Dublin & Edinburgh

[Dede F]

Looking for recommendations for non ship tours for these two ports. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks 

[tony s]

Try free walking tours for both places.

[edinburgher]

10 minutes ago, Dede F said:

ooking for recommendations for non ship tours for these two ports. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks 

I have copied below, a reply I recently gave to a question about whether a tour in Edinburgh was needed or not and you may find it helpful to read if you will be a first time visitor to the city. 

 

No tour necessary for Edinburgh.  Once in the city most on a first visit will head to the Royal Mile and neighbouring streets.  Including visits to eg the castle, museum and other points of interest this area alone can easily use up most if not all of your time. This is super easy to DIY on foot.

 

For information on reaching the city from whichever port or tender point your ship will use, go to

 

https://www.cruiseforth.com/content/ship/ and "find your ship". 

 

The full 2024 schedule may not already be posted and you may need to check back. Once you know your ship location go to the "how can I get around" section.

 

Much tourist info about Edinburgh can be easily found online or by reading past threads which you can find using the SEARCH tool, and reading about the city will help you decide the sights of most interest to you personally.  And of course if you internet search something like "Tourist information Edinburgh" or "what to see and do in Edinburgh" there will be a huge number of information websites in the results and many will also have images.

 

One piece of advice.  If you decide to visit Edinburgh Castle, buy your tickets online ahead of time and at the same time, pre-book an entry slot to save waiting in very long lines on the day.

• #5  

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Edited December 20, 2023 by edinburgher

[ontheweb]

Edinburg has already been discussed in this thread; I agree no tour needed.

 

When we were in Dublin, the one can't miss attraction was the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Off the ship we were near the front of the line waiting to get in and were soon in.

[Cotswold Eagle]

7 hours ago, ontheweb said:

 

When we were in Dublin, the one can't miss attraction was the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Off the ship we were near the front of the line waiting to get in and were soon in.

Visiting the Book of Kells and the Old Library is by timed entry, bookable  in advance online. 
The vast majority of books have been removed from the Old Library as part of a massive conservation and redevelopment project. It is still a fabulous space, but a great library without its books must be a strange sight. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Visiting the Book of Kells and the Old Library is by timed entry, bookable  in advance online. 
The vast majority of books have been removed from the Old Library as part of a massive conservation and redevelopment project. It is still a fabulous space, but a great library without its books must be a strange sight. 

Truly a shame. I guess this has changed since we were there on a British Isles cruise. (2014)..

 

I would still think the Book of Kells would still be impressive.

[TouchstoneFeste]

11 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Truly a shame. I guess this has changed since we were there on a British Isles cruise. (2014)..

 

I would still think the Book of Kells would still be impressive.

The book removal is a temporary measure for cleaning. When we entered my wife said she wished we'd been around for the book sale. In fact, they've replaced books onto the first few shelves so you can get a good visual of what the library would look like full. Best thing we saw in Dublin.

[TouchstoneFeste]

59 minutes ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

The book removal is a temporary measure for cleaning. When we entered my wife said she wished we'd been around for the book sale. In fact, they've replaced books onto the first few shelves so you can get a good visual of what the library would look like full. Best thing we saw in Dublin.

A good piece of advice I heard for the Library and Book of Kells is to get the earliest appointment you can (it opens at 9:30am) and zoom past the exhibition area to view the Book before that room gets crowded, continue on to the library proper, then double back to look over the exhibition (which is also excellent).

[CatalinaUK]

I second the Book of Kells & the Long Library. I burst into tears the first time I saw the Book of Kells, I was so overwhelmed. You should book in advance (I did not but I was very off-season and still had to wait). 

 

Both Dublin and Edinburgh are very walkable (just remember that parts will have cobblestones). You can absolutely do HOPO busses, but much of the pleasure is just walking through historic places. 

[ontheweb]

34 minutes ago, CatalinaUK said:

I second the Book of Kells & the Long Library. I burst into tears the first time I saw the Book of Kells, I was so overwhelmed. You should book in advance (I did not but I was very off-season and still had to wait). 

 

Both Dublin and Edinburgh are very walkable (just remember that parts will have cobblestones). You can absolutely do HOPO busses, but much of the pleasure is just walking through historic places. 

Yes, the Book of Kells is awe inspiring. IMHO, comparable to the Parthenon and Acropolis in Athens.

[Fairwinds789]

Recommend Kilmainham Gaol tour! Need to buy timed tickets in advance about 1 month in advance or via arrangements made with facility by e-mail. See website for details.

[Cotswold Eagle]

13 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

The book removal is a temporary measure for cleaning. When we entered my wife said she wished we'd been around for the book sale. In fact, they've replaced books onto the first few shelves so you can get a good visual of what the library would look like full. Best thing we saw in Dublin.

I don’t think that is quite right. They left about 10% of the collection in the first few bays, as you say, but as far as I know there is no intention to bring back the rest before the whole library closes at the end of 2025 for redevelopment, including installation of environmental and fire protection systems.  

