Things to do · Dublin · Ireland
20 best things to do in Dublin
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Dublin are Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol. Of the 20 picks below, 9 are free, 12 work on a rainy day and 6 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Trinity College and the Book of Kells
- Free sights
- 9
- Good on a rainy day
- Trinity College and the Book of Kells
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity College and the Book of Kells | Trinity College | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Guinness Storehouse | The Liberties | 2–2.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kilmainham Gaol | Kilmainham | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Temple Bar | Temple Bar | 1–3 hours | Free |
| Ha'penny Bridge | Temple Bar | 15 minutes | Free |
| National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology | Kildare Street | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| National Gallery of Ireland | Georgian Quarter | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| Chester Beatty | Dublin Castle | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Dublin Castle | Dublin Castle | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| St Patrick's Cathedral | The Liberties | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Christ Church Cathedral | Temple Bar | 1 hour | Low cost |
| St Stephen's Green | Grafton Street | 45 minutes | Free |
| Phoenix Park | Phoenix Park | Half a day | Free |
| Dublin Zoo | Phoenix Park | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum | Docklands | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Little Museum of Dublin | St Stephen's Green | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Merrion Square | Georgian Quarter | 45 minutes | Free |
| Iveagh Gardens | St Stephen's Green | 30–45 minutes | Free |
| Glasnevin Cemetery | Glasnevin | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Jameson Distillery Bow St. | Smithfield | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
The 20 best things to do
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. The library's Long Room, a 65-metre vaulted hall of oak bookcases, is partway through a multi-year conservation project, so check what is on display when you book.
The cobbled campus itself is free to walk through; come early or late in the day, when Front Square is quiet.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Entry is by timed ticket and summer slots sell out; book on the official Trinity College site.
- 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. The visit ends in the rooftop Gravity Bar with a pint and a 360-degree view to the Dublin Mountains.
Take the first slot of the morning to reach the Gravity Bar before it fills, and try pouring your own pint at the Guinness Academy.
- Time needed
- 2–2.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets are cheaper online and sell out at weekends and in summer.
- Iconic
- Views
- Rainy day
- Food
Historic site · Kilmainham
3.Kilmainham Gaol
This former prison held Irish rebels from 1798 onwards, and 14 leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed in its Stonebreakers' Yard. Guided tours lead through the cramped old wing and the bright Victorian east wing, familiar from many films, and a museum covers the prison and the struggle for independence.
Combine it with the Irish Museum of Modern Art in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, about a 10-minute walk away.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Entry is by guided tour only and tours regularly sell out days ahead; book online as soon as your dates are fixed.
- History
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Temple Bar
4.Temple Bar
The cobbled lanes between Dame Street and the Liffey hold the city's densest cluster of pubs, many with live traditional music from early afternoon, plus galleries, the Irish Film Institute and the Gallery of Photography. A food market usually sets up in Meeting House Square on Saturdays.
Hear the music here, then walk five minutes to pubs on Dame Street or in Smithfield for a better-value pint.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- After dark
- Free
- Food
- Iconic
Landmark · Temple Bar
5.Ha'penny Bridge
This cast-iron footbridge over the Liffey opened in 1816 and takes its name from the halfpenny toll once charged to cross. It links Temple Bar with the north quays and is the classic place to photograph the river.
Cross at dusk when the bridge lamps come on, then follow the Liffey Boardwalk east to O'Connell Bridge.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- After dark
Museum · Kildare Street
6.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. Entry is free, and the domed Victorian rotunda is worth seeing in itself.
Combine it with the National Gallery and Merrion Square, all within a five-minute walk.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Gallery · Georgian Quarter
7.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. Yeats. Entry to the permanent collection is free.
Use the Clare Street entrance into the glass-roofed Millennium Wing, where the café makes a good rainy-day break.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Dublin Castle
8.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. Its roof garden is a quiet place to sit.
Pair it with the Dublin Castle State Apartments, a few steps away across the castle gardens.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- History
Palace · Dublin Castle
1.Dublin Castle
For seven centuries the seat of English, then British, rule in Ireland, Dublin Castle was handed over to the new Irish state in 1922. Its State Apartments, including St Patrick's Hall and the Throne Room, still host presidential inaugurations, and guided tours descend to the medieval undercroft and the remains of a Viking defence.
Take the guided tour if you want to see the underground medieval and Viking remains; self-guided entry covers the State Apartments only.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Religious site · The Liberties
2.St Patrick's Cathedral
Ireland's largest cathedral was built in the 13th century beside a well where St Patrick is said to have baptised converts. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, was its dean and is buried inside, and the adjoining park has a wall of plaques to Irish writers.
