What’s the best season to travel to Dublin
Each season in Dublin offers something unique! The Dublin you’ll experience in the height of summer, with parks full of locals soaking up the sun and streets buzzing until late, is very different from the Dublin you’ll find in winter, where the city wraps itself in fairy lights and the warmth of cosy pubs.
So, when should you go? We would recommend anytime of the year, but we’ve broken down below what to expect season by season.
Spring in Dublin (March to May)
There’s a great energy in Dublin as winter dies down. The days grow noticeably longer, and the parks start to fill up again with locals and visitors. The weather is mild and increasingly dry, especially by May, making it a wonderful time for wandering the scenic streets of Dublin. Spring also brings the year’s biggest event St Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Festival
17th March
St. Patrick’s Festival is Ireland’s biggest celebration, and Dublin is its epicentre! The city transforms into a five-day display of parades, live music, street performers and craic! If you’re planning on visiting Dublin this week, you need to be prepared with your accommodation, activities & restaurant bookings. The city fills with tourists from all over the world wanting to witness the famous St Patrick’s Day Dublin Parade, so act fast! Most people book their accommodation & flights at least 9 months before to get the best prices.
International Literature Festival Dublin
May brings one of Europe’s premier literary events. The ILFD festival hosts readings, debates, and walking tours featuring Irish and international authors. Given Dublin’s UNESCO City of Literature status, there’s no better place to geek out over books.
Easter & May Day Bank Holidays
Sometimes the Easter Holidays follow on from St Patrick’s Day quite quickly, and the city remains alive for a few weeks in between, offering some cheaper rates in hotels during this period. The same goes for the weeks in between the Easter & May Bank Holidays. The city offers a lot of different activities and sees the emergence of daily, scheduled tours for bus tours, walking tours and visitor attractions.
Don’t miss out on: The parks
We recommend visiting Dublin’s parks during the spring season, with the temperature being nice and mild, the flowers starting to blossom, and the wildlife waking up, it’s a sight to be seen. The parks are some of the most beautiful scenes in the city; you cannot miss. We recommend
- St Stephen’s Green– A huge inner-city park tucked right in central Dublin on the South Side, a hub for locals and visitors to absorb the greenery and scenery.
- Phoenix Park – A park full of wildlife, history and landmarks. It’s great to walk around if you have a few spare hours! It’s also the home of the President of Ireland.
Summer in Dublin (June – August)
Summertime transforms the city into a sunny, bustling city. With temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius on some days, it’s time to hit the streets! Coffee shops, bakeries, tattoo parlours, you name it, anything with outdoor seating becomes a social hub for locals. If you’re looking to see some local shops and haunts in the city centre, head to Drury Street & Georges Street Arcade.
Bloomsday
16th June
Dublin’s most charming literary holiday. You’ll see fans of James Joyce’s Ulysses dressing in Edwardian costume, retracing Leopold Bloom’s steps through the city and enjoying a “merry pinched-grey” breakfast of liver and kidneys. Keep your eyes peeled as you explore the streets of Dublin.
Forbidden Fruit
June Bank Holiday Weekend
A beloved music and arts festival taking place in the beautiful grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
Bloom Festival
Late May/Early June
Ireland’s largest gardening, food and family event, held in the vast Phoenix Park. It’s a celebration of all things green and gorgeous.
Don’t miss out on: The Beaches
Some days can reach high temperatures and high humidity, so a lot locals run away from the city and take refuge in local fishing villages and beaches around the city. We recommend:
- Howth – This charming fishing village is just a 30-minute DART train ride from the city centre. The cliff walk offers breathtaking views of Dublin Bay, and you’ll be rewarded with the city’s best seafood chowder afterwards.
- Dalkey – A picturesque coastal town, Dalkey is perfect for a wander through its medieval streets and a dip at the rocky Vico Bathing Place. There’s kayaking and hiking if you’re feeling adventurous, or pubs and coffee if you want to take it a little easier.
- Portmarnock Beach – Just to the north of the city, the 8km stretch of beach is sometimes called “The Velvet Strand” for its fine sand, which is ideal for an idyllic walk along Dublin’s coast. With various public access points, you don’t have to worry about doing the full 8km stretch.
Autumn in Dublin (September – November)
As the summer dies down, the colours of the city start to change from bright pinks and white to calm oranges and cool browns. The spooky season is upon us when we hit October, and as Ireland boasts the “Home of Halloween”, the country comes alive with activities, festivals, carnivals, you name it!
