Updated February 2025–Is Dublin on your list of places to visit in 2025? If so, you’ll need to know if affordable accommodation is available.
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Like other European cities, accommodation in Dublin can run high, especially during the peak tourist season.
Here are 8 affordable hotels and guesthouses in Dublin that are close to the city’s main attractions.
When I say “affordable,” I mean the best prices that I have found in Dublin right now, which can be quite high for some and not so expensive for others, depending on one's budget.
You’ll get cheaper rates if you visit Ireland during the shoulder season (mid-April through May and late September through October).
All prices quoted in this blog post are for potential stays in June 2025.
1. Wynn’s Hotel
This historic hotel located on Abbey Street has been part of the Dublin city landscape since 1845.
The pristine 3-star accommodation once played a vital role leading up to the 1916 Easter Rising. It was subsequently burned to the ground during the conflict and rebuilt. Ten years later, in 1926, it was re-opened.
Expect plush furnishings, a distinct Victorian style, beautiful stained glass, and plenty of value at Wynn’s Hotel.
You’ll discover comfortable bedrooms at Wynn’s – there are single bedrooms, double, triple, and even quads available. All come with large bathrooms.
You won’t go hungry at Wynn’s.
The hotel’s Playwright Restaurant will satisfy, with hearty meals in the evening and an excellent breakfast that includes a full Irish or Continental.
Relax in the Saints and Scholars lounge for a drink or a quick coffee, but you can also get meals there too, including a carvery lunch.
Cost: The cost to stay in Wynn's Hotel is approximately $216 for a single room (1 twin bed); $278 for a twin room (2 twin beds) and for a classic double room (1 full bed). A full Irish breakfast is included.
Location: Excellent – close to many city-center attractions, the city’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street, and its shopping district, Henry Street. It’s also close to public transportation. The Luas tram stops outside the hotel. I consider this a good value hotel for Dublin these days.
Other Pluses: On-site gym, parking, and free Wifi.
2. Ariel House
The Ariel House is actually a combination of two Victorian townhouses in the well-heeled neighborhood of Ballsbridge.
You’ll feel instantly at ease in this beautiful small Dublin accommodation, which includes a living room equipped with a grand piano that guests are welcome to use.
The staff is friendly and willing to help, including offering information on city attractions, tickets for bus tours, and more.
The Ariel House has 37 en-suite bedrooms located in the property’s garden wing. Standard rooms are quite comfortable, but if you want a room with more lavish furnishings, you’ll need to upgrade. In my opinion, the standard rooms are just fine.
Hearty breakfasts are the norm at Ariel House, with the usual full Irish or pancakes stacked with cream and berries.
Cost: Rates at The Ariel House are between $260 and $300 per night, accommodating 3 people. Breakfast is included.
Location: Good – the Landsdowne DART station is about 2 minutes away from the property, which will get you into the city center, about 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) away.
Other Pluses: Afternoon tea at an additional cost.
3. The Maldron Hotel Smithfield
If the Jameson Distillery is at the top of your attractions list once you get to Dublin, then staying at the Maldron Hotel Smithfield is a hop and a skip away (less than a minute’s walk).
The Smithfield section of the city, where the hotel is located, was once the site of Dublin’s colorful horse markets, but these days it is a striking urban space.
This comfortable accommodation has 92 rooms spread over 5 floors, including family rooms.
The rooms are spacious and come with all the facilities you’d expect from a modern hotel.
Food is available at the hotel’s Grill and Grain restaurant, where you can get breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Cost: Rates at The Maldron range average betweem $299 and $354 per night, with a choice of deluxe triple rooms (1 single bed & 1 double bed), deluxe double rooms (1 double bed), and deluxe twin rooms (1 single bed & 1 double bed).
Breakfast is not included in the nightly rate and is around $17 per person.
You can choose from the “Vitality Breakfast, which includes a selection of bread and pastries, fruit, cheese, yogurt, and a choice of cereals, or the hotel’s hot breakfast selection that consists of a full Irish breakfast, a vegan breakfast, scrambled eggs and bacon or the chef’s daily specialty.
Location: Excellent – close to some of Dublin’s most popular attractions, including the distillery, as noted above, and The Collins Barracks campus of the National Museum of Decorative Arts & History. It is also close to the Luas tram.
Other Pluses: 5 disability-adaptive rooms; free Wifi.
4. The Gibson Hotel
Located close to the River Liffey, the Gibson Hotel is not in the city center per se but part of the growing Dublin’s Docklands, an exciting area of the city that is the setting for a variety of good restaurants, bars, and other eateries.
