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Dublin, Ireland
Dublin

Where to stay in Dublin

Stay south of the Liffey around St Stephen's Green for a first trip, swap to Camden Street or Portobello for better value and pubs Dubliners actually drink in.

Written by the Departly editorial team Reviewed against GOV.UK on 10 Jun 2026
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In short

Where to stay in Dublin

For a first Dublin trip, stay south of the Liffey around St Stephen's Green or Grafton Street: it puts Trinity, Dublin Castle and the shops at your feet and keeps you a few streets clear of the Temple Bar din. Choose Camden Street or Portobello for better value and the pubs Dubliners actually drink in, Grand Canal Dock for quiet, newer rooms, and Stoneybatter or Smithfield for a more local northside base. The one trap to avoid is booking inside Temple Bar itself.

The short version

  • Best all-rounder: St Stephen's Green / Grafton Street.
  • Best value: Camden Street and Portobello.
  • Best atmosphere: the Liberties around the Guinness Storehouse and Stoneybatter for a real local evening.
  • Best for a quiet, newer hotel: Grand Canal Dock in the Docklands.
  • Avoid using Temple Bar as your hotel filter — it's a place to walk through, not to sleep.

Best areas to book

St Stephen's Green / Grafton Street

£££ premium

The cleanest first-timer base: a five-minute walk to Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Grafton Street's shops on the doorstep and Dublin Castle just beyond. It's the priciest central pocket and rooms are often small in the period buildings, but you save time and noise every single day of a two-night trip.

Best for: First-timers, couples, short stays

Browse hotels Central, south of the Liffey

Camden Street / Wexford Street

££ mid-range

Where Dubliners actually go out: a strip of good bars, restaurants and late venues running south from the centre. Better value than the Green and a 10-15 minute walk to Trinity, with the trade-off that the street itself is loud at weekends, so ask for a room off the front.

Best for: Food-led trips, a more local evening, value

Browse hotels 10-15 min walk south

Portobello

££ mid-range

The calm, canal-side option just behind Camden Street: red-brick streets along the Grand Canal, brunch cafés and a residential feel, while the bars are still a short walk away. Quietest of the southside picks at night and good value, though there are fewer big hotels and more guesthouses and apartments.

Best for: Quiet evenings, value, longer weekends

Browse hotels 15-20 min walk south of Trinity

Grand Canal Dock / Docklands

££ mid-range

Modern glass-and-water district east of the centre, with the city's newest hotels and often the best value-per-star. It's quieter at night and roomier than the old core, at the cost of a 15-20 minute walk or a short Luas/DART ride to the main sights — handiest if you're arriving by DART or want space over atmosphere.

Best for: Quieter stays, newer hotels, business trips

Browse hotels Luas/DART, ~15 min in

Smithfield / Stoneybatter

£ value

A more local northside base around Smithfield Square and the village-feel streets of Stoneybatter, with the Jameson Distillery, independent cafés and a Luas Red Line stop into town. Cheaper and less touristy than the southside, with the trade-off of a 15-minute walk or a tram across the Liffey to Trinity and Grafton Street.

Best for: Value, a local feel, repeat visitors

Browse hotels Luas Red Line, ~10-15 min in

Temple Bar

£££ premium

The famous cobbled nightlife core, and the one most Dubliners roll their eyes at: €9-plus pints, stag-and-hen noise until the early hours and the worst pickpocket pressure in the city. Genuinely central and fine to walk through, but a poor and overpriced place to actually sleep.

Best for: Nightlife-first weekends who don't mind crowds

Browse hotels Old city, riverside

The simple choice

If you're booking in a hurry, filter for the area between St Stephen's Green and Grafton Street first, then compare Camden Street and Portobello if the prices look steep. That one rule keeps most first-timers out of the two common traps: overpaying for a noisy room inside Temple Bar, or drifting out near Dublin Airport to save a little and then commuting in every morning. Everything you'll want to see on a two- or three-night trip — Trinity, the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, the National Museum — is within a 15-minute walk of that southside core.

Book your hotel before your flights if you're travelling around St Patrick's Day (17 March) or a Six Nations rugby weekend — Dublin rooms sell out months ahead and rates can treble.

Safety and noise

GOV.UK flags bag-snatching and pickpocketing in Dublin, especially in busy tourist spots, and Temple Bar is the sharp end of both — which is the practical reason to sleep elsewhere, not just to save money. A quieter Portobello or Grand Canal Dock street beats a room over a Temple Bar pub if you're arriving late, travelling with children or just want to sleep before midnight at the weekend. Drink-driving limits are lower than England's and rigorously enforced, so a central, walkable base also means you never need to think about driving.

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Where to stay in Dublin FAQs

Is Temple Bar a good place to stay in Dublin?
Usually no. It's central and famous, but it's the loudest, priciest and most pickpocket-prone corner of the city, with €9-plus pints and noise until the early hours. Stay a few streets south around St Stephen's Green, Camden Street or Portobello and walk into Temple Bar once for the experience.
Where should first-timers stay in Dublin?
Stay south of the Liffey around St Stephen's Green or Grafton Street for the easiest central base, within a five-minute walk of Trinity and the Book of Kells. If you want better value and a more local evening, Camden Street and Portobello are a 10-15 minute walk in and put you among the bars Dubliners actually use.
Is it cheaper to stay near Dublin Airport?
Rarely worth it for a short city break. Airport hotels look cheaper but you'll spend on the Aircoach or a taxi in and out every day, and lose the walkable centre that makes Dublin easy. A northside base like Smithfield or Stoneybatter is the better-value compromise — cheaper than the southside but still a 10-15 minute Luas ride to Trinity.

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