Dublin City Centre is relatively compact and easy to get around on foot. All of the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival venues are in the city centre within walking distance of each other and within easy reach of the main tourist attractions and city hotels and hostels.
Getting to know Dublin:
The city centre
is divided by the River Liffey into two main areas - ‘Dublin 1’ north of the river (known to
Dubliners as ‘the Northside’) and ‘Dublin 2’ south of the river (‘the
Southside’).
The main north-south axis is O’Connell Street (the city’s main street) south to Trinity College, Temple Bar and Grafton Street (the main shopping street). All of our venues are in these areas with the exception of ‘The Back Loft’ which is in nearby ‘Dublin 8’, to the west of Temple Bar near Christchurch Cathedral.
Before your visit we recommend printing our online venue map to become familiar with our venue locations.
Accommodation:
Don’t forget to check out the official Festival hotel – The Arlington Hotel – which is offering special rates for Festival visitors in its two city centre hotels close to all of our venues. You can also mingle with the production companies and other Festival goers! Most other hotels and hostels are located close to O’Connell Street and Temple Bar.
Tourist Information:
Your first stop should be to the Dublin Tourism Centre on Suffolk Street (at the north end of Grafton Street). There you will be able to collect maps of Dublin and other information with staff on hand to answer any queries.
You might also
be interested in the ‘Dublin Pass’ and all-in-one ticket allowing
entry to a range of popular tourist attractions and includes transport to and
from Dublin Airport with ‘Aircoach’
For more: download the Visit Dublin apps for iPhone or Android. Check out the Dublin Tourism website for information: www.visitdublin.com
Getting to and from the Airport
There are a range of options to travel to and from Dublin Airport. While there is no direct rail link to the city centre there are frequent buses and taxis available for travel to/from the city centre. The journey takes approximately 30-40 minutes. Click here for details.
Note that Dublin Bus ‘Airlink’ and the ‘Aircoach’ will both bring you close to the festival hotel – The Arlington Hotel Temple Bar. Tell the bus driver that you want to get out at Trinity College/College Green stop, the hotel is 5-10 minutes on foot along Dame Street.
Other transport:
The main train stations are Connolly Station (trains to/from the north) and Heuston Station (trains to/from the south and west). Rail information can be found here. The main bus station with connections across the country is ‘Busaras’ which is beside Connolly Station.
The ‘Luas’ is a tramway with two lines (Red and Green). The Red line connects Heuston Station, Connolly Station and Busaras and is good for short hops from east to west in the city centre. It is also convenient to some Festival venues such as ‘The Back Loft’ and ‘Pantibar’. The ‘DART’ is an urban railway which travels along Dublin Bay from north to south and is recommended for slightly longer journeys in and out of the city (Connolly Station is the closest stops to most of our venues, especially north of the river). ‘Dublin Bus’ provides transport across the city – most main city centre bus stops are around Trinity College and O’Connell Street.
Taxis are reasonably easy to find in the city centre (although you may have to wait at peak times such as 3-3:30a.m. when night clubs close). Large taxi ranks include St. Stephen’s Green north and on Dame Street near Trinity College.
Travelling on foot:
Since traffic can be heavy in Dublin City centre we suggest travelling on foot for short distances. Dubliners are generally quite friendly so don’t be afraid to ask for directions. Our front of house staff at venues are also available to help you if you have any questions. Do give yourself enough time to travel between venues if you are unfamiliar with the city or choose shows that are in the same, or nearby, venues. The time needed to walk from one venue to another varies between 5 and 20 minutes.
Please note that streets in Dublin have a tendency to change names suddenly (!) so look for blue street signs at intersections. Also note that streets with similar names may not be beside each other. For example South Great George’s Street (the location of Brasserie Sixty6 and ‘The George’ gay bar) is south of the river while North Great George’s Street (location of ‘The Cobalt Café’ and ‘The James Joyce Cultural Centre’) is a 15-20 minute walk away, north of the river.
Note that travel on foot is quite safe in Dublin city centre, comparable to other European cities. However as with any city we recommend applying common sense regarding personal belongings and stick to busy well-lit main streets at night time. If in doubt take a taxi.
Eating Out:
Check out our festival restaurant Brasserie Sixty6 on South Great George’s Street for lunch and pre-theatre meals. It is conveniently located near popular gay bar, ‘The George’.
Festival venue ‘The Cobalt Café’ on North Great George’s Street is open for lunch as well as serving wine and drinks in the evenings.
Going Out:
We will host a Festival Club every night after the evening’s shows. The nightly venues (all centrally located) will be announced in our newsletters or ask our front of house staff for details.
Information on Gay Dublin can be found at gay community centre and Festival venue ‘Outhouse’ which also has a small café.
Popular gay bars include:
- Pantibar: one of our Festival venues, Pantibar on Capel Street is open seven evenings a week. It is the ideal place to have a drink before or after a show in the nearby Teacher’s Club or Outhouse. It hosts a range of events throughout the week.
- The Front Lounge: close to the Arlington Hotel in Temple Bar will host a number of special events for the Festival including ‘Showtunes’ kareoke (Tues May 6th) and Bunny’s ‘Hutch’ open mic night (Sat May 6th) both at 10pm as well as a free play reading ‘Moving On’ (Sun May 8th at 3pm). It is also convenient to Festival venue the Project Arts Centre.
Literary Dublin:
Did you know that Dublin is one of only four UNESCO Cities of Literature? While you are visiting for the Festival we recommend a number of places with links to Dublin’s famous authors and playwrights:
- Trinity College: alma mater of Oscar Wilde as well as other literary greats such as Samuel Beckett
- Merrion Square: visit the popular statue to Oscar Wilde in this city park, overlooking the house where he grew up.
- The James Joyce Cultural Centre: one of the Festival venues, find out about the life and works of James Joyce
- Dublin Writers’ Museum: close to the Teachers’ Club, Cobalt Café and James Joyce Cultural Centre
- The Gate Theatre: internationally renowned theatre founded by legendary theatrical couple Hilton Edwards and Micheal MacLiammoir
- The National Library, Kildare Street: hosts exhibitions on literary greats connected to Dublin, including W.B. Yeats
- There are numerous other places to visit as well as tours and literary pub crawls! Check out dublin.ie and visitdublin.com for more.