You'll find lots of useful information about visiting Dublin below, as well as all you need to know about the St. Patrick's Day Festival and tips and recommendations to make the most of your Festival experience.
Be sure to check out www.visitdublin.ie if you're looking for more fantastic things to do around Dublin during your visit.
And if you're taking a trip to other parts of our wonderful country, head to www.discoverireland.com or www.ireland.com for loads more ideas and inspiration on how to get the best out of your trip.
For anyone who is planning to travel to Dublin, make the most of your time in Ireland's Capital City and explore with our friends at Go City!
With Go City you can visit top Dublin attractions all on one digital pass and see all the best sights for less.
Go City and Go see it all!
DoDublin provide the green open-top bus tours around Dublin City. They are part of Dublin Bus, the city’s public bus provider. Visit the dodublin website to book your tour now. Use promo code Patrick1 for a 30% discount!
DoDublin also provide tickets for all of Dublin’s top attractions, Airport Transfers, Day Tours and the famous Ghostbus tour. Use promo code Green1 for €5 off the Ghostbus tour!
If you have decided to pay a visit to the island of Ireland, you will either be flying or getting a ferry.
Check out your options for ferries if you're getting to Ireland via sea. Irish Ferries are one of the Festival's official partners and they offer a range of options for those who want to sail the seas.
Direct Irish Ferries to Ireland
-Dublin to/ from Holyhead (Britain)
-Rosslare to/ from Pembroke (Britain)
-Dublin to/ from Cherbourg (France)
Irish Ferries Landbridge Route to Ireland
Travel to and from Continental Europe via Britain. Crossing the Irish Sea from Dublin or Rosslare, you can then link up with Irish Ferries new route from Dover to Calais.
You can reach Ireland directly from many European cities and regional airports, as well as direct flights from North America. There are 4 main international airports on the island of Ireland.
New routes are opened regularly, so always check your preffered carrier's website. Getting to Ireland via air has never been easier, with so many carriers, routes and seats to choose from.
Dublin is Ireland's capital city (though our friends in Cork would often disagree!) In Irish, we call our home Baile Átha Cliath.
The city is divided by the River Liffey and locals refer to the Northside (the north side of the river) and the South Side (the south side of the river). Our ancient city, and beautiful county beyond, is home to a wonderfully diverse population of 1.43 million. In Dublin, you will find a city where history and heritage meet contemporary life.
While the primary language we use is English, our native language is Irish. The Euro is our currency, but remember if you are heading to Northern Ireland you will need Sterling. We drive on the left hand side of the road so please be careful when driving, cycling or crossing the road.
Dublin lies on the East coast of Ireland, so you can enjoy all the buzz of a modern European city, while a short journey will bring you to beautiful beaches and coastal towns. Dublin is surrounded by hills, mountains, forests and lakes, all easily accessible for those who enjoy the outdoors.
Ireland is renowned for its warm welcome and friendly people. From our cultural greats and artistic treasures, to our incredible food and world class hospitality, we love to chat and we rarely let the truth get in the way of a good story! Our use of the phrase 'Top of the morning to you' is greatly exaggerated. No one in Ireland has ever uttered these words! We also never refer to St. Patrick's Day as 'Patty's Day'. This is a phrase that is sure to result in copious amounts of eye rolling, so best to avoid it!
Explore Dublin with Go City. Visit top Dublin attractions all on one digital pass and see all the best sights for less. Go City and Go See It All. Visit gocity.com.
Getting around the Dublin area is easy. Many Festival events and Dublin attractions are within walking distance of the city centre, which is where the Parade is located. You can also jump on our coastal train, the DART, to discover the beautiful towns and villages dotted along the coast, or use our extensive public bus network to travel the city and suburbs. There's the Luas tram system to get you out to the suburbs too as well as bicycle hire throughout the city! If you are here for a few days then the best value across bus and rail options is the Leap Visitor Card.
Why not download the official Transport for Ireland Journey Planner to view all Dublin's transport options. It's completely free and covers bus, Luas, taxis, ferries and even walking!
All options for travelling around Dublin can be found here: https://www.visitdublin.com/see-do/travel-and-planning/getting-around
Certain roads and streets will be closed for Parade and Festival events. Attached HERE is a list of road closures. These road closures are the roads that St Patricks Festival apply for in order to set up the Parade. As a result of these roads being closed, the nearby ancillary roads may also be closed as a result. Please take this into account when planning your journey/giving anyone directions.
For further up to date information on transport diversions, traffic and road closures, visit https://www.theaa.com/route-planner/traffic-news/ireland
It is worth remembering that St. Patrick's Day, Friday March 17, 2023 is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. All Government offices, and civic and public services will be closed, such as banks and post offices. Many businesses close on this day. Supermarkets, shopping centres, shops, petrol stations, bars, cafes and restaurants continue to trade but it is worth checking individual websites and social media channels in advance.
We at St. Patrick's Festival strive to be helpful and facilitating where we can, to all those who come out to see the National Parade. We have a number of areas along the Parade route that are reserved for attendees that have additional needs.
We provide Wheelchair Accessible Viewing Areas along the Parade Route:
One on Westmoreland Street
One at St. Patrick's Cathedral
If you, a friend or family member are a wheelchair user, you can come and view the parade in one of our designated wheelchair viewing areas.
These areas are held for wheelchair users to give you some more space and comfort, whilst the parade goes by. Please note only those with wheelchair users will be granted access to these areas.
Please Note
We have now reached capacity for our Wheelchair Accessible Viewing Area and cannot accept any further applications.
If you have a debilitating condition or special access requirements, this is where “Priority Viewing” can help. This is another section of the Parade that we hold for those who may need more space, to enjoy the parade, this area is located on O’Connell Street.
Please Note
We have now reached capacity for our Priority Viewing area and cannot accept any further applications.
St. Patrick's Festival want to make our events fully accessible, for all to enjoy. We want to make it possible for disabled young people and adults to make memories at the National Parade.
In addition to the wheelchair portaloo at each of our Wheelchair areas, there will be an Accessloo with a hoist and changing bench made available for use. This will be parked up on D’Olier Street (Fleet St. Junction).
All of the information you'll need around St. Patrick's Day Parade 2023 will be available here closer to the time once all details around the Parade have been confirmed. Stay tuned!!
In the meantime check out our Parade route below!