Lunch & Dinner: Students and Newbury Street shoppers love the Trident Booksellers Café, with its diverse book inventory and eclectic menu ranging from BLTs to Tibetan dumplings (338 Newbury St.; 617-267-8688; entrées, $9–$13). Many a book deal has been celebrated at Hamersley's Bistro, a South End institution (553 Tremont St.; 617-423-2700; entrées, $26–$35).

Tip: Just 20 miles from downtown, Walden Pond is where Henry David Thoreau decamped to in 1845, chronicling his experience in Walden. The 400-acre area is a year-round retreat, with cross-country skiing in winter and swimming and kayaking in summer (978-369-3254; mass.gov).

Where
Dublin, Ireland

Why: Dublin abounds with literary landmarks, from George Bernard Shaw's birthplace, now a museum (33 Synge St.; 353-1-475-0854), to bronze statues of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Brendan Behan on North Earl Street, Merrion Square, and the Royal Canal, respectively. McDaids was the drinking haunt of Behan, Joyce, and Sean O'Casey (3 Harry St.). Among the exhibits at the Dublin Writer's Museum are a first edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Samuel Beckett's telephone (353-1-872-2077).

Room: Next door to Trinity College and within walking distance of Grafton Street's shopping and the Gaiety Theatre, Trinity Lodge is a fine Georgian building with a chic interior, friendly staff, and a smart wine bar and bistro. Rooms are comfortable and spacious (353-1-617-0900; trinitylodge.com; doubles, $160–$218).

Lunch & Dinner: Fallon & Byrne, a brasserie-style restaurant, serves modern Irish dishes, plus hearty soups and salads (11-17 Exchequer St.; 353-1-472-1010; entrées, $23–$47). 101 Talbot is a local favorite for its hearty food with an Irish-Mediterranean flavor—think Clare Island salmon and roasted monkfish (101 Talbot St.; 353-1-874-5011; entrées, $21–$37).

Tip: The five-day Dublin Writers Festival, in June, attracts international authors (dublinwritersfestival.com). Celebrate Ulysses with readings, food, and wanderings on Bloomsday, June 16 (jamesjoyce.ie). Actors lead the evening Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (353-1-670-5602; dublinpubcrawl.com; $18).

The Splurge

Berlin
To see how Berlin's culturati live, take Berlinagenten's Urban Living tour, a voyeuristic excursion that opens the doors to their homes (49-30-43720701; berlinagenten.com; $212).

Boston
Become a member of the Boston Athenaeum private library and you'll be able to access rare books on the upper four floors (617-227-0270; bostonathenaeum.org; $115).

Dublin
Cathach Books has rare volumes of Irish literature and history and signed copies. A first edition of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is $2,570 (10 Duke St.; 353-1-671-8676).