Visiting the famous Dublin Castle is among the top 10 things to do in Dublin. Built on the orders of King John of England in the 13th century, it used to be the main government building in the city – for 700 years the governors of the British Crown in Ireland resided here. The Dublin Castle hosts important conferences, when there are no governmental meetings, it is open to the general public. Visitors can see the Center for the Arts, admire the Church of Holy Trinity, climb up to the Birmingham Tower and descend to the dungeons to sit in a cozy café.

Built in the 12th century, this remains to be the biggest Cathedral in the whole of Ireland, its famous bishop was Jonathan Swift, known for his masterpiece – “Gulliver’s Travels”. It is built in neo-gothic architectural style, which was already used in the Victorian Era. Visitors can marvel the particularly large windows, carved panels on the chairs, elegant floor tiles, as well as the organ. There are various concerts hosted here, the schedule of which is available at the entrance.

Trinity College was built in the 16th century and is part of the Dublin University. Even today, it is considered the most prestigious higher education institution in Ireland. It is one of the 7 oldest English-speaking Universities in the world and the only one not located in the UK. It is home to one of the oldest libraries in the world, where there are ancient books in more than 20 languages. Anyone with secondary education diploma, and knowledge of English, can apply for a fee of a little more than $20,000.

This cable-stayed futuristic bridge over Liffey River is an architectural masterpiece. Resembling a huge elegant harp, it was designed as the emblem of Ireland in 2009 and named after the Irish writer, talented playwright and Nobel laureate, Samuel Beckett.

When in Dublin, one simply must visit the National Botanic Gardens – it is an urban green island, more than 200 years old. The park covers 25 hectares and is located in the very heart of the city. There are more than 20 thousand plants, brought here from even the most remote parts of the world, greenhouses, ponds, green meadows and luscious gardens.

Visiting the Temple Bar neighbourhood is most definitely among the top 10 things to do in Dublin. This is the most popular area in the city and one of the oldest quarters of Dublin. It is named after William Temple, the Dean of the University of Ireland, who lived there in the 17th century. All the fun starts here at 6pm and lasts till the last customer. This is the place where almost all doors lead to some sort of entertainment, be it a pub, restaurant or café, where Guinness beer flows like water, musicians are performing live, and you have to shout to hear each other.

This is the main Cathedral of Dublin, sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. The Cathedral was built in the 11th century for the first archbishop of Dublin. It was completely renovated in the 19th century, by the famous owner of distilleries – Henry Roux.

When people are asked to name the most famous beer brand, most of the people on this planet will say – ‘Guinness’. The first appearance of this legendary beer dates back to 1752, when a man, known only by a few, called Arthur Guinness inherited 200pounds. He, of course, spend this money on booze, but did it in the most reasonable way – he rented a brewery. The Storehouse consists of a 7-storey high museum, containing the history of the brand, the brewery and generations of the Guinness family. On the top floor, one can find Gravity bar, and at the bottom a souvenir store, where among the traditional magnets, books and key chains, visitors can buy chocolates and sweets with beer filling.

One of the most popular museums in Dublin is the Kilmainham Gaol, which was one of the largest correctional institutions in Europe in the 18th century. Up until the mid-19th century, the prison didn’t have windows or light, the food was very modest and some of its inmates were such prominent figures as Patrick Henry Pearce, Joseph Mary Plunkett and Tom Clarke. Every hour there is a guided tour, where visitors are told about the fascinating history of the prison.

For most people, Ireland is associated with a green leprechaun with a pot of gold, and Jameson whiskey, therefore visiting the Old Jameson Distillery is among the top 10 things to do in Dublin. The first Jameson distillery was found in 1780, and that’s where the Irish whisky tradition started. 230 years of this whiskey are praised and admired by many visitors in this Museum.