Areas and Suburbs in Dublin
Like all cities, the suburb you choose to land in can completely change your lifestyle. You can pick between the laid-back beaches in North Dublin, the high-society of the embassy suburbs, the noise of city-centre living or the more rural areas in the south. Or you can just go for the suburb closest to your place of work! Traffic is surprisingly horrible for such a small city and commutes of an hour or more both ways are not unheard of.
Beaches
The southern beaches of Seapoint and onto Killiney are great places to live. These areas tend to be more expensive than the city centre, but if you prefer a house to a flat, there are some beautifully restored Georgian properties for rent. Plus you can walk or swim every morning. Do remember that you’ll need a wetsuit though, and don’t be fooled by the elderly men and women who dip in at Seapoint every evening; they’ve been doing it for years and are tougher than they look.
Howth and Malahide mark the beginning of the Northern beaches. In the same way as their southern cousins they are served by the DART – providing you the choice to avoid traffic.
Suburban Chic
Ranelegh on the south side and Clontarf on the north side are popular with expats. They have good public transport, are roughly ten minutes from the city centre and have a lively nightlife.
The Dublin 4 areas of Ballsbridge and Donnybrook cater for a more settled crowd and most of the embassies are located here. Still, the closer you are to Baggott Street the more the tempo rises. There are some beautiful houses in these areas – large enough for any family who’d want a garden, parking and lots of privacy. If your company is paying then all the more reason to live there!
City Centre Cool
Smithfield in Dublin 7 is the want-to-be-there address of the year. Take your time looking at the apartments as not all of the developments here are created equal. The Lighthouse - an art house cinema, a great gym, an artisan supermarket and plenty of busy bars mean there is little reason to leave. If you do find yourself in the mood for migration, the Luas tram line runs through the suburb and will take you to Houston or Connolly train stations.
Other areas include:
- Dublin 2: Merrion Square, Camden Street and around Stephen’s Green
- Dublin 3: along the port and down to Dollymount Strand. East Wall has some great new developments which are bigger than the norm.
- Dublin 4: especially around Baggott Street and Sandymount
- Dublin 6: Ranelegh and parts of Rathmines (be careful in Rathmines as it’s also a student hang-out)
