2 bed Apt in Centre of Old Dublin

This is a top-floor, two-bedroom apartment in an Edwardian building in the very, very heart of Dublin city's old historic centre. It has truly stunning views across to Dublin Castle and City Hall. The building itself is on Dame Street in Dublin 2, and is just a couple of minutes (or less) walk from most of Dublin's main historic, cultural, social and tourist attractions. If you're looking for the real Dublin experience and to get an intimate sense of Dublin's history, culture and what it's all about, this might just be the place for you. A big part of this apartment's appeal is its location – right in the very middle of all that's happening in Dublin, giving you easy access to everywhere. However, if you're looking for an oasis of calm or to hear the birds singing in the morning, this mightn't be the place for you.

THE APARTMENT:

The apartment is full of history and character. It occupies the top floor of an old Edwardian building, located midway along Dame Street, which links Trinity College to Christ Church Cathedral. It has absolutely spectacular views over Dublin Castle and Dublin City Hall both from the living room and one bedroom, while the other bedroom looks west towards Christ Church Cathedral.
Although the apartment has been completely renovated in recent years (so has all the modern conveniences you could want, including fast WiFi internet connection, central heating, an electric shower and a fully-fitted kitchen), its original period features have been preserved (including solid oak wood flooring in the living room and bedrooms, granite stone flooring and a wonderful Belfast sink in the kitchen, and large sash windows in every room).

It has two bedrooms (one with a double bed, the other with two single beds, which can be combined if required), a decent-sized living room with a kitchen off and a bathroom. Every room has large sash windows characteristic of the Edwardian era (early 1900s), so the apartment is full of natural light (if you're lucky, sunshine too!) from early in the morning until late in the evening. Everything you might need (bed linen, towels and kitchen items) is provided, as well as a small library of books on Dublin.

THE IMMEDIATE AREA:

Have a glance at a map of Dublin and you'll see that Dame Street is right in the centre of everything that Dublin has to offer. Trinity College is at one end of Dame Street (3 minute walk from the apartment) and Christ Church Cathedral is at the other (2 minute walk in the other direction). On one side is Dublin Castle and City Hall, and on the other is Temple Bar. All other notable parts of the city – such as Grafton Street area, St Stephens Green, Merrion Square, O'Connell Street – are within a 10-15 minute walk.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS AND PLACES OF INTEREST (within 5 minutes walking):

This is a guide to the very immediate area (places within a 2-5 minute walk from the apartment). However, the apartment is so central that almost everything and everywhere in Dublin City is no more than a 15 minute walk away.

Dublin Castle – directly across the street from the apartment. Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922, but was originally constructed in the early 13th century as part of Dublin's defences against Norman invasion. Most of the existing architecture dates from the 18th century, but there are some remains of the original medieval castle (such as the Record Tower, which dates from around 1228). (dublincastle.ie)

Chester Beatty Library – located within Dublin Castle, so, again, across the street from the apartment. It's a fantastic museum (with free admission) that exhibits cultural and religious artefacts from around the world – manuscripts, prints, icons, paintings, books, objects d'art from Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. The Lonely Planet says it's "not just the best museum in Ireland, but one of the best in Europe". (cbl.ie). [The CBL also has a really terrific cafe within it that's well worth a visit for coffee, lunch or a snack – silkroadcafe.ie].

City Hall – directly across the street from the apartment. City Hall is one of the finest examples of 18th century neo-classical architecture in Dublin. Audio-guided tours are available, as well as a really interesting exhibition that maps out the evolution of Dublin from the 12th century to today.

Trinity College and the Book of Kells – an easy 3 or 4 minute walk from the apartment. Trinity College is Ireland's oldest university (founded in 1592). It's a spectacular campus with a host of beautiful buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Be sure to check out Front Square, Parliament Square, the Museum Building and the Old Library (which holds the Book of Kells, tcd.ie/Library/bookofkells/).

