Dublin’s knack for mixing storytellers with start-ups keeps paying off – on the streets and in the stats. It has the highest Standard of Living in Europe, and you feel it in a compact core that’s #11 for Walkability and #9 for Biking, with the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan designed to trim through-traffic and string together safer cycle spines from the Docklands to the Grand Canal.
The business story is equally kinetic. Economic Output sits at #1, with big tech and biopharma investing in cloud campuses on the west side as the Grange Castle life-sciences cluster adds capacity. Europe’s Top 5 most-educated residents keep multinationals anchored in “Silicon Docks,” while Trinity and UCD feed a steady pipeline of researchers and founders. Tourism and hospitality are surging, in line with the city’s #15-ranked overall Prosperity index. The Leinster near Merrion Square debuted in 2024 and 2025 brought refreshed rooms and new dining at heritage addresses across the Georgian core; and Clerys Quarter and North Dock retail continues to fill with global flagships. Dublin Airport – now leveraging its North Runway – has reduced taxi times, and terminal upgrades aimed at smoothing peak flows are continuing in 2026.