this is not your average guide to Dublin today we are going to be looking at some practical tips that you will not typically find in other Ireland travel guides I'm talking how to avoid fines on public transport where to shop if you have some packing mishaps tipping expectations in the city how to avoid those touristy gimmicks and Insider information that you haven't heard before and if you stick around to the end of the video I will also fill you in on one of the biggest mistakes I see tourists make in Dublin and why you two should avoid it let's dive into the video and the first point that I want to address is where do you shop if you happen to forget something if Ireland was known for just one thing it would be our unpredictable climate if you're looking to pick up some affordable clothing there are two stores that I recommend they are both Irish owned and you'll find them all across the country not just in Dublin the first is pennies known as Primark internationally here you're going to be able to pick up pretty affordable items they have everything from nightwear sweaters bottoms underwear you name it and then we have have done stores again you're going to be able to pick up similar items from cozy socks to warm fleeces that are going to give you a dig out on those colder days but which one is better to visit if you're leaning towards the side of affordability or things that are a little bit cheaper then pennies could be a good option although you will pay the price in terms of the quality of the clothing if quality is something that you are after then done stores is the best place to go it is going to cost you an extra 2 or three more than pennies but honestly the quality of the clothing is so much better and it's going to last you a lot longer so really it all comes down to personal preference if you're going for Budget then go with pennies if you're going for Quality go with on there's not really a right answer and with the world moving more towards sustainability you might be wondering where do I get vintage clothing in Dublin so in Ireland we have two kinds of secondhand stores you have the Vintage shops and then you have the charity shops vintage shops they typically have handpicked items it means that you're going to pay a lot more money for the clothing but there is usually really good findes two of my favorite spots to shop vintage is the Dublin vintage Factory and the Big Smoke vintage both these are located in Temple Bar which tends to be quite a touristic area so it's nice to see the stores bring in locals into that part of town and then if you're looking to shop sustainably on a budget then you could go to charity stores there are so many of these located across the city they're nonprofit so everything goes towards charity but the thing is they normally go on a donation basis so nothing is handpicked you really have to do some rumaging and some rooing and you may find something that's suitable but then you may not it's kind of the look at the draw if you have some time you could definitely go to charity shops but if you are limited and you want to explore the city then a vintage store is the best option for you okay so the next point you are exploring the city you're feeling a little peckish you're not really in the mood to go to a restaurant or a cafe where do you go where do you find something cheap affordable and cheerful to eat so the good news is is in Ireland we have two forms of supermarkets you have like a corner news agent style store and then you have the big massive supermarkets and one of the great things about Ireland is you can actually find the big supermarkets in the city center which isn't really that common in most countries in Europe there are three main Brands dun stores yes the same as the clothing brand they also have a grocery department Tesco and Super Value and these are great placees to visit if you are looking for a bite to eat or say you have an Airbnb and you're not really in the mood to go out for dinner or for lunch you can just get some items bring them back and cook them yourselves or maybe you want to pick up some of those really nice Irish snacks I'm talking Po and dairy milk chocolate and then if you're running through the city and you need something like a chocolate bar or protein bar that's just going to tie you over for the next hour or two then I recommend heading to a news agent or a corner Shop the main ones are Circle K Centra and Spar but we're not done yet in Ireland we have these things called Deli and this is when someone will make you a freshly made sandwich for on the- go you can typically get these in the likes of spires and centas or you can go to one of the bigger supermarkets like duns you'll get a roll there but they also tend to have salad bars so you can just pick whatever salad you like throw it in a tub and it's a great grab and go option we also have little and ALDI these tend to be a lot more affordable than the likes of Tesco dun and Super Value but they don't typically do the Branded items so they'll normally have like a knockoff version which to be honest half the time are just as tasty or close enough to the real deal but what I really like about little is their Bakery it is so nice it's cheap and cheerful and it's just easy to grab and take if you're exploring the city and you need a little snack to munch on as you go around now before we dive into the next point I do want to bring your attention to my Ireland Facebook Community completely free to join I'll leave a link in the description I try to pop in once a week and answer as many questions as possible I may be a little bit bi but it's one of the best resources out there for anyone planning their trip to Ireland and for limited time only I am giving away free access to my Google M pins for anyone who joins okay let's talk souvenirs for a minute so you're in Ireland and you want to pick up something nice to bring home with you where do you get them there is one shop in Ireland that quite literally screams I'm a tourist shop come into me come buy your souvenirs here and that is carols now you may be expecting me to slay carols but honestly I actually don't think it's that