Dublin, verdict by verdict

Dublin is a small, sociable capital that runs on conversation: Georgian squares along the Liffey, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Kilmainham Gaol and the Guinness Storehouse, and pubs where live music happens on a Tuesday night. Nearly everything a first-timer wants sits within a twenty-minute walk of the centre, and the literary thread runs from Trinity to the writers' museum and into the pub talk itself.

The costs are value and weather. Hotel prices climb hard on weekends and event nights, rain is a year-round companion in every month, and the Temple Bar strip is priced for tourists rather than locals. Monumental sightseeing is not really the point either: Dublin trades on atmosphere over architecture, so travelers who need a checklist of grand sights can find it thin, and anyone needing dry skies should look at the calendar.

Two to three days is the right dose: the centre and one neighbourhood done properly, then a coastal run out to Howth or Dun Laoghaire when the sky cooperates, or a Wicklow Mountains day. May to September gives the longest days and the best odds of dry weather, while March brings St Patrick's week crowds. The centre is walkable, the Luas tram and buses cover the rest, and the airport buses make the run in about thirty minutes.