Two days is the sweet spot for a first visit to Dublin. It’s enough to see the big sights without rushing, with time left over for a long lunch and a slow pint.
Day one stays on the south side of the river. Day two heads west to Kilmainham, then north across the Liffey for the 1916 Rising.
Day one: the south side
Follow our one day in Dublin route:
- Trinity College and the Book of Kells first thing (from €19). Guide
- Grafton Street and St Stephen’s Green. Free.
- The National Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street. Free, and open from 1pm on Sundays and Mondays.
- Christ Church Cathedral and Dublinia (€16 online). Guide
- The Guinness Storehouse in the late afternoon (from €22). Guide
- Evening: a proper pub. See where to drink if you hate tourist pubs.
Day two: Kilmainham, the 1916 Rising and the river
Morning: Kilmainham Gaol and IMMA
Start with the most powerful tour in Dublin. Kilmainham Gaol is where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were held and executed, and the guided tour stays with you. Adult tickets are €8.
Book this before you travel. It sells out weeks ahead, and tickets are only sold on the gaol’s own website, so ignore resellers.
Afterwards, walk next door to the Irish Museum of Modern Art in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It’s free, the 17th-century building and its formal gardens are worth seeing even if modern art isn’t your thing, and there’s a free drop-in tour at 4pm every day.
Midday: whiskey or the Dead Zoo Lab
Walk to the Suir Road stop and take the Luas Red Line back towards the city, then pick one:
- Jameson Distillery Bow St in Smithfield. The main tour with tasting is from €26 and takes 45 minutes.
- The National Museum at Collins Barracks, free, with the Dead Zoo Lab, around 1,300 objects from the closed Natural History Museum. Get off at the Museum stop.
Afternoon: the GPO and the north side
Cross to O’Connell Street for GPO Witness History, the 1916 Rising told in the building where it happened (€15 online). It’s closed on Sundays, so if day two is a Sunday, swap your days around.
Then walk to the top of O’Connell Street for the free Garden of Remembrance, and look up at the Spire on the way.
Evening: the quays
Walk east along the river to the Famine memorial on Custom House Quay, then back across the Ha’penny Bridge. Our Liffey quays walk has the full route. Finish with dinner on the south side.
What it costs
| Day | Paid tickets (adult, booked online) |
|---|---|
| Day one | Trinity €19, Dublinia €16, Guinness €22: about €57 |
| Day two | Kilmainham €8, Jameson €26 (or Collins Barracks free), GPO €15: €23 to €49 |
That’s roughly €80 to €106 in tickets for the two days. Wondering whether a city pass would save money? We’ve done the sums in is the Dublin Pass worth it?
Getting around
You’ll walk most of this, and the Luas Red Line covers Kilmainham, Collins Barracks and Smithfield. Buy a ticket at the stop or use a Leap card, tapping on before you board and off when you get off. See getting around Dublin.
Where to stay for two days
Stay central so you can walk everywhere. The area around Trinity, Grafton Street and St Stephen’s Green is the easiest base. See where to stay in Dublin.
Staying longer? Add a day trip with three days in Dublin.
Prices checked on each attraction’s official website, November 2026.