DUBLIN-IRELAND

Still redolent of Guinness and Joycean nostalgia, Ireland's fair city is also limbering up as a modern world capital with trendy new hotels and restaurants. Over 1,000 years old, Dublin is a city rich in history, offering its visitors a wealth of attractions including churches, historic buildings and museums. Discover the stately houses and elegant parks of Georgian Dublin or take a walk through Temple Bar, and find pubs, restaurants, shops and art galleries. With its down-to-earth and friendly atmosphere and welcoming and open-hearted people, it is no wonder this vibrant city is one of Europe's top tourist destinations.

WHERE TO STAY

• DYLAN DUBLIN

  Eastmoreland Place, Dublin 4(00 353 1 660 3000)
  From the outside, this hotel looks as respectable as its surroundings in Dublin's affluent inner suburbs. It consists of two buildings joined together: a Victorian red-brick with arches and Dutch gables, and a newly constructed grey-stone wing which matches the proportions of the older building but with none of the frills. Inside, things take a sudden turn for the flamboyant. Red, midnight-blue and white-and-silver walls are hung with baroque mirrors and abstract metal sculptures, and the lift is lined with studded leather. In the Library, all the books have been given new bindings to match the striking green-and-grey colour scheme, while the French and Modern Irish restaurant, Still, is a sea of cream leather lit by rows of miniature chandeliers. The 44 rooms and suites all have flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi, iPod docks and marble bathrooms with under-floor heating. Each is individually decorated: some are boldly contemporary. The buzzy, low-lit bar is a popular spot with Dublin's media crowd. The Dylan was featured in The Hot List 2007.
  BOOK NOW

• NUMBER 31

  31 Leeson Close, Dublin 2(00 353 1 676 5011)
  A modernist 21-room gem, situated in a mews house designed by Irish architect Sam Stephenson. Service is warm and personal, you are treated as a house guest. There isn't a restaurant, but delicious breakfasts (mushroom frittata, potato cakes, eggs Benedict) are served at communal tables or in your room.

• THE CLARENCE

  6-8 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2(00 353 1 407 0800)
  A 19th-century riverside hotel, renovated and reopened in 1996 by U2's Bono and The Edge with an arts-and-crafts interior. The double-height Tea Room is Dublin's most exciting dining place and serves excellent Modern European cuisine. The penthouse, with its cream-leather furniture and outdoor hot tub, is possibly the most indulgent hotel room in Dublin. Only at The Clarence will you find such an unpretentious mix of locals, visitors and rock stars.

• THE FITZWILLIAM

  St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2(00 353 1 478 7000)
  A sleek Conran hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant, large roof terrace and a fabulous location just a few paces from the shopping hub of Grafton Street, the wonderful terraces of Georgian Dublin, and the bar-club complex that centres on The Pod. There are 139 rooms, including a huge two-bedroom penthouse suite with leather-lined walls, shag-pile rugs and a grand piano. Penthouse guests also have 24-hour butler service and access to a limousine. Kevin Thornton's eponymous restaurant serves Michelin-starred cuisine overlooking St Stephen's Green. Less formal modern Mediterranean dining can be had in Citron, and cocktails are served in Inn on the Green. The Fitzwilliam was in The Gold List 2008.

• THE MERRION

  Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2(00 353 1 603 0600)
  Four converted Georgian terraces furnished in period style, plus a large modern wing with bedrooms and a spa. The service is exemplary; the staff take pains to ensure that guests are comfortable. There's the two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud for contemporary French cuisine and the Cellar Restaurant for modern European. The x factor? The collection of Irish paintings and the richly detailed public rooms, many of which are works of art in themselves. Featured in the Gold List 2011.

• THE MORGAN

  10 Fleet Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2(00 353 1 643 7000)
  This Anouska Hempel-inspired hotel is in an enticingly hip area and boasts stylish, minimalist rooms equipped with Molton Brown toiletries. It is also within walking distance of Trinity College and Christchurch Cathedral.

