for the "Book of Kells" - ornate 8th Century manuscripts with details of how they were done and their amazing library & artifacts, Kilmainham Gaol (Jail)- most amazing tour we have ever done. It highlights the history of the jail from the famine, to the uprisings and the fight for independence. Excellent guides. You can buy a book which is called "Final Words" which are the final letters from the martyrs of the 1916 Easter Uprising. There are also great pub crawls in the evening for music and literature which unfortunately you will not be able to take this trip - it will have to wait for your next trip to Ireland!

[Keith1010]

Yes, I would go with the HOHO in Dublin. It is a great city for that. Enjoy!

 

Keith

[Norfolk Brit]

And, to be more precise, the green and cream ones (there are two companies running HOHO buses in Dublin). Unless 'elf'n'safety have stopped it in the recent past, the drivers do a live commentary complete with singing, jokes etc.

[luvnorway]

Strongly second the previous poster's recommendation to visit Kilmainham Gaol (= Jail). We found it one of the most interesting places we've been to in Dublin and, IMHO, it isn't publicized enough in tourist info websites or guides

 

http://www.visitdublin.com/seeanddo/HistoricSites/Detail.aspx?id=247&mid=684

http://www.tourist-information-dublin.co.uk/kilmainham-jail-dublin/kilmainham-jail.htm

http://62.73.177.39/en/HistoricSites/DublinArea/KilmainhamGaolDublin/

http://www.dublintourist.com/details/kilmainham_gaol.shtml

[Barbiegator]

We just rode the HOHO bus in Dublin and really enjoyed it. Make sure you have Euros as the green and cream bus doesn't take charge cards. We got it at the city quay around the corner from where the cruise shuttle dropped us off.

[MouseHunter]

We spent three days in Dublin on our last trip to Ireland. We didn't nearly all of what we wanted to see. Before you go, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Know what you want to see and where it is in the city. Even if you do the HOHO, You will not have time to stop at every stop.

Downtown Dublin is fairly compact. We had now trouble walking around the city enjoying the sights and the people. You can easily spend all day in downtown Dublin on foot and have a great time.

No matter how you do it, you will end up with the "Green Blur".

[Jakie710]

We just rode the HOHO bus in Dublin and really enjoyed it. Make sure you have Euros as the green and cream bus doesn't take charge cards. We got it at the city quay around the corner from where the cruise shuttle dropped us off.

 

I thought they took the pound in Ireland -- is this incorrect?

[pmc7704]

Yes, it's incorrect. Northern Ireland ( Belfast ) takes pounds, but Republic of Ireland ( Dublin ) is Euros.