Best Time to Visit Dublin

Summer: mild, bright and busy

Dublin never gets properly hot. June is the sweet spot, with highs around 16°C and the longest evenings of the year. Light lasts well past 9pm, so you can walk St Stephen's Green or Phoenix Park after dinner and still see where you're going.

July and August are a little warmer, but they're wetter too. August is the wettest summer month, with 102 mm. Showers usually pass quickly, so duck into the National Museum or a pub and wait it out. These are also the busiest months and the school holidays, so rooms in Temple Bar and around Trinity College cost more and fill up fast.

Spring and early autumn: the best-value months

If you hate crowds, aim for May or September. Both rate well for comfort, and the streets feel calmer. May is drier than July, and the gardens at the Iveagh Gardens and Trinity are fresh and green. September keeps the mild feel of summer, though the rain creeps up.

Bloomsday on 16 June is the big one for book lovers. Fans of James Joyce dress in Edwardian clothes and follow scenes from *Ulysses* around the city. St Patrick's Festival, around 17 March, fills the centre with parades and music. March itself is cool and damp, so expect a wet parade day and bring a proper waterproof.

Travelling with kids? Late May to June gives you the best mix of dry days and long light for Dublin Zoo and the beach at Dollymount Strand.

Autumn and winter: cosy, wet and dark

October brings some colour to the parks, but rain returns, with 101 mm on 17 days. By November and December it rains on most days, and the sun shows up for under two hours a day in midwinter. That's the honest picture. Days feel short and grey.

Still, this is a good time for a city break built around indoor things. Think the Guinness Storehouse, the Book of Kells in the Trinity College Old Library, and traditional music sessions in snug pubs. Winter also means lower prices outside the Christmas period. The Christmas markets and lights on Grafton Street lift December, though the weather won't.

If you want the best odds of a dry, bright stroll, pick June. If you want fewer people, pick May or September.