bad the quality tends to be quite decent and if you're in a rush and you're looking to grab something off the shelf to bring home to a family member a cousin a friend then honestly it's a great option they have key Rings they have magnets and they actually do have some things that are sourced locally from Irish designers so if you're in a rush I really don't see the issue with buying your souvenirs in there but in saying that there are a lot more places in the city that you can get authentic souvenirs designed by Irish people the first one is the Aaron sweater Market yes this is the same store that you will find on the Aaron Islands they actually have a good few stores across the country now and you will be able to get one of those beautiful nited sweaters and something tells me that you might actually want to buy that at the start of your trip so that you can wear it around irand and then bring it on Home with you I was actually in the store recently and what I really liked is they have a section for the coat of arms or the family crest so anyone who has Irish heritage that could actually be quite a nice souvenir to bring home with you another shop that I am quite fond of is the kileny design store here you can get pretty much anything under the sun I'm talking posters clothing jewelry self-care items they have a big endless list my favorite thing about the store is they have a spotlight section so they will literally tell you that you are buying this item from this Irish designer this is where it was made this is the story behind it so it's really authentic it's really raw and it's nice to know that you're actually buying something from real Irish people I like that and the next one is a VOA this is actually somewhere where a lot of locals shop and again it's locally sourced products you're going to be able to get clothing jewelry posters again it's very similar to the keni design store just another option now if you're looking for the same Vibes but just on a little bit of a smaller scale then I recommend heading to the Irish Design shop on jury Street or design Lane in Temple Bar these again are going to have Irish sourced products but it's just a smaller Vibe so you won't feel as overwhelmed walking around these shops and for Book Lovers you can check out the secret bookstore chapters and the gter book shop to buy some reads that you might want to bring back with you from your trip to Ireland or if you want to get yourself one of those stereotypical Irish items then I recommend getting yourself a box of tea you're going to be able to get these in any Supermarket there's a bit of controversy around tea in Ireland you either like barries or lines so if there are any Irish people watching this video find out in the comment section cuz I don't want to be part of this argument but yeah that's kind of a nice thing to bring home with you can have a nice cuper on those cold days at home the next point was actually asked in my free Ireland Facebook Community again Link in the description how far Advance should you book your accommodation or tours and honestly for this one there isn't really a right answer I will give you my opinion but it doesn't mean I'm right although I think I am the way I see it is Ireland is an expensive country so I wouldn't really leave booking my hotel to the last minute I probably would be booking at a minimum 6 months in advance cuz the last thing want is the hotel prices to keep going up or for your first or second choice to be fully booked out now when it comes to tours I feel like there is a little bit more of flexibility it really depends on what tours you're planning on doing say Kum jail for example that is quite literally like trying to get Taylor Swift tickets it is so hard they go in sale 28 days in advance and you need to be on their website ready to get your tour it's not expensive it's a fantastic tour but oh my God it is hard to get your hands on they do say on their website that it is 28 days from like 8: or 900 a. m. in the morning that is wrong it is a midnight I found that out the hard way so make sure that you're on the website Irish time 28 days in advance or you won't be going to commum jail so if you take anything from this video let it be that it's a tough world out there now we also have other popular attractions the likes of the Guinness Storehouse or the book of K's experience at Trinity College when did you book them could you leave it to the last minute technically yes it really comes down to how busy the week is or how busy the day is but they can book out and if they don't book out then maybe you won't be able to get your desired time slot and there is no point doing the Guinness Storehouse and Trinity College back to back because they are not located near each other in the city but that might be the only option you have cuz you left it to the last minute so personally I don't think you should book anything the day before I think you should have a pre-planned and I don't like to travel that way but that's just the reality of Ireland or you know you could take the risk but you don't really know how that's going to plan out so it's kind of how relaxed are you I guess this guide might sound a little bit overwhelming to a lot of people there is a lot of information to take in so I actually have created a pocket style guide that you can bring around the city with you it's easy it's Compact and it's going to have all the links that you need so if you'd like to check that out again the link is in the description feel like I'm saying that a lot in this video but there's so much information and speaking of Tours and attractions where do you find them where do you look to do things when in Dublin for me I like to check out get your guide for starters they have fantastic customer service I actually had an issue with a tour they sorted out for me within an hour and I still got to go on it another reason why I like having a little browse on get your guide is cuz you get to discover activities that you may not have otherwise known about for example did you know that you can actually make your very own clattering I made this in Dublin I don't know if I can make this Focus but how cool is that I like what an attent souvenir talking about souvenirs this is what you want to bring home with you it was one of the best experien I've ever had in the city and I wouldn't have known about it if I wasn't having a little browse and get your guide so I was really grateful for that day of procrastination another thing I found on that procrastination scroll was the Dublin Explorer pass a few years back I checked to see if we had any decent City passes and I didn't really think they were good value for money but this has changed the game so quite literally you can go to some of the top Ci's tourist attractions and there's a 0day limit so if you're really smart about it you can save a lot of money you can do up to seven attractions on this pass and yeah I've actually just purchased it recently and you know I have 60 days to take off as many tourist attractions as I want which is a great concept for anyone who is planning on traveling around Ireland cuz maybe you're arriving in Dublin you one day in the city you're leaving and then you're coming back to Dublin so that way you can actually do all your tourist attractions on the one pass save a good bit of money it's not consecutive which I really like yeah it's a good option to check out now to be honest we could be here all day with me listing all the attractions that I found on my Doom scrolling but yeah I think that actually might be a video for another day so we're going to move on to the next point but I will leave a link in the description to some of my favorite tours and maybe you'll want to do them sorry that actually just reminded me that one of the biggest mistakes I see tourists make when visiting Dublin is just visiting Dublin now I may get a lot of hate for this in the comment section but you haven't really experienced Ireland until you get out of Dublin now don't get me wrong I know that Ireland is an ens of country and sometimes time is limited so you're like well I'll visit the capital don't be afraid to use Dublin as a base spend 2 Days in the city and then one or two days doing day trips to other places in Ireland at least go see the highlights I'm talking The Cliffs of Moher or the Giants Causeway because honestly there is no comparison from a big major city to a small town that has stunning Cliffs as their backdrop you just can't compare and the thing is you can either do it by public transport or you can take day tours there are so many options to choose from so if time does allow I definitely recommend adding that to your itinerary and that actually kind of connects into our next point but there is more to Dublin than the city so I think what a lot of people don't realize is the Dublin area is not actually just the city it's a wider County so you have the city center and then you have a range of things to do around it I'm talking beautiful coastal towns like d ho colini they have a range of walks peers boat trips they're so so much things that you can see and do in those areas and then you also have the Dublin mountains where you're going to have beautiful hikes with stunning views of the city from it now the only thing about that is you kind of need a car to get there cuz the public transport links aren't great in that area it's something I really wish that they would improve but yeah it's a great place to visit if you happen to have a car which I actually don't recommend people have when in Dublin get to that later on the video and speaking of public transport how do you navigate your way around Dublin well the great news is that walking is actually very feasible it's a really small City we even have reminders on the ground reminding people to look left and right cuz we do drive on the upside of the road to 70% of the world and when it comes to traffic lights as a pedestrian don't do as Irish people do cuz we are actually big fans of jaywalking there are no findes in place if you decide to jaywalk in Ireland yeah we're not very good at following that old rule but as a tourist I think you should wait at the traffic lights so red means stop Amber means go but go pretty quick and then green means you're free to cross the road now Ving isn't your Vibe I have more good news our public transport system is actually quite decent although Irish people like to complain about it but that's just because we haven't got the Metro they promised us for years it's not too bad it's good for tourists and it does the job we have tree modes of Transport Dublin bus the dart and the tram which we call the Lewis and if you do plan on using Dublin's public transport system then I recommend having Google Maps on your phone cuz it does a pretty good job of telling you how to get to A to B where the stop is when the bus is coming it kind of gives you all the information that you need now while the public transport system is decent it's also quite comprehensive so I am going to make a detailed video guide on that so make sure you stay tuned for it but in the meantime I do have a detailed blog post on it that you can read and avoid getting fined cuz no the Lewis is not free spite what locals may tell you so make sure you check out that link in description but there is one important thing that we need to mention in terms of Dublin's public transport system and that is this guy this is a leap card you are going to need it because for some unfortunate reason Dublin bus is still in the Dark Ages and we do not have a system that accepts card yet and you actually need exact change so I'm talking coins and no one really has coins anymore so it's a bit of a problemo so this is a leap card you can purchase it ahead of time they will ship it internationally so I recommend you do it again I'll leave a link in the description on where you can purchase it and this is basically our contact system to get on and off Dublin public transport all the other places you can pay via card it's just the bus that has this issue so yeah you're going to need a leap card I will address the importance of it and how to make the most out of your money with it in my transport guide when it's available that point may have led you with a few questions where else am I going to