Though the River Liffey is in many ways the artery of the city, pumping with the tides, the riversides are not really exciting. But don’t miss the Four Courts on the north bank of the Liffey designed by the great architect James Gandon, and the Custom House about a mile downstream on the same side of the river.

On the southside of the river, you'll find some of the most important sights (museums, churches, castles and public buildings) concentrated in a relatively small area. At College Green there's the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university. A little further there's Grafton Street, the centre of a luxurious shopping area. There are supermarkets in Meeting House Square and Cow's Lane. Other shopping locations include Henry Street in the city centre on the north side of the river. The Temple Bar, also south of the Liffey, is the most modern area. It is home to the chicest pubs, restaurants, and clubs. There are many pubs at the Temple Bar. A few very exciting ones are Bobs, Buskers, Farringtons, and Fitzsimon's Bar. Farringtons is the most visited by tourists. Temple Bar is not the only place to go to to find pubs considering they are as frequent in Ireland as Waffle Houses are in the Southeast United States. There are multiple locations on almost every street. Some of the area's clubs include the upbeat Club M and Viperoom. Tourists also enjoy Temple Bar's restaurants. Chameleon, Charlie's 2, and Cafe Topolis represent few of the many cuisines that are offered in Dublin. Some would consider Temple Bar to be the most exciting part of the city.

If you want to have a taste of eating out , you can try one of the pubs. They don't serve anything fancy but simple pub food and often is quite tasty. Here you can also have an Irish beer such as Guinness and sing along with traditional folk music. It's one of the fastest ways to get to know the Irish culture.

The Guinness Storehouse is the most visited attraction in Dublin. The history of Guinness beer is over 250 years old. Every level of the building explains different parts of its history. At the top, there is a bar and a 360 degree view of the entire city. You can see more of Dublin here than anywhere else in the city. You can see the whole city and look out over the Irish waters. After going through the museum, everyone gets a free Guinness beer or a soft drink. Before the bartenders give the beer to the customer, they make a shamrock in its foam. Guinness beer will probably have a very strong taste for someone who does not usually drink it. Visiting the Guinness Storehouse can really give the tourist a "taste" of Irish culture.

O'Connell Street, in the center of Dublin, holds most of the artistic history. The Dublin Writer's Museum consists of literary pieces that are over three hundred years old. Some of the authors of these pieces include Swift, Sheridan, Yeats, Shaw, Wilde, Joyce, and Beckett. There is even a special room devoted to helping children understand the heritage these people left behind. James Joyce has his own museum, the James Joyce Center. For a more thorough acquaintance visit the National Museum and see the portraits of famous Irishmen in the National Art Gallery (free admission). Dublin keeps her dead poets and writers very much alive.