For couples · Dublin · Ireland
Romantic things to do in Dublin
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dronepicr (edited by King of Hearts ) Edit corrects CA and sharpens image, CC BY 3.0
Quick answer
Dublin's romance is low-key and atmospheric: candlelit pubs with live music, Georgian squares at dusk and windswept cliff walks above the bay. Pair city evenings with a day at Howth or in the Wicklow Mountains. Couples tend to stay in Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 6
- Couple-friendly sights
- 1
- Area for couples
- Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green
- Best months
- May
Romantic ideas
1.Howth cliff walk at sunset
Walk the cliff path around Howth Head as the sun drops over Dublin Bay, then share seafood by the harbour.
2.A snug in a Victorian pub
Many old Dublin pubs keep 'snugs', small wood-panelled booths behind a door that make a private spot for two.
3.A day in Glendalough
Follow the lakeside trail to the Upper Lake beneath the monastic round tower in the Wicklow Mountains.
4.A night at the theatre
See a play at the Abbey, Ireland's national theatre founded by Yeats and Lady Gregory, or at the Gate on Parnell Square.
5.Afternoon tea on the Green
Settle in for sandwiches, scones and cakes in a grand Georgian hotel overlooking St Stephen's Green.
6.The Liffey at dusk
Cross the lamp-lit Ha'penny Bridge, then walk the Liffey Boardwalk as the city lights come on.
Sights couples love
Garden · St Stephen's Green
Iveagh Gardens
Enter from Clonmel Street off Harcourt Street, the easiest gate to find.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping, couples and luxury
Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green
South of Trinity College, pedestrian Grafton Street runs from College Green to St Stephen's Green, lined with shops and street performers, with side streets of pubs and cafés around South William Street. Hotels here are expensive but leave you a short walk from Trinity, the national museums and Merrion Square, with the Luas Green Line on the doorstep.
- Good
- Walk to almost every sight; Good shopping and cafés; Luas Green Line close by
- Watch out
- Expensive hotels; Crowded with shoppers at weekends
- Nearby
- St Stephen's Green, Trinity College Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, Little Museum of Dublin
Romantic day trips
- Howth (About 30 minutes by DART) — A fishing village on a rocky peninsula at the northern tip of Dublin Bay, with a cliff path around Howth Head looking out to Ireland's Eye and the Baily Lighthouse, seals in the harbour and seafood restaurants along the West Pier.
- Glendalough (About 1–1.5 hours by car or bus) — A sixth-century monastic site founded by St Kevin, with a 30-metre round tower and stone churches, set in a glacial valley with two lakes in Wicklow Mountains National Park.
- Malahide Castle (About 25 minutes by train) — A castle owned by the Talbot family for almost 800 years, with guided tours of its furnished rooms, walled botanical gardens and a large park running down to the seaside village of Malahide and its marina.
- Powerscourt Estate (About 40 minutes by car) — An 18th-century Palladian house in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains with formal terraced gardens, Italian and Japanese gardens and views to the Sugar Loaf.
- Kilkenny (About 1 hour 40 minutes by train) — A compact medieval city with a Norman castle above the River Nore, St Canice's Cathedral and its climbable round tower, and the 'Medieval Mile' of lanes, pubs and craft shops between them.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Irish stew, Dublin coddle and Oysters and stout. Some restaurants add a service charge for larger groups, so check the bill before tipping.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Dublin romantic?
Dublin's romance is low-key and atmospheric: candlelit pubs with live music, Georgian squares at dusk and windswept cliff walks above the bay. Pair city evenings with a day at Howth or in the Wicklow Mountains.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Dublin?
Howth cliff walk at sunset: Walk the cliff path around Howth Head as the sun drops over Dublin Bay, then share seafood by the harbour.
+Where should couples stay in Dublin?
Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green: Pedestrian shopping, buskers and the city's central park.