Dublin Northside hotels from HK$439

Located a little south of the town of Malahide in County Fingal, the medieval Malahide Castle is an impressive and imposing structure, blending centuries of history in a single setting. While parts of the castle date back to the 1100s, its grounds offer some of Ireland’s best 18th century garden landscaping, making a trip to Malahide Castle a must for both history and nature enthusiasts.

Spot this futuristic crystal building rising high in the dockyards and cycle along the grassy banks of the adjacent canal.

Marvel at one of the world’s tallest public works of art as you stroll down this boulevard of shops and historic buildings.

Croke Park in Dublin is so much more than an impressive sports stadium. “Croker”, as it is locally known, is in many ways is a bastion of Irish identity that protects the spirit of Gaelic games from forces seeking to dislodge it. If this all sounds a bit dramatic you should take the fantastic Croke Park Experience tour to get a very real sense of just how important and deeply ingrained the GAA and Gaelic games are to Ireland’s sense of itself.

Phoenix Park is so important to Dublin that it has its own law on the statute books and visitors should be aware that one provision of this is that “no person shall act contrary to public morality in the Park”. So watch your Ps and Qs!

Dublin Zoo is not the only place in the city that you can take a walk on the wild side but it is probably the most popular. A firm favourite with families, the zoo attracts more than a million visitors every year, and they just keep coming.