3 Days in Dublin, Ireland

You're likely arriving at Dublin airport, which is about a 30-minute bus ride to the center of the city. I booked my ticket online for the bus. They come pretty frequently and are an easy ride into the city. The tickets are about nine euros, which is significantly cheaper than an Uber or taxi.

Start off your time in this beautiful city by taking a walk around St. Stephen's Green. A beautiful park that is usually full of people walking, talking and picnicking when the weather is nice.

Walk over to Trinity College and explore some of the internal courtyards and historical buildings. The Books of Kells is the main attraction at Trinity College, and you need tickets to be able to go into the experience. Even more than the Book of Kells, I wanted to see the Long Room in the Trinity College Library. But I learned about the book's history and got to see the gorgeous library for myself.

By this time, I was starting to get hungry, so I grabbed fish and chips at Leo Burdock's. They were the perfect snack to keep me going about my day.

Afterwards, explore the Temple Bar area. There are tons of bars surrounding the center of town where you can grab a great pint of Guinness. This includes the bar the district is named after, Temple Bar. While it's great to snap a photo in front of, the prices are high inside and it remains crowded throughout the day and night. I'd skip grabbing a drink there and instead head to one of the many other pubs surrounding it. Make sure you at least walk by The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland - established in 1198! I also grabbed some ice cream at Murphy's which had amazing flavors outside of the norm. I loved the pink sea salt flavor!

At the end of my first day, I was exhausted, but feel free to enjoy the nightlife that Dublin has to offer.

On day two, you're going to get something of an early start because you're traveling away from the hustle and bustle of city center.

The easiest (and cheapest) way to get from the Temple Bar area is to take the bus. There are a variety of buses that run from the area and will drop you off a short walk from Kilmainham Gaol, your first stop of the day.

The Kilmainham Gaol Museum was a jail that was originally built as Dublin's prison for common criminals. However, it later housed some famous political prisoners from the Easter Rising and the Irish Civil War. You must prebook tickets for this tour and you may not enter the museum without a ticket. The tour is only about an hour long, but it taught me a wealth of knowledge about Irish history - which was even more impactful standing in the jail. This was maybe the highlight of my trip to Dublin, which completely surprised me. It is well worth the trip out of the way.

The Guinness Storehouse is about a 15-minute walk from the Kilmainham Gaol; while doable, it is quite boring and worth taking an Uber if you're short on time. I would also recommend booking tickets ahead for this. While I don't think you would struggle to get in, there was a line that I was glad I didn't have to wait in. The Storehouse is a powerhouse of all things Guinness. It takes you through the process of making Guinness, its history, and you even get a taste of your own at the top. I loved seeing the advertising portion of the museum and seeing the iconic Guinness Toucan. The bar at the top of the Storehouse also gives you a great view of Dublin and there is room to sit and enjoy while you sip on your Guinness. The museum is a go at your own pace kind of adventure, and once you're done it's back to center city.

Make sure to grab dinner at one of those pubs because the last stop of the night is the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl. This pub crawl was a totally different experience than anything I'd done before. The actors take you to a few different locations, all while telling hilarious and historical facts. I made several friends and even hung out with the actors after the experience. For the price of this experience, I couldn't recommend it enough.

There are a few different options to take on your third day. As I mentioned earlier, Dublin is a great base for trips into the beautiful countryside.

One of the most iconic places in Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher, is just a few hours' drive away. I would recommend this tour, which also includes the Burren National Park and some time to spend in the city of Galway.

Walking around on the Cliffs is an unforgettable and breathtaking experience! There is also a visitors' center where you can get more background information one the Cliffs, but I popped in and out of there.

If you're going on a more extended tour of the country later in the week, or simply want to stay close to the action in Dublin, here are a few more recommendations for your third day:

• St. Patrick's Cathedral: St. Patrick's Cathedral was created in the 1200s. It was supposedly built around a well that St. Patrick himself used.

• Christ Church Cathedral: Founded in 1030, this church is known for its beautiful architecture.

• Jameson Irish Whiskey Distillery Tour: I'm not a big whiskey drinker, but if you are, this is something you shouldn't miss! I've heard from many friends that this is an excellent experience.

• EPIC the Irish Immigration Museum: Especially if you're interested in your Irish heritage, make sure to stop and join this interactive experience.

I wasn't able to squeeze the above into my last Dublin trip, but I'll be sure to visit next time I go!