Sustainable Dublin in 48 hours

By cycling, supping on sustainable food or sauntering along some sublime seascapes, you will embrace Dublin’s determination to be one of Europe’s cleanest, greenest cities.

Explore Dublin and its eco environs on the city’s shared bike scheme, Dublinbikes. Buy a three-day pass for €5, after which every trip under 30 minutes is free. You can use the bikes by simply using a payment card at one of the bigger docking stations, or else use the Dublinbikes app.

Hire a bike of your own in Dublin’s green heart, Phoenix Park, where you can explore one of the largest urban parklands in Europe, with 14km of cycle paths. You can also explore outside the Park into the city of course. In the Park itself, the Phoenix Cafe is a favourite foodie spot for those with an appetite for sustainability, where cakes are important but so is compostable packaging, and soups and salads are both luscious and locally sourced. Explore Dublin’s cycling routes with the Dublin Cycling Buddy app to get all the slow and safe routes.

Fill your picnic basket at Howth Market, a small fishing village easily accessible on Dublin’s commuter DART train, and then hike the headland of this magnificent spot. The market is open Saturdays and Sundays and has 25 stalls of fresh food and artisan produce. You will find plenty to energise you for the 6km walking loop around Howth Head, taking in views of Lambay Island, Ireland's Eye and Dublin Bay.

There are several other popular coastal walks that take you out of the city centre. These include the Great South Wall stretching 4km into Dublin Bay, out to the iconic Poolbeg Lighthouse in the middle of Dublin Bay. Or take the DART commuter train out to Killiney and walk up Killiney Hill for some of Dublin’s most spectacular views of both the city and the Wicklow Mountains.

Have an afternoon, or indeed a whole day out at Airfield Estate in Dundrum, just four minutes’ walk from Balally tram station on Dublin’s LUAS tram system. Airfield is a gift to gardeners, with a landscaped and carefully curated walled garden, organic kitchen garden, as well as sunken and orchard gardens. Not surprisingly, there is a farm to fork cafe to taste the fruits of Airfield’s earth, but also a plethora of workshops as well as guided walks to enjoy through their native woodland.

Paddle your way peacefully through Dublin in a variety of places by kayak. For marine marvels, take a DART train to Dalkey, just 30 minutes from the city centre, to kayak through the habitat of seals and seabirds, especially on one of the Kayaking.ie sunset tours. City Kayaking also runs paddling adventures along the River Liffey, the capital’s aqua artery, paddling under O’Connell and Ha’penny Bridges. Shearwater Kayaking leads spectacular trips around Howth, in between longer courses for people wanting to commit to further training in this ever-popular water sport.

Sustainable tourism is as much about recognising the cultural heritage of a place as its natural one. To support the world famous acting and arts community of Ireland, one that was particularly hard hit by the pandemic, book a show at one of many leading theatres in the city including The Abbey and The Gate theatres, Bord Gais Energy and The Gaiety theatres, but also the children’s theatre The Ark and leading contemporary Project Arts Centre.

The Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun is an exemplary and exciting place to visit to understand the need for a circular economy. Located in The Boiler House, a pioneering urban regeneration project converting a former civic heating centre into an eco centre, this is now a place to study, shop or just be inspired to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

For food, Fumbally is not only a pillar of the community in the ancient Liberties area of central Dublin, it also boasts many strong pillars of sustainability in its ethos. Another urban regeneration of an inner-city vacant building, their commitment to circular living and sustainability is tangible throughout their cafe, shop, events and wellbeing sessions. The founders of Fumbally have got a firm and fair foothold in The Liberties.

The longest off-road trail in Ireland (not on a former rail route), the Royal Canal Greenway stretches 130km from Maynooth to the village of Cloondara in County Longford, where the Canal meets the River Shannon. Although this is just outside Dublin, its starting point is just 30 minutes from Dublin, and you can rent a bike there too.

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