UPDATED FEB 2020. Ireland is a great destination for a solo trip, particularly beginner solo travel. It’s very easy to get around, there’s a lot to see and do, great pub food, and warm hospitality. Here’s my practical travel guide on solo female travel in Dublin. I’ve added where to stay, what to do, how to plan the trip, and other tips to take the stress out of travel planning.
Solo Female Travel In Dublin – How To Plan An Extraordinary Trip
Disclaimer
There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.
The basics
What is the currency
The currency in Ireland is the Euro. It’s easy to get Euro cash from an ATM at the airport when you arrive or any of the ATMs around town.
Many places will accept credit and debit cards as well.
Entry requirements for Dublin
Many people can visit for up to 90 days as a tourist without a visa, but this depends on what passport you hold.
Check this list to learn the requirements for your country.
What to wear in Ireland
Layering is the key to packing for Ireland.
I wrote a packing guide for Ireland here with the products and tips that helped me during my trip, but either way, make sure you have a waterproof jacket!
Solo female travel advice
Ireland is a great destination for beginner solo female travelers. There’s not a lot of advice that would be different from any other traveler.
Use normal safety precautions when you are out – I have a full post on solo female travel safety tips here.
There’s no dress code, but if you plan to visit churches it would be respectful to cover up.
Nobody says ‘top of the morning to you’
Seriously nobody says it. Kind of like ‘put another shrimp on the barbie’ for Australians.
Don’t walk around all day waiting to hear it because it won’t happen. But do talk to the people you meet anyway because the Irish have great accents and are so welcoming.
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Getting around
Should you rent a car in Ireland?
You should rent a car if:
You plan to get out of the city and spend a lot of time at the Cliffs of Moher, Giant’s Causeway or any of the smaller villages.
There are a lot of coach tours to get to these sights and they cost around 60 Euro for a day.
If you wanted to spend a lot of time at these sights it would be a better option to have a car.
Though not impossible, using public transport to get to and from these sights can be tricky and time-consuming to line up so the best bet is either by car or on a coach tour.
You don’t need to rent a car if:
You are just staying in Dublin for the trip. In that case, you won’t need to rent a car because it’s very easy to get around with the public transport options in the city.
You don’t know how to drive a manual car and are on a budget. In Europe, a manual transmission is very common and it’s always more expensive to rent an automatic. If you only drive automatic and are on a budget, perhaps it wouldn’t be worth renting a car (this is the reason I didn’t).
You’re traveling solo and don’t want to deal with driving, navigating and just want to enjoy the scenery – just jump on a coach tour.
Things to note about driving in Ireland:
One thing to be aware of is that renting a car in Ireland usually comes with a pretty steep deposit so check that to make sure you can cover it before you rent your car. In Ireland, you will be driving on the left side of the road.
How to get to and from the airport
If you’re not renting a car, getting to and from the airport is pretty simple.
Take an Aircoach bus directly into Dublin. They’re affordable (7€ one way or 12€ return), run frequently and have WiFi and a charging port.
If you buy your return ticket or book your tickets online it will be slightly cheaper otherwise you can pay cash when you arrive. To get your ticket just walk outside the airport and look for the blue Aircoach signs.
Another option is the Airlink buses which also run to Dublin from the Airport.
Public transport in Dublin
For solo female travel in Dublin, getting around is easy. You can use the DART, which is the electronic rail system, regular trains or local buses so there are a lot of options for you.
When I am planning trips with public transport I just put the details in Google Maps and click the public transport icon and it always finds a good route.
Things to do in Dublin
Any Dublin travel guide will be able to share the usual touristy stuff so I won’t just re-hash the TripAdvisor top ten things like the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol.
Here are a few of my favorite things that I enjoyed during my visit to Dublin, as well as the surrounding areas I visited.
Day trip to the Wicklow Mountains
This was the first thing I booked when I was planning my trip because I really wanted to visit Wicklow.
Not only does it look completely beautiful, but the show Vikings is filmed there so I was hoping to get a glimpse of some of the areas I had seen on the show.
Since I didn’t rent a car, I booked a half-day tour with Day Tours Unplugged (this is the link for the tour I did) and it was so much fun.
Firstly, they keep the tours really small – everyone can fit into a minivan, so it’s a much more intimate experience as opposed to 50 tourists being crammed on a big coach bus. We could all chat with the driver while in the van which I liked.
Also, the van could access some of the smaller back road areas that the coaches couldn’t get to which was really cool.
And, I got to see Kattegat! There was free time to walk around the mountains and the whole area is just gorgeous.
Beautiful Wicklow.
Explore the parks
Even though Dublin is a bustling city, it has a lot of green parks to stroll through. 1500 hectares of them in fact.
While I was staying at Stauntons on the Green, I was directly across from the St Stephens Green, which was a tranquil oasis in the city center. I liked to walk through there each day to look at the flowers in bloom and swans on the water.
There is also the large Phoenix Park where you might even be able to see deer! No matter where you go, make sure you grab a coffee and enjoy a break in one of the parks around Dublin.
A highlight for solo female travel in Dublin was walking through St Stephens Green each day
Go late night kayaking
I think this needs to be on your Ireland holiday itinerary.
In these unique tours, you can kayak under the cover of darkness and experience a different side of nature. Your trip might even include watching the bioluminescence sparkle on the water or visits by seals.
It’s one of the most incredible adventures I have done and I highly recommend it.
For more information, check out my review of night kayaking in Ireland.
Since you will finish late, it’s best to stay somewhere local for the night. I stayed at Shearwater Country House B&B.
Night kayaking is EPIC! It’s away from Dublin but well worth the trip.
Eat a pub meal in Dublin
Pub culture is big in Dublin and of course, you need to try one and listen to some music while you are visiting.
I got a recommendation from my tour guide who told me Brazen Head Pub is the best for good pub food.
No matter where you go, you’ll probably be able to find a nearby pub to visit.
Visit the Museum of Archeology in Dublin
I didn’t expect much from this museum because it was a free one, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.
There were a lot of exhibits with artifacts from different periods of history – a Viking section, an ancient Egyptian section, a gold collection, and even a section of Bog Bodies. What are Bog Bodies? I’m glad you asked.
These are actual bodies from the Iron Age of people who had been brutally killed and dumped into bogs around Ireland. The bog had preserved their bodies.
Super interesting and creepy at the same time. I highly recommend a visit to this museum if you are visiting Dublin.
Bog bodies are creepy and fascinating all in one.
Take photos of the uber-cute Georgian doors
A fun and classic touristy thing to do is walk around and look at the cute Georgian doors.
The area around both hotels I stayed at had a lot of them so it was easy to wander along and snap a few photos of the doors in all different colors from red to blue to even orange and pink!
Those are my favorite things to do and here are some of the other touristy things to do.
- Guinness Storehouse
- Kilmainham Gaol
- Temple Bar
- Jameson Distillery
- Trinity College
The charming doors in Dublin.
Where to stay in Dublin
During my visit to Dublin, I stayed at two different B&B’s – Stauntons on the Green and Number 31.
Both of these had the three c’s – cute, cozy and comfortable. They also had convenient locations which made getting around the city easy.
For more information, here’s my guide for where to stay in Dublin.
I loved the B&B’s I stayed in during my trip to Dublin.
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This Dublin guide is fantastic for first-timers! Love how you’ve combined history, culture, and local tips. The detailed breakdown makes planning a trip to Dublin so much easier. Thanks for sharing!