Dublin, Ireland

Location

Dublin is making a comeback. The decade-long "Celtic Tiger" boom era was quickly followed by the Great Recession, but The Recovery has finally taken a precarious hold. For visitors, this newer and wiser Dublin has become one of western Europe's most popular and delightful urban destinations. Whether or not you're out to enjoy the old or new Dublin, you'll find it a colossally entertaining city, all the more astonishing considering its intimate size.It is ironic and telling that James Joyce chose Dublin as the setting for his famous Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man because it was a "center of paralysis" where nothing much ever changed. Which only proves that even the greats get it wrong sometimes. Indeed, if Joyce were to return to his once-genteel hometown today—disappointed with the city's provincial outlook, he left it in 1902 at the age of 20—and take a quasi-Homeric odyssey through the city (as he so famously does in Ulysses), would he even recognize Dublin as his "Dear Dirty Dumpling, foostherfather of fingalls and dotthergills"?For instance, what would he make of Temple Bar—the city's erstwhile down-at-the-heels neighborhood, now crammed with cafés and trendy hotels and suffused with a nonstop, international-party atmosphere? Or the simple sophistication of the open-air restaurants of the tiny Italian Quarter (named Quartier Bloom after his own creation), complete with sultry tango lessons? Or of the hot–cool Irishness, where every aspect of Celtic culture results in sold-out theaters, from Once, the cult indie movie and Broadway hit, to Riverdance, the old Irish mass-jig recast as a Las Vegas extravaganza? Plus, the resurrected Joyce might be stirred by the songs of Hozier, fired up by the sultry acting of Michael Fassbender, and moved by the award-winning novels of Colum McCann. As for Ireland's capital, it's packed with elegant shops and hotels, theaters, galleries, coffeehouses, and a stunning variety of new, creative little restaurants can be found on almost every street in Dublin, transforming the provincial city that suffocated Joyce into a place almost as cosmopolitan as the Paris to which he fled. And the locals are a hell of a lot more fun! Now that the economy has finally turned a corner, Dublin citizens can cast a cool eye over the last 20 crazy years. Some argue that the boomtown transformation of their heretofore-tranquil city has permanently affected its spirit and character. These skeptics (skepticism long being a favorite pastime in the capital city) await the outcome of "Dublin: The Sequel," and their greatest fear is the possibility that the tattered old lady on the Liffey has become a little less unique, a little more like everywhere else.Oh ye of little faith: the rare ole gem that is Dublin is far from buried. The fundamentals—the Georgian elegance of Merrion Square, the Norman drama of Christ Church Cathedral, the foamy pint at an atmospheric pub—are still on hand to gratify. Most of all, there are the locals themselves: the nod and grin when you catch their eye on the street, the eagerness to hear half your life story before they tell you all of theirs, and their paradoxically dark but warm sense of humor. It's expected that 2016 will be an extra-special year in the capital, as centenary celebrations of the fateful 1916 Easter Rising will dominate much of the cultural calendar.

Dublin, Ireland Itineraries

18 Nights

18-Day Riviera Rendezvous: Andalusian Nights & Vineyards

Departure Date
20 Apr 25
Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Venture
Region Mediterranean
Departure Port Barcelona
Destination Port Dublin
Itinerary
Barcelona, Sète, Palamós, Mahón, Menorca, Motril, Tangier, Seville, Seville, Portimão, Lisbon, Gijón, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Cork and Dublin

From £9,339pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

8 Nights

8-Day Vineyard Vistas: An Evening In Bordeaux

Departure Date
30 Apr 25
Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Venture
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Lisbon
Destination Port Dublin
Itinerary
Lisbon, Gijón, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Cork and Dublin

From £4,799pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

33 Nights

Jewels of Europe with Majestic Britain & Ireland

Departure Date
02 May 25
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Jade
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Budapest
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne, Rüdesheim, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Schlögen, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna, Vienna, Budapest and Budapest

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

10 Nights

10-Day Wild Scottish Isles & Iceland

Departure Date
08 May 25
Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Venture
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Reykjavík
Itinerary
Dublin, Calf of Man, Douglas, Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Isle of Eigg, Shiant Isles, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, St. Kilda Archipelago, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Isle of Noss, Heimaey Island and Reykjavík

