The area around Trinity College is the dignified heart of Dublin, where the cobbled squares of Ireland's oldest university open onto the broad sweep of College Green. The Old Library's Long Room and the illuminated Book of Kells draw long queues, while the surrounding lawns and bell tower give the campus a calm, scholarly air a few steps from the bustle.
Facing the college across College Green stands the curving colonnaded former Parliament House, now the Bank of Ireland, one of the finest pieces of eighteenth-century civic architecture in the city. From here pedestrianised Grafton Street runs south, lined with buskers, flower sellers, and the famous Bewley's cafe, toward St Stephen's Green.
This is the natural starting point for exploring central Dublin, well connected by Luas tram and within easy walking distance of almost every major sight in the old city.