Dublin · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Beds cost more than they should, national museums cost nothing, and the trad is free.
Gardiner Street and Smithfield
The hostel belt runs north of the Liffey along Gardiner Street and out to Smithfield — cheaper than Temple Bar and ten minutes' walk from it.
What a day costs
Around €65–100 a day, roughly $70–110: dorm €25–45, supermarket food and one carvery lunch €20–30, Leap card capped near €6.
Getting around cheap
A Leap card caps daily spend across bus, Luas and DART. The DART runs out to Howth and Bray for the price of a city fare.
Free by day
The National Museum's archaeology and natural history branches, the National Gallery and the Chester Beatty all charge nothing, and Phoenix Park has wild deer.
Where travellers meet
Tip-based walking tours leave from City Hall. For actual traditional music rather than the Temple Bar version, the Cobblestone in Smithfield is the room.