The Gibson is much bigger than the previous Dublin accommodation mentioned above, with 252 rooms. If you are lucky enough to stay in one of its top-floor rooms, you’ll get an enviable view of Dublin and the Dublin Mountains beyond.
A courtyard filled with greenery and a lobby decorated with paintings, tapestries, and sculptures makes for an interesting vibe.
The bedrooms are modern with all the conveniences you would expect in today’s hotels, with adjoining bathrooms (shower but no bath).
Food is available in the hotel’s “Coda” restaurant, which offers bistro-style fare for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served there as well.
Drinks and small bites are available in the hotel’s “Hemi Bar.”
Cost: Rates at The Gibson are $371 per night for a superior double room and superior twin room, and $382 per night for a superior king room.
Location: Good – the Luas is nearby and takes about 10 minutes to get to the city center. It is beside the 3Arena concert venue so handy if you’re in town for a concert.
Other Pluses: Secure private parking onsite; a fitness suite and relaxation area with outdoor baths.
5. The Harding Hotel
If you’re really hunting for budget accommodation in Dublin, the Harding Hotel should fit the bill.
The 2-star hotel is small, with 52 basic rooms that are clean and surprisingly large. All rooms come with a private bathroom and are equipped with the usual phone, TV, and free Wifi. You’ll also find a refrigerator in each room.
Hearty pub fare is served up at the hotel’s Darkey Kelly's Restaurant and Bar. You’ll also get live music there most evenings.
Breakfast is available in the form of a Continental, vegetarian, and full Irish, but is not included in the nightly rate.
The hotel is just a 5-minute walk from the popular Temple Bar area, a plus if you want to easily access the trendy pubs in this section of Dublin.
Cost: You can get a room for $237 per night (choose from a double room with one extra-large double bed or a twin room with two single beds) or $278 for a triple room (3 single beds), or if you're traveling solo, a single room for $140 per night.
Location: Excellent – you’ll be close to many of Dublin’s popular city center attractions, and well over half of the rooms in The Harding Hotel have great views of Christ Church Cathedral across the street.
Other Pluses: Great value for money.
6. The Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge
Located in what is known as Dublin’s Embassy Belt, the Clayton Hotel is so appealing from the outside that you’ll want to stay for sure.
Constructed in the 1880s, this former Freemason’s orphanage is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture. Take note of the beautiful stained glass, as well as the original fixtures and fittings when you stay in this gracious hotel.
This is a very nice area of Dublin, with plenty of pubs and restaurants and close to most of the popular attractions in the city.
There are 335 spacious bedrooms at The Clayton Hotel that include junior suites, executive rooms, superior rooms, deluxe rooms, family rooms, and the Tower and Thomas Prior Suites.
Many of the rooms include perks like a bathrobe and slippers, complimentary mineral water, and a Nespresso coffee machine. Other amenities include complimentary Wifi, tea and coffee-making facilities, and more.
There are a number of options when it comes to dining at the Clayton, including the Grandstand Restaurant and Bar as well as the Red Bean Roastery.
Breakfast is an additional €21 per person.
Cost: Rates at this hotel are $309 per night for a double/single room (1 single bed, 1 double bed) and a double room (1 double bed only), in addition to $320 for a deluxe king room.
Location: Good – while the hotel is not in the city center, it is next door to the Royal Dublin Showgrounds, a 10-minute walk to the Aviva Stadium, and a 15-minute walk to the Sandymount beach.
A bus that will bring you into the city is a few minutes away. The Aircoach Dublin Airport bus stops outside the hotel’s main entrance.
Other Pluses: on-site gym.
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7. The Pembroke Townhouse
If you’re not into big hotels when you travel, then the Pembroke Townhouse, a Georgian building in Dublin’s wealthy Ballsbridge suburbs, will no doubt suit.
Beautiful period furniture, a working fireplace in the hall, a handsome drawing-room, and a gorgeous staircase will take you back in time.
But there’s another wing to this townhouse, and it’s thoroughly modern with all of the conveniences that today’s tourist has come to expect.
There are 48 rooms in the Pembroke Townhouse, some include the original Georgian rooms complete with high ceilings and sash windows. All rooms are en-suite although some of the bathrooms are rather small.
Cost: The cost of a small double room at the Pembroke Townhouse is $270 per night and between $270 and $300 per night for a large double room (1 extra-large double bed and a single bed).
Breakfast is served until 11 a.m. Options include baked goods, hot chocolate, smoked salmon and of course the full Irish. It is not included in the nightly rate. The cost is around $19 per person.
