Where should you visit outside the Dublin City Centre?
When my mom visited me in August 2022, I tried to cram in as much as I could in the 4 days she was in Ireland. We spent a full day exploring the Dublin City Centre. The rest of the time, we went outside the city centre to get a taste of other parts of Ireland.
So here’s where to visit outside the Dublin City Centre.
Where to Visit Outside the Dublin City Centre
Visiting outside the Dublin City Centre took about 2 days since my mom was only spending 4 days in Ireland.
We ended up visiting Howth and doing a day-long tour to the Cliffs of Moher which included stops at a few villages on our route.
Howth
Howth is a seaside village about an hour outside of Dublin City Centre. Anytime I ask someone for recommendations for things to do in Dublin, Howth is always one of the first suggestions.
I believe most people go there for the Howth cliff walks but my mom and I didn’t get a chance to do that.
We started our mini-day trip walking down Howth pier and wandering around the shops. We got coffee and snacks at Beshoffs The Market. The market had a selection of snacks, pastries, and a coffee bar. On certain days, they also sell oysters at the counter. There’s even a restaurant attached to it if you prefer to sit down and enjoy a meal.
Lighthouse at Howth.
Afterwards, we walked along the other side of the pier to the lighthouse to take in the sights and lovely weather before going to King Sitric Seafood Bar for a light lunch of smoked salmon and soda bread.
Smoked salmon and soda bread from King Sitric’s Seafood Bar.
All in all, it was a lovely, relaxing summer day wandering around with my mom.
Cliffs of Moher Day Tour
Ok, I know people have strong opinions about organised tours but honestly, they’re such a convenient way to see a lot in a short amount of time with very minimal effort!
My go-to organised tour company is Paddywagon Tours. I’ve used them twice now and both times have been great experiences.
This time, I chose the Cliffs of Moher Tour from Dublin.
We started the day at 8am and didn’t get back to Dublin til it was dark but we saw A LOT during the day.
Not only do you have several hours to explore the Cliffs of Moher but you also stop by a lot of small villages and landmarks for photo opportunities such as Bunratty Castle, Doolin, the Burren, Kinvara, and going along the Wild Atlantic Way.
The Wild Atlantic Way.The Burren during our Cliffs of Moher day tour.
Every stop was more picturesque than the last. We were also blessed with the most amazing weather. It was so incredibly sunny, warm, and the landscape was so vibrant and lush.
A bonus, which was NOT advertised, was stopping at the Barack Obama Plaza. It’s a “service station located at Junction 23 on the M7 Dublin to Limerick motorway.” I never would have expected it to be where it is for such a high profile name.
As the name suggests, it’s a service station. The ground floor is a food court and the first floor is a free museum dedicated to the 44th United States president. It was a strange experience being somewhere that was so American but knowing you’re actually in European country. Would I go back? 100%.
But I digress…
The star of the show was without a doubt the Cliffs of Moher.
You know those moments where you realise how insignificant you are compared to the rest of the world or universe? That’s how I felt there.
There’s no way to adequately describe them. To put it plainly, the cliffs are HUGE and everything else next to it is tiny.
I’ve lived in cities for most of my life and I’ve seen buildings taller than the Cliffs of Moher. However, one really tall building is nothing compared to 5 miles of tall cliffs and the endless ocean in the distance.
If you have the chance to do this tour or simply see the Cliffs of Moher, DO IT.
4 Days in Dublin: Where to Visit Outside the Dublin City Centre
This post is by no means a comprehensive list of all the amazing things to do in Dublin and Ireland. But if you’re looking for things to do on a quick trip, this is a great place to start!
Since my mom visited, I’ve had a couple more visits from home where we did slightly different things depending on the person’s tastes. It’s fun putting together guides for them that are specific to each person!
It’s September and for a lot of the world, the weather is amazing. It’s hot, the sun is out, and it’s peak travel time. It feels like everyone is on holiday.
Being a Sagittarius and a world-traveler, I naturally got a little FOMO and I felt the sudden impulse to go on a quick weekend trip myself. After all, that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to move abroad. After very little research, I decided to go to Amsterdam.
I’ll spare you the details but long story short, I messed up the events in my calendar and what was initially a 2 day itinerary quickly became 24 hours in Amsterdam.
Was this my brightest moment? Definitely not. But I went anyway and honestly, that short amount of time was enough to rank Amsterdam as one of my favourite cities I’ve visited.
So if you also have 24 hours in Amsterdam (either on purpose or on accident), here’s what you should absolutely do!
How to Spend 24 Hours in Amsterdam
Accommodation
Hostels are a great idea if you just need a place to sleep. However, I don’t like picking just any random hostel; it has to be nice and clean. I know I only had 24 hours in Amsterdam but I can only rough it up to a certain point. I’m not THAT much of a free-spirit.
