They’ve let O’Connell Street go to the dogs. It has a real slum vibe to it now. It was never posh by any means, but actually feels dangerous now. If that is a tourists first impression of Ireland we are really doing ourselves an injustice. One of many things to fix I guess.
This is actually a very serious issue and I say that as a Dub myself. I overheard a group of Europeans on the Luas last week (people that lived and worked here) talking about Smithfield being our largest public square. I never realised or even thought about it before but our capital city is just so poorly designed and planned. Its actually gross negligence how a future strategy has not been implemented. FFG have just stood back and washed their hands of the whole thing.
Dublin has to be the worst European capital to visit. I really do not know why someone would holiday here.
Doesn’t have the iconic landmarks of London or Paris or Amsterdam. Has shite public transport. Shite weather. In general outside of the handful of busy streets looks run down and slum like. You feel like you could get mugged at any moment. And it costs a arm and a leg to stay here.
A lot of friends want to visit from abroad and these days I basically say they should do a day in Dublin and then just get out to the country.
>[Dublin is] an outrageously expensive place to spend time in. And the cost certainly does not match the value.
Someone told me over the weekend they were going to a gig in Edinburgh this year, because even after including the price of the flights to Edinburgh, it was cheaper than going to see the same band in Dublin and having to pay for a hotel there.
Dublin is too small for the amount of people going through it. Temple bar used to be the go to place but you can’t even get into a bar unless you are there at opening time.
I work and live in the city centre. On Saturday I had no less than 4 drug deals happening beside me on Aston quay over the course of 45 minutes. I take the bus there all the time, and there isn’t a single Garda to be seen. They’re running up to people asking for money in groups, so you feel pressured to give something. They are openly smoking crack or heroin, people drunk out of their minds falling out of temple bar. I couldn’t imagine how bad it looks to tourists
When I visited Dublin, instead of actually staying there it worked out much cheaper for me to book a hotel in Belfast and just get the train down. I had a fantastic time and can’t wait to go again eventually after I have visited other places around Ireland but it is expensive.
No shit Sherlock.
All government officials need to cop on.
All parties.
Of course, like it’s not rocket science, if you keep increasing the cost of alcohol, food and hotels people will stop coming if it isn’t a nice place to be. Like even the roads in the city centre is worse than eastern europe for potholes. There are junkies and people fighting on our main street. Even the shopping area, we have Grafton street and all that area on the south side but really there is nothing to do but spend money, there is no neutral ground or place to breathe, like Stephens Green maybe but for the amount of people who congregate in that area it needs way more.
What we need as a country is curation of the experience. If this was a business and they were a resort what would they do? They would map out a bunch of things people would want to do, they would ensure that everything from how to get there to things to do after are sorted. Then work towards doing that.
I’ll give a practical example, St James’ Gate, people go for tours there quite a bit. Try get there on public transport, you will notice it’s not trivial to get there and the experience travelling there isn’t great. There are two options really, the 13 bus and walk or the red line and walk further. We are talking about one of the most popular attractions in Dublin and there is no direct approach to it from the main street of Dublin.
The country would benefit so much more if the Dublin amenities, services, shops, government facilities etc would be dispersed throughout the country to the other cities. Would help with Lessening the strain on Dublin because the way things are going Dublin is on its way to imploding. It’s just not feasible if all the opportunities are in Dublin and everyone wants to live there. It’s just not gonna work.
There was an post a couple of weeks ago on this sun about the need to “beautify” cities, I think there was a YouTube link to a suburb that did it in Paris. Dublin needs to clean up its streets and buildings and put down proper pavements that don’t look like a patchwork quilts. There needs to be a long term revolutionary strategy to make the city more people friendly and buildings that are aesthetically good to look at. It just currently looks so worn down and on it’s last legs.
got a price of 750 for a hotel in cork for the may bank holiday weekend
also got a price of 400 for flights and hotel edinburgh for the same weekend
I can’t read the article but are the tourists actually saying its because of “the ambience” or is it actually because a hotel costs €500 for two nights and a pint costs you the guts of €7?
