Anytime of year is the perfect time to visit charming Dublin. If you have a choice, try to be there right before the beginning of summer, or at the very end of winter. Besides the facts that travel rates are the best during these times, there are also a variety of celebrations and festivals. St. Patrick's Day is the country's most important feast day and Dublin offers a great festival in his honor. If you plan to visit on this day in March, make reservations well in advance.

If you travel to Dublin you are going to want to make sure that you do a lot of shopping since Dublin has some great shopping areas. The main shopping areas in Dublin are Temple Bar, Nassau Street, Henry Street, O'Connell Street, St. Stephen's Green, and Grafton Street. If you're looking for some great new clothes that are in style for the upcoming season you will want to pay a visit to the Brown Thomas department store that is on Grafton Street for some wonderful Irish design.

Dublin offers several department stores that will keep you busy for hours. St. Stephen's shopping mall offers the largest department store. This area of Dublin gets busy in the summer with plenty of hustle and bustle. Plan on making reservations at restaurants to save on lengthy waits in line.

Dublin shopping offers variety for everyone, with choices among clothing, jewelry, crafts, and antiques. Dawson Street is the area to head to if you are looking for smaller, exclusive clothing stores. The stores will offer one-of-a-kind designer items -- quality clothing at a higher prices.

Colorful indoor and outdoor markets contribute to Dublin's fame. The largest and most popular of these is Mother Redcap's located in Back Lane. The market is huge and will entice you with books, music, antiques, and clothing. Also on offer are tasty fare such as cheeses and cakes, among other delights.

Book lovers can get lost in the wonderful bookstores of Dublin. Whether your interest is general bestseller fare or you are searching for the hard to first edition print, there are many bookstores that can help you find what you're looking for. If you are searching for a selection of antiquarian books, go to Catch Books, which is located on Duke Street. When visiting Dublin, don't forget to take time out of from sightseeing to spend a few hours, or days, shopping.