Dublin City Ireland

Dublin City fun for all

Dublin city is a great place for shopping while you’re on your city break. The capital offers a wide range of shopping, ranging from department stores, boutiques, high street favourites and markets. You’ll find a good selection of up market chain stores in Grafton Street and fabulous clothing stores on Henry Street which is on the north side of the city. One of the finest 18th century mansions the Powerscourt Townhouse has upmarket boutiques, and you can relax for a snack in one of the cafés there. I recommend it, its a real treat. If you’re looking for something really Irish then I recommend you visit Avoca Handweavers. There you’ll find an array of items for the whole family such as fashion, jewellery to aromatics and of course fresh baking. They are located on Suffolk street and really worth a visit. For some really good bargains you should visit the street markets, They are George’s Street Arcade, Point Village Market and Cow’s Lane Market. There you’re bound to find something for all.
As part of your visit it’s worth while heading out along the coast for plenty of shopping and bargains on offer.

To see and do

For some heritage homes and castles you can take a tour of Cabinteely house and Marlay House which are great places to visit in the south of Dublin. The heritage town of Dalkey which was Dublin’s chief port in medieval times, where you can take historical walks and heritage trails. Dalkey Castle and heritage Centre are worth while a visit. On the North side of Dublin you have Argillan Castle, Newbridge house with fantastic scenery and a traditional farm has a vast array of animals for everyone to enjoy, as well as Malahide Castle all of which I can highly recommend. A great day out with play grounds for the kids as well as lovely picnic areas. More parkland and playgrounds are Airfield in Dundrum where all sorts of camps and activities are organised, Herbert Park and St Annes’s Park. On Sundays if the weather permits keen remote control enthusiasts test their wits against each other with their very impressive remote controlled cars. Speaking of models, Malahide Castle has a great model railway collection that will delight the model railway enthusiast. For indoor activites for the kids there is Imaginosity which is in Sandyford, it is a huge interactive centre for kids. It has designed exibits, spaces for crawling, climbing, imaging and playing.

There are some great swimming spots such as the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchards town which is indoors, offers a bubble pool, wave pool, pirate ship, surfing machine as well as a water roller coaster. If you prefer getting wet outside then I recommend a visit to Donabate, Malahide, Portmarnock, and Skerries all have great sandy beaches which are a stone’s throw from the city. You can also give sea Kayaking a go, childeren have to be over 12 and able to swim. There is also sailing trips from Dun Laoghaire, windsurfing and stand up paddling in Malahide.
A visit to Dublin is not complete with out a visit to Dublin Zoo. The zoo is located in a spacious area called the Phoenix Park, it is a great day out for the whole family. There you can explore The world of Primates, World of Cats, Kaziranga Forest Trails, The Arctic as well as The African Plains. The wildlife preserve has over 90 species of animals that all roam freely for your enjoyment, as well as the Primate islands with a large variety of monkeys. The Savannah you can see Africa’s largest animals roam around just to mention a few things to see. The zoo also has a 70 acre wildlife conservatory that helps breed endangered species. This is truly a great day out and should not be missed.