“A Large Provincial Town, Surrounded By Housing Estates”
Domestic too. It’s cheaper for me to get the bus to Dublin, fly to Germany, Italy, or even Cyprus, and stay in a hotel there vs stay in a hostel in Dublin smelling other people’s farts all night.
Scottish person here (also a citizen of Ireland)
I now avoid Dublin. The hotels and pubs and restaurants there are eye wateringly expensive and the city centre feels unsafe and more and more like other capitals like London, Paris, Amsterdam.
Most people working in Dublin city leave in the evening. Decades of poor planning and pandering to the skyline brigade has left the city centre empty and withered. Looking at recent planning decisions it is not going to get any better.
I think the Irish Tourist Board should spin up the walk from Connolly Station via Talbot St as a great stroll to conjure up nihilistic poetry and songs inspired by the Edwardian era squalor on display, with the bonus of a highly likely chance to sample the culinary delights of the Irish health services.
Yeah, shouldn’t really surprise anyone that Dublin, and Ireland generally is very poor value for money when you can compare it with so many other places in Europe.
Most of my friends/acquaintances who have gotten married or had stage and such in recent years had them abroad in places like Spain, Portugal and Greece. The savings in terms of accommodation, activities and daily outgoings are enormous compared with doing the same kind of things here in Ireland.
I can’t believe people don’t flock over to admire the famous Dublin skyline
7 friends of mine from India and the US, wanted to visit but eventually decided it made no sense and we all went to Amsterdam/Copenhagen instead.
We wanted to travel around Ireland for a weekend away, we ended up buying ticket and accomodations in Italy. Was a lot cheaper and it’s better value overall. Of course, the period is very important but how are Irish businesses expecting to compete for tourism against much nicer locations if they keep outrageous accommodation prices (disregarding food prices)?
I’m looking at campsites in Ireland at the moment, I’d like to get the family into camping, some campgrounds are €30-€40 per night. For a 2m x 2m piece of grass and access to a toilet! It’s really nuts.
I had two groups of european friends who wanted to visit Ireland but hotels were so expensive, so they went to Stockholm instead.
Who wouldn’t want to visit a major European city where you see antisocial behaviour and crime going unchecked on the main thoroughfare daily?
The government and councils ought to be embarrassed at the state of Dublin.
Was just in Brugge for the weekend paid €240 all in for flights and accommodation. Went for something to eat in the city centre €13 for a pizza and about €8 for two beers.
In a bar in the evening time €4.50 for a glass of 8% dark beer (33cl) which was gorgeous.
The city itself is absolutely stunning couldn’t recommend it enough. Apart from the scenery in parts of the county we’re just miles behind the rest of Europe. Why get ripped off in Ireland when you could go somewhere with better food, beer, weather etc….
I live in Ireland, and years ago, I gave up completely on visiting Dublin. I can go almost anywhere else in Europe for cheaper, and that’s even after paying for flights, etc. Dublin costs an absolute fortune and doesn’t offer enough to justify the cost, unfortunately.
What, don’t people want to visit for the skyline ? It’s a hell of a view.
When Capel street’s pedestrianisation was almost reversed due to complains of “loitering” that tells you what an uphill battle we have. In Ireland, the public are so infantalized. It’s part of the reason we go nuts when we go to other European cities where you’re free to drink in a public square all night if you want.
Ambiance is shite because no one with any sense is in town. Prices are extortionate and any decent clubs or venues have gone. Countries gone to the dogs… but sure vote Leo and the boys back in sure…
Rip Off capital of Rip Off Ireland. Greed, greed and more greed so what do we expect. Dublin has become a location for wealthy tourists. Even shitty hostel for backpackers is 3 times more expensive than anywhere else.
I heard Dublin being described as a 3 star city charging 5 star prices. Would you agree?
This thread is so painful to read – because it’s all true. Dublin is a pathetic excuse as a tourist destination.
