The country of Ireland is known for one of it’s most famous exports: Guinness Beer. Exported globally, it is one of the World’s most famous beers. We’d explore the home of Guinness; the Guinness Storehouse before taking a walk around one of Ireland’s most famous educational institutions; Trinity College.

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Activity City Visit: Calling on the Guinness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

We had a relaxed wake up today. After a surprisingly substantial Aloft breakfast at The Aloft Dublin City that was much better than my last Aloft breakfast at the Aloft Munich, we headed out to explore the Guinness Storehouse.

Visiting the Guinness Storehouse:

It was a short walk from the hotel before we ended up at the dystopian looking Guinness Storehouse which was the origins of the Guinness brand.

As a teenager, WT73Jr was super interested to see this place. I was expecting a bit of a cross between a wine tasting room along with a short walk through of the basic history. It ended up being a lesson in mass marketing as the brand is everywhere and there are lessor Irish beers (like Harp) that are equally as good, but don’t command the same local or worldwide presence as Guinness.

After 41€ admission for the two of us, we entered into the Disney-esque experience. The first impression on arrival is like arriving into an airport duty free shop.

We then took in a walking multi media experience through the ingredients, water, coopering and casking process. It also had a several levels of a tasting experience.

The tour price also included a pint of Guinness, which could be enjoyed on the top floor. Being a teenager, WT73Jr was curious about the whole alcohol experience; “Do you think they’ll serve me?” After the whole introduction to retail liquor license talk, he was a little disappointed but I promised him I’d make it up to him at some other time.

WT73Jr spent a bit of time cautiously collecting souvenirs from the shop. After that was done, it was back to the hotel to drop some items.

Calling on the Trinity College:

After the drop off, we headed over to Trinity College for a walk around. Although the Book of Heles was available to view for 1€, we didn’t bother going in.

From there we took a walk around the outside of the Dublin Castle. Some of it was covered in scaffolding, which didn’t make the visit all to impressive.

From there, we wandered around for some general souvenir shopping. This was something that Ireland was famous for; there seemed to be one on every corner.

We eventually wandered back through the river. It was a nicer day and we were to hit the road tomorrow so we took in a last look of the river and city.

We eventually came along to several that were jumping into the water from the bridge decks. It was only about 16 degrees Celcius so it wasn’t all to warm. Nothing like youth to keep you joyful and full of vigorous…

We eventually wandered down to a pub in the Temple Bar area for dinner. They weren’t serving food in the pub itself, so instead we went upstairs to the restaurant. I had an Irish burger whereas Jr had Irish Stew whom he pronounced as exceptionally tasty, despite teenage jokes about British cuisine throughout our stay in London.

We had a walk around the river then back to the hotel for a rest.

We headed back to The Aloft Dublin City hotel to get ready for the road tomorrow. having made the most of our part travel day and first day in Ireland!

My Thoughts on Our Time in Dublin:

All in all, the City of Dublin, Ireland was a surprisingly entertaining city. Much like Lisbon, it was a great weekend stopover of which I’d easily visit again. While the Guinness Storehouse was a bit of a tourist trap, I was happy to have seen it at least once.

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If you have visited Dublin, Ireland what attractions topped your list ?

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