With kids · Dublin · Ireland
Dublin with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Dublin works well with children when you mix free museums and parks with a few paid highlights. Phoenix Park's deer and Dublin Zoo, Dublinia's Viking exhibition at Christ Church and EPIC's interactive galleries all suit children, and the DART coastal train turns a beach or harbour trip into an outing in itself. Top picks: Dublin Zoo, Phoenix Park and St Stephen's Green. Families usually base themselves in Docklands.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Docklands
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Zoo · Phoenix Park
1.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
Park · Phoenix Park
2.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
Park · Grafton Street
3.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
Religious site · Temple Bar
4.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
Museum · Docklands
5.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 · 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
Rainy-day ideas
- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology — Combine it with the National Gallery and Merrion Square, all within a five-minute walk.
- Christ Church Cathedral — Cross the covered bridge to Dublinia, a hands-on Viking and medieval exhibition that children enjoy; combined tickets are usually available.
- EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum — Pair it with the Jeanie Johnston, a replica famine ship moored on the quay nearby that runs guided tours.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, first-timers, quiet stays and solo travellers
Docklands
Dublin's former docks, nicknamed Silicon Docks for their tech offices, stretch along both banks of the Liffey east of the Custom House. Grand Canal Dock has a waterside square and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, while the north quays hold EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum, and the 3Arena. Hotels are modern with larger rooms, and DART and Luas stops are close.
- Good
- Modern hotels with larger rooms; DART and Luas connections; Calm evenings
- Watch out
- Less historic character; Quiet and corporate at weekends
- Nearby
- EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Grand Canal Dock, Samuel Beckett Bridge, Custom House
Family travel tips
- Children under 5 travel free on Dublin Bus, Luas and DART, and child Leap Cards give reduced fares for older children.
- Pubs generally welcome children with adults during the day, but most ask families to leave in the evening, usually around 9pm.
- Pack waterproofs and keep indoor backups such as the National Museum and EPIC for wet days.
- The bog-body gallery at the National Museum may upset young children; take a look first.
- St Stephen's Green and Merrion Square both have playgrounds in the city centre.
Day trips for families
- Howth (About 30 minutes by DART) — A fishing village on a rocky peninsula at the northern tip of Dublin Bay, with a cliff path around Howth Head looking out to Ireland's Eye and the Baily Lighthouse, seals in the harbour and seafood restaurants along the West Pier.
- Glendalough (About 1–1.5 hours by car or bus) — A sixth-century monastic site founded by St Kevin, with a 30-metre round tower and stone churches, set in a glacial valley with two lakes in Wicklow Mountains National Park.
- Malahide Castle (About 25 minutes by train) — A castle owned by the Talbot family for almost 800 years, with guided tours of its furnished rooms, walled botanical gardens and a large park running down to the seaside village of Malahide and its marina.
- Powerscourt Estate (About 40 minutes by car) — An 18th-century Palladian house in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains with formal terraced gardens, Italian and Japanese gardens and views to the Sugar Loaf.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–September. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Dublin good for kids?
Dublin works well with children when you mix free museums and parks with a few paid highlights. Phoenix Park's deer and Dublin Zoo, Dublinia's Viking exhibition at Christ Church and EPIC's interactive galleries all suit children, and the DART coastal train turns a beach or harbour trip into an outing in itself.
+What can kids do in Dublin?
Dublin Zoo, Phoenix Park, St Stephen's Green, Christ Church Cathedral and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.
+Where should families stay in Dublin?
Docklands: Glass offices, Grand Canal Dock and modern hotels on the Liffey.