Dublin is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland, with about a million inhabitants it is the largest city in this thinly populated country. Plan to stay at least two nights to take advantage of its superb cultural offerings (theatres, museums and bookstores) as well as its lovely parks, friendly pubs, interesting historical sites and vibrant street scenes.

Dublin is about 200 kilometers northwest of Cork. If you travel by car, you should enjoy the view over Dublin and the Dublin Bay from either Howth Hill or Killakee before entering the city. From these hills one can overlook the city with the river Liffey running through it, separating the oldest part to the North from the Southern part were most monumental buildings are situated. Though the river is in many ways the artery of the city, pumping with the tides, the riversides are not really exiting. But don’t miss the Four Courts on the north bank of the Liffey designed by the great architect James Gandon and The Custom House along the same quay.

The northern part used to be the city center, but it gradually shifted to the south. In this part of Dublin south of the O’Connell Bridge you’ll find most important Dublin,Sights:sights (museums, churches, castles and public buildings) concentrated in a relatively small area. At the College Green there’s the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university. A little further there’s Grafton Street, the center of a luxurious shopping area. Other shopping locations include Nassau Street near the city center.

If you want to have a taste of Dublin,Eating Out:local food, you can try one of the Dublin,Pubs:pubs. They don’t serve anything fancy but simple pub food and often is quite tasty. Here you can also have an Irish beer like Guinness and sing along with traditional folk music. It’s one of the fastest ways to get to know the Irish culture. For a more thorough acquaintance visit the National Museum and see the portraits of famous Irishmen in the National Art Gallery. Of course you have already read James Joyce, Jonathan Swift and Patrick Cavanaugh. Dublin keeps her dead poets and writers very much alive.

With courtesy of The official Dublin Tourism website