Hampton Hotel
Looking for a straightforward base in Dublin City? Hampton Hotel in Ranelagh covers the essentials and sits near central Ranelagh.
From here, Dublin City’s main attractions — including central Ranelagh — are an easy walk or short ride away, so you spend less time in transit and more time exploring.
Key facts
What’s included
Around Ranelagh
Best time to visit Dublin City
May, June and September are the best months: daylight runs to 10pm in June, the weather is at its driest, and hotel prices sit around €160–€240 for a mid-range double. July and August are the peak — rates climb to €220–€320 and Temple Bar properties sell out weeks ahead — but the city is at its liveliest, with the Dublin Pride parade in June and the Dublin Horse Show at the RDS in August.
January and February are the cheapest months, with mid-range rooms at €90–€150, though some restaurants close on Mondays and the weather is wet and dark by 4.30pm. March brings St Patrick’s Day on 17 March, when prices spike for the parade weekend and rooms near O’Connell Street are booked six months out. October and November are a good compromise: €130–€190, the Dublin Theatre Festival in late September and early October, and the city’s pubs at their best without the summer crowds.
Getting around Dublin City
You do not need a car in Dublin City. The centre is compact: O’Connell Street to St Stephen’s Green is a 15-minute walk, Trinity College to Temple Bar is 5 minutes, and Grafton Street to Merrion Square is 10. The Luas Green Line runs from St Stephen’s Green to Sandyford, the Red Line from Smithfield to the Docklands and The Point, and the Dart serves Pearse, Tara Street and Connolly for Ballsbridge and the Aviva Stadium.
A Leap Card costs €5 and caps fares at €8 a day for city travel; single Luas or bus fares are around €2. A taxi from Dublin Airport to the city centre is €25–€35 and takes 20–40 minutes depending on traffic, while the Airlink 747 bus is €10 single and the 16 bus is €2.60 with a Leap Card. Driving in the centre means paying the €2.50 toll on the Port Tunnel and hunting for parking at €15–€25 a day; take the car only if you are leaving the city for Glendalough or the Wicklow Mountains.
How many nights should you stay in Dublin City
Three nights is the right length for a first visit to Dublin City. That gives you one day for Trinity College, the Book of Kells and Dublin Castle, one for the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol, and one for Grafton Street, Merrion Square and the National Museum of Ireland — plus two evenings in Temple Bar or Smithfield. Two nights is enough if you are on a city break from Britain and only want the centre; five nights lets you add a day trip to Howth on the Dart or Glendalough by bus.
A sensible first-timer shape: arrive, walk O’Connell Street to the GPO and Trinity College, eat in the Liberties. Day two, book the Guinness Storehouse for 10am (€18.50 online), then Kilmainham Gaol in the afternoon (€8) and Smithfield for dinner. Day three, the National Gallery and Merrion Square, lunch on Grafton Street, and a evening in Temple Bar. Book the Gaol and the Storehouse online at least a week ahead in July and August — both sell out.