Towards the end of my first year of university, a friend and I decided to take a trip to Dublin to celebrate the start of summer and the fact we survived our first year! Our trip certainly had an eventful start with us both travelling to Bristol airport to meet and repack at the airport; a mix up of carry on luggage involved hastily packing the contents of a suitcase into a backpack. That incident set the tone for more funny and far less stressful moments to follow.
In all honesty, our trip was filled with self-guided walking tours and museums as we are lovers of all things art and literary. Therefore, not considered the usual student trip you would expect with late nights and plenty of drinking - though we had to take a visit to the Guinness Storehouse. I am not a Guinness drinker but this is a must when you are a tourist in Dublin! The experience takes you through the Guinness making process, along with taste testing and free drink at the rooftop bar with 360 degree panoramic views overlooking Dublin.
To make the most of your trip on a limited budget it is worth researching places that are free to visit. You can do your own walking tour and be sure to see some of the best sights. For us these included;
National Gallery of Northern Ireland
Dublin Writers Museum
Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin Castle
St Stephen's Green
Rosie Hackett Bridge
Temple Bar (though you'll probably be tempted to grab a pint or two)
If travelling on a limited budget, researching free places to visit can help save money that may need to go towards transport and accommodation. On our trip we walked everywhere, except when travelling to and from the airport, meaning we saved money on buses and time not spent keeping track of bus timetables. Though this method of sightseeing is cheaper, it will inevitably lead to an early night in. Another way to save some money is to research cheap flights and accommodation. For us, staying in a shared hostel worked out to be the cheapest. I would say that you should not be quick to rule out hostels; I've stayed in several over the years and on the whole have found them to be good value for money. Of course, not everyone will want to share a room with strangers so the choice is fully to your preference. Plus you can always budget accordingly to save for your own room.
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