Dublin nightlife by neighbourhood: which area suits your night, from the North Quays clubs and Temple Bar gigs to George's Street, Camden Street and Smithfield.
Dublin nightlife is spread over six compact areas, and each one does a different kind of night. The North Quays around Middle Abbey Street have most of the clubs: Index, Wigwam, Yamamori Tengu and The Grand Social. Temple Bar mixes famous pubs, gig venues and a speakeasy. George's Street has Victorian pubs, The George and Pygmalion. Grafton Street is for snugs and cocktails, Camden and Harcourt Street for a long night in one place, and Smithfield for trad sessions and craft beer.
Everything is walkable, and most clubs close at 02:30 or 03:00, so choose the area by the night you want and start early. This guide covers what each area is like, where to go and who it suits.
If you came to Dublin to dance, most of what you want is on the north side of the Liffey, a few minutes from the Ha'penny Bridge. Index at 57 Middle Abbey Street books many of the city's bigger techno and house names, with nights from 22:00 to 03:00 and a strict 18+ door that searches everyone. A few doors along, Wigwam is a rum bar from noon and a three-floor club late on Friday and Saturday, with garage, bass and house, tickets from €15 to €30 and a 19+ door.
One street back from the river, Yamamori Tengu hides two small rooms inside a sushi restaurant on Strand Street Great, with a 20+ door and guests such as Sonja Moonear. At the end of the bridge, The Grand Social runs gigs in its Ballroom and house and techno in Frame, its club room, from 23:00. On Eden Quay, The Sound House has club nights from €8 and a covered rooftop terrace that closes at 01:00. The Luas Red Line stops at Abbey Street and Jervis. This area suits people who came for the music and are happy to buy tickets in advance. It does not suit a pub crawl: the bars here are mostly part of the clubs.
Temple Bar is where most visitors start, and it is easy to see why. The Temple Bar, the red-fronted pub at 47–48 Temple Bar, has live Irish music through the day and stays open until 02:30 from Thursday to Sunday. It is also expensive: its 2024 menu priced pints from €8.95 and cocktails from €15.50. Behind a black door on Crown Alley marked only VCC, Vintage Cocktail Club has served cocktails over three floors since 2012. Ring the bell, book at the weekend and bring ID: it is strictly over-23s.
For music, Button Factory on Curved Street runs gigs from 19:00 to 22:30 and club nights until 03:00 from Friday to Sunday. On the quay, The Workman's Club has a club night every night, from indie on Friday to disco and soul on Sunday, and stays open until 02:30. Centre Point on Temple Lane also runs techno and house nights. Westmoreland and Trinity on the Luas Green Line are a few minutes away. Temple Bar suits first-timers, gig-goers and anyone who wants music in every pub. It does not suit a tight budget.
South Great George's Street mixes the oldest kind of Dublin pub with the city's LGBTQ+ heart. The Long Hall at number 51 opened in the 1860s, and its period woodwork, old engravings and art nouveau glass make it the classic first stop. Further up the street, The George has been open since May 1985. RELEASE on Friday has DJs from 21:00, Saturgays starts at 20:00, and Sunday Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar is free before 21:00 and €5 after.
Around the corner on South William Street, Pygmalion sits in the Powerscourt Townhouse with a bar, a beer garden and a club that runs from 22:00 to 03:00, with house and Afro house for €10 to €30. The door is 20+ or 21+ depending on the night. It is a short walk from Trinity or St Stephen's Green on the Luas. George's Street suits a night that moves from a pint to a show to a dance floor without a taxi. It does not suit anyone after hard techno.
The streets off Grafton Street are for early evening rather than late night. Kehoe's on South Anne Street was first licensed in 1803 and still has its Victorian snugs, mahogany doors and stained glass. It was named Best Tourist Pub in Dublin in 2024, opens from 10:30 and closes at 23:30 from Monday to Thursday and at 00:30 on Friday and Saturday. Take a snug early on a Friday, because they go first.
On Dawson Street, Peruke & Periwig spreads its cocktail bar over three floors, with velvet seating and gilt-framed portraits upstairs. It stays open until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday and takes bookings online. The Dawson stop on the Luas Green Line is on the same street. Grafton Street suits after-work drinks, a quiet first round and cocktails before dinner. It does not suit a late night on its own: when Kehoe's closes, walk to George's Street or Camden Street.
South-west of St Stephen's Green, Wexford Street runs into Camden Street, with Harcourt Street just to the east, and together they make one of the busiest late strips in the city. Whelan's at 25 Wexford Street calls itself Dublin's home of music for over 70 years, with gigs most nights and the Whelan's Indie Club on Friday and Saturday from 22:30 for €10. A minute away, Opium combines a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant, a garden under a retractable roof, a rooftop and a late bar that stays open until 02:30 at the weekend. The late bar is over-23s.
Behind Wexford Street, block. runs house and tech house from 22:00 to 02:30 on Friday and Saturday, with stickers on phone cameras and tickets from €10. On Harcourt Street, Copper Face Jacks opens seven nights a week, from 21:00 at the weekend, with three floors of chart hits under the Jackson Court Hotel. The Harcourt stop on the Luas Green Line is the nearest. This area suits groups who want a long night in one place, from a gig to a club. It does not suit anyone who wants quiet streets at 03:00.
Smithfield, west of the centre on the north side, is the place for traditional music. The Cobblestone on King Street North has a session every day, from mid-afternoon until closing, and on Saturday at 17:00 an old-time American session that has run for 20 years. The family has run it for 35 years, and in 2021 a plan to replace it with a 14-storey hotel was rejected after community protests. It closes at 00:30 on Friday and Saturday.
A few minutes away on Queen Street, Fidelity is an audiophile bar from the Whiplash brewery, with craft beer, cocktails and a custom-built Hatchett sound system, open until 01:00 at the weekend. The Luas Red Line stops at Smithfield. This area suits music lovers and anyone who wants a local crowd. It does not suit a club night: for that, take the Luas two stops east to Jervis and walk to Abbey Street.
For a club weekend, stay close to the river between Temple Bar and the North Quays. Index, Wigwam, Yamamori Tengu, The Grand Social and Button Factory are all within a ten-minute walk, and the Nitelink buses leave from the centre. For pubs and a quieter street at night, the area around George's Street and Grafton Street works well, and Camden Street is the base for a long night in one place. Remember that the Luas stops around 00:30 and taxis charge a special rate after midnight at the weekend, so a central bed saves money. Compare hotels and hostels by area on our page of places to stay in Dublin.
Dublin works best when you pick one area for the evening and one club for the late part. For prices, age rules and transport in one place, read the full Dublin nightlife guide. If you are choosing a club, start with our ranked list of the 10 best clubs in Dublin.
For clubs, the North Quays around Middle Abbey Street, with Index, Wigwam and Yamamori Tengu. For pubs and live music, Temple Bar and George's Street. For one long night in one place, Camden and Harcourt Street.
For a first pint, live music and a gig at Button Factory, yes. It is expensive, though: The Temple Bar pub priced pints from €8.95 in 2024, so drink elsewhere once you have seen it.
Smithfield for trad at The Cobblestone and craft beer at Fidelity, George's Street for pubs and The George, and Camden Street for Whelan's and a late night.
The Luas stops around 00:30. On Friday and Saturday nights Nitelink buses run from the city centre for €2.40 with a Leap card, and 15 bus routes run 24 hours every day. Otherwise, take a taxi.
Between Temple Bar and the North Quays, within walking distance of most clubs and the Nitelink stops. George's Street and Camden Street are good alternatives.
