Although it wasn’t my first trip overseas, visiting Dublin was the first time that I had been in Ireland. I had a wonderful trip, saw a lot of amazing sights, ate some delicious food, and with the exception of one airport experience, avoided any major problems or stress.
If you are planning to visit Dublin, I highly recommend that you rent a car. Even if you are going on a trip with a group or travel club, if you are going to be spending more than a day in the city of Dublin, having a rental car to use will really help you get the full experience of the city. My visit to Dublin was actually part of a larger Ireland trip that I was taking with my travel club, but because we were staying in the city for three days, I wanted a rental car so I could visit some points of interest that were off of the standard tourist map. After talking with my fellow travelers, I really feel that having a rental car allowed me to have a special trip in Dublin that others simply didn’t get to experience.