Things to Do in Dublin: The Honest List

“What should I do in Dublin?”

The honest answer depends on how long you have, whether it’s raining, and how much you like history, beer, or both. So here’s the full list, quick and practical.

Planning by days? Follow our itineraries for one day, two days or three days in Dublin. On a budget, see free things to do; if the forecast is grim, see what to do when it rains; and before you buy a city pass, read is the Dublin Pass worth it?

If you only have one day

1. Trinity College and the Book of Kells first thing, before the queues.
2. Walk up Grafton Street to St Stephen’s Green.
3. The free National Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street.
4. Lunch, then across to Christ Church and Dublinia. (Dublin Castle is closed until January 2027.)
5. Down Thomas Street to the Guinness Storehouse for a pint with a view.
6. Evening: a proper pub. See where to drink if you hate tourist pubs.

The big attractions

• Kilmainham Gaol: the most moving hour in Dublin. Book weeks ahead, and only on the official site.
• Trinity College and the Book of Kells: the manuscript, the Long Room and a free campus to wander.
• Guinness Storehouse: seven floors of stout and the best bar view in the city.
• Dublin Castle: closed to the public until January 2027. Once it reopens, take the guided tour for the Viking excavation and the Chapel Royal.
• Jameson Distillery Bow St: whiskey, guided, with a tasting.
• GPO Museum: the 1916 Rising in the building where it happened. Closed Sundays.
• Glasnevin Cemetery: Irish history, grave by grave, and a round tower to climb.
• Dublinia: Viking and medieval Dublin, great for families.
• Dublin Zoo: one of the oldest zoos in the world, in the Phoenix Park.

Free things to do

• The National Museum of Archaeology, the National Gallery, IMMA and the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks. See our museums guide.
• Walking the Trinity College campus.
• The parks: St Stephen’s Green, the Iveagh Gardens, Merrion Square, the Phoenix Park and the Botanic Gardens.
• The Garden of Remembrance.
• Áras an Uachtaráin on Saturdays (free tours). See castles and stately homes.
• The James Joyce Tower in Sandycove.
• A walk along the Liffey quays, from the Four Courts to the Famine sculptures.
• Street art you’ll walk past: hidden art and murals.

For history lovers

• The 1916 trail: the GPO, the Garden of Remembrance, Kilmainham Gaol and Glasnevin.
• Viking and medieval Dublin: Dublinia, Christ Church, St Patrick’s, Marsh’s Library and Dublin Castle (closed until January 2027). See churches and cathedrals.
• Georgian Dublin: Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square, the Custom House and the Little Museum of Dublin.
• Emigration: EPIC and the Jeanie Johnston famine ship on the quays.
• Literary Dublin: MoLI, the James Joyce Tower, Marsh’s Library and James Joyce for people who’ll never read Joyce.

Pubs, food and nights out

• Where to drink if you hate tourist pubs
• Hidden pubs that still let you sit in silence
• Where to find the best pint of Guinness
• Temple Bar: what it actually is

Shopping

Grafton Street, Powerscourt Townhouse, George’s Street Arcade and Henry Street. See shopping in Dublin.

With children

The zoo, Dublinia, Malahide’s fairy trail, Croke Park and the seals at Howth. See Dublin with kids.

Day trips

• Howth: cliff walks and seals, 30 minutes on the DART.
• Malahide: a castle and gardens. See castles.
• Dalkey and Killiney: medieval village, sea swimming and the best view south.
• Glendalough and Powerscourt: mountains, monks and gardens.
• The long tours to the Cliffs of Moher, the Giant’s Causeway and Newgrange.

All in our guide to day trips from Dublin.

Planning your trip

• Visitor essentials: tourist offices, money, weather, phones and safety
• Dublin Airport to the city centre
• Getting around: Luas, DART, buses and Leap cards
• Where to stay in Dublin
• What Dublin is actually like in October

And the things nobody else tells you

That’s what the rest of this site is for: why Dubliners don’t say hello, where to find a toilet, how not to get fined on the Luas and why the Liffey is brown.

Enjoy the city. Bring a coat.