In pursuit of a city where we could enjoy the best natural features on a budget, Dublin was the first place that my family settled on. Identified as the best city to combine outdoor adventure and urban pleasures, Dublin is also renowned for its warm welcome, vibrant nightlife, unique culture and extraordinary fashion and shopping experiences.

Explore the two sides of the same city

The city is distinctly divided into two separate parts by River Liffey. It is such an attractive natural addition to the concrete jungle, introducing some unique life species, modern infrastructure and a chance to stroll by the shows of a city river as though you were walking through an urban beach.

A night of theater and entertainment

It was a great chance for us to soak some culture, owing to the fact that Dublin boasts of grand venues and independent gems carrying a theatrical experience that will overshadow any unique culture. We had an opportunity to peep into The Smoke Alley Theater, built in 1662 but still remains unique. This theater offers great music, mystic dances and rib-cracking comedy.

We got a modern touch after moving down the city, a trip that landed us in The Board Gais Energy Theater. It is located in the Cosmopolitan Grand Canal, a place where my family was treated to a pre-show dinner in one of the restaurants that magnificently grace the small square.

Sightseeing

To the south bank of the Tolka, we visited the National Botanic Gardens, a 19.5 hectares stretch of land which carries an arboretum, a sensory garden as well as a rock garden. Other features include extensive herbaceous borders, a large pond and an annual display of decorative plants which we coincidentally enjoyed too.

Dublin City Gallery- The Hugh Lane is strategically located at the center of the city. It houses Ireland’s collections of contemporary art, not forgetting the original collection that was donated by the founder of this gallery back in 1908. The pieces of artwork here include impressionist masterpieces from Manet, Monet and Degas.

The scientific gallery at Trinity College is a venue where contemporary white-hot scientific issues are collected. This is the place where ideas collide as opinions meet, and it has something new almost always because unlike most galleries, this has no permanent collection.

I was particularly impressed by the National Gallery of Ireland, which has over 2500 paintings and 10, 000 works in various forms of media including sculpture, watercolors and paintings.

Dining and music

Dublin has been identified as a food paradise for quite some time, perhaps because of the Irish delicacies that have taken root here. Located on St. Stephens Green for instance, the wonderful Hatch and Sons will serve you with the most celebrated Irish classics.

In the Pig’s Ear restaurant, we had a chance to sample the top quality Irish foods while overlooking the picturesque landmarks of the Trinity College. For music fans, you can either choose to bask on the streets for the open music sessions or head to the bars and clubs for a more personal experience. The Bernard Shaw for instance, Located to the Southern side of the city, offers the best music nights and is creatively designed with sufficient space.

In general, Dublin is one of the most versatile cities in the world. In the whirl of the high life, you never sleep until you see the sun for yet another day.