First off, the hostel was right next to Vondelpark, the bus station that takes you to/from the airport, and all the canals. I’d say that’s prime real estate!
One of the many canals in Amsterdam. This was only a short walk from the Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark hostel.
Secondly, the building was beautiful and full of greenery. It was a great first impression and left me feeling at ease the moment I walked in. The building is secured via key card given to all guests so I felt comfortable knowing random people won’t be going in and out at odd hours.
The 4 person room I stayed in was clean and tidy and the en-suite shower and toilets were kept very simple. It’s ideal for someone who is only staying for a short amount of time. Just note that if you’re tall, it may feel a bit cramped but it’s not a big deal if you’re not there for very long.
Overall, I was really happy with Stayokay! Everyone I met from the receptionist to my hostel-mates were lovely.
Anyway, onto the actual activities in Amsterdam!
Cycling Tour
I’ll get right to it: I may have only spent 24 hours in Amsterdam but going on a cycle tour of the city was the absolute best decision of that trip. It’s the best way to see a lot of Amsterdam in a short amount of time in a unique way.
I booked with Mike’s Bike Tours Amsterdam. They provided a bike for the whole tour and we stayed in a group of about 13 people of all ages. Our tour guide was so lovely, funny, and sprinkled fun facts as we cycled around town like the fact Amsterdam is built over a marsh. With an unstable surface, that’s why many of the buildings are a little bit crooked. It definitely added to the charm of the city.
During the cycle tour, we stopped in front of the Rijksmuseum in the museum quarter for a photo.
The tour was about 2.5 hours and we cycled about 10km (6-7mi). Here are some of the highlights of the tour:
Biking along the canals
The roads in Amsterdam are designed with bikes in mind. It was so easy to cycle from point to point. I know how to cycle but I don’t do it often and I still found it so simple to get around.
Going through Vondelpark
This is a gorgeous 120 acre urban park complete with lakes, an open air theatre, and several food facilities. There were so many people jogging, cycling, and lounging around. You can genuinely sense how relaxed people are.
Stopping in front of Anne Frank’s house where she and her family hid in WWII
I wish I had the opportunity to go inside but apparently tickets sell out very quickly so if you want to visit the Anne Frank House, definitely plan ahead of time. However, we did stop in front of her house in Jordaan.
Cycling over the Skinny Bridge
Supposedly, this bridge was built to make it easier for two sisters who lived on opposite sides of the river to see each other. The original bridge is said to have been so skinny that only two people can cross. This was another fun fact mentioned by our guide. Regardless, there’s a stunning view of the river that’s worth getting a picture of.
Taking a short break in Nieuwmarkt
This was an important area of Amsterdam for commerce. When I was there, there were so many stalls selling various arts and crafts. It’s also close to a street called Bloedstraat which is apparently where executions happened and the streets would run red with blood, hence the name.
Once you’ve booked your tour, you’re probably going to want to eat something at some point. I’ve made a list of the spots I visited, which were all delicious, by the way!
Food and Drinks
Uncommon Amsterdam
I’m an avid oats consumer so when I say I had possibly the best overnight oats of my life, please believe me. Uncommon’s menu changes seasonally so you’ll either be lucky to try the oats or you’ll be lucky to try a new addition to the menu. Either way, it’s a win-win for you. Uncommon puts a lot of thought and care into their menu, coffee, and space to bring you a sense of calm and nourishment.
Address: Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat 63H 1054 BT Amsterdam
The overnight oats at Uncommon. It was all vegan and possible one of the best oats I’ve ever had. 10/10!
Coffee District Willemsparkweg
Coffee District was my first stop after settling in and it was a great intro into the delicious food and coffee I had in my 24 hours in Amsterdam. The cappuccino was perfectly flavoured (no sugar necessary) and I finally had my first Dutch pastry: a kouign-amman. Shout out to the Great British Bake Off for introducing me to this pastry! It was so buttery, flaky, and thick. My tastebuds were dancing.
Address: Willemsparkweg 8H 1071 HD Amsterdam, Netherlands
A cappuccino and kouign-amman from Coffee District. Everything was perfect.
De Blauwe Hollander
I came across this restaurant randomly as I was wandering the streets and taking the sights all in. I knew I wanted to try Dutch cuisine and this restaurant caught my eye. I got a variety of dishes so I can try a little bit of everything. This place would be perfect for vegetarians as they have plenty of items that don’t have meat. I would recommend the vegetarian croquettes; tomato soup with leek strips; and fresh herring with marinated beet, onions, and pickles. It was light, fresh, and so delicious.
A tapas-style lunch from De Blauwe Hollander. Everything tasted so fresh and the outdoor seating was perfect for people-watching.