36 comments
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They’ve let O’Connell Street go to the dogs. It has a real slum vibe to it now. It was never posh by any means, but actually feels dangerous now. If that is a tourists first impression of Ireland we are really doing ourselves an injustice. One of many things to fix I guess.
This is actually a very serious issue and I say that as a Dub myself. I overheard a group of Europeans on the Luas last week (people that lived and worked here) talking about Smithfield being our largest public square. I never realised or even thought about it before but our capital city is just so poorly designed and planned. Its actually gross negligence how a future strategy has not been implemented. FFG have just stood back and washed their hands of the whole thing.
Dublin has to be the worst European capital to visit. I really do not know why someone would holiday here.
Doesn’t have the iconic landmarks of London or Paris or Amsterdam. Has shite public transport. Shite weather. In general outside of the handful of busy streets looks run down and slum like. You feel like you could get mugged at any moment. And it costs a arm and a leg to stay here.
A lot of friends want to visit from abroad and these days I basically say they should do a day in Dublin and then just get out to the country.
>[Dublin is] an outrageously expensive place to spend time in. And the cost certainly does not match the value.
Someone told me over the weekend they were going to a gig in Edinburgh this year, because even after including the price of the flights to Edinburgh, it was cheaper than going to see the same band in Dublin and having to pay for a hotel there.
Dublin is too small for the amount of people going through it. Temple bar used to be the go to place but you can’t even get into a bar unless you are there at opening time.
I work and live in the city centre. On Saturday I had no less than 4 drug deals happening beside me on Aston quay over the course of 45 minutes. I take the bus there all the time, and there isn’t a single Garda to be seen. They’re running up to people asking for money in groups, so you feel pressured to give something. They are openly smoking crack or heroin, people drunk out of their minds falling out of temple bar. I couldn’t imagine how bad it looks to tourists
When I visited Dublin, instead of actually staying there it worked out much cheaper for me to book a hotel in Belfast and just get the train down. I had a fantastic time and can’t wait to go again eventually after I have visited other places around Ireland but it is expensive.
No shit Sherlock.
All government officials need to cop on.
All parties.
Of course, like it’s not rocket science, if you keep increasing the cost of alcohol, food and hotels people will stop coming if it isn’t a nice place to be. Like even the roads in the city centre is worse than eastern europe for potholes. There are junkies and people fighting on our main street. Even the shopping area, we have Grafton street and all that area on the south side but really there is nothing to do but spend money, there is no neutral ground or place to breathe, like Stephens Green maybe but for the amount of people who congregate in that area it needs way more.
What we need as a country is curation of the experience. If this was a business and they were a resort what would they do? They would map out a bunch of things people would want to do, they would ensure that everything from how to get there to things to do after are sorted. Then work towards doing that.
I’ll give a practical example, St James’ Gate, people go for tours there quite a bit. Try get there on public transport, you will notice it’s not trivial to get there and the experience travelling there isn’t great. There are two options really, the 13 bus and walk or the red line and walk further. We are talking about one of the most popular attractions in Dublin and there is no direct approach to it from the main street of Dublin.
The country would benefit so much more if the Dublin amenities, services, shops, government facilities etc would be dispersed throughout the country to the other cities. Would help with Lessening the strain on Dublin because the way things are going Dublin is on its way to imploding. It’s just not feasible if all the opportunities are in Dublin and everyone wants to live there. It’s just not gonna work.
There was an post a couple of weeks ago on this sun about the need to “beautify” cities, I think there was a YouTube link to a suburb that did it in Paris. Dublin needs to clean up its streets and buildings and put down proper pavements that don’t look like a patchwork quilts. There needs to be a long term revolutionary strategy to make the city more people friendly and buildings that are aesthetically good to look at. It just currently looks so worn down and on it’s last legs.
got a price of 750 for a hotel in cork for the may bank holiday weekend
also got a price of 400 for flights and hotel edinburgh for the same weekend
I can’t read the article but are the tourists actually saying its because of “the ambience” or is it actually because a hotel costs €500 for two nights and a pint costs you the guts of €7?
