Museums · Dublin · Ireland
7 best museums in Dublin
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Colin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse and National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology. Together the 7 picks below take roughly 10–13 hours across 7 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 7
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 10–13 hours
- Areas
- Trinity College, The Liberties and Kildare Street
Museums in Dublin
Museum · Trinity College
1.Trinity College and the Book of Kells
Trinity College, founded in 1592, keeps the Book of Kells, a ninth-century illuminated Gospel manuscript, at its Old Library.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · The Liberties
2.Guinness Storehouse
A seven-storey former fermentation building at the St James's Gate brewery, shaped inside like a giant pint glass, tells the story of Guinness from Arthur Guinness's 9,000-year lease of 1759 to its famous advertising.
- Time needed
- 2–2.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Rainy day
- Food
Museum · Kildare Street
3.National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology
Ireland's archaeology museum on Kildare Street displays Bronze Age gold, the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch, Viking finds from Dublin and the 'Kingship and Sacrifice' gallery of Iron Age bog bodies preserved in peat.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Gallery · Georgian Quarter
4.National Gallery of Ireland
Ireland's national art collection on Merrion Square spans European Old Masters and Irish art, including Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ, Vermeer's Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid and a room devoted to Jack B.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Dublin Castle
5.Chester Beatty
In the grounds of Dublin Castle, this free museum shows the collection of mining magnate Sir Alfred Chester Beatty: illuminated Qurans, early Christian papyri, Japanese woodblock prints and Chinese jade books.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- History
Museum · Docklands
6.EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
In the vaulted 1820s CHQ warehouse on the north quays, EPIC tells the stories of the millions who left Ireland and the influence of the Irish abroad through interactive galleries rather than display cases of objects.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · St Stephen's Green
7.Little Museum of Dublin
In a Georgian townhouse on St Stephen's Green, the Little Museum of Dublin tells the city's 20th-century story through donated objects, from U2 memorabilia to a lectern used by John F.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Trinity College | Trinity College and the Book of Kells | 1–1.5 hours |
| The Liberties | Guinness Storehouse | 2–2.5 hours |
| Kildare Street | National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology | 1.5–2 hours |
| Georgian Quarter | National Gallery of Ireland | 1.5–2 hours |
| Dublin Castle | Chester Beatty | 1–1.5 hours |
| Docklands | EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum | 1.5–2 hours |
| St Stephen's Green | Little Museum of Dublin | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 7, 3 free, 4 mid-priced. Book ahead for Trinity College and the Book of Kells and Guinness Storehouse. The longest visit is Guinness Storehouse; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Trinity College and the Book of Kells: Entry is by timed ticket and summer slots sell out; book on the official Trinity College site.
- Guinness Storehouse: Timed tickets are cheaper online and sell out at weekends and in summer.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Trinity College and The Liberties): Trinity College and the Book of Kells → Guinness Storehouse, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Kildare Street and Georgian Quarter): National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology → National Gallery of Ireland, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Dublin Castle, Docklands and St Stephen's Green): Chester Beatty → EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum → Little Museum of Dublin, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 9°C (48°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still chilly and wet; Six Nations rugby weekends bring crowds and push up hotel prices.
- November: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 12 rainy days, quiet crowds. Wet, windy and dark by late afternoon, but prices are low and it is a good month for museums and pubs.
- January: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 13 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cool, damp and short on daylight, but hotel prices are among the lowest of the year and the pubs are at their cosiest.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green — Pedestrian shopping, buskers and the city's central park
- Georgian Quarter — Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square and rows of coloured Georgian doors
- Docklands — Glass offices, Grand Canal Dock and modern hotels on the Liffey
- The Liberties — Old industrial streets around the cathedrals, Guinness and new distilleries
More of Dublin
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Dublin?
Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Trinity College, founded in 1592, keeps the Book of Kells, a ninth-century illuminated Gospel manuscript, at its Old Library.
+Which of these are free in Dublin?
National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, National Gallery of Ireland and Chester Beatty.