Spending St Patricks Day in Dublin is one of those things every traveler should do once, and it’s a very different city than the one we drove out of on our last trip to Ireland. On March 17 the whole place turns into a street party, the parade shuts down the city center, and every pub is three deep by early afternoon.
We know Dublin’s pubs from spending a few nights there on each end of our campervan trip. Our first pints were at Darkey Kelly’s on Fishamble Street, right off Temple Bar, and that gives you a feel for what the weekend is really like: touristy, loud, and still a lot of fun if you go in expecting a crowd.
The trick is knowing which pubs are worth the wait, where to book a room before they all sell out, and a few local customs that’ll save you looking like a total blow-in. Here’s what we’d point a first-timer to, from the pubs we’d actually go back to, to where to stay for the weekend and the traditions to know before you go.
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Quick Answer:
St Patricks Day in Dublin is a multi-day festival, not just the March 17 parade. Plan a two-night weekend: arrive the 16th, watch the free parade through the city centre around midday on the 17th, drink at the Merrion Row pubs away from the Temple Bar crush, and book your room weeks ahead because the city sells out.
The Best Pubs for St Patricks Day in Dublin
On March 17 you are not going to have your pick of the pubs. The good ones fill up by early afternoon and the doorstaff start capping numbers, so the real question is which places are worth queuing for and which you’d walk straight past.
Temple Bar is the obvious one, and it is touristy, but on our last trip we did the crawl anyway: Napper Tandy, The Hairy Lemon, and a couple more on the way to Merrion Row. It’s loud, it’s a scrum, and a pint costs more here than anywhere else in the city. Go in expecting all of that and it’s a good time.
My advice is to use Temple Bar for one round, get your photo, then walk five minutes out of it. The pubs where actual Dubliners drink are better for music and about a euro or two cheaper a pint. If you’d rather have someone else map the crawl and skip the guesswork, you can book the Temple Bar and Guinness walking tour on GetYourGuide and let a local lead the way.
Where to Drink Away From the Crowds
The Hairy Lemon on Stephen Street is a good middle option, close to the parade route but not in the Temple Bar crush. Merrion Row, just off St Stephen’s Green, has a run of older pubs like O’Donoghue’s that put on proper trad sessions all day, and that’s where you want to be for the music rather than the noise.
A few things that’ll save you on the day:
- Pick one pub and stay put once you’re in. Bouncing around on Paddy’s Day means queuing again every time.
- Pay cash at the bar if you can. The card machines back up when it’s three deep.
- Eat something before the afternoon. Most kitchens stop serving food long before the pubs stop serving pints.
If the pub scrum gets to be too much, the Jameson Distillery on Bow Street runs its tours right through the weekend and books out fast. The tasting flight and the bar under the glass ceiling are a nice hour off your feet, and you’re still drinking whiskey, so it counts.
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Where to Stay in Dublin for the Weekend
Book your room early. Rooms for St Patricks Day in Dublin sell out weeks ahead and the prices jump for the weekend, so this is the one thing you don’t want to leave until the last minute.
On our last trip we stayed at Fitzsimons Hotel right in Temple Bar, and it’s a fair example of the trade-off. You’re a two-minute walk from the parade and every pub in the city center, which is exactly what you want on the 17th. You also get the noise until closing time, so light sleepers should pack earplugs.
The Green
The Green sits right on St Stephen’s Green, a short walk from the parade route and closer to the Merrion Row pubs than the Temple Bar hotels. It scores 9.2 across more than 1,300 reviews, and the plant-filled atrium bar is a good spot to regroup between rounds.
👉 View The Green Availability and Pricing
The Merrion Hotel
The Merrion Hotel on Merrion Square is the splurge, a five-star set in a row of Georgian townhouses with a walled garden out back. It holds a 9.5 over 560 reviews, and after a day in the parade crowds the quiet courtyard is worth the money if the budget stretches to it.
👉 View The Merrion Hotel Availability and Pricing
Drury Court Hotel
Drury Court Hotel on Stephen Street Lower is the value pick that still puts you in the thick of it, a couple of minutes from Grafton Street and the parade. It runs a 9.1 across more than 3,600 reviews, which is the kind of track record you want when you’re booking a room you’ll only really use to sleep off the day.
👉 View Drury Court Hotel Availability and Pricing
Which Neighborhood to Pick
Where you base yourself comes down to how close to the party you want to be. A few options that work for the weekend:
- Temple Bar puts you in the middle of it. Great for a first-timer who wants to roll out of bed into the parade, loud all night, and the priciest rooms in town.
- Around St Stephen’s Green is a short walk from the route and closer to the Merrion Row pubs, a bit calmer at night, and usually a little cheaper.
- Smithfield and Stoneybatter, just across the river, is where we wished we’d spent more time. It’s quieter, it’s near the Jameson Distillery, and it’s a short walk or tram ride back into the action.
Whatever you pick, stay somewhere you can walk home from. Taxis are almost impossible to get on the night of the 17th, and you don’t want to be standing on a curb at midnight with an empty phone battery. Wherever you land, book it early, and if you want to be right in the middle of it in Temple Bar, check availability at Fitzsimons Hotel well ahead of the weekend.
