💡 The Short Version: The closest hotels to Temple Bar Square in this guide are Zanzibar Locke (about 140 m), The Morgan on Fleet Street (150 m), Wren Urban Nest (210 m), The Morrison and The Fleet Hotel (220 m each). The rest run out to 590 m. The pubs in the lanes play live music from the afternoon, and TradFest runs from 20 to 24 January 2027, with free performances in Temple Bar’s pubs. The Clarence on Wellington Quay is closed for renovation. Prices change with the dates, so check yours on Hotels.com. Or book a pub tour: the Dublin: Traditional Pubs Walking Tour with Local Guidead is from €27.50 for 3 hours.
What Temple Bar is like to sleep near
Temple Bar is the cobbled quarter south of the Liffey, between Dame Street and the river. The pubs there run music through the day: The Temple Bar Pub plays live music from opening to closing, and is open from 10:30 on Monday to Saturday and from 12:30 on Sunday, until 01:30 on Monday to Wednesday and 02:30 on Thursday to Sunday. The Old Storehouse on Crown Alley has music from 15:00 on Sunday to Thursday and from 14:00 on Friday and Saturday, until closing. A pint costs far more here than the national average: see Temple Bar. The sessions in other parts of the city are in traditional music pubs in Dublin.
Dame Street, the southern edge of Temple Bar. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
TradFest, Dublin’s traditional-music festival, runs from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 January 2027. Its ticketed concerts are at venues across the city, and TradFest Extra puts free, un-ticketed performances in the pubs and hotels of Temple Bar (tradfest.com). Visit Dublin lists the Temple Bar Food Market on Meeting House Square on Saturdays, 9:30 to 15:30.
From the airport, the Dublin Express coaches (routes 782 and 784) stop at Trinity College on College Green, at Aston Quay by O’Connell Bridge and at Wellington Quay, all beside Temple Bar, and fares are from €9 one way online: see Dublin airport to the city. On foot, Trinity College is across the road from the College Green Hotel: see Book of Kells tickets. Christ Church Cathedral is at the western end: see Dublin’s cathedrals. Dublin Castle’s grounds are closed to the public until January 2027: see Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty.
The Millennium Bridge over the Liffey, with Ormond Quay Lower behind. Photo: Joseph Mischyshyn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Distances are straight lines from the hotels to Temple Bar Square, so a walk is longer. Each hotel’s own page gives its address and rooms; this guide claims nothing about noise or views. Where to stay in Dublin compares the other areas.
The hotels
The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com. Michelin’s Keys are the guide’s own ratings for hotels, and “Selected” means a hotel is in the guide without a Key.
Up to 250 m
Zanzibar Locke
About 140 m · 34-37 Ormond Quay Lower · aparthotel · Hotels.comad
A Georgian frontage on the north quay, beside the Ha’penny Bridge, with a cocktail bar, a restaurant and a workout studio. The rooms are studios and suites with kitchens, from 26 m² City Studios upwards, according to Locke.
The Morgan Hotel
About 150 m · 10 Fleet Street · 168 rooms · Hotels.comad
A four-star hotel on Fleet Street with air-conditioned rooms, Nespresso machines, and the 10 Fleet Street restaurant and bar. The hotel has parking.
Wren Urban Nest
About 210 m · St Andrew’s Lane · 137 rooms · Hotels.comad
Compact rooms in what the hotel calls a surprisingly quiet corner, between Trinity College, Grafton Street and Temple Bar. It says it is Ireland’s first net zero carbon place to stay, and that it burns no fossil fuels.
The Morrison Dublin, Curio Collection by Hilton
About 220 m · Ormond Quay Lower · 157 bedrooms and suites · Hotels.comad
On the north bank of the Liffey, 40 steps across the Millennium Bridge from Temple Bar, according to the hotel. It has the Quay 14 cocktail bar and the Morrison Grill, which cooks on a Josper charcoal grill and oven.
The Fleet Hotel
About 220 m · 19-20 Fleet Street · Hotels.comad
A four-star boutique hotel in two protected buildings on the site of Bewley’s Café, which Ernest Bewley opened in 1905. It stands 100 m from the Liffey at the quieter end of Temple Bar, and the Tara Street DART station is a two-minute walk. The hotel has Café Bar 1920.
250 to 500 m
The Arlington Hotel O’Connell Bridge
About 270 m · 23-25 Bachelors Walk · Hotels.comad
A three-star hotel steps from O’Connell Bridge, on the north bank. It runs Celtic Nights, a show of traditional music and dance, under its own roof.
