A Geographical Guide to Dublin
If you’ve never been to Dublin, or are not used to finding your way around,
the first thing you should realise is that Dublin is very small, Although
the greater Dublin area is a suburban sprawl stretching over several miles
the city centre is often best thought of as that area bounded by the two
canals – the Royal Canal to the north and the Grand Canal to the south –
with the River Liffey dividing the city’s north and south sides in the
middle.
The tourist, however, will want to spend most of his or her time in a much
smaller area – that stretching from Parnell Square at the north end of
O’Connell Street to St Stephens Green on the south side. This north-south
axis has been the traditional one for Dubliners and tourists alike, but
planning over the last fifteen years has seen a switch in emphasis to an
east-west one, running from the International Financial Services Centre upriver through Temple bar and back across to the new development at Smithfield.
This total area, containing almost all the major attractions, is about 2 km square, which means the best way to travel around Dublin is almost always on foot, particularly as much of the city centre is a one-way system, designed to avoid the hotspots rather than reach them. Do not try to drive in the city unless your planning on a very long stay indeed, most of it spent behind the wheel of your car!
Dublin doesn't have a grid system like US cities, nor does it have indecipherable postal districts like London (well it does, but only the postmen use them). Instead it has a number of key locations that most Dubliners use to form their mental map of the city. Browse through the pages linked below to find out more about the characteristics of each area.
- O'Connell Street
- Grafton Street
- Temple Bar
- Trinity College
- St Stephens Green
- Christchurch and Dublin Castle
- IFSC
- Smithfield
- Merrion Square
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