Travel Information

For most visitors to Ireland who hire a car at Dublin airport, the first task is to find somewhere to park in the capital! To make it easier for Dublin City Centre visitors and shoppers in search of car parking spaces, Dublin City Business Association (DCBA) have created maps to help you find Dublin City Centre's 20 car parks and 10,000 spaces. Once you get parked, there are many fun and interesting things to do in Ireland's largest city. Here are some of the places that CarHire.ie recommends visiting:

Guinness Storehouse

In St. James's Gate, home to the factory that makes Guinness, this excellent visitor centre tells the entertaining story of the 250-year history of most famous export. Don't forget to get your complimentary drink in the Gravity Bar, Ireland's highest pub, which offers 360-degree panoramic views of Dublin city.

Trinity College

Right in the heart of the city, Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth, and was, in the past, the educator of the Protestant elite of Irish society. Famous former students include Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Beckett. Today the college is open to all.

Trinity's beautiful grounds offer a peaceful oasis, away from the hustle-and-bustle and noisy traffic - a great place to take a sandwich break! No visit to the college would be complete without viewing the Book of Kells, the country's most beautiful and historical manuscript, which dates from the seventh century.

Dublina

Dublinia, on St. Michael's Hill, opposite Christ Church, has a relatively central location. This exhibition covers the Dublin's medieval history, from the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in 1170, though the Black Death, to the closure of the monasteries in the 1540's. Exhibits include a large-scale model of Dublin around 1500.

Kilmiainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol Europe's largest disused prison, and Ireland's most famous, is found in the west of the city, on Inchicore Road. Built in 1792, many famous Irish Republicans were held or executed here by the English. Today the building houses the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Dublin Castle

Not far from Trinity College, Dublin Castle lies just north of the Liffey, in the centre of the city. Built in the early 13th century, the castle was the seat of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries, until it was taken by the Irish Free State in 1922.

Architectural highlights include the 13th-century Norman tower, and the State Apartments. Once the residence of English viceroys, the Apartments are now used for state ceremonial functions, including the inauguration of the Irish president.