Budget Abroad: 24 Hours in Dublin

Welcome to Budget Abroad, a new series here at The Edge where we’re traveling all around Europe on the low low. We’re staying in hostels, booking the cheapest flights and doing everything we can to see this magnificent floating rock in the least expensive way possible. And, in the name of financial transparency and breaking down taboo topics, we’re giving you all the receipts. Pack your bags, grab your passports and let's go! 

Our journey to Dublin started when the crew was browsing Ryanair's lovely website and found roundtrip flights from London to Dublin for $44. We were hooked, booked and began planning immediately. Here’s how things played out for us. 

Friday, Jan 27, 2023

5:30 p.m. — Our journey begins! We all eat an early dinner (ranging from grocery store wraps to leftovers) before departing. The five of us walk to the closest tube station from our apartments/flats and travel to Liverpool Street Station. Our study abroad program included Oyster cards with unlimited travel within Zones 1 and 2, so this journey is no extra cost to us. $0

6:00 p.m. — We arrive at Liverpool Street Station and board the Stansted Express, a one-hour train to London Stansted Airport (STN). The train is comfortable, with $39.24 for roundtrip tickets, and there's lots of space to spread out and zone out. $19.62

7:00 p.m. — Once arriving at STN, we go through security and find out our flight hasn’t been assigned a gate yet. I fret that my personal item is too big and buy a snack. $4.90

8:30 p.m. — After two gate changes, we board! We did not pay to pick our seats, so we were all scattered across the plane in middle seats. We think we’re on our way to Dublin… until a woman and her child are escorted off our flight (C is sitting next to her!). But, we truthfully don’t mind because our one-way tickets were only $22.16. We laugh and let it slide. $22.16

11:00 p.m. — We land, deboard and split a cab from the airport to our hotel. The taxi is $41, and we split it five ways. $8.20

11:30 p.m. — We arrive at our hotel which is much nicer than expected (major win!). This is the only hotel we plan to stay in this semester (vs a hostel), so we soak it up. We have two rooms for two nights for a grand total of $750, or $75 per person per night, or $150 each for the two nights. $75

Daily total = $129.88 

Saturday, Jan 28, 2023

9:30 a.m. — The beds at our hotel are soooooo comfy, but we’re eager to get into the city center and eat breakfast. We quickly get ready and head to the bus. $0

10:00 a.m. — We get on the bus without paying. We make an assumption that we can pay for the bus with Apple Pay/cards that tap like we can in London, but we are wrong. Regardless, the kind bus driver lets us on! The bus takes 30 minutes to get into the city center, and we walk around a little before breakfast. $0

10:30 a.m. — Breakfast! Coffee! A man in the restaurant points at us and says “they look like Americans.” $20.44

11:45 a.m. — We walk around Dublin but primarily visit Trinity College, as we’re all big fans of the show “Normal People.” We opt out of seeing the famous Book of Kells and the Old Library because tickets are not free. $0

1:00 p.m. — My friend has decided to collect bells (only God knows why), so we try to find her one and pop into some shops. No bell thus far. $0

1:30 p.m. — We decide that 1:30 is an appropriate time to start boozing and head to the Temple Bar. We order pints of Guinness, and it's the best I’ve ever had. The other members of my group aren’t big fans of beer, so in the name of being economic I finish the unwanted beers. The crew orders ciders and Irish coffee. There is live music, and we are having a grand old time. $8.67

3:00 p.m. — With a few drinks in us, we head to Dublin Castle. We look at it for $0, and then per Delaney Moore’s suggestion in the article “Dublin in a Day,” we head to the Irish Potato Cake Company for potato cakes. They are delish! $5.40

4:15 p.m. — We do some more shopping, and I ~accidently~ buy more books from the cutest bookshop called Winding Stair Bookshop. $41.43

5:00 p.m. — We have time to kill before our Jameson Whiskey Experience and end up getting treats from a bakery. $4.53 (And, we find postcards for $1.09!) 

5:30 p.m. — We love the Jameson Whiskey Experience (a tour/tasting) and are easily the youngest people in the tasting room (yes, we were those 20-year-olds trying whiskey for the first time amongst an older crowd). Our tickets include a drink at the bar, so post-tour we hang out and claim them. $20.72 

7:30 p.m. — We get dinner at the oldest pub in Dublin, the Brazen Head. We’re all exhausted and enjoy debriefing the day ($15.81). After, we head to an ice cream shop ($7.09) and then head to the closest bus stop. We all have euros at this point in the day and can all pay to get on, which feels good. Back to the hotel we go! $2.14

9:30 p.m. — Showers commence, and we all crash. $75

Daily total = $202.32

Sunday, Jan 29, 2023

7:00 a.m — We take a cab back to DUB from our hotel. Because we’re American, our cab driver tells us everything that's wrong with America on the ride over. The taxi is $42.50, and we split it five ways. $8.50

7:30 a.m. — Four out of five of us get searched at security. Our bad! Post-search, we grab protein bars and head to our gate. $4.54

8:30 a.m. — We sit at our gate briefly, then we board. Bye Dublin! $22.15

10:00 a.m. — We land and board the Stansted Express back to Liverpool Station. $19.62

11:30 a.m. — From Liverpool Street Station, we take the tube home. :) $0

Daily total = $54.81

Totals…

Accommodations = $150

Transportation = $102.39

Food/Bev = $71.38

Books = $41.43

Jameson Tour = $20.27

Postcards = $1.09

Grand total = $387.01

Tag us @theedgemag with all of your budget-friendly travel options!