Location: Good – though not in the city center, you can get there by walking to the nearby DART station.
The Aircoach airport bus also stops close to this hotel.
Other Pluses: Free parking; laundry and dry-cleaning service; two rooms at the Pembroke are fully adaptable for people with disabilities. Disabled access to the main entrance is by the car park at the rear.
8. Kelly’s Hotel
This family-run city center hotel, described by its owners as the “sharpest boutique hotel in the heart of Dublin’s city center,” is in the Creative Quarter, an area stretching from South William Street to George’s Street and from Lower Stephen’s Street to Exchequer Street.
There are 16 bedrooms over the space of 3 floors at Kelly’s Hotel. Bedrooms are minimal but more than adequate for guests, all equipped with en-suite bathrooms.
You can choose from the standard single, the standard double, the executive double, or the penthouse suite, which is on two levels, with a spacious living room and two separate bedrooms. The suite also includes a doorless walk-in shower.
Kelly’s offers free Wifi throughout the hotel. There is no elevator in the building nor is there a parking lot. Best to stay at Kelly’s without a vehicle.
The hotel’s “Candle Bar,” is a convenient spot for a nightcap. Breakfast is available daily in its l’Gueuleton restaurant, offering French cuisine with a twist.
It is also home to The Bar With No Name.
Cost: The cost of a standard double room at Kelly's is $232 per night. An executive double room (extra-large double bed) is $314 per night.
Location: Within a 3-minute walk from the city's fashionable Grafton Street.
Other Pluses: Great value for money given its central location.
Discover the Best of Dublin on a Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour
Aparthotels in Dublin Worth Mentioning
StayCity Aparthotel Saint Augustine Street
Half hotel and half apartment, this Staycity Aparthotel accommodation in Dublin’s Saint Augustine Street is great value if you don’t mind self-service.
The Dublin-based Staycity brand, which has over 5,000 similar properties in countries across Europe, is attractive for families and others who find it hard to find affordable hotel rates.
In fact, you’ll find several Staycity Aparthotels in Dublin alone (see more below).
Many of them have open-plan lobbies with a reception area and coffee stations and stores that sell all the essentials you’d need while on vacation.
This particular one is set to open in April 2025.
Cost: A one-bedroom apartment suitable for 3 people goes for $140 per night.
The apartment includes a living room (includes 1 sofa bed), a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom with a double bed.
A two-bedroom apartment goes for $250 a night and a three-bedroom costs $326 per night.
Location: Ideally situated near Dublin’s prime tourist attractions, including Temple Bar, a 5-minute walk away; Christchurch Cathedral; the Brazen Head, Dublin’s oldest pub; and the Guinness Storehouse, a 10-minute walk away.
Other Pluses: If sustainability is important to you, know that the Staycity brand takes this very seriously, aiming for a net zero emissions at each accommodation.
Dublin's other Staycity properties include: Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli, Staycity Aparthotels Christchurch, Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Castle, Staycity Aparthotels Mark Street, Staycity Aparthotels City Quay, and Staycity Aparthotels Dublin City Centre.
Zanibar Locke Aparthotel
What was once a 1,200-capacity superpub is now another popular aparthotel on Dublin’s Ormond Quay near The Ha’Penny Bridge.
One hundred and sixty studio apartments make up this accommodation, a UK brand that is described as “home-meets-hotel.”
There are two options available, either the 25 square-meter City Studios or the 40 square-meter River Suites.
Both have a Scandinavian-style feel to them with board-stamped concrete, marble counters, contemporary prints on the wall and gold on the door handles, bars and faucets.
You can cook yourself but for less hassle, I’d suggest eating in the Baraza Bar and Restaurant.
Breakfast is available in the lobby, with a selection of pastries, juice, yogurt, granola and hot dishes at well.
Cost: The rate for one night in the City Studio is $297 per night (queen bed).
Location: Close to all major city center attractions.
Other Pluses: Good interior soundproofing ensures a good night's sleep even though this is central Dublin.
You might also want to look into Beckett Locke Aparthotel in Dublin's Docklands .
Is a visit to Ireland's capital on your 2025 to-do list? Would you consider staying in any one of these affordable hotels and guesthouses in Dublin? Let me know in the comments below.
Great article! We stayed at the Cllayton Ballsbridge and enjoyed it very much. We are hoping to get back again in a couple of years and do some things differently. It’s great to have some input on affordable lodging around Dublin and know of some of the extra perks and locales. Thank you.