It will rain. Not all day, usually, and not hard, but often enough that every visitor needs a plan B. The good news is that most of Dublin’s best sights are indoors, and many of them are free.
Free and indoors
- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, Kildare Street. Gold, Vikings and bog bodies. Opens at 1pm on Sundays and Mondays.
- National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square. Free permanent collection.
- Collins Barracks and the Dead Zoo Lab. Free, and big enough for a whole wet morning. Luas Red Line to Museum.
- IMMA, the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham. Free, with a free tour at 4pm daily.
More in Dublin museums and galleries.
Paid and worth it
| Attraction | Adult from | Allow |
|---|---|---|
| Guinness Storehouse | €22 | About 90 minutes |
| Jameson Distillery Bow St | €26 | 45 minutes |
| Book of Kells and the Old Library | €19 | About 45 minutes |
| Dublinia | €16 online | About 90 minutes |
| GPO Witness History (closed Sundays) | €15 online | An hour to 90 minutes |
| EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum | €22 online | About 90 minutes |
| The Little Museum of Dublin | €18 | About an hour, including a 30-minute guided tour |
| MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland | €18 | About an hour |
| Kilmainham Gaol (book weeks ahead) | €8 | About 90 minutes |
The Guinness Storehouse is the classic rainy-day choice, so it gets busy when the weather turns. Book a time slot as soon as you see the forecast.
With children
- Dublinia: hands-on Viking and medieval Dublin, with dressing up and a medieval tower to climb.
- The National Wax Museum Plus on Westmoreland Street.
- The National Leprechaun Museum: storytelling tours of Irish folklore, for ages 6 and up.
- The GAA Museum at Croke Park: hurling and Gaelic football, with a stadium tour.
See Dublin with kids for more.
Shopping under cover
Powerscourt Townhouse on South William Street and George’s Street Arcade are both indoors, and close to each other. See shopping in Dublin.
And when all else fails
A pub. A fire, a pint and a newspaper is a perfectly good way to wait out a shower, and it’s what half of Dublin is doing too. Our picks: hidden pubs that still let you sit in silence.
A ready-made rainy day
- Morning: the National Museum of Archaeology (or Trinity and the Book of Kells on a Sunday or Monday, when the museum opens late).
- Lunch, then the National Gallery, five minutes away.
- Afternoon: the Guinness Storehouse, booked for around 3pm.
- Evening: dinner and a pub.
It’s mostly a short walk between stops, so bring a proper raincoat rather than an umbrella. Dublin wind turns umbrellas inside out. More on the weather in Dublin visitor essentials.
Prices checked on each attraction’s official website, November 2026.