{"id":1294531,"date":"2026-08-07T13:03:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=1294531"},"modified":"2026-08-11T17:53:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:53:58","slug":"24-hours-in-dublin-what-to-do-where-to-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/24-hours-in-dublin-what-to-do-where-to-drink\/","title":{"rendered":"24 Hours in Dublin: What to Do, Where to Drink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people spend their 24 hours in Dublin<\/strong> doing roughly the same three things: a photo outside the Temple Bar pub, a pint that costs more than their hostel bed, and a slightly rushed walk down Grafton Street. It’s fine. It’s also not really Dublin.<\/p>\n

The good news is that this is one of the easiest capitals in Europe to crack in a single day. It’s small, it’s flat, and almost everything worth seeing sits within a 25-minute walk of the River Liffey. Which means a Dublin one day itinerary for backpackers<\/strong> can genuinely cover the history, the museums, the green space and the pubs, without a taxi and without blowing the budget.<\/p>\n

This guide runs morning to night<\/strong>, hour by hour. You’ll get the big sights done early, a proper lunch in the Liberties, a free museum in the afternoon, and a curated night route through the kind of non-touristy pubs in Dublin<\/strong> that locals actually drink in.<\/p>\n

Grab a bed, drop your bag, and let’s go.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Gregory DALLEAU<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Hostels In Dublin<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf05 What should you do in Dublin first thing in the morning?<\/h2>\n

Get up early. Genuinely, this is the single best trick for a 24 hour Dublin guide<\/strong>, because the streets around Temple Bar before 9am are quiet, cheap and photogenic in a way they will never be again that day.<\/p>\n

Start with breakfast somewhere on the edge of the cobbles rather than in the middle of them. The caf\u00e9s along Crow Street, Fownes Street and Essex Street East<\/strong> open early and serve a proper flat white and a toastie for a fraction of what you’ll pay two streets over at lunchtime.<\/p>\n

Then you make your one big decision of the day.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Your morning pick<\/th>\nTime needed<\/th>\nBest if you…<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Trinity College + Book of Kells<\/strong><\/td>\n60-75 mins<\/td>\nWant history, architecture and the Long Room library shot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Guinness Storehouse<\/strong><\/td>\n2-2.5 hrs<\/td>\nWant the view from the Gravity Bar and a pint included<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Quick tip:<\/strong> you cannot comfortably do both and still have a day. Trinity is closer, cheaper and faster. The Storehouse is the bigger experience but eats your entire morning.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Alexandra Mitache<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\ud83c\udff0 Is Dublin Castle worth visiting on a one day itinerary?<\/h2>\n

Yes, but keep it moving. Dublin Castle is less a fairytale castle and more a sprawling government complex with 800 years of layers underneath it, and the courtyard is free to walk through<\/strong>. If you’re tight on time, wander the Upper Yard, look at the Record Tower, and skip the paid State Apartments tour.<\/p>\n

From there it’s a three-minute walk to Christ Church Cathedral<\/strong>, which is worth circling even from outside for the covered stone bridge linking it to Dublinia.<\/p>\n

Then do the bit most one-day visitors miss:<\/p>\n