It’s also a great time to travel with fewer crowds, the streets are a little easier to navigate, and for most of September, Dublin still may see high temperatures of 23/25 degrees Celsius, so you could be lucky and hit a quiet and hot week in September.
Dublin Fringe Festival
September
A dynamic explosion of new theatre, dance, music, and circus performances in venues all over the city. This festival is edgy, innovative and always surprising.
Dublin Theatre Festival (Late September/Early October): One of Europe’s oldest and most distinguished theatre festivals, attracting world-class productions.
The Bram Stoker Festival
(October Bank Holiday Weekend)
Dublin is the birthplace of Dracula’s creator, and the city celebrates this heritage with a wonderfully atmospheric festival each October. Expect gothic-themed events, spooky film screenings and haunted house experiences. This is where we like to boast our skills and invite everyone to one of Dublin’s favourite activities over October, our Dark Dublin: Torture, Murder & Mystery Walking Tour, jam-packed with weird stories, creepy tales and a touch of gore along the way.
Don’t miss out on: The Pubs
As the evenings draw in, the appeal of a cosy pub becomes irresistible. This is the season to truly appreciate Dublin’s pub culture. Duck into the old traditional Irish pubs, find a snug corner or grand tables with their unique and eye-catching interior, or catch some traditional live music in a local favourite. We recommend:
- The Cobblestone – Smithfield Square. A famous pub among the locals and visitors, standing strongly at the top of Smithfield Square, you’ll see what Ireland calls a proper Irish pub. Irish Trad music can be found here most nights of the week.
- The Long Hall – South Great Georges Street. With its unique Victorian interior, you’ll love the social aspect of this well-known pub in the city centre.
- O’Donoghues – Merrion Row. In the heart of the South Side of the City Centre, a huge pub on the inside with a great bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and fantastic music most nights of the week.
- P. Kearneys – Dame Street. A traditional Irish pub with live music, comedy, sports and the craic! A favourite bar with city centre locals, right in the middle of Dame Street.
Winter in Dublin (November – February)
Embrace the chill and discover Dublin’s winter magic. Winter is when Dublin is at its most magical and for the savvy traveller, its most affordable. The city shines as the captivating Christmas lights are projected onto the walls of Dublin’s most iconic buildings. It’s a great opportunity to get the perfect pictures to share with loved ones. There are also blissfully quiet museums; the city comes into its own during the colder months. It’s not all quiet, though. Dublin comes to life again for the New Year’s Eve celebrations with fireworks all over Dublin. At the end of January, the “craic” is had in cosy pubs, as winter also brings the Temple Bar Trad Fest, celebrating all Traditional Irish Music.
Christmas in Dublin
The Winter Lights
December
Grafton Street, Henry Street, and the surrounding laneways are draped in spectacular festive lights.
The Markets
December
The Christmas markets at Dublin Castle and the Custom House offer mulled wine, artisan crafts, and plenty of festive cheer.
The Ice Skating
Temporary rinks pop up around the city, including the popular one at the RDS (Royal Dublin Society).
New Year’s Festival Dublin
Dublin knows how to ring in the new year. The multi-day festival features a massive outdoor concert, a spectacular fireworks display over the city, and the famous New Year’s Eve “Countdown Concert” at Dublin Castle.
Temple Bar TradFest
Late January
If you want to experience authentic Irish traditional music at its finest, plan your trip around TradFest. For a few days in January, Dublin’s historic Temple Bar district becomes a hub of fiddle sessions, whistle workshops, and spirited concerts, bringing the best folk musicians from around the world to the city’s most iconic pubs.
St Brigit Day Bank Holiday
1st February
Now a public holiday, this day celebrates the Celtic roots of St Brigit. The city comes alive with events celebrating women, from live performances to theatre and walking tours.
Don’t miss out on: The Museums
As the high season comes to a close, the museums all around the city remain open, making it one of the calmer times to visit museums and galleries all over the city. Dublin offers a huge amount of free museums to visit across the city. Here are a few we recommend:
- National Archaeology Museum – Kildare Street. One of the best and most curious museums in the city, and it’s free! It’s home to the bog bodies of Ireland and other unique archaeological finds from around the country.
- 14 Henriette Street – Henrietta Street. Here, Tour guides dive into the lives of those who lived among tenement housing in Dublin, telling the true stories of those who witnessed history in inner-city Dublin. With tickets starting from €6, it’s well worth the visit and the tours last only 75 minutes.
Hopefully this guide will help you choose the right time to visit Dublin, personally we think all year round, as you experience different sights and sounds that are all well worth seeing!
Enjoy exploring Dublin!