VISIT DUBLIN – AN ESCAPE BOATS GUIDE

Dublin is the capital of Ireland, and home to many renowned figures and attractions like James Joyce, Guinness and of course, the legendary Escape Boats. We love it and hope you will too. In case you’re new to the city we’ve made a list of some of our favourite spots to visit as well as some handy hints for the city below. Enjoy!

GETTING HERE AND GETTING AWAY

TRAIN

Dublin has two main stations, Connolly and Heuston stations, located in the West and East of the city. Connolly on the northeast side of the city serves the East and North of the country – Belfast, Wexford and Sligo routes, and Heuston on the west side serves the South and West of the country – Galway, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Sligo. There are easy connections from the stations to everywhere in Dublin.

NATIONAL BUSES

National buses on the Bus Eireann route arrive in Busaras, the national bus hub in the city centre. There are plenty of independent bus services to cities around the country as well which leave from various parts of the city centre such as Citylink and Aircoach – check online for routes and destinations.

TRAVELLING AROUND THE CITY

BICYCLE

We love bikes and Dublin has put a lot of work into developing cycle paths recently making it a lot easier to get around the city. There is a great system of shared bike schemes across the city so be sure to make use of them. Dublin has a reputation for rain but interestingly Rome in Italy has a much higher annual rainfall than Dublin so don’t be fooled by the hype!

https://www.dublinbikes.ie/

There’s a number of bike stations dotted all around the city and it’s easy to download the app and use them. There is a bike station right across the bridge from the escape boat, so we highly recommend using them.

https://bleeperactive.com/

https://mobybikes.com/

Bleeper and Moby have easy to use apps and reasonable rental rates – download their apps or check out their website for further info.

DART, TRAIN and LUAS

The DART is the main Dublin train route and has been around since the 1980s. It is a beautiful coastal route from the fishing village of Howth in the north side of the city all the way down to Greystones in County Wicklow. It services the city centre and nearly all the coastal regions of Dublin from North to South. It also stops at Grand Canal Dock, where the wonderful Escape Boats is located so be sure to use it if you are coming from anywhere on that route. There are a number of other trains and trams (LUAS) servicing the other regions of Dublin – here’s a handy map to navigate your way around:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5baca129e4afe92f4b6f3b3d/t/673f823bb89b30154bce0e7b/1732215358618/dublin-rail-map.pdf

DUBLIN BUS

Dublin’s buses have improved recently, and they are getting easier to use and navigate. You can find info on routes here https://www.dublinbus.ie/timetables

And plan your journey here: https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey/

Prices are very reasonable, and the transport authority have recently introduced a 90 minute fare that allows you to use bus, train and tram services for only €2, allowing you to use as many rides as needed in the 90 minutes to get where you need to go.

STAY

Dublin can be expensive to stay in, and we know that you are well capable of finding your own place, but we wanted to give you a few quality options near the Escape Boats that we love.

BUDGET

Why not try a hostel? Meet like minded travellers and share a room with up to 10 of them? It’s still one of the cheapest options available and ideal for solo travellers.

Here’s a couple not too far from us:

https://www.ashfieldhostel.com/

https://www.gogartys.ie/hostel/

MIDRANGE

If you’re playing an Escape room on our boat, why not stay next door to us? Our good neighbours run an Airbnb on board the Sunny Barger and you can stay right in the heart of Grand Canal Dock at a reasonable price.

https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/28957610?source_impression_id=p3_1736327556_P38OotK2BdYBO64S

FANCY

You can see this one from our boat and it’s quite an iconic black and white façade. Prices are not for the faint hearted but if you’re feeling flush and fancy a treat, why not give it a shot. The Marker Hotel.

https://www.anantara.com/en/the-marker-dublin

EAT

There is a plethora of eateries in Dublin, as you would expect. Here’s a selection of our favourite picks from our locality.

Charlotte Quay

Our lovely neighbours in Charlotte Quay run a friendly, relaxed bar and restaurant with great food, drinks and cocktails. We’ve worked with them for years and eaten and drank way too much there. Definitely our favourite place to hang out.

https://bereenbrothers.com/charlotte-quay

Il Valentino

Great for coffee, sandwiches, pastries and treats, this little Italian coffee shop across from the boat has kept our staff awake and alive for several years. Friendly staff and always buzzing with energy – it’s a great spot for your caffeine hit.

St Andrews Food Market

Every Saturday from 9am to 3pm, this long running market sells a huge variety of organic and tasty food, including our favourite, Sunil’s curries. You won’t find better anywhere. He’s fed our staff every Saturday for as long as we can remember. Don’t miss it!

ENTERTAINMENT

Needless to say, we think there is no better way to begin your day or evening than with an escape room with your besties, family or loved ones. And there is no better escape room in Dublin, in many people’s humble opinions, than ours. But you might like to try something else out afterwards in the locality so here’s a few suggestions.

GRAND CANAL THEATRE

Right across from Escape Boats is the iconic building that houses the Grand Canal Theatre, or as it’s sponsor likes to call it, the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. They have an array of musicals, concerts and events on there, so check out their listings and see if anything tickles your fancy…

https://www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/

SURFDOCK

Our wonderful neighbours in the Surfdock have been teaching water sports for years and they are a marvellous bunch. If you’ve ever wanted to try surfing, kayaking, supping, or windsurfing, they are a great place to start your new water life. They do courses and day lessons, and you won’t find a nicer bunch of people to teach you new life skills. Go on – give it a go!

https://www.surfdock.com/pages/watersports-activity-centre

WINDMILL LANE RECORDING STUDIOS

Ireland has a rich musical history and Windmill Lane has been at the epicentre of the Irish music industry for several decades – they have a list a mile long of artists that have recorded there – U2, REM, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga – we could go on for several pages but then we’d ruin all your fun. They now do tours of the studios – and guess what? They’re just around the corner from us. Book a visit – you won’t be disappointed.

https://www.windmilllanerecording.com/studio-tour/

EPIC FAMINE MUSEUM

Did you know that an estimated 80 million people around the world have Irish forebears? This makes Ireland one of the largest diasporas in the world – impressive for a small island with only 5 million people. The Epic Museum across the river from us houses a fascinating museum exploring all aspects of Irish Emigration and its effects both here and abroad. It’s a modern museum with great interactive exhibits and hugely popular with attendees so if you fancy learning something new – give it a go. Book here:

https://epicchq.com/

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