After a long day of sampling the city’s genteel pleasures - architecture, botanicals, halls of higher learning - you may well find yourself in the mood for some more rollicking recreation. Luckily, Dublin more than lives up to its reputation as the “city of pubs.” Your only real concern here will be at which watering hole to start. And really, as long as you avoid places with TV sets or fruity-cocktail menus it’s hard to go wrong.
Several of the most famous, and, yes, touristed bars in the city are actually worth the hype. The Brazen Head, for example (20 Lower Bridge Street, 353-1-677-9549), Dublin’s oldest pub, has been reportedly packing in patrons - including James Joyce, Michael Collins, and, more recently, Van Morrison - since 1198. You’ll have to bump a lot of elbows here to order your pint, but the cramped, memorabilia-clad carriage house feels undeniably authentic. Another well-known must-visit: The Temple Bar (47/48 Temple Bar, 353-1-672-5286) which has an outdoor beer garden, a killer whiskey collection, and most importantly, live traditional Irish music performances several times daily, with no cover charge. And, though it’s available all over the city at seemingly all hours of the day, no stout-lover will want to skip the Guinness Storehouse (St. James Gate, Market Street, 353-1-408-4800), a veritable cathedral dedicated to the brew. (Sarah Gold)