Region Highlights: Dublin and the East

Dublin

For those that love history, architecture, and culture, be sure to include Dublin on your vacation. Make sure to visit Trinity College, the Irish History Museum and enjoy the many restaurants, theater, and shopping Dublin has to offer.
Also in this region is the Hill of Tara, Newgrange and the Boyne Valley. The beautiful Wicklow Mountains are a short distance from Dublin, with the ancient monastic city of Glendalough. Kildare is also a close ride and is famous for the thoroughbred horses, the Curragh, The Irish National Stud Farm, the Japanese Gardens, and the holy wells and monastic sites of St. Brigid.
Dublin’s Templebar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey. Templebar has retained its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled stoned streets. It has a lively nightlife and is popular with tourists. There are hotels to choose from in this area but keep in mind of the elevated noise level at night due to the pubs and crowds that flock here. Check out The Porterhouse, with traditional sessions on Sundays and entertainment other nights of the week, The Foggy Dew; a lively traditional bar, and The Quays, which offers music all hours of the day.
For those that love history, architecture, and culture, be sure to include Dublin on your vacation. Make sure to visit Trinity College, the Irish History Museum and enjoy the many restaurants, theater, and shopping Dublin has to offer.
Also in this region is the Hill of Tara, Newgrange and the Boyne Valley. The beautiful Wicklow Mountains are a short distance from Dublin, with the ancient monastic city of Glendalough. Kildare is also a close ride and is famous for the thoroughbred horses, the Curragh, The Irish National Stud Farm, the Japanese Gardens, and the holy wells and monastic sites of St. Brigid.
Dublin’s Templebar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey. Templebar has retained its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled stoned streets. It has a lively nightlife and is popular with tourists. There are hotels to choose from in this area but keep in mind of the elevated noise level at night due to the pubs and crowds that flock here. Check out The Porterhouse, with traditional sessions on Sundays and entertainment other nights of the week, The Foggy Dew; a lively traditional bar, and The Quays, which offers music all hours of the day.

The East Coast

The East Coast is definitely a cultural hub of Ireland, where ancient history blends with the modern day. This region offers up an endless stream of attractions to choose from.UNESCO World Heritage Site of Newgrange in the Boyne Valley is a Stone Age Passage Tomb that predates the Egyptian pyramids dating back to 3200BC. The passage tomb can be visited by a guided tour through the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, and the nearby battlefield at the Boyne, just outside the town of Drogheda in Louth, is the site of a pivotal battle in Irish history dating back to 1690. With so much in and around Dublin, it is a good location to include as one of your touring “hubs”.