Sophie’s Kitchen
By the time my day was over, a lot of shops and restaurants closed for the night. I still hadn’t tried a fresh stroopwafel which is a layer of caramel between 2 thin waffle disks. I know I’m not describing it well but believe me when I say it’s out of this world. Anyway, Sophie’s Kitchen was still open which felt like a sign because a) it’s close to my name and b) it’s a bakery which is sort of up my alley. The stroopwafel was the size of my hand and I inhaled that in 5 minutes. Incredible!
Address: Leidsestraat 18 1017 PA Amsterdam, Netherlands
A massive stroopwafel from Sophie’s Kitchen. I had a feeling this place wouldn’t let me down!
Maoz Vegan
To be honest, a vegan falafel bar was never on my radar of places to try in Amsterdam but am I glad I went? YES. Upon further research, Maoz Vegan is an international falafel bar that originated in Amsterdam. You have the option of ordering falafel in a pita or a bowl and then adding as many toppings (fresh veggies, pickled veggies, sauces, etc.) as you want. Me being me, I loaded my bowl with ALL the veggies that could fit. I then enjoyed my bowl along the canals with a German guy I met in my hostel. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
All roads lead to Ireland no matter where you are, apparently! One of my hostel-mates was from Cork and was playing his banjo and harmonica at Mulligan’s the night I was there. The German hostel-mate mentioned previously and I thought it would be fun to go watch him play. It was such a lively event! There were about 12 people playing traditional Irish music back-to-back. We had a pint and were in awe of how they all know the music and how they keep on playing without many breaks. And I think our Cork hostel-mate appreciated we came to watch him play especially since we all met that day.
24 Hours in Amsterdam Was Not Enough
I truly wish I planned my trip better so I can spend more time in Amsterdam. There’s so much I haven’t seen and I’d love to explore outside the city center.
However, I absolutely don’t regret my decision to go, even if it was a headache getting there and back.
I hope these tips are useful if you ever find yourself spending 24 hours in Amsterdam!
Even though I moved abroad to Dublin, Ireland and completely changed my life, I find comfort in familiarity. I enjoy eating the same things every day (like my egg white oats and protein yogurt bowl) and I enjoy my workout routine. But being in a new country means being around different selections of produce and foods. Therefore, the way I eat has changed slightly. So, here’s 3 ways my food choices changed since moving abroad.
3 Ways My Food Choices Changed Since Moving Abroad
No longer shopping at high-end supermarkets
Gone are the days where I can shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or my favorite place, Erewhon. Sad times but actually, it’s much better for my wallet.
Supermarkets in Dublin are much different than in Los Angeles. The regular grocery stores I’ve been to here are smaller than the stores in LA and don’t carry as big of a selection of items, based on my experience. Items like kale and egg whites have been a bit more difficult to find. But that could also be due to me being new and not knowing where to buy everything yet.
Shopping here has also been less expensive than shopping in LA. I’m surprised by how much less I spend when I do (almost) a whole week’s worth of groceries. That being said, there are more expensive stores like Marks & Spencers which are always fun to go through and see what pricey items they have.
One cool thing about shops like Lidl and Aldi have this middle section where they sell random items. They can range from very practical things like clothes and baking dishes to out-of-place items like…chainsaws or battery chargers. It’s exciting going through it because you never know what you’ll find.
Lidl’s middle section where they’re currently selling muffin tins, fire pits, twine, and a battery charger.
Shopping multiple times a week
In my LA life, I got by with one grocery shop a week because I had a car to lug everything around and the size of them items I got would usually last me the week or more.
Now that I’m in Dublin, I don’t have a car so I have to carry everything by hand. It doesn’t make sense to do massive shops because there’s no way I can carry everything home myself unless I want my arms to feel like they’re falling off.
Also, all the food here is in smaller packages (or maybe the US just sells things in larger than normal packages…) so I go through things more quickly. For example, I got a 500mL container of Greek yogurt the other day and I’ve already finished it.
Maybe I have a big appetite. Maybe the sizes are smaller. Or maybe it’s both.
Buying more calorie-dense foods because of less storage space
When I lived with roommates and my parents in LA, I had lots of fridge and pantry space to store my food. My meals would mainly be A LOT of lower-calorie foods. I enjoyed volume-eating because I ate a little bit of everything but still stayed within my macro and calorie limits. My dinners would basically be HUGE bowls of veggies. I’d eat them out of mixing bowls.
However, in Dublin flat, my fridge and pantry space is considerably smaller so I have to shop a bit differently. Instead of buying bags on bags of different veggies that would take over the whole fridge, I try to include more calorie-dense foods (foods which contain more calories relative to their weight). I still meet my macro and calorie goals while taking up less space in the fridge and pantry.
Currently, that looks like using grains (rice cakes, bread) and starchy veggies (sweet potatoes, peas, etc) to hit my carb goals versus using lots of low calorie veggies (courgette/zucchini, celery, etc).
