Hotels in Dublin: where to stay and what to book

Dublin is small enough to cross on foot and divided by one river. The Liffey splits the centre into north and south: Trinity College, Grafton Street and the Liberties are south of it, O'Connell Street, Smithfield and the markets north, and the Docklands run east along the water. Two stations matter — Heuston in the west and Connolly in the north-east — and two Luas tram lines cross the middle. Below are eight hotels in Dublin, grouped by which side of the river they sit on, with the star rating, guest score, address and station walk for each.

Where to stay in Dublin: three areas worth comparing

The hotels in Dublin below are grouped by these three areas, cheapest first within each. Here for Trinity and the museums, book the centre; for the theatre and the quays, the Docklands; for a match at the Aviva, Ballsbridge.

City centre hotels: Grafton Street, O'Connell Street and the Liberties

These three cover the south centre and the river: the Grafton is the shopping and Trinity end, the Gresham the O'Connell Street end with Henry Street and the market streets behind it, and the Hyatt sits in the Liberties between the two cathedrals, ten minutes from the Guinness Storehouse. Temple Bar is five minutes from any of them, though it is louder and dearer than the streets around it.

North of the Liffey hotels: Abbey Street and Smithfield

The north side is where Dublin works rather than performs: the fruit and vegetable markets, Smithfield's distillery and square, and O'Connell Street at the bottom. It is five to ten minutes across the river to Trinity and Grafton Street, and the Luas Red line runs along the quays and up through Smithfield, which makes this side easy to move around from. The Abbey is the budget choice; Ruby Molly is the newer room.

Docklands and Ballsbridge: the theatre, the Aviva and the RDS

The Docklands is the newer half of the city: the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, the tech offices, and the boardwalks along the Grand Canal Dock. It suits a theatre trip or a work stay, and it is a fifteen-minute walk back to Trinity along the quays. The Marker is the one for a treat, the Premier Inn the sensible bed, and the Clayton is the conference address further south, within walking distance of the Aviva and the RDS.

Before you book: five practical checks

1. Expect peak rates at the parade and on match weekends. The parade on 17 March fills the city for days around it, and rugby internationals at the Aviva and GAA matches at Croke Park do the same for their weekends. Book months ahead for any of them.
2. Check what the rate includes. Breakfast is often separate, central parking is charged almost everywhere, and the cheapest rates around event weekends are usually non-refundable.
3. Plan the airport leg before you pick an address. The airport coaches run into O'Connell Street and the Docklands rather than the south side, so a hotel on either saves a taxi.
4. Check the map pin. "Dublin" listings run out to Ballsbridge, the Docklands and the airport, none of which is the centre even when the name says city centre.
5. Know your station. Heuston serves the west and south, Connolly the north and Belfast, and Tara Street the DART along the coast; the Luas Red and Green lines cross the middle without meeting.

Arriving in Dublin: from the airport or station to your hotel

Two things catch visitors out: the Leap Card is the city's travel card and works on the Luas, the buses and the DART, so it is worth getting one at the airport rather than paying cash fares; and the two Luas lines do not connect in the centre, so a journey from Heuston to the Docklands means a walk between them or a bus.

※ Prices, scores and availability change. Check the linked hotel pages for your dates before booking.