Finding where to stay in Dublin is not always easy, especially if we take into account that the city is relatively large and has several highly recommended areas in which to look for accommodation.
The decision of the area will depend on the number of days you are going to be in the city and your needs or budget, because depending on your choice of where to stay in Dublin, you will have more or less close to the must-see places in Dublin.
Although in principle and taking into account that most travelers come to the city to spend between 2 and 3 days, we recommend you to opt for the most central area to make the most of the time.
Based on our visit to the city, during which we wrote this guide to Dublin, we leave you a selection of places to stay in Dublin and the best neighborhoods. Let’s get started!
Neighborhoods where to stay in Dublin
The most important thing before starting to look for a hotel in Dublin is to know the distribution of the city to make the choice as easy as possible. The city has 24 districts that are divided depending on their location on the banks of the River Liffey: those in the northern area have odd numbers and are generally inhabited by the working class and those in the southern part, are the districts with even numbers and is where the most residential neighborhoods and high purchasing power are located.
Besides this, the most central districts are those with numbers 1 to 9 and in some of them, south-central area and Temple Bar, will be the ones we will focus on to help you find the best place to stay in Dublin.
1. Temple Bar, the best place to stay in Dublin
We imagine that we did not discover anything new, but we can not fail to recommend Temple Bar as one of the best places to sleep in Dublin. Considered one of the symbols of the city, this neighborhood located in the central area of the city, on the south bank of the river, is a very lively neighborhood, both day and night, with a wide range of hotels and restaurants as well as entertainment venues. It is also here where you will find the famous pub of the same name, which opened in 1840 and where you can not fail to have a good time, as it is one of the most recommended things to see and do in Dublin.
Although it is also one of the noisiest areas of the city and one of the most expensive, if your budget allows it and you want to be in a central area, next to most tourist attractions, Temple Bar should definitely be your choice where to sleep in Dublin.
The price of accommodation in Temple Bar is usually 150-200 euros although there are some times when you can find offers for 100 euros.
2. Downtown Dublin, another of the best places to sleep in Dublin
Although the center of Dublin is relatively large, if you want to have a good location, we recommend staying around O’Connell Street, which is one of the main arteries of the city. Here, besides being close to many of the most touristic places in the city such as Trinity College, Dublin Castle or St. Stephen’s Cathedral, you will have a wide range of accommodation, restaurants and plenty of stores, especially in Henry Street and Grafton Street, which along with O’Connell Street, are three of the most recommended streets if you want to shop.
It is also a perfect location if you want to do some of the best tours and excursions from Dublin, as in this area are the stop of most buses, including those arriving from the airport.
You can find more information in the post How to get from Dublin Airport to the center.
The price of accommodation in the center of Dublin usually has an average of 150 euros although there are accommodations for all budgets.
3. Trinity Street, the central and quiet option to stay in Dublin
If you are looking for a central but quiet location, the best option is Trinity Street or any area around Trinity College. Here you will be close to everything but at the same time you will not have to put up with the nightlife in other areas of the city such as Temple Bar.
In addition here you can find a good number of hotels, with prices for all budgets and a wide range of restaurants of many cuisines of the world.
The price of accommodation in Trinity Street usually has an average of 150 euros.
4. Smithfield, the trendy area to stay in Dublin
Located in a very central area, on the north bank of the river, are Smithfield and Stoneybatter, two neighborhoods that in recent times have become two of the most sought after areas for travelers who want to enjoy a good location but at the same time have a good atmosphere and above all, a good range of restaurants and trendy locals.
Although for us if you are going to be only a few days in the city is not the most successful, because although centrally located is further away from the main tourist attractions, if you want an alternative area, this is one of the best options where to sleep in Dublin.
The price of accommodation in Smithfield usually averages 120 euros.
Our recommended places to stay in Dublin
During our stay in the city we stayed at Leeson Lodge House, located in a very quiet street with beautiful Georgian houses, very close to St Stephen’s Green Park and the Aircoach bus stop, which goes to the airport. The hotel’s rooms are spacious, it has a kitchen and is excellent value for money.
Although it is a 15-20 minute walk from the city center, overall we think it is a very good choice for sleeping in Dublin.
After our experience, when we return to Dublin, we would opt to stay in a more central area such as Temple Bar, despite being a noisy area, or we would look for a hotel in the area around O’Conell Street, as we believe these are the best areas to stay in Dublin.
Tips for finding cheap accommodation in Dublin
We leave you with a series of tips and recommendations to make your search for a hotel to stay in Dublin much easier and faster.
- Taking into account that most travelers travel to the city only to stay for a few days, we recommend you to choose a central area to sleep in Dublin, as this way you can make the most of your time and be close to the most tourist attractions.
- As you may have seen, hotel prices in Dublin are expensive, so it is important to book in advance especially if you are traveling in high season or during an event in the city.
- It is also important to know that prices do not vary much from one neighborhood to another, so in most cases it is worth paying a little more to be in a better location.
- Remember that to avoid paying commissions and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, which are the ones we use, are free of charge and will save you a lot of money.
