Temple Bar is the warren of cobbled lanes on the south bank of the Liffey that the city markets as its cultural quarter. By day it is a pleasant tangle of galleries, vintage shops, and brunch spots; by night it fills with stag parties and the amplified roar of pub bands, and a pint here costs more than almost anywhere else in Ireland.
Look past the hen-do hen-house reputation, though, and there is real substance. The Irish Film Institute, the Gallery of Photography, and the buzzing Saturday food market on Meeting House Square give the quarter genuine cultural weight, and pubs such as The Auld Dubliner host nightly traditional sessions worth seeking out.
It is small enough to cross in ten minutes and sits right between Trinity College and Dublin Castle, so most visitors pass through whether they mean to or not. Come early in the day to enjoy the atmosphere before the crowds and the cover charges arrive.