Temple Bar (the 'Cultural Quarter') – a 3 minute walk from the apartment. As well as being the centre of Dublin's social scene with a huge choice of bars, cafes and restaurants, Temple Bar is also Dublin's Cultural Quarter. There are more than 50 artistic and cultural organisations operating from within the area, including the Irish Photography Centre, the Dublin Institute of Photography, the National Photographic Archives, the Gallery of Photography, the Ark Children's Cultural Centre, the Irish Film Institute, the Irish Film Archive, the Temple Bar Music Centre, the Arthouse Multimedia Centre, Temple Bar Gallery and Studio, and the Project Arts Centre. The Temple Bar Cultural Trust organise a great selection of cultural and artistic events around the area throughout the year. It's also the only part of Dublin city that has kept its medieval streetscape – narrow, winding cobbled streets. (templebar.ie).

Christ Church Cathedral – a 2 minute walk from the apartment. Christ Church Cathedral was originally built in 1028, but was extensively renovated in Victorian times (1870s). The architecture is now primarily Victorian, but there are some remaining medieval traces. You can take a guided tour of the Cathedral and also of the Belfry. (christchurchdublin.ie).

St Patrick's Cathedral – a 5 minute walk from the apartment. Although the present building was constructed between 1200 and 1270, St Patrick's Cathedral occupies a site that has strong religious associations dating back to the 5th century. It's the biggest church in Ireland, and offers guided tours and regular evening organ recitals. (stpatrickscathedral.ie)

Dublinia – a 3 minute walk from the apartment. Connected to Christ Church Cathedral by a medieval footbridge, Dublinia is a fantastic heritage centre that gives a great insight into Viking Dublin and Medieval Dublin. There are several exhibitions and tours for adults and children. (dublinia.ie)

Bars– literally too many to mention within a short walk from the apartment. Whether you're looking for traditional Dublin pubs (The Stag's Head on Dame Lane, The Lord Edward at the top of Dame Street, The Palace on Fleet Street being among the best in the immediate area) or more modern, late-night bars (Thomas Read on Parliament Street, 4 Dame Lane on Dame Lane, The Turk's Head on Parliament Street, The Bank on College Green, The Globe on George's Street and The Market Bar and Hogan's, both on Fade Street), they're all within a few minutes' walk. Other great bars are within a 10-15 minute walk at most. Check out dublinks.ie for a good guide to Dublin bars – traditional, modern and late-opening.

Live Music – again, literally dozens of bars renowned for live music are within a short walk of the apartment. Two favourites among visitors to Dublin are Oliver St John Gogarty (gogartys.ie) and The Temple Bar (thetemplebarpub.ie), both in Temple Bar and no more than 3 or 4 minutes away.

LGBT Scene – the area around the apartment is a cosmopolitan one, with an eclectic mix of people – nationalities, ages, professions etc all mixing freely (and happily!). The George (on George's Street, thegeorge.ie) is Dublin's most established gay bar, and The Dragon (also on George's Street) is a more recent addition to Dublin's gay scene. Both are around 5 minutes from the apartment. The Front Lounge (thefrontlounge.ie) is a more relaxed bar, and not exclusively gay/lesbian, and is a just around the corner from the apartment on Parliament Street

Restaurants – again literally too many to mention, all within a few minutes' walk from the apartment. Some good options on Dame Street itself are Les Freres Jacques (French), Russos (Italian) Toscana (Italian), Millstone (European) and Chez Max (French). Around the corner on Parliament Street, you'll find Taste of Brazil (Brazilian) and Ciao Bella Roma (Italian). There are loads of great restaurants in Temple Bar – particularly Chameleon (Indonesian), FX Buckley (Irish Grill), Shan (Indian), the IFI Cafe (Irish), Elephant & Castle (American), Merchant's Arch (Irish) and Eden (Irish). On or just off George's Street South (3-5 minutes from the apartment), you're spoiled for choice: Rustic Stone (Organic/Vegetarian), The Oriental Cafe (Asian), Yamamori (Japanese/Vegetarian), Jaipur (Indian), L'Gueuleton (French), Fallon & Byrne (Irish), El Bahia (Moroccan), Odessa (Irish), The Green Hen (French), Cafe Bar Deli (Italian), The Market Bar (Irish), Trocadero (Irish) and Cornucopia (Vegetarian).

