Writer’s Travel Guide to Dublin: Best Writing Spots

Dublin has stronger literary ties than most cities and has lots of writing spots, which is why it’s such a great place for a solo writing retreat.

Find the best places to write, find inspiration and stay in Dublin if you’re a writer.

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Writing Spots: Dublin

Kaph

I heard great things about this café, and it was not a disappointment. Well, the drinks weren’t. Unfortunately, due to Covid there was no indoor seating, so it wasn’t possible to stay to write all day here.

However, there is a bench outside so if you’re lucky enough to visit when it’s pleasant weather, it’s a nice spot to jot down a few thoughts into your journal while sipping on coffee or tea.

Butlers Chocolate Café (Wicklow Street)

Even if you don’t want to write here, don’t leave Ireland without trying their delicious hot chocolate. You also get a free chocolate with your hot chocolate purchase, and it’s absolute chocolate heaven.

Unfortunately, most locations don’t have seating options. BUT I did find one location with a few tables outdoors, and this location easily became one of my favorite writing spots in Dublin.

I went to the Butlers Chocolate Café on Wicklow Street not once, not twice, but three times during my roughly week-long stay in Dublin.

It’s a pleasant location to sit outside if it’s a nice day, on a bustling street and right across the street from Laudree. Which is not a bad place for a writing spot either if you’re into overpriced macarons (no judgement; I occasionally indulge in them too) since they have tables outside too.

Metro Café

I stumbled upon this café as I walked around looking for a café to sit at and write down all the information packed into my head from all the museums I packed into that day. This one caught my attention because it looked so inviting, and it was indeed the perfect place to stop for a tea and writing session.

Chester Beatty Library

This is a private library of a wealthy American who donated his entire collection to Dublin. It holds lots of religious texts, and is actually the second largest collection of Islamic texts in the world!

There are plenty of seating options available, including in the rooftop garden. Best of all, the library is free to visit!

If you’d prefer some food or drink to fuel your writing, the Silk Road Café is located on the ground floor of the library and is excellent.

Museum of Literature Ireland

You have to visit if you’re a writer traveling to Dublin. Or even just a literature lover. It’s packed with tons of information about various Irish writers (Joyce in special detail) and literature in general.

My favorite was the room at the top with writing advice from different contemporary Irish writers and empty notepads and pencils for you to write what speaks to you.

What better writing spot in Dublin than this specific writing room!

Alternatively, there’s a café downstairs in the museum that makes for a great writing spot. And if you sit outside, you can look at the very tree that James Joyce was photographed when he attended university in the building that the Museum of Literature Ireland is now housed in.

The Hungry Tree

This tree is so named because it looks like it’s devouring a bench placed next to it. Pretty cool to see nature’s power! Or perhaps this is inspiration for a magical tree in one of your future fantasy books…

It certainly looks like a magical and enchanted tree, although you probably don’t want to sit on the bench to write, unless you like annoying people who came to photograph the tree.

Instead, grab a seat somewhere near the Hungry Tree in the small but lovely park it’s located in: King’s Inn Park.

St. Stephan’s Green

This Victorian park has great historical significance for Dublin and Ireland’s independence. Stroll around reading the signs, take in the pretty gardens and, of course, take a seat at one of the writing spots this popular Dublin park contains.

Although it can get really busy, you should be able to find a bench to sit on and write. It’s a huge park, so go deep in it to see if there’s an empty bench tucked away in a corner somewhere.

Writing Inspiration: Dublin

There is no shortage of places for writers to find writing inspiration in Dublin. Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, W.B. Yeats and Jonathon Swift were all writers who called Dublin home. As such, you will likely find inspiration in the places they found inspiring.

And the city is proud of the contributions it had toward literature. You’ll find lots of ways to get inspired in Dublin while taking a break from the many great writing spots.

Long Room at Trinity College Dublin

I could have spent hours in this old library. It’s packed with old books (over 200,000) and the architecture is breathtakingly elegant.

You’ll have to buy a ticket to see the Book of Kells, an ancient religious book, and after you’ll get to enter the Long Room.

If only you can stay in the library all day. It would have been the best writing spot in all of Dublin. Sigh.