From £9,714pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

23 Nights

22-Day Scottish Isles, Iceland & Svalbard

Departure Date
08 May 25
Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Venture
Region Arctic
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Edinburgh
Itinerary
Dublin, Calf of Man, Douglas, Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Isle of Eigg, Shiant Isles, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, St. Kilda Archipelago, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Isle of Noss, Heimaey Island, Reykjavík, Flatey Island, Akureyri, Jan Mayen Island, Svalbard Archipelago, Svalbard Archipelago, Svalbard Archipelago, Svalbard Archipelago, Svalbard Archipelago, Longyearbyen, Edinburgh and Edinburgh

From £14,938pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

12 Nights

Portsmouth to Dublin

Departure Date
19 May 25
Cruise Line Silversea
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Silver Wind
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Portsmouth
Destination Port Dublin
Itinerary
Portsmouth, Sark, Tresco, Saint Mary's, Isles of Scilly, Kinsale, Dingle, Inisheer, Kilronan, Aran Islands, Tory Island, St. Kilda Archipelago, Shiant Isles, Dunvegan, Inverie, Isle of Iona, Isle of Lunga, Belfast and Dublin

From £8,500pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

21 Nights

Portsmouth to Copenhagen

Departure Date
19 May 25
Cruise Line Silversea
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Silver Wind
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Portsmouth
Destination Port Copenhagen
Itinerary
Portsmouth, Sark, Tresco, Saint Mary's, Isles of Scilly, Kinsale, Dingle, Inisheer, Kilronan, Aran Islands, Tory Island, St. Kilda Archipelago, Shiant Isles, Dunvegan, Inverie, Isle of Iona, Isle of Lunga, Belfast, Dublin, Dublin, Isle of Lunga, Shiant Isles, Loch Ewe, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Sumburgh, Shetland Islands, North Haven, Fair Isle, Bekkjarvik, Rosendal, Lysefjord and Copenhagen

From £12,200pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

14 Nights

Iberia To Ireland

Departure Date
20 May 25
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Sirena
Region Northern Europe and Mediterranean
Departure Port Barcelona
Destination Port Dublin
Itinerary
Barcelona, Alicante, Seville, Seville, Portimão, Lisbon, Porto, La Coruña, Santander, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Falmouth and Dublin

From £2,703pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

25 Nights

Iberians To Norsemen

Departure Date
20 May 25
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Sirena
Region Western Europe
Departure Port Barcelona
Destination Port Copenhagen
Itinerary
Barcelona, Alicante, Seville, Seville, Portimão, Lisbon, Porto, La Coruña, Santander, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Falmouth, Dublin, Belfast, Ullapool, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Haugesund, Nordfjordeid, Trondheim, Ålesund, Oslo, Helsingborg and Copenhagen

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

9 Nights

Dublin to Copenhagen

Departure Date
31 May 25
Cruise Line Silversea
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Silver Wind
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Copenhagen
Itinerary
Dublin, Isle of Lunga, Shiant Isles, Loch Ewe, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Sumburgh, Shetland Islands, North Haven, Fair Isle, Bekkjarvik, Rosendal, Lysefjord and Copenhagen

From £5,700pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

35 Nights

Epic Northern Europe

Departure Date
03 Jun 25
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Sirena
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Kiel
Itinerary
Dublin, Belfast, Ullapool, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Haugesund, Nordfjordeid, Trondheim, Ålesund, Oslo, Helsingborg, Copenhagen, Warnemünde, Warnemünde, Karlskrona, Visby, Maarianhamina (Mariehamn), Vaasa (Vasa), Kemi, Kemi, Luleå, Sundsvall, Stockholm, Stockholm, Helsinki, Helsinki, Kotka, Tallinn, Saaremaa sadam, Riga, Gdansk, Gdansk, Rønne, Szczecin, Kiel and Kiel

From £8,919pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

23 Nights

Grand Viking Vistas

Departure Date
03 Jun 25
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Sirena
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Stockholm
Itinerary
Dublin, Belfast, Ullapool, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Haugesund, Nordfjordeid, Trondheim, Ålesund, Oslo, Helsingborg, Copenhagen, Warnemünde, Warnemünde, Karlskrona, Visby, Maarianhamina (Mariehamn), Vaasa (Vasa), Kemi, Kemi, Luleå, Sundsvall, Stockholm and Stockholm

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises