Dublin isn’t a cheap city, but some of its best things are free. The national museums and the National Gallery cost nothing, the parks are some of the finest in Europe, and you can walk the whole centre in an afternoon.
Here’s what’s free, when it’s open, and what’s closed right now so you don’t waste the walk.
Free museums and galleries
- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, Kildare Street. Celtic gold, Viking Dublin, the Ardagh Chalice and the Iron Age bog bodies. The best free museum in the city. Tuesday to Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday and Monday 1pm–5pm.
- National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square. Caravaggio, Vermeer, Jack B. Yeats and a superb Irish collection. The permanent collection is free; some temporary exhibitions charge.
- The Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks. The famous Natural History Museum is closed for refurbishment, but around 1,300 of its objects are on show at the National Museum’s Collins Barracks site, alongside silver, costume and 20th-century Irish history. Luas Red Line to Museum.
- Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Kilmainham. In a magnificent 17th-century building with formal gardens, and a free drop-in tour every day at 4pm.
- James Joyce Tower, Sandycove. The Martello tower where Ulysses begins. Normally open 10am–4pm, closed Mondays. DART to Sandycove & Glasthule.
- The Little Museum of Dublin is free on Wednesday mornings if you book ahead (normally €18).
- MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland, has a free late opening from 6pm to 9pm on the first Friday of the month (normally €18).
Full details and what’s closed: Dublin museums and galleries.
Free sights and buildings
- Trinity College campus. Walk through the front gate on College Green and wander the cobbled squares. The Book of Kells needs a ticket, but the campus is free. Guide
- The Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square. A quiet memorial garden at the top of O’Connell Street. Guide
- Áras an Uachtaráin, the President’s house in the Phoenix Park. Free guided tours on Saturdays, with tickets given out on the day at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, first come first served. Details
- The Famine memorial on Custom House Quay. What it means
- The statues. Molly Malone, Jim Larkin, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and the rest. Where to find them
- Street art and murals. Where to look
Free parks and walks
- St Stephen’s Green, at the top of Grafton Street.
- The Iveagh Gardens, Dublin’s “secret garden”, hidden behind the National Concert Hall a couple of minutes from the Green.
- Merrion Square, with its Georgian doors and the Oscar Wilde statue.
- The Phoenix Park, one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe, with wild deer. How to do it properly
- The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, with Victorian glasshouses.
- A walk along the Liffey quays, from the Four Courts to the Docklands. The route
- The Howth cliff walk. The walk is free; you just pay the DART fare to get there. Guide
More green spaces: Dublin parks and gardens.
Free right now? What’s closed
- Dublin Castle, including its courtyards and gardens: closed until January 2027. Details
- The Chester Beatty, normally free: closed with the castle until January 2027.
- The Natural History Museum (the Dead Zoo): closed for refurbishment. Go to the Dead Zoo Lab instead. Why it’s loved
- The Hugh Lane Gallery: closed for redevelopment, with reopening reported for 2028.
A free day in Dublin
Trinity’s campus first thing, St Stephen’s Green, the National Museum of Archaeology, lunch, the National Gallery and Merrion Square, then a walk along the quays to the Famine memorial at dusk. You see a great deal of the city without buying a single ticket.
Want to see the paid sights too? See one day in Dublin, and check whether the Dublin Pass would save you money.
Opening times checked on each official website, November 2026.