My husband is in Dublin right now (I’m so so jealous!) where he’s working for a week. His default while traveling for work is to work really hard and not experience anything the location has to offer, which I find unacceptable. So here is the research I am sending with him so he doesn’t have an excuse not to get out!

I’ve compiled what I’ve found online, but I’d love to hear more personal recommendations if anyone has them! Everything on this list can be done after 5pm on a weekday!

Drinking

Do I even have to say it? This is huge in Ireland!

The Guinness Storehouse is a little tricky because it’s open until 7pm, but the last admittance is 5pm. I’m hoping Chris will be able to make it though, since it’s such a quintessential Dublin destination. Tickets are 14 euros if purchased online and include a pint of Guinness.

The Temple Bar is an entire district, but if you’re looking to check something off your to-do list, the original Temple Bar Pub is where you’ll want to go. Expect it to be crowded and a bit more expensive then other pubs in the area. With 4 + stars and thousands of ratings on Facebook and Trip Advisor, I think it’s still a good bet.

O’Donoghues is famous for their entertainment and they claim you should stop by if you want “the real Irish music experience”. It’s also highly ranked, but with hundreds of reviews instead of thousands, so hopefully you won’t run into all the tourists here!

Rather then continue to list pubs, here are a couple people who’ve already done that! Thrillist, Food Republic, Culture Trip

Walks

The Dublin suburb of Howth is only 30 minutes away by car or by DART and features two lighthouses, a castle, and a 6 km Cliff Path. It looks like it would be well worth making the trip to walk along the Cliff Path and then grab some seafood (maybe The Oarhouse?) before heading back to the city.

North Bull Island can be hard to get to with public transportation, but it’s only a 22 minute drive (pro tip: download the Hailo app and expect shorter waits then Uber in Dublin) and there is the possibility you’ll spot seals during your nature walk.

Self guided walking tour to famous spots such as Trinity College (info to print here), St. Stephen’s Green (info to print here), St. Patrick’s Cathedral (info to print here), Dublin Castle (info to print here), or Christ Church Cathedral (info to print here).

The Iveagh Gardens are open until 6pm from March-October and look to be well worth a visit. Just do a quick google image search and you’ll see what I mean!

Tours

City Kayaking offers evening tours, but you have to check their calendar since the hours vary from day to day. They didn’t have anything after 5pm the week Chris is there, but I’ve seen 6, 7, and 8 pm tours on other days. This is a 2 hour tour giving you the chance to see the city from the Liffey River. For only 29 euros this includes all your kayaking gear such as splash proof tops and bottoms. I hate to promote this too much since I have no experience with the company (except they answered one email very promptly) but in general I am very pro kayaking tours!

City Sightseeing offers a 1 hour musical tour every night from 8-9pm or 9:30-10:30pm. The guides are singers and dancers and promise a unique experience. For only 8.50 euros when you buy tickets online, this could be a great one to try if you are short on time.

Food Tours

It’s tricky to find a weekday food tour, but the Irish Food Trail has weekday evening tours from 6-9pm. 60 euros gets you a spot on a group tour to 3 traditional Irish restaurants or pubs and food and drink at each location. Between stops you’ll be walking through the city with a guide who will fill you in on some local knowledge and history of Dublin. This tour runs with 6-18 people, so it’s perfect for meeting with friends or coworkers.

If you’re not that hungry, the same company offers a Dublin Whiskey Trail tour. The 6pm weekday option is their Deluxe option at 60 euros including 7 different whiskeys plus local produce, bread, chocolates, etc. to pair with them.

Another option that looks good is the Musical Pub Crawl which departs at 7:30 pm every weeknight. 14 euro gets you on this musical tour but you have to buy your own drinks at the bar.

Scary Tours

As soon as you start looking for things to do after dark, ghost or scary history tours are sure to pop up. I know for a fact that I would never go on any of these, but they might be a good option if you aren’t as chicken as me!

Hidden Dublin does a Thursday/Friday 3 hour tour departing at 7pm every week that takes you on a walk through the Dublin Mountains and talks about the history of the occult and satanism in the area. This sounds horrifying to me, but they do guarantee an incredible view of Dublin from the mountains. 25 euro if you have it in you.

They also have more traditional ghost tours departing at 8pm everyday except Tuesday and Wednesday. These are only 13 euro.

Mass

I didn’t look up the schedules at all the famous cathedrals, but attending mass is definitely a great way to experience these incredible churches, which are a huge part of Irish culture. St. Patrick‘s has a “Choral Evensong” every weekday at 5:30pm.

Has anyone been to Dublin on business and had to constrain their sightseeing to after work? How did it go?