“A Large Provincial Town, Surrounded By Housing Estates”
Domestic too. It’s cheaper for me to get the bus to Dublin, fly to Germany, Italy, or even Cyprus, and stay in a hotel there vs stay in a hostel in Dublin smelling other people’s farts all night.
Scottish person here (also a citizen of Ireland)
I now avoid Dublin. The hotels and pubs and restaurants there are eye wateringly expensive and the city centre feels unsafe and more and more like other capitals like London, Paris, Amsterdam.
Most people working in Dublin city leave in the evening. Decades of poor planning and pandering to the skyline brigade has left the city centre empty and withered. Looking at recent planning decisions it is not going to get any better.
I think the Irish Tourist Board should spin up the walk from Connolly Station via Talbot St as a great stroll to conjure up nihilistic poetry and songs inspired by the Edwardian era squalor on display, with the bonus of a highly likely chance to sample the culinary delights of the Irish health services.
Yeah, shouldn’t really surprise anyone that Dublin, and Ireland generally is very poor value for money when you can compare it with so many other places in Europe.
Most of my friends/acquaintances who have gotten married or had stage and such in recent years had them abroad in places like Spain, Portugal and Greece. The savings in terms of accommodation, activities and daily outgoings are enormous compared with doing the same kind of things here in Ireland.
I can’t believe people don’t flock over to admire the famous Dublin skyline
7 friends of mine from India and the US, wanted to visit but eventually decided it made no sense and we all went to Amsterdam/Copenhagen instead.
We wanted to travel around Ireland for a weekend away, we ended up buying ticket and accomodations in Italy. Was a lot cheaper and it’s better value overall. Of course, the period is very important but how are Irish businesses expecting to compete for tourism against much nicer locations if they keep outrageous accommodation prices (disregarding food prices)?
I’m looking at campsites in Ireland at the moment, I’d like to get the family into camping, some campgrounds are €30-€40 per night. For a 2m x 2m piece of grass and access to a toilet! It’s really nuts.
I had two groups of european friends who wanted to visit Ireland but hotels were so expensive, so they went to Stockholm instead.
Who wouldn’t want to visit a major European city where you see antisocial behaviour and crime going unchecked on the main thoroughfare daily?
The government and councils ought to be embarrassed at the state of Dublin.
Was just in Brugge for the weekend paid €240 all in for flights and accommodation. Went for something to eat in the city centre €13 for a pizza and about €8 for two beers.
In a bar in the evening time €4.50 for a glass of 8% dark beer (33cl) which was gorgeous.
The city itself is absolutely stunning couldn’t recommend it enough. Apart from the scenery in parts of the county we’re just miles behind the rest of Europe. Why get ripped off in Ireland when you could go somewhere with better food, beer, weather etc….
I live in Ireland, and years ago, I gave up completely on visiting Dublin. I can go almost anywhere else in Europe for cheaper, and that’s even after paying for flights, etc. Dublin costs an absolute fortune and doesn’t offer enough to justify the cost, unfortunately.
What, don’t people want to visit for the skyline ? It’s a hell of a view.
When Capel street’s pedestrianisation was almost reversed due to complains of “loitering” that tells you what an uphill battle we have. In Ireland, the public are so infantalized. It’s part of the reason we go nuts when we go to other European cities where you’re free to drink in a public square all night if you want.
Ambiance is shite because no one with any sense is in town. Prices are extortionate and any decent clubs or venues have gone. Countries gone to the dogs… but sure vote Leo and the boys back in sure…
Rip Off capital of Rip Off Ireland. Greed, greed and more greed so what do we expect. Dublin has become a location for wealthy tourists. Even shitty hostel for backpackers is 3 times more expensive than anywhere else.
I heard Dublin being described as a 3 star city charging 5 star prices. Would you agree?
This thread is so painful to read – because it’s all true. Dublin is a pathetic excuse as a tourist destination.