48 hours in Dublin:Family-Friendly Itinerary
Running in St. Stephen’s, Green, Dublin
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When people think of Dublin, they might first think of pubs and not add it to their family trip to Ireland. However, we thought Dublin was a great city to visit with our daughter. We spent 2 nights and days exploring Dublin before we traveled around the rest of Ireland.
We felt welcomed in all restaurants, and it is an easy city for walk around. If you are roadtripping around Ireland, you will probably want to spend more time in the countryside, but you should not skip Dublin and the surrounding area.
Day 1: Stop #1: Trinity College and Coffee
We landed in Dublin at 7:30 AM after an overnight flight. We took a bus to our hotel, dropped of our luggage, and immediately popped our daughter in the stroller so we could walk and find coffee. We brought a backpack full of snacks, water bottles, and a change of clothes with us.
Butler’s Chocolate Cafe is right across from an entrance to Trinity College. We ordered a couple lattes and were given a chocolate treat for our daughter. While we don’t usually eat chocolate at 9:30 in the morning, we decided that we could make an exception.
Walking around Trinity College: We did not book a tour for this morning, but we wanted to see the college’s courtyard and give us time to stretch our legs and run around. You can book a Trinity Trails tour or the Book of Kells experience (separately or together).
Trinity College, Dublin
Day 1: Stop #2: St. Stephen’s Green
We believe the best way to get over jetlag is to immerse ourselves in sunshine. St. Stephen’s Green is the best place in Dublin to do this. The public park includes 22 acres of land and a wonderful playground area for children.
Playground at St. Stephen’s Green
Day 1: Stop #3 Brunch in the Temple Bar neighborhood
There are many restaurants in the Temple Bar neighborhood, but we wanted to make sure our daughter would eat well for our first day, so we went with a more American-style lunch. We opted for Elephant & Castle.
Brunch at Elephant & Castle, Temple Bar, Dublin
Temple Bar area, Dublin
Day 1: Stop #4: Back to the hotel for nap time!
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, which states that is in the city center, but it’s across the river from the popular tourist destinations. We were lucky enough that they could get us into our room at 1pm. (We used American Express points for this hotel stay.)
While some people believe you should NEVER nap when traveling, we always take a 2-3 hour nap if we have not slept the night before. This guarantees that we can stay up later on the first night and try to get on schedule.
Day 1: Stop #5: Epic: The Irish Immigration Museum
While our hotel was not in the city center, it was next door to the EPIC museum, which lives up to its name. The family-friendly part of the museum included a “passport book” that your child could stamp in each room. This kept our 5-year-old daughter engaged.
The museum includes a variety of rooms with different themes. I think this museum is a must-do if you want to have a greater understanding of the Irish diaspora.
EPIC museum sign, Dublin
Read more about our summer road trip through Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Day 2: Dublin with kids
For our second day in Dublin, we had a full day of activities. We started with breakfast at the hotel.
Day 2: Stop #1:
Hodges Finnis Book Shop
This bookshop has been in Ireland since 1768. There is an amazing variety of books, and a wonderful children’s section. We purposefully did not pack books and bought our daughter 3 Irish-focused books from Hodges Figgis to last the trip.
We purchased these books for our 5-year-old.
Where Are You Puffling? An Irish Adventure by Erika McGann, illustrated by Gerry Daly
Flossie McFluff, An Irish Fairy by Eoin O’Brien, illustrated by Audrey Dowling
Hodges Figgis book shop, Dublin Ireland
Hodges Figgis book shop, Dublin Ireland
Day 2: Stop #2:
Dublinia Viking Museum
Dublinia is a historical recreation museum that focuses on the Viking and Medieval history of the city. It’s also connected to Christ Church Cathedral, and you can visit both places in one visit. There are a lot of hands on activities for children, and this was great for our 5-year-old.
Dressing as a viking a Dublinia
Christ Church, Dublin
Day 2: Stop #3:
The Shack Restaurant
If you are looking for a great lunch in a small restaurant, then look no further than The Shack restaurant in the Temple Bar area.
They had the best brown bread we tasted in Ireland, and the owner was very kind. Plan for at least an hour and a half for lunch if you are visiting a small establishment during peak tourist season.
The Shack restaurant, courtesy of their website
Day 2: Stop #4:
Guinness Storehouse
You might not think that Guinness is kid-friendly, but our daughter had a blast visiting the storehouse. We did a self-guided tour in mid-afternoon.
For the tour, you have a timed ticket and you start at the bottom and work your way up the many escalators to the top. I would plan for at least 2 hours here, especially if you are visiting on a weekend.
Guinness Storehouse tour
Creative displays at Guinness kept our 5-year-old entertained.
Enjoying the drinks, snacks, and the view from the top floor of the Guinness Storehouse.
Day 2: Stop #5:
Murphy’s Ice Cream
To finish off our day, we had ice cream before dinner and before our walk back across the river to our hotel. Murphy’s is made in Dingle, so we tried it there, too. Murphy’s ice cream is on Wicklow street, and is not far from Grafton street and Trinity College.
