Few cities are as compact as Dublin, ideal if you’re trying to hit all of the must-see attractions. Even better, the Irish capital offers one of Europe’s best bike rental programs, so you can easily pedal from site to site.

But when you’ve done all that, turn in the bike and wander the medieval cobblestoned streets of Temple Bar, stretching from the River Liffey south to Dame Street, known as “the heart of cultural life in the city.”

Temple Bar carries the name of Sir William Temple, a 17th-century provost of Trinity College whose garden occupied the land (or “bar”) next to the river. In the 18th century, the area became a hotbed of prostitution and by the 20th century eroded in decay. Untouched by the modernization that changed much of the city’s historic architecture, Temple Bar in the 1980s began to regenerate as a cultural quarter. Today, the narrow, winding streets host more than 50 organizations which provide a showcase for the Emerald Isle’s history, art, clothing, entertainment, food and drink.

Meeting Place Square serves as the neighborhood’s outdoor venue for theater, circus acts, readings, music and films. Every April 13, it echoes with the singing of Handel’s Messiah, which debuted here on Fishamble Street in 1742. Every weekend, iconic Cow’s Lane is the scene of busy food, book and designer markets.

The Project Arts Centre, home to two theaters and a gallery, offers a variety of free exhibitions and reasonably priced events year-round. Many Irish artists got their start here, including Liam Neeson and U2. In the Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, 30 Irish artists create and exhibit their work. More than 3,000 prints of works by Irish and international artists may be purchased in the Graphic Studio Gallery. Free exhibitions at the National Library of Ireland’s National Photographic Archive draw from 34,000 digitized images, some dating to the 1840s.

After dark, hoist a pint in one of the many pubs, all of which echo with Irish music and craic — the all-encompassing Gaelic word for a good time. Try the Boxty House for traditional potato pancakes and the 160-year-old Temple Bar Pub for its daily Irish music sessions. Squeeze into the small Palace Bar for a pint; one of the oldest pubs in Dublin, literary giants once gathered here.

Wherever you go in Temple Bar, you’ll feel at home. Dublin’s free “City of a Thousand Welcomes” program will even arrange for your own Dublin citizen ambassador.