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To Explore
Dublin City
Visit Dublin
The visitdublin.com website is great for checking out the amazing sights and attractions in Dublin City, but I’ve also listed a few of my personal favourites below.
I love architecture and culture, so hence the long list of museums, but like everything in Dublin they’re all small and compact and definitely worth a visit!
14 Henrietta Street
This is my favourite museum in the city. This fine house has been beautifully restored by the city council and takes you on a journey from its grand Georgian beginnings to the tenement dwellings of its later years. The walls literally tell the story of how people lived here and how the house and its residents evolved through Ireland’s turbulent struggle for independence.
tRINITY COLLEGE & THE BOOK OF KELLS
The main chamber of the Old Library in Trinity College is the ‘Long Room’. It’s almost 65 metres in length and is filled with 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books. It’s a truly stunning piece of architecture and one of the most impressive libraries in the world. The Book of Kells and other manuscripts are on display in the Treasury.
A visit to the Long Room and the Book of Kells is a must if you’re spending a day exploring Dublin. City. Tickets must be purchased online in advance, allow approximately 40 minutes for your visit. There are discounted tickets for early entry before 10am, which are worth booking in order to avoid the crowds later in the day!
Little Museum of Dublin
A charming museum located in an 18th century Georgian townhouse with fine views over St Stephen’s Green, the city’s finest Georgian Square. The Little Museum houses over 5,000 artefacts from Dubliners and chronicles the history of the city in the 20th century.
It offers visitors an intimate glimpse into the life and culture of Dubliners, including an exhibit about the success of U2.
Guinness Store House
No visit to Dublin is complete without a pint of the black stuff!
Learn about the ingredients, history, and culture that tell the Guinness story through a self-guided tour at the Guinness Storehouse.
Why not complete your tour with a pint in the gravity bar overlooking the Dublin skyline, where you can learn how to pour a pint of Guinness and see your face come to life on the head of a creamy pint!
Located in the Liberties, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Dublin, it’s worth taking a little time to wander around the streets of the Liberties after your tour to experience this part of Dublin City, with it’s old Victorian terraced houses, Artisan cottages and Corporation Flats from the 50’s and 60’s. This is where real Dubliners’ still live and where the workers from the Guinness Brewery at St. James’s Gate, were once housed by the Guinness Family in a bygone era. Like so many parts of Dublin city, the character of this area is rapidly changing, where modern high rise apartment blocks and hotels are replacing the old terraced houses.
Dublin Zoo
Set in the grounds of the Phoenix Park (Europe’s largest city park) Dublin Zoo was established 1831and it’s still Ireland’s number one family attraction. There are large natural open enclosures with a wide variety of animals to see. Dubliners have a great affection for this zoo and it’s still a tradition to visit here after making your First Holy Communion!
jeanie johnston famine ship
The Jeanie Johnston tells the story of the thousands of Irish people who fled the Famine (1845 – 1852) and embarked on a treacherous voyage in the hope of a better life in North America and Canada.
The tour takes 1 hour and begins with a walk around the upper deck, where you’ll see the majestic masts and learn about the ship’s history, before going below deck to experience the cramped quarters. This where up to 250 passengers spent most of their time, only emerging for a half an hour of fresh air each day. You’ll be transported back in time on this tour and learn about the Irish Famine and the gruelling journey passengers made to escape starvation.
EPIC Irish Emigration Museum
EPIC is located in Dublin’s docklands, in the vaults of the CHQ Building, which was built in 1820 and used as a bonded customs warehouse for tobacco and wine. This awarding winning museum experience depicts the impact Irish emigrants have had all over the world, since mass emigration began on the island over three centuries ago.
Discover Ireland from the outside in through this visual and interactive museum experience. Make sure to allow plenty of time to explore all the vaults!
Natural History Museum & National Art Gallery
Known to Dubliners as the ‘Dead Zoo’ the Natural History Museum has changed little since Victorian times. It houses a comprehensive zoological collection in beautiful wooden cabinets. I spent hours in here as a young art student sketching the animals with hardly a visitor in sight, nowadays it’s so popular they’ve had to remove some of the displays to make way for tourists!
The National Art Gallery is right door and even if you’re not into art, it’s still worth walking around these beautiful galleries that house permanent and visiting collections. The galleries are compact and easy to navigate with free entry!
National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks
Collins Barracks is my families favourite museum to visit. It was a former military barracks, which would have housed both British Armed Forces and Irish Army garrisons through three centuries. They are the oldest continuously occupied barracks in the world and have been beautifully restored to house exhibits from the National Museum for Decorative Arts and History.
There is lots of Irish culture and history to explore here and don’t forget to visit the ‘Asgard’ boat which is housed in the old army gymnasium.
Windmill lane Recording studios
I can remember this part of the city was very unloved and full of derelict buildings when I was in college in the 1990’s. Due to the demise of Grand Canal Dock and the advent of shipping containers, the local workforce lost their jobs and the neighbourhood fell in to decline.
In the last 20 twenty years the area has been completely regenerated and it’s now the TECH hub of Dublin city, hence the mix of modern high rise architecture alongside old shipping warehouses.
However, tucked away on one of the narrow cobbled streets emerged a small recording studio, where so many Irish and international musicians came to record, most notably U2, Clannad, Sinéad O’Connor and Van Morrison back in the 1980’s. The studio moved to its current location on Ringsend Road in 1990 and is now open to the public.
Take a tour of this iconic studio and learn how tracks are put together, mix your own session with their virtual band and discover the history and stories of the famous artists who recorded there.
My favourite places for brunch in dublin city
- Brother Hubbard – Middle Eastern flavours with outlets on the north and south side of the city. My go to place when I’m in the city!
- The Fumbally – an eclectic mix of delicious healthy dishes and locally roasted coffee in the Liberties, if you’re heading to the Guinness Store House, have brunch here.
- Urbanity – delicious all day breakfast options, home made Soda Bread with soup and a selection of daily sandwiches specials, amazing coffee.
- Alma – family run neighbourhood cafe with the best pancakes in the city, try the Smokey West Corkey Pancakes!
- Bibis – cosy Dublin 8 cafe, loved by locals with high quality seasonal dishes, the menu is always changing.
- Tang – super colourful nutritious and healthy dishes in a city centre location. Also open for dinner.
- Anglina’s – a great place for small and large groups, they serve traditional brunch dishes with delicious mimosas! Dinner is also served.
- Kale & Coco – Vegan cafe specialising in smoothies, salad bowls and healthy sweet treats. The iconic Dublin Cobblestone Pub is not far from here, check out the live Traditional Music!
- The Cake Cafe – leafy oasis located behind a bookshop on Camden Street. Serves delicious sandwiches and cakes.
- Southbank – a great cafe to call into if you’re strolling along the Grand Canal, serves all the brunch classics with a twist. Take a walk via the nearby old Victorian neighbourhood of Portobello, with is pretty red brick terraces and tree lined streets.
richmond barracks to kilmainham goal walking tour
Walk in the footsteps of the 1916 revolutionary leaders as they went to their deaths in Kilmainham Gaol, following their court-martial at Richmond Barracks.
Before starting this walking tour (which lasts approximately 1 hour) take a stroll around the newly refurbished Richmond Barracks, a beautiful former complex of British military buildings; complete the afternoon with a tour of Kilmainham Goal.
There are lots of interesting and enlightening stories about Ireland’s history along the walking route from the tour guide.
Walking Tours are available in July & August only. Kilmainham Goal and Richmond Barracks is open all year.