I try to keep my stuff to one shelf and one drawer so I don’t take over the whole space.
How My Food Choices Make Me Feel Since Moving Abroad
Overall, I feel really good diet-wise since moving abroad. I’m slowly adapting to the food options I have here and discovering new places to find ingredients I was used to in LA. While things are different here, I don’t feel I’ve had to make many sacrifices to the way I eat. I think it helps Dublin is a major city so it’s pretty accommodating to different eating styles.
I also understand and am ok with not replicating my LA diet. I’m in a new country with access to different foods. I’m trying to adapt to my surroundings rather than wishing my surroundings adapted to my wants. That’s a pretty narrow-minded way to live, in my opinion.
But I digress. I’m having fun being more relaxed about my eating habits and changing them up a bit.
Do you know of any meatless versions of Irish dishes, foods, snacks, and/or drinks I should try? Send me a DM on my Instagram @balancingitall. I want to try them all!
For those who didn’t know, I recently made the move to Dublin, Ireland! It’s been 2 months now and it’s been quite the rollercoaster of events but I’m embracing all the obstacles, the good, the bad, the expected, and the unexpected.
Much of my progress to move aborad was in slow motion. It honestly took the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown to get my butt into gear.
The pandemic put everything into perspective for me.
Previously, I felt I had to burn myself out from a job in order to make ends meet. I worked hard, stayed late at work sometimes, and took on tasks without much pushback or sufficient assistance. In the end, it got me nowhere. Sure, I had promotions and raises but at what cost? My mental health was not in a good place and I’m sure my roommate/best friend was tired of me complaining about how defeated I felt. The weight of burn out and the pandemic was getting to be too much to deal with. In May 2021, I cracked, went through what felt like a mental breakdown, and had enough.
Throughout lockdown, I saw how other employees were treated at their jobs. They were let go from jobs they gave so much of their time and energy to. During this time, we as a society began to prioritize our personal and family’s health and happiness. And at the time, hundreds of thousands of people died from the COVID-19 virus. Knowing this and going through my own experiences in the workplace made me realize that my mental health and happiness was more important than a paycheck.
(I also want to point out that I recognize this thought process comes from a privileged place. I know not everyone has the ability or means to think the way I did about this situation or even take action on it the way I did. But I did want to share how I arrived to where I am now and in the interest of transparency, this is how it occurred.)
Once I had that realization, my focus shifted. I needed to put me first, not my employer. If I don’t take care of myself first, how can I do well in other areas of my life, career included? I also knew that because this is something I’ve wanted for years, if I didn’t do this now, I would regret it the rest of my life. While I fleshed out my plan, I was lucky to have found a healthy workplace with a supportive team to work with.
I told myself that 2022 was the year and I was moving, whether I was ready for it or not. As bleak as it sounds, bad things like viruses, wars, and political drama will happen no matter what. I couldn’t sit back and wait for the “right time” because it will never come. It was now or never.
For those who didn’t know, I just made the move to Dublin, Ireland! It’s been almost 3 weeks and it’s been quite the rollercoaster of events but I’m embracing all the obstacles, the good, the bad, the expected, and the unexpected.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my move here so I figured I’d answer some of those questions. This will be a three part series where I’ll focus on why I wanted to move abroad, why I moved to Ireland, and why I moved now. Buckle up!
Why I Wanted to Move Abroad
My reason for moving abroad in the first place goes back about six years ago to 2016. I had just accepted a job at a large non-profit organization (it was my first big-girl job after stints at small businesses and startups) and I was going on vacation to London to see family. Things were finally looking up after many years of feeling stagnant.
There was something in me that just clicked while I was in London. I don’t know what it was; maybe it was just spending time with my cousins, enjoying the nightlife together, trying all the yummy foods London has to offer, or just taking the tube from one part of the city to another to explore. Something in me told me that living here would be really exciting. I didn’t really think beyond that, but it just seemed like a cool idea.
I’m a sucker for European cities. I love how close together everything is. Everything is easily accessible by public transportation. There are historical landmarks around every corner. There is no end of amazing restaurants and good cafes. Flying to other countries is way easier and cheaper than flying from the US. And somehow, everyone always looks so effortlessly chic even if they’re not trying. Are all those legit reasons for wanting to move abroad? Who knows? But that’s what fascinated me about Europe.
I was thrilled by the idea but felt a little sad because I just accepted a new job and I felt I had to honor that commitment. However, that didn’t shake my desire to move there eventually. I just had to be patient and figure it out.
Years went by and the thought still lingered in my mind. Each year I traveled somewhere new, it strengthened my desire to move.
Want to Know More?
In the next part, I’ll explain why I moved to Ireland and why I moved now. Make sure you’re subscribed so you know when the next post is out!
Me in Greenwich in London, England with the city in the background. London was a huge factor in why I wanted to move abroad.