Visit Marsh's Library next door, an 18th-century public library with its original dark-oak bookcases and wire-caged reading alcoves.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Religious site · Temple Bar
3.Christ Church Cathedral
Founded around 1030 under the Hiberno-Norse king Sitric Silkbeard and rebuilt in stone by the Normans, Christ Church has one of the largest medieval crypts in Britain and Ireland. Down there, among church treasures, lie a mummified cat and rat found trapped in an organ pipe.
Cross the covered bridge to Dublinia, a hands-on Viking and medieval exhibition that children enjoy; combined tickets are usually available.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Kids
- Rainy day
Park · Grafton Street
4.St Stephen's Green
This 22-acre Victorian park at the top of Grafton Street has a duck-filled lake, a bandstand, flower beds, a playground and statues of figures from James Joyce to Wolfe Tone. It is a favourite lunchtime spot for office workers on dry days.
Enter through the Fusiliers' Arch at the Grafton Street corner, then continue to the Iveagh Gardens or the Little Museum of Dublin.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Park · Phoenix Park
5.Phoenix Park
One of Europe's largest enclosed city parks, Phoenix Park covers about 700 hectares west of the centre, with a herd of wild fallow deer, the Wellington Monument, Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish president's residence, and Dublin Zoo. Bikes can be hired near the Parkgate Street entrance.
Look for the deer on the grassland around the Papal Cross early in the morning, and do not feed them.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Active
Zoo · Phoenix Park
6.Dublin Zoo
Opened in 1831 inside Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world, with an African savanna, an Asian elephant habitat, gorillas and a family farm area. It makes an easy half-day with children, combined with a picnic in the park.
Book online and arrive at opening on weekends and school holidays to beat the queues.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Museum · Docklands
7.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. It suits teenagers and anyone tracing Irish roots.
Pair it with the Jeanie Johnston, a replica famine ship moored on the quay nearby that runs guided tours.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · St Stephen's Green
8.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. Kennedy, on lively guided tours.
Book a tour time in advance; the guides' storytelling is the main attraction.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Park · Georgian Quarter
9.Merrion Square
Dublin's best-preserved Georgian square is framed by red-brick townhouses with coloured doors and fanlights, former homes of Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats and Daniel O'Connell. A statue of Wilde reclines on a rock at the north-west corner, and painters hang their work on the park railings at weekends.
Walk down Merrion Square East and along Fitzwilliam Street for the long Georgian vista towards the Dublin Mountains.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Garden · St Stephen's Green
10.Iveagh Gardens
Tucked behind the buildings on the south side of St Stephen's Green, the Iveagh Gardens have a rustic cascade, a small box-hedge maze, sunken lawns once used for archery and far fewer people than the Green. Open-air concerts are held here in summer.
Enter from Clonmel Street off Harcourt Street, the easiest gate to find.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
- Couples
Historic site · Glasnevin
11.Glasnevin Cemetery
Ireland's national cemetery, opened in 1832, holds more than a million burials, including Daniel O'Connell beneath a round tower, Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera. A museum and guided tours explain Irish history through the people buried here.
Combine it with the free National Botanic Gardens next door, known for their Victorian curvilinear glasshouses.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Experience · Smithfield
12.Jameson Distillery Bow St.
Jameson's original distillery site in Smithfield, where whiskey was made from 1780, is now a visitor centre where tours explain triple distillation and finish with a comparative tasting of Irish, Scotch and American whiskey. Cocktail and blending classes run alongside.
Book a late-afternoon tour and stay in Smithfield for a traditional music session in the evening.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- Rainy day
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse, National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and National Gallery of Ireland |
| History | Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Kilmainham Gaol, National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and Chester Beatty |
| Views | Guinness Storehouse |
| Outdoors and nature | St Stephen's Green, Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo and Iveagh Gardens |
| Food and markets | Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar and Jameson Distillery Bow St. |
| After dark | Temple Bar and Ha'penny Bridge |
| With children | National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, Christ Church Cathedral, St Stephen's Green and Phoenix Park |
| On a rainy day | Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol and National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology |
What to book ahead
- 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.
- Kilmainham Gaol: Entry is by guided tour only and tours regularly sell out days ahead; book online as soon as your dates are fixed.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do 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.
+What can you do for free in Dublin?
Temple Bar, Ha'penny Bridge, National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, National Gallery of Ireland and Chester Beatty. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Dublin when it rains?
Head indoors to Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol and National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology.
+What is there to do in Dublin at night?
Temple Bar and Ha'penny Bridge are best after dark.