City of poets and pubs, Dublin has much to offer the eager visitor. The capital of Ireland, it presents easy-to-navigate transportation and countless distractions, allowing visitors to roam the cobblestone streets at night in search of the next pub and the next pint of Guinness.

Originally a Viking settlement, Dublin sits at the mouth of the River Liffey on Ireland’s east coast, and is today the biggest city in Ireland with a population of about 500,000.

The focus of Irish culture, Dublin has produced world-famous musical, literary, and sport legends. Poets, authors and playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and George Bernard Shaw came from the city, and it lives on in literary history through James Joyce’s Ulysses, set in early 20th century Dublin.

The city also thrives on live music, and soulful tunes can easily be found in any of the pubs covering the streets. Dubliners listen to anything from traditional celtic folk bands to rock groups like the international hit U2, originally formed in Dublin in 1976.

In addition to the live music, the city’s pubs draw crowds clamoring for pints of the famous Guinness draft beer. One of the most successful beer brands in the world, it is exported worldwide and brewed right in Dublin, where visitors to the brewery get a free pint.