National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland

This isn’t your typical museum. I personally wouldn’t even call it a museum—immersive performance would be a better description.

As you navigate through the magical passages and rooms, you’ll be met by several storytellers who will narrate different Irish stories and legends. It’s a great way to gain some inspiration—perhaps you can write a retelling of some of these?

You can choose between a daytime kid-friendly tour, or a nighttime 18+ only tour.

Free Walking Tour

I love walking tours. I love them even more when they’re free. It’s such a great way to get to know a city better, and I’ve never went on a walking tour that didn’t inspire at least one new writing idea.

The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

If you’d prefer a literary themed tour, and like to drink, then this pub crawl is for you. It’s been voted one of the best of its kind in the world, and you’ll be getting performances by actors as you follow in the tracks of Dublin’s greatest writers.

James Joyce Walk

Joyce wanted to capture the city of Dublin in his writing, and the amount of details he included means you will have A LOT of walking around to do to see it all.

Sweny’s Pharmacy, which Leopold Bloom visited in Ulysses, is now a volunteer-run, tiny James Joyce museum. Although on pause during Covid, they usually have daily readings from Joyce novels that sounds like a fun gathering.

Davy Byrnes and Mulligan’s are pubs featured in his writing as well, and they retain the old-time charm it had back then. Stop by for a pint and, if you feel inspired, some writing. Joyce’s Dublin pubs are great writing spots!

National Museum of Ireland

I also love visiting museums for writing ideas and inspiration—something frequent readers of this Writer’s Travel Guide series well know.

The great thing about this one is that it’s free! And it has impressive collections spanning through several locations.

I personally enjoyed the Archeology museum, and it’s centrally located around all the other inspiring parts of Dublin.

The Little Museum of Dublin

Don’t let the name of this quirky museum fool you: it may be little, but you can spend hours here. I sure did!

In an old three-story building located on a street that has seen lots of history, you’ll find the walls crammed with different objects and artifacts the make up the history of Dublin and Ireland.

If you’re looking to write a historical fiction book set in Dublin, do not miss this museum! You’ll get tons of ideas for little details to include to make your writing authentic and believable.

Writing Retreat Accommodation: Dublin

As with all my Writer’s Travel Guides, I look for accommodation with good writing spots, and this Dublin one is no different.

Budget: Generator Dublin

This hostel sounded familiar to me, and that’s because I stayed at this chain in Washington, D.C. a few months ago. Just like the D.C. one, this hostel in Dublin has plenty of great writing spots throughout the whole hostel.

Average: Stauntons on the Green Hotel

While the cheaper rooms are a bit small, there are plenty of writing spots outside of the room. There is a beautiful garden in the back and a beautiful breakfast room—a perfect writing spot!

And, it’s just next to St. Stephan’s Green.

Luxury: Merrion Hotel

Also next to St. Stephan’s Green, this gorgeous and elegant Georgian hotel is a dream. With a Michelin star restaurant, landscaped garden, pool and spa, you probably won’t be wandering far from the hotel. That’s okay, as long as you promise to remember to get some writing done!

So. Would you visit Dublin on a solo writing retreat?

I don’t think there are many cities better suited for a solo writing retreat. Dublin’s strong literary ties and fantastic writing spots are the reason why I expect to return again—and again and again and again…

Looking for more writing spots in Ireland outside of Dublin?

I don’t know how to cover this. The Emerald Isle is packed with creativity-inducing places with inspiring legends.

I’d would definitely recommend a visit to Galway. It’s an artsy town with a cute town center and lots of live music.

And if you’re there, do NOT leave without seeing either Cliffs of Moher or the Aran Islands.

The Cliffs of Moher have stunning natural beauty and, in my opinion, are not at all overrated. (See how to best get to and see them for free as a daytrip from Galway without a car.)

The Aran Islands have long tried to attract writers, and I’d love to return some day for a longer stay to attend the creative writing workshops held there.

(If you want to see both in one day, take this tour. It’s really worth it and I felt so incredibly inspired to write after.)

Cork is another lovely city to the south, and you can explore the gorgeous nature to the west of it.

And Limerick is also known for literary ties. It’s supposedly the birthplace of limerick poems, and it’s also the setting of the book Angela’s Ashes (I highly recommend it).