• THE MORRISON

  Ormond Quay, Dublin 1(00 353 1 887 2400)
  This designer hotel, located in a former warehouse, has interiors by John Rocha. The neutral decor is accented with polished bronze and splashes of red. There are 138 rooms, including 12 suites and six studios. The food is modern European cuisine served in the minimalist Halo restaurant. In a city full of Victorian and Georgian hotels, the Morrison is a beacon of contemporary design. £££

• THE SHELBOURNE

  27 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2(00 353 1 661 6006)
  Built in 1824, Dublin's grande dame hotel reopened in the spring 2007 after an extensive two-year renovation. The landmark hotel, where the Irish Constitution was drafted in 1922, has kept much of its historic charm. You can still take tea and spot famous faces in the plush Lord Mayor's Lounge or enjoy a Guinness in the classic Horseshoe Bar. New additions include a modern steak and seafood restaurant, The Saddle Room with dark oak walls and rich splashes of gold, and the Number 27 bar. A spa is due to open in spring 2012. The 265 rooms feature a Georgian palette of soft yellows and pinks, cherrywood furnishings and marble bathrooms.

• THE WESTIN DUBLIN

  College Green, Dublin 2(00 353 1 645 1000)
  This 163-room hotel comprises one 19th-century bank and half of another converted into a luxury hotel that attracts both business and leisure travellers. The location is unbeatable, next to Trinity College and close to the shops on Grafton Street and the financial centre across the river. The hotel suffers a little from corporate blandness: the decor tends to be rather generic and the bedrooms lack individuality.

• WHERE TO EAT

  101 TALBOT
  101 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 (00 353 1 874 5011;www.101talbot.ie). A friendly restaurant, located above a camping shop, serving light and healthy dishes and plenty of vegetarian options.

  CHAPTER ONE
  18 - 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 2 (00 353 1 676 2945). Enjoy a Michelin-starred seasonal artisan menu in the basement of the Dublin Writer's Centre on the city's north side.

  DILLINGER'S
  47 Ranelagh, Dublin 6 (00 353 1 497 8010; dillingers.ie). American-style eatery in Ranelagh Village, a few miles south of the city centre.

  DOHENY AND NESBITTS
  5 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 676 2945). Legendary Dublin bar favoured by politicians and hacks.
  
  EDEN
  Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 670 5372;www.edenrestaurant.ie). Overlooking Temple Bar market, Eden serves simple dishes and is a great place for people watching.
  
  L'ECRIVAIN
  109a Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 661 1919; www.lecrivain.com). Much lauded Dublin restaurant offering a mix of French and Irish cuisine overseen by chef and proprietor Derry Clarke. The menu changes regularly as dishes are made with the freshest Irish produce. The restaurant also offers an extensive wine list.
  
  L'GUEULETON
  1 Fade Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 675 3708). This popular bistro-style restaurant has a no-reservations policy, so get there early. Expect simple French classics such as soupe a l'ognion, confit duck leg with fondant potatoes and steak béarnaise.
  
  O'DONOGHUE'S
  15 Merrion Row, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 660 7194; www.odonoghues.ie). Popular and famous for its music. Be there by 9.30pm.
  
  ONE PICO
  5-6 Moleworth Place, Schoolhouse Lane, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 676 0300;www.onepico.com). Chef-proprietor Eamonn O'Reilly, who also owns Bleu Bistro Modern (Joshua House, Dawson Street; Dublin 2, 00 353 1 676 7015), has produced a sophisticated restaurant with excellent food and great service.

  PICHET
  14/15 Trinity Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 677 1060;http://www.pichet-restaurant.com). The newest project from established restauranters Nick Munier and Stephen Gibson is a bright, classic bistro. There's also a coffee shop for lighter meals and snacks, as well as a full bar.
  
  RESTAURANT PATRICK GUILBAUD
  Merrion Hotel, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 676 4192;www.restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie). Dublin's acclaimed Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, located in the Merrion Hotel, offers modern and imaginative cuisine with such dishes as slow-roasted squab pigeon with foie gras, and caramalised veal sweetbread glazed with liquorice sauce. The lunch menu is great value, and the nine-course tasting menu features classic Irish dishes such as oysters, Molly Malone's cockles & mussels and oxtail.
  
  SABA DUBLIN

  26-28 Clarendon Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 6792000; www.sabadublin.com). City centre Thai and Vietnamese cafe is a local favourite for its tasty fusion dishes and piquant cocktails.