need cash in Ireland everywhere else you are going to be able to pay via card most places you can do contact list whether that's with your phone your watch your your card now there are some places that you may actually want want to have cash and that is when you are tipping tipping in Ireland it's not compulsory it is not expected is not the same as in the US but it is very much appreciated so if you're going into the likes of a restaurant or maybe you want to tip some buskers on the street it is actually nice to have some cash on you so that you can leave a little tip to say thank you for the service if that leaves you with more questions than answers I do have a detailed blog post on how you should tip in Ireland and the dos and don'ts so that you don't make any mistakes so I will leave that Linked In the description so you may be asking then how do I get cash out so you do have one option of going to a currency exchange I actually don't recommend that they tend to have quite High fees that's both in the airport and in the city center the best way to get cash out is by going to an ATM and I recommend going to ATMs that are owned by Banks so in Ireland we have three main Banks and that is the Bank of Ireland Permanent TSB and aib and they all have their own ATMs scattered across the city of Dublin and you'll also find them in their Banks themselves I don't really recommend using other ATMs systems because they typically have high conversion rates it's not the end of the world if you do you're just going to pay the price so it's best to look for an actual bank ATM when taking out money and on the note of paying by card it is going to ask you if you want to pay by Euro or your local currency it is always best to pick Euro cuz you're going to get the best conversion rate that way the next point is for anyone visiting outside the EU how do you use your phone in Ireland there are tree options you can use your home phone plan I don't recommend you do that by far the most expensive op option we're just going to scrap that we're not even going to discuss it the next option is you can purchase a prepaid sim card here in Ireland we have three main phone providers and that is vone air and tree mobile the thing with getting a SIM card here is it won't be activated before you com you'll have to wait till you're in the city please do not purchase it in the airport and also you're going to have to remove your sim card and put that SIM card in so I don't actually think it's a great option either I think the best way to go is eims I use heow anytime I'm traveling and I actually use it in Ireland in the van cuz they've access to all tree so odds are if I don't have service with my phone provider one of the other ones will have service and also it means that you can activate it in your home country so you can actually have your phone operating as soon as you land on the plane I think it's a no-brainer I actually do have a discount code that you can use and there's you guessed it a link in the description now one of the apps that is going to be taking a lot of that mobile phone data is Google Maps I do have two tips and the first is download the map before you come that way if you do end up having network issues at least you still have a way of getting around the city or around the country you can download them offline definitely do that do that right now and the next thing that I want to talk about is Ireland's address system which is called air codes essentially you don't need to type in that big long address in Ireland anymore every single individual location have their own unique air code which is basically a 7 digigit address let's take the go for example that is Ireland's General post office one of the most beautiful buildings in Dublin the address is okono Street lower North City Dublin one and then a whole load of numbers at the end and those whole load of numbers are the air code for the GPO so instead of having to type the whole address into Google Maps you can just type in those seven digits and it's going to bring you to you guest it the GPO this will pretty much work with every address in Ireland so if you're on the phone to an attraction or an accommodation instead of asking for their address just say hey what's your air code then pop it into Google Maps and it will send you in the right direction this is another point that came up in my free Ireland Facebook community and that is where do I leave my luggage on my first and last day in Dublin so I did a little research and I basically found radical storage it is quite an affordable option it is €5 for the day or5 per bag and they have a range of locations across the city that you can safely leave your luggage they kind of partner with the likes of restaurants shops cafes and they will lock it in a secure room you can go off explore for the day and then go back and get your suitcases before heading to the airport so if that sounds like something that you need again we'll leave the link in the description okay so next let's talk about safety how do you stay safe when in Dublin so there are a few pointers that I want to give so that you just have peace of mind when visiting hopefully nothing will happen but it's just nice to know these things good news is in terms of European capitals we actually don't have a huge amount of petty crime towards tourist so pickpocketing and tourist scams they're not as common as places in Mainland Europe but they do happen I do know in recent years snatching phones out of hands has become more common so be aware of that make sure you have a good firm grip on your phone and you're just in general aware of your surroundings when you're on it which you always should be anyway there are some areas in the city that I would probably avoid especially at night or if you're on your own and that is tul Street I always say that one wrong it's just off of conell Street and then the Boardwalk along the liy these areas at times can be a little bit dodgy so it's probably best just avoid them there's not really any reason why a Taurus needs to walk down them so yeah I would just kind of give them a Miss now in the unfortunate circumstances that you