Your Local Guide To St. Patrick’s Day 2023 In Dublin
Do you want to visit Dublin for St Patrick’s Day but you don’t have any idea where and how to start? We’ve been living in Dublin for a while now, and we’ve helped many people find the best solutions for their visits to Dublin during Paddy’s day.
First thing first: Dublin is literally crowded on the 17th of March. If you hope to visit the City quietly, you will probably be disappointed, but a visit to Dublin on St Patrick’s Day is an unmissable experience.
Let us give you the more advice we can to help you organize your trip to Dublin in the best way possible in logistics, accommodation, and more.
Will St. Patrick’s Day Be Celebrated In Dublin This Year?
The iconic National St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to the streets of Dublin on March 17th, with more pageants, marching bands, and participants than ever before.
New for 2023 is Festival Quarter at the National Museum of Ireland, which will be home to a magical day-to-night urban Festival for all, from March 16th to 20th on the grounds of one of Ireland’s most spectacular and historic heritage sites, in the heart of Dublin. Festival Quarter will also host the Irish Food & Design Village, a daily showcase of Ireland’s incredible produce, arts, and crafts. The grounds of the stunning, historic heritage site will be transformed into a magical day-to-night urban Festival for all, in the heart of Dublin, featuring Spiegeltent Mór and Spiegeltent Beag, a 3,000 capacity outdoor Main Stage, Craic Comedy Tent, Story Yurt, performance spaces, relaxation areas, and a dedicated Irish Food and Design Village.
When Is St. Patrick’s Day Celebrated?
St. Patrick is celebrated only and always on the 17th of March every year (date of death of the Saint, in 461). For this occasion, a big festival is usually organized, the St. Patrick’s Festival, suitable for adults and children.
How To Arrive In Dublin In Time For St. Patrick’s Day
Dublin is easily reachable from most of the US and Europe as well; if you’re travelling from the US, you’ll find direct flights with AerLingus, Delta, and American Airlines.
Same story if you’re travelling from Europe: AerLingus and Ryanair are the most reliable airlines, and you can also spot reasonable prices if you book in advance.
How To Arrive From Dublin Airport To Dublin City Centre
Dublin airport is not really far away from the city centre, and you can reach your accommodation and the centre of the City in one of the following ways:
- Taxi: you’ll pay about 20 euros for 30 minutes, but this will also be strictly connected to the traffic and your time of arrival;
- Bus: you can ride on the 16, 41, and 102 buses, and they will bring you to the city centre in 45 minutes -1 hour;
- Airlink 747 and 757: this is one of the quickest ways to arrive at the city center (and back to the airport). 6 euros one way, 10 euros return;
- Aircoach: the fastest way possible, not considering the taxi, to reach the center of Dublin. 7 euros one way, 12 euros return (wi-fi onboard included).
Where To Stay In Dublin For St. Patrick’s Day?
Finding a place where to sleep in Dublin is easy, but the city is not cheap at all, and at St. Patrick, it becomes even worse. The only possible advice is to book as soon as possible to avoid tourist traps and find the best solutions; plus, booking in a non-central area can really save your wallet and make you enjoy the most the party.
We always recommend not to book near the Temple Bar area (unless you’re young and only want to party!) and prefer different places such as Grand Canal Dock, Ballsbridge and the surrounding areas using a taxi and public transportations to get to the center if you’re not a walker. Just remember Dublin is really easy to explore on foot and it’s a pleasure to walk around the city!
Best Pubs In Dublin At St. Patricks’ Day
Dublin = pub. It’s said there are at least 365 pubs in the entire Dublin, and you need at least one year to visit all of them; in reality, there are more than 365 pubs in Dublin, and even if tourists only visit the most famous ones, the better are the ones tourists do not know. If you’re in Dublin at St. Patrick’s, then you need to visit at least one pub, and these are the 6 I always recommend even if they can be extremely touristy (click on the name to access the location):
- Temple Bar: the most famous, inside the Temple Bar district. Extremely touristy but no less beautiful. Music from morning to night;
- O’Donoghue’s: popular with both tourists and locals, it is divided into two areas and it’s constantly full but the atmosphere is really amazing;
- The Celt: same as above but the environment is more spartan and you can also eat;
- Kehoe’s: tiny to the point that the pint, often, has to drink in the street;
- The Cobblestone: outside the centre but shown on any travel guide. The music is always a plus and the beer is cheaper than in the centre;
- Oliver St. John Gogarty: an establishment of Temple Bar. Go up to the second floor to experience live music until late at night which pays the price not really very low of pints.