Dublin City Breaks

Dublin is home to the real deal - Irish themed pubs that make all those pale imitations back at home seem, well, rather pale. Dublin is full of parks and gardens and it's full of the Irish. Are there friendlier folk on the planet? After time spent in Dublin, you'll think not.

Dublin is relatively small so you can make your way around quite easily. It's a small city of about 1,000,000 people and almost every single one will give you directions if you ask.

There's plenty of good food at reasonable prices and not-so-reasonable prices, and there's a pub on every second street corner, making it ideal for New Year breaks!

Ireland is famous for its culture and you can do a literary themed pub crawl, as well as a 'normal' one. There are at least three very decent galleries, and the tourist bus tour of Dublin is well worth the time and money. Cheap weekend breaks are very easy in Dublin.

Dublin is a place to come alive and enjoy life - so don't wait, get there soon!

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Choose from pub food (think potatoes, steak and lashings of gravy), food halls (The Epicurean Food Hall in Lower Liffey St has more than twenty cuisines to choose from and it's a cut above normal food hall standards) or street corner establishments like Simon's. Simon's Place on South Great George St is a Dublin institution. The man himself has been serving up hearty sandwiches and wholesome soups for 20 years and is a much-loved veteran.

For something a little more upmarket, head for Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer St. They do a great lunch downstairs in the NY-style deli or head up the chic first floor for a sit down in a buzzy atmosphere - you can watch all the bright young things at play.

Gruel on Dame St is a budget place with roast-in-a-roll lunches and a superb evening meal where they'll treat you to pasta, chicken and seafood dishes with a modern and tasty twist (think spices, fresh ingredients and exotic flavours thrown in).

The most upmarket Restaurant worth checking out is Chapter One on North Parnell Square. Fresh Irish produce (langoustine for example) and local favourites (veal terrine) are given the French treatment and the outcome is superb - delicious flavours in a character-filled space in the Dublin Writers Museum.

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Wettest months are December, January and sunniest months are May and June.

Average summer temps are 20C and about 8C during winter. It can get windy in autumn and you might see hail rather than snow in winter.

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Historic Dublin - you must visit one of the first University's in Europe. Trinity College is a rambling, beautiful series of buildings. Explore the library, and in particular, make sure you see the Book of Kells. This elaborately illustrated tome dates to around AD 800 and is a major Irish drawcard. Christ Church Cathedral is a rather stately mediaeval cathedral

Castles - take a tour of Dublin Castle, seat of British rule until 1922. Thought-provoking indeed are the artefacts and audio visual histories.

Kilmainham Gaol - Europe's largest disused and Ireland's most famous prison. The leaders of the 1916 Rebellion were executed here by the English.

Don't miss - shopping in Grafton St and partying hard in Temple Bar, home to some of Dublin's best night spots, restaurants and unusual shops. They line the narrow, cobbled streets running between the Bank of Ireland and Christ Church Cathedral.

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