The Hoxton, Dublin
About 280 m · 1-5 Exchequer Street · 129 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
On a site where archaeologists found Viking feast pits and medieval coins before construction could begin, according to Michelin. The first-floor Library Bar, which ran for decades before the previous hotel closed, is back, and Cantina Valentina serves Peruvian food.
Motel One Dublin
About 290 m · 111-114 Middle Abbey Street · Hotels.comad
A design hotel north of the Liffey. Dublin Castle, Trinity College and Temple Bar are a few minutes away, according to Motel One.
The College Green Hotel, Autograph Collection
About 310 m · 35-39 Westmoreland Street · 163 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
Three 19th-century buildings opposite Trinity College, joined into one hotel. One was a bank, and its vaults are now the Mint Bar, with live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, according to the hotel. The Atrium Lounge under a glass canopy serves afternoon tea.
Brooks Hotel
About 440 m · 62 Drury Street · 100 rooms · Hotels.comad
A four-star boutique hotel two minutes’ walk from Grafton Street and six from Temple Bar, according to the hotel. It has a private cinema and the 62 Drury Street bar and brasserie, and joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World in 2026.
The Westbury Hotel
About 470 m · 2 Balfe Street · 201 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
Off Grafton Street, between Trinity College and St Stephen’s Green on one side and Temple Bar on the other, according to Michelin. The Gallery lounge has an art collection, and the restaurant is Wilde.
Harding Hotel
About 480 m · Copper Alley, Fishamble Street · Hotels.comad
On a quieter side street, two to three minutes’ walk from Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and Temple Bar, according to the hotel. Its pub, Darkey Kelly’s, has live music every day, and its Copper Alley Bistro serves food.
500 to 600 m
The Grafton Hotel
About 520 m · 31/32 Stephen’s Street Lower · 128 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
An art deco-inspired hotel off Grafton Street, in a 1920s style. Bartley’s, the ground-floor bar and restaurant, has its own street entrance, according to Michelin.
The Trinity City Hotel
About 580 m · Pearse Street · Hotels.comad
A four-star hotel on the doorstep of Trinity College, with a Courtyard Restaurant and the Brunswick Bar. Guests have access to the Trinity College Fitness Centre’s gym and pool.
Leonardo Hotel Dublin Christchurch
About 590 m · 8 Christchurch Place · 182 rooms · Hotels.comad
Opposite Christ Church Cathedral. The rooms are doubles, twins, super kings and executive rooms, and the hotel has a Bar and Grill and a Lavazza coffee bar.
Closed
The Clarence, on Wellington Quay at the edge of Temple Bar, is closed for renovation. The hotel’s own website gives no reopening date.
Next
Where to stay in Dublin compares the other areas. Temple Bar covers the pubs and what a pint costs, and traditional music pubs in Dublin lists the sessions by night. For the days, see 3 days in Dublin, and for the tickets that need booking, what to book before you go to Dublin.
Common questions
Which hotel is closest to Temple Bar Square?
Of the hotels in this guide, Zanzibar Locke, about 140 m away on Ormond Quay Lower beside the Ha'penny Bridge, then The Morgan Hotel on Fleet Street at 150 m, Wren Urban Nest at 210 m, and The Morrison and The Fleet Hotel at 220 m. The distances are straight lines from the square.
Is The Clarence open?
No. The hotel's own website says it is closed for renovation and gives no reopening date. It stands on Wellington Quay, at the edge of Temple Bar.
Which Temple Bar pubs have live music?
The Temple Bar Pub plays live music from opening to closing and opens at 10:30 from Monday to Saturday. The Old Storehouse on Crown Alley has music from 15:00 from Sunday to Thursday and from 14:00 on Friday and Saturday. Oliver St John Gogarty's has no cover charge for its music.
Which coach from Dublin Airport stops near Temple Bar?
Dublin Express routes 782 and 784 stop at Trinity College on College Green, at Aston Quay by O'Connell Bridge and at Wellington Quay, all beside Temple Bar. Fares start from €9 one way when booked online.
When is TradFest?
TradFest, Dublin's traditional-music festival, runs from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 January 2027. Its ticketed concerts are at venues across Dublin, including the National Stadium, where the gala is on 20 January, and TradFest Extra puts free performances in the pubs and hotels of Temple Bar. Book a room early for those dates.
Do any hotels near Temple Bar hold Michelin Keys?
None of the hotels in this guide holds a Key. The College Green Hotel, The Hoxton, The Westbury and The Grafton are in the Michelin guide as Selected hotels. The nearest Keyed hotel is The Fitzwilliam, one Key, about 690 m from the square.