Theatres – on Dame Street itself, there is the very famous Olympia Theatre (Olympia.ie). It's more of a live music venue than a theatre these days. For 'real' theatre, the Project Arts Centre (projectartscentre.ie), The New Theatre (thenewtheatre.com) and Smock Alley Theatre (smockalley.com) are all within 2 or 3 minutes from the apartment in Temple Bar. The Abbey Theatre (abbeytheatre.ie) – incorporating The Peacock Theatre - on Abbey Street is Ireland's national theatre (around a 10 minute walk from the apartment), and The Gate Theatre (gatetheatre.ie) is around 15 minutes from the apartment at the top of O'Connell Street.

Dublin's Arts and Antiques Quarter – around a 5 minute walk from the apartment is Francis Street in the Liberties area. This is the traditional hub of Dublin's arts and antiques trade – Dublin's equivalent of London's Portobello Road in Notting Hill. (Francis Street is also home to the Guinness brewery). (artsandantiquesquarter.ie)


A LITTLE FURTHER AFIELD (generally 10-20 minutes walking):

Beyond the immediate area around the apartment, there is a huge array of attractions, venues, places of interest and so on (most within 10 or 15 minutes walking). These include:

Parks and Squares: St Stephen's Green (12 minutes), Merrion Square (15 minutes), Phoenix Park (25 minutes), Iveagh Gardens (15 minutes), National Botanic Gardens (40 minutes)

Tourist Destinations: Guinness Storehouse (15 minutes), Dublin Zoo (30 minutes), Old Jameson Distillery (10 minutes)

Museums: National Museum (10 minutes), Natural History Museum (15 minutes), Oscar Wilde House (15 minutes), Irish-Jewish Museum (20 minutes), Kilmainham Gaol (20 minutes), Dublin Writers' Museum (15 minutes), GAA Museum/Croke Park (30 minutes), 29 Fitzwilliam Street/Georgian House Museum (20 minutes), George Bernard Shaw Birthplace (20 minutes)

Sporting Venues: Croke Park (30 minutes), the RDS (40 minutes), The Aviva Stadium/Lansdowne Road (30 minutes)

Concert Venues: Croke Park (30 minutes), The O2 Point Depot (30 minutes), The Aviva Stadium/Lansdowne Road (30 minutes), the RDS (30 minutes), Vicar Street (10 minutes), Whelan's (15 minutes), Gaiety Theatre (10 minutes)

Galleries: Irish Museum of Modern Art/IMMA (20 minutes), Hugh Lane Gallery (15 minutes), National Gallery of Ireland (15 minutes)

Historic Buildings: Leinster House (15 minutes), Mansion House (10 minutes), Aras an Uachtarain (45 minutes), Farmleigh House (60 minutes)

Shopping: Grafton Street Area (10 minutes), Powerscourt Townhouse (10 minutes), Brown Thomas Department Store (10 minutes)

TRAVEL AND ACCESS:

As the apartment is so central, almost everywhere is within walking distance. You'll have no need for a car or public transport, but, if you want to travel further afield, there are two main taxi ranks on Dame Street, as well as a DublinBikes Station (dublinbikes.ie). Pearse Street train station is a 10 minute walk, and the Jervis LUAS (Dublin's tram system) stop is a 5 minute walk. There are no car parking facilities in the building or on Dame Street, but on-street parking spaces can usually be found on nearby Bride Street (around a 4 minute walk). Alternatively, there are numerous multi-storey car parks located in the immediate vicinity (Drury Street, Fleet Street/Temple Bar, St Andrews Street and Christ Church being the closest – check out parkrite.ie and q-park.ie). A taxi to and from the airport will cost around €20-30 (depending on time of day/night) but there is a stop for the 'Aircoach' direct city-to-airport bus service (aircoach.ie) adjacent to Trinity College (around a 3 minute walk from the apartment). This costs €7 per adult, €2 per child. Alternatively, you can opt for public transport (using Dublin Bus, dublinbus.ie) to and from the airport: Dublin Bus's express airport service (No. 747, adult: €6) goes from Dame Street/Christchurch, and a regular Dublin Bus service (No. 16A, adult: €2.75) goes from George's Street (around 3 minutes from the apartment), but this service does take a lot longer to reach the airport than the two express services.