may need assistance there are two numbers that you can call and that is 112 or 999 this is going to put you in touch with emergency services so that is fire ambulance and the police now in Ireland our police force they are called the guards or the guardi or the G of shakana which basically is the Irish word for police as far as police officers go or guards go I actually find them quite sound I don't find them intimidating like I wouldn't be afraid to approach one on the Street Dublin you're going to see them walking around it's going to be very very obvious who they are so if you are in difficulty or you just want directions or you just want help with something don't be afraid to approach our police force they're quite nice you need peace of mind they're good ones to go over and chat to now speaking of staying safe or well while in Ireland you may actually end up feeling a little bit under the weather so what do you do so we do have a range of pharmacies to choose from you're going to know that it's a pharmacy cuz there will be a big cross sign outside it the Big Green Cross I actually like to go to boots um this is a store that you're going to find all across the city all across the country it has a drugstore part so you're going to be able to pick up makeup and just like General self-care items and then a lot of them also have a pharmacy attached so if you do need to go talk talk to someone who's specialized in health then yeah boots is a great starting point and then they can point you in the right direction cuz maybe you might need a doctor or further assistance so yeah I like boots and that's kind of my go-to continuing on with the topic of self-care when you're in Dublin you're going to need to use the toilet so where are you going to find public bathrooms or public restrooms we're actually not great for having purpose build bathrooms in the city what I mean by that is they tend to typically be in public spaces so I'm talking about shopping centers libraries tourist attractions that's where you're going to find public bathrooms you're not going to have a standalone unit the only one I can think of is the one outside graft and street now in saying that we do have wonderful Legends in Ireland that come up with fantastic websites and apps and I did actually find this great website and it's called p.
and this genius person who created it decided to put the location of all the public toilets in Dublin on one map I didn't know this existed and I actually think it's Game Changer so instead of having to walk to one toilet that you know exists there's a range of them across the city that I didn't even know about so definitely check that one out again the link is in the description okay so on the topic of self-care another thing that you're going to need to take care of yourself while exploring the city is stay hydrated Ireland we are a little bit behind when it comes to refillable water stations but we do have Legends who create apps and maps and the next one is refill. AE basically they have created a map of different services that allow you to refill your bottle for free without having to purchase anything for them so this is like cafes restaurants public attractions you can go in ask them to fill up your water bottle stay hydrated because you know healthy thing to do don't forget to drink water okay the next Point kind of contacts the whole staying healthy thing but uh yeah where did you get takeaway food when in Dublin look you might be exploring the city all day and the last thing you want is to be sitting down for a meal in a restaurant so where do you get that fast bite that you can bring back to your Airbnb or hotel so in Dublin we have two apps and that is just Eed or delivery they're going to tell you what takeaway services are in your area that will deliver to you so that you can have a nice cozy meal at home what is the most convenient way of getting from Dublin Airport to the city center so there are three options the first is get a taxi there are taxi ranks outside the airport we do have an app called free now download that app search for a driver and you can pay for everything within the app so the meter ticks as you drive it can cost anywhere from €30 to 65 to get from the airport to the city center and it really just comes down to the time of day and what the traffic is like at that time so I actually don't really recommend you use the taxi service unless you know you're willing to pay a hefty price the next option is to get a coach transfer there are two options the Dublin Express and the air coach they both offer a very similar service where they stop off of various locations across the city and pick up and drop to the airport typically the service costs around €10 what's nice about these is you can actually pre-book your trip online and it's just a nice convenient way of getting in and out of the city and then you also have the option of using Dublin bus there are two bus services that go to the airport and that is the 16 and the 41 route the 41 route is actually 24 hours so you can use that whenever you please but the only problem with that is if you arrive in Dublin without a leap card you're not going to be able to get on the bus you know unless you have coins in Euros which is very unlikely for a tourist to have pre-order one of these guys or you know get a taxi or a coach okay so I lied there actually is one other way of getting from the airport into the city center it's one of the biggest mistakes that I ever see tourists make in Dublin and that is renting a car please just don't do it honestly I actually think it's the worst mistake you could possibly do first of all it eats into your budget completely because it's probably just going to sit in your hotel 90% of the time Dublin is not really a chir friendly City we've loads of weird rules like oneway streets and no right turns and no left turns you're also going to pay a fortune on parking the minimum you're going to get is € 4 an hour it's very rare to have a 24-hour car park so you're really just going to tally up that cost as you're going around the city in your car and also a lot of the car Parks they close at like 11:00 p. m.
