Cost per day · Ireland
Dublin on $70, $190 or $480 a day
How much does Dublin cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $70 a day, mid-range trips run around $190, and luxury starts near $480 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included.
That makes Dublin the 6th most expensive of 82 cities for a mid-range trip — see all 82 ranked.
A small capital that punches far above its size on literature, drinking and conversation — Joyce, Beckett, Wilde and Heaney all came through, and the pubs they wrote in are mostly still open. Georgian squares, the Liffey cutting through the middle, and the Wicklow mountains within an hour of the centre.
Dublin is not a cheap city, but the best of it is free — the National Gallery, the National Museum, Phoenix Park and the walk out to Howth all cost nothing. Hostels cluster around Temple Bar, which is loud; sleep a few streets away instead.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
The ninth-century gospel book and the Long Room before the crowds
Get tickets on Tiqets →The diaspora told well, in the vaults of the old Custom House docks
Get tickets on Tiqets →Seven floors in the old fermentation plant, ending at the Gravity Bar
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Bright hostel beside Connolly Station with a good kitchen and roof terrace
Smithfield hostel next to the Jameson distillery, quieter than Temple Bar
Reliable modern hotel on the Luas red line out of the centre
The national museums and the National Gallery are free. A pint in Temple Bar costs nearly double one in a Liberties pub two hundred metres away. The DART to Howth is a few euros and buys you a cliff walk and a harbour.
Mid-range means a Georgian townhouse hotel south of the river, the ticketed heavy hitters — Guinness, Book of Kells, a distillery — and a proper dinner rather than pub food.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
The ninth-century gospel book and the Long Room before the crowds
Get tickets on Tiqets →The diaspora told well, in the vaults of the old Custom House docks
Get tickets on Tiqets →Seven floors in the old fermentation plant, ending at the Gravity Bar
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Two Georgian houses joined by a garden, near Merrion Square
Harcourt Street design hotel with the Sophie's rooftop restaurant
Victorian red-brick on Adelaide Road, adults only and quiet
Book Book of Kells early access to get the Long Room before the tour groups. The Guinness Storehouse Gravity Bar is the view; go at opening or late. Eat in Stoneybatter or on Camden Street rather than around the cathedrals.
Luxury Dublin is the Merrion and the Shelbourne — Georgian grandeur, serious art on the walls, and Michelin-starred rooms within a short walk. A car and driver puts Wicklow, Newgrange or the Boyne within an easy day.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Blend and bottle your own from the Bow St. Black Barrel components
Get tickets on Tiqets →The ninth-century gospel book and the Long Room before the crowds
Get tickets on Tiqets →The diaspora told well, in the vaults of the old Custom House docks
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Off Grafton Street, the most convenient of the city's luxury addresses
On St Stephen's Green since 1824; the Irish constitution was drafted upstairs
Four Georgian townhouses, a major Irish art collection and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud
The Merrion's art collection and the Shelbourne's history are the two ways to do this. Book Chapter One or Liath weeks ahead. A private Wicklow day gets you Glendalough without the coach park.
About Dublin
Temperate maritime: mild and changeable all year (5–20°C), rarely freezing or hot. Rain comes in short bursts most months rather than long spells.
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Compact enough to walk end to end in forty minutes. Two Luas tram lines, a dense bus network and the DART coastal rail to Howth and Bray. No metro; a Leap Card covers everything and caps the daily fare.
The oldest cathedral, the brewery quarter and the gaol where the 1916 leaders were shot.
The Book of Kells, Grafton Street and the green, then the castle and the cathedral down to the river.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Ireland — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
Travel Insurance for Dublin
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Dublin. Safety is rated Very safe by European standards. Petty theft and some antisocial behaviour around the north inner city and O'Connell Street late at night are the practical concerns. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Ireland is in the EU but not Schengen. Visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports; a separate Irish visa is required for many others, and a Schengen visa does not cover Ireland.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Get travel insurance for Dublin →FAQ: Dublin Travel Questions
Is Dublin safe to visit? ▾
Very safe by European standards. Petty theft and some antisocial behaviour around the north inner city and O'Connell Street late at night are the practical concerns.
When is the best time to visit Dublin? ▾
May–September for the long evenings — midsummer light lasts past 22:00. March brings St Patrick's Festival and the year's highest prices. Temperate maritime: mild and changeable all year (5–20°C), rarely freezing or hot. Rain comes in short bursts most months rather than long spells.
How much does a trip to Dublin cost per day? ▾
- budget: $70–$130/day
- midrange: $190–$360/day
- luxury: $480–$1100/day
Do I need a visa to visit Ireland? ▾
Ireland is in the EU but not Schengen. Visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports; a separate Irish visa is required for many others, and a Schengen visa does not cover Ireland.
How do I get around Dublin? ▾
Compact enough to walk end to end in forty minutes. Two Luas tram lines, a dense bus network and the DART coastal rail to Howth and Bray. No metro; a Leap Card covers everything and caps the daily fare. Taxi base fare ~$4. Day pass ~$8.
Is tipping expected in Dublin? ▾
Tipping is modest and not obligatory: 10–15% in a restaurant if service is not already added, and nothing at all at the bar. You pay for pub drinks at the counter.
What currency is used in Ireland? ▾
The local currency is EUR, and the official language is English and Irish.