Under $100: Dublin

Dublin Castle © mradtke | iStock

In Dublin, $100 gets you about €75, so start your day off right with an affordable breakfast at Dublin’s famous Queen of Tarts café. Order one of their homemade scones for €2.95 and a tea or espresso drink for under €3. For something more substantial, get the Hearty or Vegetarian breakfasts, which come complete with tea or coffee (both €9.75).

Visit Dublin Castle for a guided or at-your-leisure tour (both €4.50). On the grounds of Dublin Castle — you don’t have to pay to enter the grounds — is the award-winning Chester Beatty Library, where you can view a vast collection of rare books and artwork for free.

Walk up Grafton Street and watch buskers perform as you head to get lunch from KC Peaches on St. Stephen’s Green. Choose from a large menu for under €12. In nice weather, eat in the park. If the Irish weather acts up, eat in the restaurant for a small additional cost.

No trip to Dublin is complete without seeing Trinity College. After lunch, take a guided tour of the campus with admission to the Old Library and the Book of Kells included (€12).

Stroll down O’Connell Street to Abbey Street Middle and get the Luas tram (€3.20 round-trip) to Smithfield for a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery (€14); or go one stop further and visit the Decorative Arts and History Museum for free.

With about €20 left, you have plenty of options for dinner and drinks. Head to Gourmet Burger Kitchen for burgers or Cornucopia for a vegetarian smorgasbord (both under €15). Then skip the tourist trap of Temple Bar and end your night with a €5 pint in Dublin’s oldest Viking pub, The Long Stone.