Dublin/Ireland

[jimi]

Heyo, I'll be flying into Dublin in at the end of July and want to spend at least a few days there checking it out before making my way to other cities in the UK that I've visited before. I could also visit other cities in Ireland if I want, I don't have any real plans besides making it to Edinburgh by mid August. I don't know anyone out there right now and have very little idea what I've gotten myself into, so I'm looking for input!

-What places should I make a point to visit?
-How's hitchhiking?
-Any good venues or pubs for travelers/punks? Where can I go to make friends?
-Best places to sleep outside or cheap hostels in case I can't find a couch or squat?
-Best ways to get around?
-Any other tips/stories that'll help me not have a bad time?

I appreciate it!

 

[japanarchist]

Hey, first things I recommend doing is downloading apps that allow you to text and make calls internationally, like Whatsapp. Next I recommend downloading the app Hostel World and aim to book your stays as far in advance as you can because its much cheaper.

If you plan use something like CouchSurfing, start contacting host asap because they can sometime take a while to get back to you.

Use Ryan Air for cheap flights, use FlixBus for cheap bus tickets, and there’s another app called BlablaCar that is basically like Uber but for long distance drives.

Don’t bring any knives with you to the UK since they’re illegal and customs will search you and probably find it (happened to me😅). London is pretty danm expensive (food, hostels, transportation) and I personally didn’t care for it. If you have a debit card make sure to contact your bank and let them know what countries you will be traveling to so they don’t freeze your card under suspicious foreign transactions.

Make sure you have a European outlet adaptor to charge your phone, otherwise your charger will not work in their outlets.

I just saw that there’s some ppl putting on an anarchist bookfair in Dublin next week. Here is their website, maybe you could contact them and get plugged in Dearg is Dubh - https://www.deargisdubh.net/

I also went to the national museum of Ireland, it was cool and free. That’s all I got, best of luck to ya!🍀

 

[Anagor]

Hi!

-How's hitchhiking?

Never hitchhiked in UK ... Made no sense for me, because the coaches are so dirt cheap there.

If there is no reason for not taking a coach (for example traveling with a dog), I always would recommend it.

With National Express or Megabus if you book a few days in advance you can go for example from London to Bristol (~3 hours) for about £4 (!) and from London to Manchester (~6 hours) for about a tenner.

Much, much cheaper than trains and more stressfree and reliable than hitching. So if you don't want to hitchhike just for the sake of it, go for coaches!

 

[otch0z]

I only hitchiked in ireland once and it went well. It's a very small country (compared to what im used to anyway)
I lived in dublin for a few months but honestly i would recommend going on the west coast, for the landscapes are incredible there ! If you feel extra adventurous you could even book a ferry to the aran islands!
If you wanna visit the library at trinity college, which i kinda recommend only if you folow my tip, you should ask one of the students hanging out there to get you in. It's free for students, they can bring 10 people with them and they cut the queue
Other than that, hanging out in temple bar is always fun, it's a cute neighborhood.
Maybe avoid hanging out north of the river at night, although i didnt live in the area so idk what it would do

Theres a huge housing crisis in dublin, that has been going on for years and years now, so there is a lot of homelessness. Idk if you can maybe find shelters/community soups etc...
You can busk but like only on one particular and very busy street where there are other buskers who sometimes have amps
Other than that irish countryside looks exactly like postcards, it truly is an enchanting country. Have fun !

 

[RebelWaltz]

Not sure about Dublin or Ireland as I’m planning on going there soon myself, but I’m from Edinburgh and will probably be back there for the Fringe if you need help getting around/finding a hostel (I’d definitely get accommodation sorted before August if you haven’t though lol, Edinburgh’s in the middle of a housing crisis and Fringe airbnbs aren’t helping.)

Hitchhiking isn’t too common but easier in Ireland and Scotland than England and Wales, coaches, buses and trains are definitely the most convenient way to get around.

 

[jimi]

Hi!


Never hitchhiked in UK ... Made no sense for me, because the coaches are so dirt cheap there.

If there is no reason for not taking a coach (for example traveling with a dog), I always would recommend it.

With National Express or Megabus if you book a few days in advance you can go for example from London to Bristol (~3 hours) for about £4 (!) and from London to Manchester (~6 hours) for about a tenner.

Much, much cheaper than trains and more stressfree and reliable than hitching. So if you don't want to hitchhike just for the sake of it, go for coaches!

I usually take megabus, but sometimes I like to hitch just for the hell of it and to meet people. BUT funny story, I have no idea how we got so unlucky but the last time I was in the UK the megabuses we were on between Glasgow and London broke down 4 or 5 times in the same trip, and they had to send replacements over and over again. Apparently by the end of the day the whole fleet broke down and they had to get another company to lend them a bus to get us back to london. It ended up adding like 15 hrs to the trip, haha. Sooo just in case I'd probably not recommend them if you're on a tight schedule.

 

[jimi]

Not sure about Dublin or Ireland as I’m planning on going there soon myself, but I’m from Edinburgh and will probably be back there for the Fringe if you need help getting around/finding a hostel (I’d definitely get accommodation sorted before August if you haven’t though lol, Edinburgh’s in the middle of a housing crisis and Fringe airbnbs aren’t helping.)

Hitchhiking isn’t too common but easier in Ireland and Scotland than England and Wales, coaches, buses and trains are definitely the most convenient way to get around.

Thanks sm! I'll let ya know if I need help! As far as Edinburgh goes I mostly planned on camping outside the city, which worked out pretty well for me when I visited a few years ago.