Dublin - HoHo Bus or Walking Tour?

[2nutz4travel]

First time to Dublin in September - trying to decided if we're best to do a guided tour, take the HOHO, do a guided walking tour or just do a walking tour on our own?

 

I do want to do the Guinness tour. Is the Book of Kells worth lining up to see?

 

Any suggestions or comments?

 

Thanks!

[Irish1978]

I would suggest a combination of hoho and just walking around yourself, Dublin is a compact city but some of the attractions the hoho buses go to would be outside of walking distance. The Guinness tour is a self guided tour so you can go as quickly or as slowly as you like but I would suggest you set aside about 60-90 mins. In my personal opinion there are better things to see in Dublin other than the Book of Kells but this very much depends on personal preference. A link for one operator of the hoho beus tour is below

 

http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/citytour.aspx

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I did the Hop-on-hop-off and it was a great overview of the city. I had heard so much about the Book of Kells but frankly it was a disappointment. Nothing magical about it.

[Grannycb]

We took one of the HOHO bus tours. We did the entire loop without getting off, then on the second go round we made stops that looked interesting. Unfortunately, our day in Dublin was a rainy one so some stops were missed because of the weather. There was a student tour of Trinity College that included the Book of Kells when we were there. Best advice is to go after lunch as there usually aren't any lines then. http://www.tcd.ie/Library/bookofkells/tour-attractions/ The Book of Kells was interesting, but we found a restaurant with a copy we could see up close. That would have been good enough for us. We thought Phoenix Park looked lovely and wished we'd have more time there.

[Mickey22]

We will be in Dublin in Sept but only from 7 to 3:30. Is that enough time for the ho ho bus? What are the must see spots other than Book of Kells? Wish we had more time there, but want to make the most of the time we have. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Irish1978]

Tricky one Mickey but I would suggest you leave the ship as soon as it docks to avoid traffic, if you get the shuttle you should be left right in the middle of the city centre just as rush hour begins. The hoho buses generally do not start until 9am so I would suggest you take a wander round the grounds of Trinity College (which will be buzzing with activity at that time) and walk partially up Grafton Street and have a coffee or some breakfast in the famous Bewleys Cafe

 

http://bewleys.com/bewleys-grafton-street-cafe

 

The hoho off bus is a great way to get to see some of the attractions that are outside of walking distance, as you are not here for long I would suggest you take advantage of it, you can board close to Trinity College (stop 3) the whole circuit takes approx 90mins but I would suggest you get off at Dublinia/Christchurch and go into Christchurch (if your interested in history the Dublinia tour is also good and if you do it first you get entry to Christchurch included), when you leave here go and do the Guinness Storehours tour which is self guided and can be done in around 60mins, Kilmainham Gaol also has a very good tour that lasts approx 90mins but due to time constraints you will probably have to choose between them. Jump back on the bus and finish the circuit and Id imagine that would probably bring you close enough to the time you will want to return to the ship! There are thousands of taxis around Dublin aswell so it may be easier to grab one of these than try to get the shuttle bus. A fare from O'Connell Street (if you get off at stop 22) area should be about €15. Obvioulsy on the day there may be variables with traffic etc so keep a eye on your watch!!

 

http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/citytour.aspx

 

Enjoy your (very) short stay here, if you need any other info just re-post.

[RI Girl]

Irish1978, Thank you for the great info, sounds like a fine plan, I just printed it out and will take it with me in September! I think we will save visiting the Book of Kells for some future vacation when we will be in Dublin for more than a few hours.

[phabric]

Once you are off the ship, do you need to take a shuttle to the HOHO bus? Does Princess provide the shuttle or does the city?