After six days of hiking through the peaceful Wicklow Mountains, we worried, at first, that Dublin would be a cacophonous mistake. And, at first, it was. Cars roared past, almost always from an unexpected direction. People walked fast, cell phones pressed to their ears. Double-decker tour buses swayed past, belching exhaust.

Why, oh, why, had we ever left the mountains?

But after we got used to the din, we welcomed our time there. Pubs, restaurants and places of momentous history (Viking conquest, St. Patrick baptisms, 1916 Easter Rising) are alongside great theaters and museums and a million zillion bookstores.Cobblestone streets run past sleek office buildings and posh wine bars. You can wander on your own, and gaze. You can follow a guidebook. Or you can attach yourself to one of any number of guided tours.

Some suggestions:

PAT LIDDY TOURS:

When we set out on our own, we used the excellent "Walking Dublin," Pat Liddy's guide to two dozen walks. One day, the book guided us 5 miles down the Grand Canal -- paved path, grassy banks and elegant swans -- to Kilmainham Gaol. The looming Gothic jail dates to the 18th century and is notorious as the place where the rebels of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed; one of them, James Connolly, too injured to stand, was strapped to a chair and then shot. We picked up the book again a few days later for a walk along the blustery seacoast to the Martello Tower of James Joyce's "Ulysses." Liddy's book is long on context and history and points of interest along the way, but a wee bit short on direction (we got briefly lost several times). If you like his inside knowledge, but don't trust your sense of direction, he also conducts a multitude of tours in person. He also offers downloadable podcasts on the Web (www.walkingtours.ie).

THE 1916 REBELLION WALKING TOUR:

"Would you like a tea or coffee, eh?" the bartender asked as we entered the International Bar on Wicklow Street. Since it was 11 a.m., it was probably too early for a pint. This gorgeous old pub, with its big mirrors, mosaic floors and carved woodwork, is where the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour begins. The two-hour tour winds through Dublin's city center, stopping at key locations of the Easter Rising -- the rebellion that failed, but led to Ireland's independence from England. Our guide was Conor Kostick, who teaches history at Trinity College. His talk was fervent but balanced -- no screed against the Brits, but a strong desire for us to understand what led to the rebellion and what happened afterward. Along with the basics, we learned fascinating details, such as how the British pressed aged veterans of the Boer War into duty along the rooftops of Trinity College, and how, in their confusion, the old vets took potshots at passers-by. Or how the fierce battle between British soldiers holed up in the Shelbourne Hotel and Irish rebels across the street in St. Stephen's Green was halted twice a day so that the Green's groundskeeper could feed the ducks. Kostick is co-author (with Lorcan Collins) of "The Easter Rising," a very good companion book for those hungry to learn more. (www.1916rising.com)

THE LITERARY PUB CRAWL:

The slender man who had taken our tickets clapped a bowler hat onto his head and suddenly became Didi from "Waiting for Godot." He was joined by another actor, Frank Smith, and together they performed a quick scene from Samuel Beckett's play, right there in the bar. And then the man took off his hat and became himself again, Colm Quilligan, who leads these popular pub crawls every evening. (Advance tickets recommended.) From the Duke Pub, Quilligan took us to Trinity College, and then from landmark to landmark, pausing to recite poetry, sing songs and tell us tidbits about James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Eavan Boland, Brendan Behan and many others. After the first pub stop (when nobody wanted to leave), Quilligan took to ringing a bell to get us all going on the next leg. The tour ended outside of Davy Byrne's, famous as the spot where Joyce's Leopold Bloom ordered a Gorgonzola sandwich. Murals inside were painted by Brendan Behan's father-in-law. Quilligan is the author of a handy book, "Dublin Literary Pub Crawl: A Guide to the City's Most Famous Pubs," which he offers for sale, in a very low-key way, for 10 euros. It covers many more pubs than anyone could get to in a single night (www.dublinpubcrawl.com).

OTHER WALKS:

Get information about traditional music pub crawls, and walks devoted to Irish history, Irish food, medieval Dublin, Georgian Dublin and many others at www.dublintourist.com/tours and www.viator.com/Dublin/d503/dublin-walking-tours.

Laurie Hertzel, the Star Tribune books editor, is at 612-673-7302.