Decadent, delightful and full of surprises, Dublin packs a punch that, delivered correctly, will leave you reeling but still wanting more. That’s big talk for a small capital.

Dubliners don’t mind a bit of hyperbole, especially if it’s to ‘big up’ their own beloved burg. Yet Dubs can also be brutally unsentimental about the place, which mightn’t come across as sexy or as sultry as other European capitals, but aren’t pretty things as easy to like as they are to forget? Dublin, they’ll tell you, has personality, which is way more important than good looks, and will last far longer.

Which isn’t to say that Dublin can’t do pretty. An amble through the landscaped parks corralled by the city’s rich Georgian heritage is enough to make anyone’s head turn, while even half a peek at the city’s myriad cultural offerings will show that it has pedigree too, these days expressed as much through its recently acquired multicultural cosmopolitanism as through its own traditional forms.

Yet Dublin’s most enduring quality can be found in Dubliners themselves, both native-born and blown-in. Garrulous, amiable and witty, Dubliners at their ease are the greatest hosts of all, a charismatic bunch whose soul and sociability are so compelling and infectious that at some point during your visit you could find yourself wondering if you could possibly figure out a way of staying here permanently. And if you can’t, don’t worry: it’ll still be here when you come back.