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Traditions and Tips to Know Before You Go
A few local customs go a long way on the 17th, and getting them right is the difference between blending in and getting a slagging from the guy next to you at the bar. Most of it is simple, but it pays to sort it out before you fly.
First one: it’s Paddy’s Day, never Patty’s Day. Patty is short for Patricia. Say Patty’s to a Dubliner and they’ll clock you as a tourist before you’ve finished the sentence.
March 17 is a public holiday in Ireland, so banks and a lot of shops are shut, and the whole country treats it as a day off rather than a work day with a party bolted on. Plan your food shops and anything practical for the day before.
The Parade and the Day Itself
The Dublin parade runs through the city center around midday and draws big crowds along O’Connell Street and Dame Street. Get to the route an hour early if you want to actually see it, because the good spots go fast and the barriers go up well before it starts.
The parade itself is a family thing, kids everywhere, and the drinking side of the day really kicks off after it winds down. So the morning is for the floats and the afternoon and night are for the pubs.
A few things I’d tell a first-timer before the day:
- Wear green, but keep it simple. A jersey or a scarf is plenty. The giant leprechaun hats are strictly a tourist move, and you’ll be the only one wearing one.
- Dress for cold and rain. Mid-March in Dublin is around 50°F and often wet, and you’ll be outside for the parade and queuing between pubs.
- Drink Guinness or an Irish whiskey and pace yourself. It’s a marathon of a day, and the ones who peak at 2pm don’t make it to the sessions at night.
One last one for the way home: when you fly out, grab a pint of Guinness at the airport before you go. It’s a bit of a tradition, and it tastes different over there, so don’t skip it.
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Best Tours from Dublin for the Weekend
If you want a break from the pub scrum or something to do the day after the parade, these are the trips worth booking ahead. All three leave from the city center and book out fast over the St Patricks weekend, so lock them in before you fly.
From Dublin: Cliffs of Moher, Burren & Galway City Day Tour
This is the full-day run across the country to the west coast, taking in the Cliffs of Moher, the rock of the Burren, and a stop in Galway City. It leaves Dublin early and gets you back in the evening, so it fills the day after Paddy’s Day without needing a car or a plan.
👉 Check the Cliffs of Moher day tour dates and prices
Dublin: Guinness Storehouse Entry Ticket
The Storehouse at St James’s Gate is the seven-floor Guinness museum, and your ticket ends with a pint in the Gravity Bar up top, which has a glass-walled view over the whole city. Book a timed slot ahead of the weekend, because walk-up entry sells out on the 17th.
👉 See what’s included with a Guinness Storehouse ticket
Dublin: Howth Coastal Boat Tour
Howth is a half-hour train ride north of the city, and this short boat trip runs out around the cliffs and Ireland’s Eye island, past the seabird colonies and the seals that hang around the harbour. It’s a good bit of fresh air and a way to shake off the day after, and the fishing village itself is worth an afternoon.
👉 Check the Howth boat tour availability and reviews
In short
- St Patricks Day in Dublin runs as a multi-day festival, roughly March 14 to 17.
- The March 17 parade is free to watch and runs through the city centre around midday.
- Drink on Merrion Row, not Temple Bar, for trad sessions and cheaper pints.
- Book your room weeks ahead: Dublin sells out and rates jump for the weekend.
- Say Paddy’s Day, wear a bit of green, and plan a walk home since taxis vanish.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions travellers ask most before a Paddy’s Day weekend in Dublin, on parade timing, tickets, crowds, cost, and whether it is worth the trip.
Is St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin worth it?
Yes, once. It’s touristy and it’s a scrum, but seeing the whole city treat March 17 as a day off is something you should do at least one time. Go in knowing it’s a crowd, not a quiet cultural day, and you’ll have a great time.
Do you need tickets for the Dublin parade?
No, the parade is free to watch from the street. There are paid grandstand seats along the route if you want a guaranteed spot, but you can just turn up early and stand at the barriers like everyone else. Get there an hour ahead and you won’t need to pay for a view.
How many days do you need in Dublin for the weekend?
Two nights is plenty for the core of it. Arrive the day before the 17th so you’re not rushing in on parade morning, do the day itself, and give yourself the morning after to recover before you fly. If you want to add Trinity College or the distillery without cramming, make it three.
Is Dublin expensive on St. Patrick’s Day?
The weekend is the priciest of the year. Hotel rooms jump well above their normal rate and pints in Temple Bar run a euro or two more than the rest of the city. Book your room early and drink away from the main strip and it’s a lot more manageable.
Is Dublin safe on St. Patrick’s Day?
It’s a big, boozy crowd but a friendly one, and the city center is well policed for the day. The usual rules apply: watch your pockets in the packed pubs, keep an eye on your group, and plan your walk home since taxis are almost impossible to flag after the parade.
Final Thoughts
St Patricks Day in Dublin is a scrum. It’s loud, it’s a crowd, and the whole city treats March 17 as a day off. Go once and you’ll get why people fly in for it.
Do the three things that actually matter and the rest sorts itself out. Book your room early before they sell out, use Temple Bar for one round and drink where the locals do, and get to the parade route an hour ahead if you want to see it.
Everything else is easy. Say Paddy’s Day, wear a bit of green, pace yourself, and grab that airport pint on the way out.
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