MINI GUIDE
Weekend in Dublin
COMPILED BY SOPHIE MCGRATH, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FIONN DAVENPORT. PHOTOGRAPHS: KATHRIN BAUMBACH, JH PHOTO/ALAMY, ANDREW MONTGOMERY, MARTIN MORRELL, TIM E WHITE/ALAMYDublin essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Pick up Lonely
Planet’s Dublin
(US$21.99), or
get a digest with
Pocket Dublin
(US$13.99). Lonely Planet’s
free Guides app on iTunes
includes Dublin. You’ll find
a wealth of information at
both visitdublin.com and
ireland.com. The Dublin
Discovery Trails app is a new
series of self-guided
walking trails with personal
accounts and images
(visitdublin.com). James
Joyce set many works in his
hometown, including
Dubliners (US$9.90;
Penguin Classics), whose
short stories weave a
picture of turn-of-the
century city life.DUBLIN MARKETS
The weekend sees markets pop up
around the city:
O Cow’s Lane Designer Mart New
Irish designers sell cutting-edge
creations – from clothes and
homeware to art and jewellery
(Sat; facebook.com/
DesignerMart).
O Temple Bar Food Market Sample
Irish farmhouse cheese or artisan
gelato at the city’s best open-air
food market, packed with
seasonal produce (Sat; facebook.
com/TempleBarFoodMarket)
O Temple Bar Book Market Stalls
selling new, second-hand and rare
books are a rummager’s dream
(Sat and Sun).
O The Ha’Penny Market Vintage and
designer clothes, vinyl, retro
furniture and bric-
a-brac are thick on the ground at
this market set in a
music venue (Sat;
thegrand
social.ie).S Great George’s St; from US$87).
Located on the Liffey’s south
bank, The Clarence has stylish
rooms with oak beds and custom-
designed furniture. Attached is a
restaurant helmed by a Michelin-
starred chef, a grand bar and a
drinking den (theclarence.ie; 6–8
Wellington Quay; from US$143).
Cliff Townhouse overlooks St
Stephen’s Green. Its nine luxurious
rooms are decked out with rich
fabrics and antiques. Seasonal Irish
cuisine is served at the restaurant,
and there’s also a champagne bar
(theclifftownhouse.com; 22 St
Stephen’s Green; from US$174).WHERE TO STAY
Set in a faux-Gothic building,
Grafton Guesthouse offers
simple, spacious rooms, friendly
staff and a top breakfast, which is
served in a farm-styled French
restaurant a few doors down
(graftonguesthouse.com; 27TRANSPORT
Take British Airways from
Singapore or Kuala Lumpur with
one stopover in London Heathrow
(from US$792; ba.com). The
airport is seven miles north of the
city centre, or about 40 minutes
by private or express coach (both
from US$6.20; aircoach.ie;
dublinbus.ie) or bus number 16
(from US$3.50; dublinbus.ie). A
taxi will cost around US$25. It’s
easy to explore the city on foot –
its centre spans just two miles
across. To go further afield, the
Dublin suburbs and coast are
well-served by the DART rail
(Dublin to Malahide from US$7
return; irishrail.ie).The Georgian red-brick façade
of Dublin’s Cliff TownhouseActivities Entertainment Sights Drinking Eating Sleeping