  THE TEA ROOMS
  Clarence Hotel, 6-8 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 407 0813;www.theclarence.ie). Set in a beautiful dining room at the Clarence Hotel, with high, coved ceilings and double-height windows. Go for star-spotting and the Swiss cheese soufflé.
  
  THE UNICORN
  12b Merrion Court, Merrion Row, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 676 2182;www.unicornrestaurant.com). A buzzing café-style restaurant serving Italian cuisine.
  
  THORNTON'S
  Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 478 7000;www.fitzwilliamhotel.com). Overlooking St Stephen's green, the two Michelin-starred restaurant at the Fitzwilliam Hotel is considered one of Dublin's finest restaurants. Serving modern eclectic cuisine, dishes include sautéed prawns with truffle sabayon; roast suckling pig with poitin sauce; and fillet of seabass with fennel and herb risotto.

• WHAT TO SEE

  DUBLIN CASTLE
  Dame Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 645 8813; fax: 679 7813;www.dublincastle.ie). The Castle, built on the orders of King John in the early 13th century, stands on the ridge on a strategic site at the junction of the River Liffey and its tributary the Poddle, where the original fortification may have been an early Gaelic Ring Fort. Later a Viking Fortress stood on this site - a portion of which is on view to visitors at the 'Undercroft'. The south range houses the magnificent State Apartments that were built as the residential quarters of the viceregal court. They are now the venue for Ireland's Presidencies of the European Community, Presidential Inaugurations and State Functions.
  
  GUINNESS STOREHOUSE
  St James's Gate, Dublin 8 (00 1 353 1 408 4800; fax: 408 4965; www.guinness-storehouse.com). One of Dublin's top attractions, the Guinness Storehouse offers tours showing the history and the making of the world famous beer, ending with a free pint in the rooftop Gravity Bar.
  
  JAMES JOYCE CENTRE
  35 North Great George's Street, Dublin 1 (00 353 1 878 8547; fax: 878 8488;www.jamesjoyce.ie). From its location in a beautifully restored 18th-century Georgian townhouse, the James Joyce Centre promotes the life and works of James Joyce through education, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, walking tours and special events. On 16 June each year, Bloomsday celebrates the writer's masterwork. The events of Joyce's novel Ulysses are set on this day, and literary buffs spend the day retracing the steps of Leopold Bloom, the book's protagonist.
  
  PHOENIX PARK
  Dublin 8. Phoenix Park is one of the largest city parks in the world. Its 1,752 acres encompass Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence of the President of Ireland, Dublin Zoo, plus 18th-century residences, gardens, lakes and hundreds of deer. Sporting facilities include cricket, football grounds, a motor-racing track and hurling. See also Europe's tallest obelisk, the 63m Wellington Monument, the People's Garden dating from 1864, the Victorian bandstand in the Hollow. The Phoenix Park Visitors Centre (00 353 1 677 0095), housed in former stables, has exhibits on the history and wildlife of the park.
  
  TEMPLE BAR
  Temple Bar Cultural Trust, 12 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 ( 00 353 1 677 2255; www.temple-bar.ie). Temple Bar, Dublin's Cultural Quarter, is a maze of cobbled streets on the south bank of the River Liffey in Dublin City centre. After a ten-year regeneration programme the 28-acre precinct is now a hub of restaurants, bars and arts and cultural centres. Popular with tourists, the area boasts a year-round programme of free, outdoor entertainment including live performances, film and visual arts screenings and family events. Choose your bar or restaurant carefully as some are overpriced tourist traps.
  
  THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND
  Merrion Square West and Clare Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 661 5133; fax: 661 5372;www.nationalgallery.ie). The National Gallery's collection boasts some 2,500 paintings and approximately 10,000 other works in different media including watercolours, drawings, prints and sculpture, plus a renowned collection of Irish paintings. There is also a Yeats Museum with works by Jack B Yeats, his father John Butler, and other members of this artistic family.
  
  TRINITY COLLEGE
  College Green, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 896 1000; www.tcd.ie). Ireland's premier university is both a tranquil retreat from the bustle of the city and the home of Dublin's biggest attraction, the Book of Kells. Written around the year 800 AD, it is one of the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. Walking tours also take in statues of famous alumni-poets, iconic architectural features and majestic campaniles. 

