It doesn't have to be like that. Much of the best that Dublin has to offer is either free or the cost of a pint of stout.
With a weeklong St. Patrick's Festival full of free events around the corner -- and recession hitting Ireland hard -- Dublin's delights can be had at a discount, particularly if you're happy to live more like a real "Dub" than a jet-setter.
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ST. PATRICK'S FESTIVAL: March 12-17 kicks off the Irish tourist season with an ever-growing list of street attractions, performances and cultural events. The best freebie if you've got preteens in tow is the weekend-long Merrion Square funfair, featuring free access to bouncy castles and handouts of sausage rolls.
There's also March 17's three-kilometre parade, which, if the weather's fine, attracts a half-million spectators. Stake out your position before 10 a.m. for a clear view of the noontime promenade -- and brace for boozy bedlam on the streets afterward. Favourite lookout points: O'Connell Street on the north side and College Green outside Trinity on the south.
WWW.STPATRICKSFESTIVAL.IE
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CHEAP DIGS: Dublin is one of Europe's most compact capitals, with plenty to see and do by foot, so book a hotel or B&B in the urban heart. Dublin's inner north side -- delineated by the River Liffey that cuts the city in two -- is scruffier and less desirable to the image-conscious, but convenient on foot or by bus.
Hotel rooms in Dublin are pricey, usually charging per person rather than per room. Insist on a room rate or look elsewhere. Those travelling solo will fare better in Dublin's hundreds of home-based B&Bs.
WWW.DUBLIN-BNB.COM
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CHEAP EATS: Don't worry about finding authentic Irish cuisine. It doesn't exist -- and if it did, would almost certainly be served by an immigrant from Spain, Poland or China.
The authentic Irish dining experience, however, means the pub -- preferably a buffet-style lunch for about $13 a head before drinks. The word "carvery" on a pub's chalkboard sign typically means lunch includes beef, ham, turkey and stuffing, with salmon and pasta options, plus spuds and other vegetables -- drowned in gravy if you like.
Beat the lunchtime crush -- and enjoy the freshest grub -- by arriving at 12:30 p.m. sharp when the food is unveiled. Two of the best are Nancy Hands on Parkgate Street outside a main entrance to Phoenix Park, and Fagan's on the main Drumcondra Road to the airport. Fagan's is best known as the favourite pit stop for former prime minister Bertie Ahern. You might bump into him; his office is across the road. Fagan's walls are also covered with pictures of Bill and Hillary Clinton's visit in 2000.
Most proper restaurants are overpriced and particularly scalp you for wine. Stick to a pint of beer or cider; if you find a pint for under $5, you're doing well.
THE place to get a coffee and watch the world go by -- if you can stand the wait for an upper-window seat -- is Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street. Its food and service have greatly improved under the ownership of Cafe Bar Deli, which also runs a vegetarian-friendly restaurant on a parallel street.
WWW.CAFEBARDELI.IE
But two pre-Celtic Tiger restaurants remain most worth the money: Elephant & Castle in the heart of Temple Bar, and 101 Talbot Street, tucked away on the more stubbly faced end of Dublin's biggest shopping thoroughfare. Both restaurants are usually packed to the rafters. Talbot makes a perfect pit stop before an evening performance at the nearby Abbey or Gate theatres.
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GREAT STROLLS: Walking the paved towpaths and restored locks of the Grand Canal is an easy calorie-burner (unless you stop at pubs on every corner). More temptations await in the cobblestoned, riverside Temple Bar district.
The must-do walk is through St. Stephen's Green, particularly on crisp spring days as the bulbed flowers burst into bloom.
Head to nearby Fitzwilliam Square to take in the smallest, finest Georgian square in Ireland.
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MUST-SEES
- Guinness brewery tours are $19, or 10% less if you book online. It's worth it for no other reason than to enjoy your tour-ending pint of the black stuff from the brewery's panoramic rooftop bar, which offers the best view of Dublin.
WWW.GUINNESS-STOREHOUSE.COM/EN/INDEX.ASPX
- Trinity College has student-run tours -- http://www.tcd.ie/Library/heritage/tours.php -- for $13, which get you insight into Ireland's oldest academic institution, an incredible view of the Long Library (yes, it did inspire the design of the Jedi library), and a gander at Ireland's most famous book, the painstakingly illustrated Book of Kells. Or wander through the pretty, compact campus on your own for free.
- Catch the choirs' evensong performances in St. Patrick's Cathedral -- entry $6 -- or Christ Church Cathedral -- $7.60. Christ Church also has magnificent bell-ringings.
WWW.STPATRICKSCATHEDRAL.IE
WWW.CCCDUB.IE/
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