Dublin, Ireland — Business Class Fares

6 Experiences Worth Flying Business Class For

1. A Morning Swim at the Forty Foot Followed by Lunch at Livia

Take the DART south to Sandycove and plunge into the Irish Sea at the legendary Forty Foot bathing spot — a ritual that James Joyce immortalized and that Dubl...

iners treat as near-sacred. Let the cold Atlantic shock you awake, then walk ten minutes to Livia at the Fitzwilliam Hotel in the city centre or, better yet, grab a window seat at Cavistons in nearby Glasthule for the freshest seafood platter you'll eat in Europe. This is the Dublin that locals fiercely protect from guidebooks, and the juxtaposition of wild ocean and refined table is utterly addictive.

Private After-Hours Access to the Long Room at Trinity College

Everyone queues for the Book of Kells, but the real treasure is standing alone in the Long Room — 65 metres of ancient oak shelving, 200,000 rare volumes, and a silence so profound it vibrates. Arrange a private viewing through Trinity's development office or through a concierge at The Shelbourne, and you'll experience one of the most magnificent rooms on Earth without a single selfie stick in sight. It is, without exaggeration, worth crossing an ocean for.

The Full Tasting Menu at Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen

Housed beneath the Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square, Chapter One has been Dublin's most important fine dining destination for decades, and under Mickael Viljanen's direction it has reached genuinely world-class heights. The tasting menu is a masterwork of modern Irish cooking — think aged Castletownbere crab, Skeaghanore duck, and foraged ingredients from the Wicklow Mountains — served in a candlelit Georgian basement that feels like a secret. Pair it with the sommelier's wine journey and you have one of Europe's most underrated gastronomic evenings.

Whiskey Archaeology at the Teeling and Roe & Co Distilleries in the Liberties

Dublin's Liberties neighbourhood was once the whiskey capital of the world, and its revival is one of the city's great comeback stories. Book a premium tasting at Teeling Distillery — their single pot still and vintage reserves are extraordinary — then walk five minutes to Roe & Co in the old Guinness Power Station for a cocktail masterclass in one of Ireland's most beautifully designed interiors. Skip the Jameson Bow St. tourist experience entirely; these two are where the real craft and ambition live.

A Night at The Westbury with a Balcony Over Grafton Street

The Merrion and The Shelbourne get the press, and they deserve it, but The Westbury's premier suites overlooking Grafton Street offer something neither can match — you fall asleep to the sound of Dublin's best buskers playing beneath your window. Request a balcony suite facing the street, order room service from Wilde restaurant, and watch the city perform for you. It is glamorous, theatrical, and profoundly Dublin.

A Gallery Crawl Through Dublin's Quiet Art Scene

Start at the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square, where Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio is a jaw-dropping installation, then walk south through the city to the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham — a 17th-century masterpiece that rivals any contemporary art venue in Europe. In between, duck into Kerlin Gallery and Mother's Tankstation, two commercial galleries that consistently show artists years before the international market catches up. Dublin's art world is small, unpretentious, and extraordinarily good.

Sunday Lunch at The Merrion's Garden Room, Then the National Gallery

The Merrion Hotel occupies four Georgian townhouses on Merrion Square, and their Garden Room restaurant serves what may be Dublin's most civilised Sunday lunch — roast dry-aged beef, impeccable wine list, service that remembers your name. Afterward, walk thirty seconds to the National Gallery of Ireland, which houses Caravaggio's 'The Taking of Christ,' Vermeer, and Jack B. Yeats — all free of charge, all virtually empty on a Sunday afternoon. This pairing is the most elegant three hours you can spend in the city.

The Dalkey and Killiney Coastal Walk with a Pint at Finnegan's

Take the DART to Dalkey — a village so charming that Bono, Enya, and Van Morrison all chose to live there — and walk the coastal path to Killiney Hill, where the panoramic view across the bay rivals anything on the Amalfi Coast on a clear day. Descend back into Dalkey village and settle into Finnegan's pub for a pint of Guinness that tastes better than any you'll find in the city centre, because everything tastes better after sea air and elevation. This is Dublin's Riviera, and it is spectacular.

Late-Night Natural Wine and Small Plates at Etto or Bastible

Dublin's dining scene has quietly become one of Europe's most exciting, and the sweet spot is the neighbourhood restaurants that Dubliners obsess over. Etto on Merrion Row serves deceptively simple Italian-influenced cooking with a wine list curated by people who genuinely care, while Bastible in Leonard's Corner does extraordinary things with Irish ingredients in a converted Victorian corner shop. Book late, order the full menu, and let the staff guide you — these rooms are where Dublin eats when Dublin wants to eat well.

A Dawn Visit to Glasnevin Cemetery and the Gravediggers Pub

This may sound morbid, but Glasnevin is where Irish history lives — Daniel O'Connell, Michael Collins, Countess Markievicz, and Brendan Behan are all buried here, and the Victorian towers and Celtic crosses are hauntingly beautiful in early morning light. Book a private historian-led tour for the full narrative sweep of Irish independence, rebellion, and literary genius. Then cross to John Kavanagh's — universally known as the Gravediggers — a pub that has been pouring pints since 1833, unchanged and unimprovable, where the Guinness is drawn slowly and the atmosphere is worth the entire flight.

When to Go Show ↓

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Peak Season

June through August

Dublin in summer is genuinely magical — daylight stretches past 10 PM, the Georgian squares are lush and green, and outdoor dining along the canal finally becomes viable. The city fills with festivals, Bloomsday celebrations in June are essential for literary travellers, and the energy is infectious. But hotel rates spike dramatically, Michelin-starred restaurants book out weeks in advance, and certain areas like Temple Bar become almost unbearably crowded — book everything early and stay south of the Liffey for a more refined experience.

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Shoulder Season

April to May and September to October

This is when smart luxury travellers visit Dublin. Late April through May brings surprisingly bright days, blooming rhododendrons in the Wicklow Mountains, and a city that has shaken off winter without yet being overrun by tourists. September and early October are arguably even better — the cultural season kicks off, theatre and gallery openings multiply, and the light over Dublin Bay turns golden and painterly. You will have your pick of the best restaurant tables, hotel rates soften by 20-30 percent, and the city feels like it belongs to you.