• WHERE TO SHOP

  ANTIQUES
  
  JOHNSTON ANTIQUES
  69-70 Francis Street, Dublin 8 (00 353 1 473 2384;www.johnstonantiques.net). Specialists in Georgian Irish artifacts.
  
  O'SULLIVAN ANTIQUES
  43-44 Francis Street, Dublin 8 (00 353 1 454 1143;www.osullivanantiques.com). O'Sullivan Antiques deal in fine Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian period furniture, specialising in mahogany, rosewood, satinwood and walnut pieces.
  
  FASHION
  
  ALIAS TOM
  Duke House, Duke Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 671 5443). Men's designer clothing from Armani, Gucci and Prada, alongside more obscure and hard-to-find European labels.
  
  BROWN THOMAS
  88-95 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 605 6666; www.brownthomas.com). The grandest department store in Dublin - and Ireland's answer to the UK's Harvey Nichols.
  
  BT2
  28-29 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 605 6666; www.bt2.ie). An offshoot of Brown Thomas selling hip designer labels for both men and women
  
  CLEO
  18 Kildare Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 676 1421; www.irishclothing.ie). For hand-knit sweaters and accessories.

  COSTUME
  10 Castle Market, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 679 4188). High-end womenswear from international designers.

  DESIGN CENTRE
  Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 679 5718). The place to go for Ireland's hottest contemporary designers.
  
  HARLEQUIN
  13 Castle Market, off Drury Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 671 0202). For vintage clothes for men and women.
  
  RHINESTONES
  18 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 679 0759). Modern and antique jewellery.

  SMOCK
  31 Drury Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 1 613 9000). Tiny womenswear boutique that packs a big punch with labels like APC and Vivienne Westwood.
  
  SUSAN HUNTER
  Westbury Mall, Grafton Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 679 1271;www.susanhunterlingerie.ie). Lingerie.
  
  FOOD
  
  SHERIDAN'S CHEESEMONGER
  11 South Anne Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 679 3134;www.sheridanscheesemongers.com). Specialists in Irish and European farmhouse cheeses.
  
  TEMPLE BAR FOOD MARKET
  Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Held on Saturdays (10am-5.30pm), the market sells organic produce, fresh oysters, cheeses, chutneys and homemade bread.
  
  THE GALLIC KITCHEN
  49 Francis Street, Dublin 8 (00 353 1 454 4912; www.gallickitchen.com). Small business producing handmade, high-quality foods.
  
  HOME
  
  CRAFTS COUNCIL
  Designyard Gallery, Cow's Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 8 (00 353 1 474 1011). Displays and sells Irish-made crafts, including furniture, ceramics, glass, lighting, and textiles.
  
  DAINTREE
  61 Camden Street, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 475 7500; www.daintree.ie). Stationers.
  
  MINIMA
  8 Herbert Place, Dublin 2 (00 353 1 662 7894; fax: 662 7896l www.minima.ie). Contemporary furniture. Viewings by appointment.

HOW TO GET THERE

AIRPORT
Dublin airport (www.dublinairport.com) is six miles north of the city centre (00 353 1 814 1111).

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
Aer Lingus (0871 718 5000; www.aerlingus.com)
bmi (0844 8484 888; www.flybmi.com)
Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com)
Air France (0871 663 777; www.airfrance.co.uk)

TOURIST INFO

Dublin Tourism Centre is situated in the beautifully restored former church of St Andrew on Suffolk Street, in the heart of Dublin's city centre. There are also offices at the arrivals hall at Dublin airport, the ferry terminal at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, on Baggot Street and at 14 Upper O'Connell Street. You can also visit the website atwww.vistdublin.com.

WHEN TO GO

Go in spring or autumn when the city is less busy with tourists and prices are lower than the summer season. If you are planning a visit for the St Patrick's Day festivities, book well in advance. Another big Dublin event is Bloomsday on 16 June, celebrating the masterwork of James Joyce. The events of Joyce's novel Ulysses are set on this day, and literary buffs can spend the day retracing the steps of Leopold Bloom, the book's protagonist.