[TouchstoneFeste]

10 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

I don’t think that is quite right. They left about 10% of the collection in the first few bays, as you say, but as far as I know there is no intention to bring back the rest before the whole library closes at the end of 2025 for redevelopment, including installation of environmental and fire protection systems.  

I bow to your wisdom :)

[VMax1700]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:42 PM, Dede F said:

Looking for recommendations for non ship tours for these two ports. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks 

Ensure that you are docking in Dublin Port and not tendering in Dun Laoghaire (for Dublin).  

[pink845]

No need for tours at all in either of those two cities.  We took the bus into Dublin.  2euros each and the train back.   Walked the entire city.  Did not do the Book of Kells. Not interested.  But we did go to Trinity College, the churches. the Liffey Bridge, the shopping street (name escapes me), saw everything worth seeing and then back to the ship.  A great day.  It was August.  A tiny bit of rain in the morning.  So be prepared with rain gear no matter the month. Edinburgh, we took the train.  Again very cheap.  What a fabulous city.  So much history, architecture.  Holyroode and the Edinburgh Castle.  We hustled back early as the day we were there, a giant protest erupted on the Royal Mile.  

[ski ww]

Thank you for the info we'll be here in Aug.

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, ski ww said:

Thank you for the info we'll be here in Aug.

The busiest month of the year for Edinburgh due to several major festivals taking place the entire month.  For some it is  the best time to visit, for others the worst.

 

Expect the city, and especially the Old Town, to be crowded all day and evening but you do get to experience a "festival" atmosphere with many street performers, folks in costume, and of course the Edinburgh Military Tattoo will be on.  If your ship is late sailing due to having a shorex to a performance that evening, if at all interested, book it as soon as it comes vailable as it will sell out very quickly..

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

The busiest month of the year for Edinburgh due to several major festivals taking place the entire month.  For some it is  the best time to visit, for others the worst.

 

Expect the city, and especially the Old Town, to be crowded all day and evening but you do get to experience a "festival" atmosphere with many street performers, folks in costume, and of course the Edinburgh Military Tattoo will be on.  If your ship is late sailing due to having a shorex to a performance that evening, if at all interested, book it as soon as it comes vailable as it will sell out very quickly..

There are even more festivals in August. I saw this in another thread.

 

Edinburgh Festival City | The World's Leading Festival City

[edinburgher]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

There are even more festivals in August. I saw this in another thread.

When you look at the dates of the festivals featured on the link, you will see that several of the festivals are for months other than August as there are events here throughout the year..

 

Note that the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is not a "festival".

Edited January 23 by edinburgher

[ontheweb]

32 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

When you look at the dates of the festivals featured on the link, you will see that several of the festivals are for months other than August as there are events here throughout the year..

 

Note that the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is not a "festival".

Yes, and though I only glanced at it quickly, I do remember seeing others in August.

[edinburgher]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

The busiest month of the year for Edinburgh due to several major festivals taking place the entire month.

 

12 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Yes, and though I only glanced at it quickly, I do remember seeing others in August.

I had referred to "several major festivals" in my post but didn't think to specify exactly which ones because if you only have one day in the city, it is unlikely you would want to attend shows, but not impossible, so if interested do check once the programmes for this year are made public.One of the festivals alone, "The Edinburgh Fringe" had 3500 performances in 2023.

 

A super busy month, expect crowds and above all, pre-book early for any sight/site that offers this, (the real Mary Kings Close?) but especially for Edinburgh Castle should you want to visit, 9and not everyone does) as timed slots will sell out and without one you could expect to  wait in a long line for general entry.  I think they go on sale approx 3 months ahead of time, but check regularly for your date. Many cruise lines have very late/into the early hours sailways in August as they run shorex to The Tattoo. Again, if interested, you would need to book when they come available.

Edited January 23 by edinburgher

[jerseygirlinAZ]

On 12/20/2023 at 8:58 AM, ontheweb said:

Edinburg has already been discussed in this thread; I agree no tour needed.

 

When we were in Dublin, the one can't miss attraction was the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Off the ship we were near the front of the line waiting to get in and were soon in.

We were in Dublin years (crap, decades, lol) ago and the Book of Kells was being restored.  This is our number 1 priority when we cruise in July.

[VMax1700]

12 hours ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

We were in Dublin years (crap, decades, lol) ago and the Book of Kells was being restored.  This is our number 1 priority when we cruise in July.

The Long Room in currently being restored and all the books have been removed.  Access to the Long Room and Book of Kells continues, however there are no other books in the Long Room.

 

[TouchstoneFeste]

19 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

The Long Room in currently being restored and all the books have been removed.  Access to the Long Room and Book of Kells continues, however there are no other books in the Long Room.

 

We were there in December, and they've refilled a few of the shelves so you can get a glimmer of what the Long Room looks like normally. Even mostly empty, it's pretty awesome. Plus there are exhibit cases along the floor level full of fascinating stuff.

[onyx007]

In Dublin, there is also an Hop-on-Hop-of-Bus if you don't like walking...and the most visited attraction is not the Book of Kells (didn't see it myself so far) but the Guiness Brew House...