tour map of dublin

Best Self-Guided Walking Tour of Dublin (With Map)

By Author Keith O'Hara

Posted on Last updated: December 29, 2023

If you’re after a self-guided walking tour of Dublin that packs a punch, you’ve landed in the right spot.

I’ve lived in Ireland’s capital for 34 years and I’m very confident you’ll love the mini-itinerary that I’ve outlined below.

It includes a one and two day option and it takes in the main things to do in Dublin , unique sights that tourists tend to miss and some historical pubs, too.

Our free Dublin walking tour follows a clear, logical route to ensure that you make the most of your time here. Dive on in!

Table of Contents

Day 1 of our self-guided walking tour of Dublin

Click to enlarge image

The Dublin walking tour map above will give you an overview of where our route will take you over each day.

As you can see, each day has a clear route and packs in a mix of key attractions and places you hopefully won’t have heard of.

If you want a guided tour, you’ll find organised Dublin walking tours with excellent reviews right here (affiliate link).

Money saving tip: If you’re planning on visit some of the main fee-paying attractions in the city, the Dublin Pass can save you €50+

1. Molly Malone Statue

Photos via Shutterstock

Day 1 of our self-guided walking tour of Dublin kicks-off at the now-iconic Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street in the heart of the city.

The bronze statue shows Molly, a famous character from the Irish song ‘Molly Malone’, who sold ‘Cockles and Mussels’ on the streets of the capital.

The statue was erected in 1988 and it has moved a handful of times. You won’t spend long here, but it’s a nice starting point for your stroll!

2. Trinity College

Our second stop of the day is a handy 2-minute walk from the first! Trinity College is one of the most famous landmarks in Ireland .

It is a renowned educational institution and it was established in 1592. It’s also inside the grounds of Trinity that you’ll find the ancient Book of Kells .

Trinity is the oldest university in Ireland and you can take a ramble through its impressive grounds, admire its magnificent architecture and tour the wonderful Long Room Library .

It’s in the Long Room that you’ll find 200,000+ of the college’s oldest books. It’s worth booking the skip-the-line ticket here as it gets busy ( this ticket gets you access to Trinity and Dublin Castle).

Related reads: See our guides on where to stay in Dublin + the best hotels in Dublin in 2024

3. The Palace Bar

Photos via The Palace on FB

The next stop on our self-guided walking tour of Dublin is going to be a brief one (I’m not suggesting you go drinking at this stage of the day!).

While there are many old pubs in Dublin , few are as visually impressive as the Palace Bar, which you’ll find a 3-minute walk from Trinity.

This pub was built in 1823 and it stands today, many years later, as a Victorian shrine, of sorts. Admire its impressive interior, first, and then saunter inside for a nosey (you can return here later).

It’s located just inside the cobbled streets of Temple Bar , so you can have a nosey around this area, if you like.

Related reads: See our guides on the best pubs in Dublin , the best Guinness in Dublin and the best pubs with live music in Dublin

4. O’Connell Bridge

When you’re ready, take the 3-minute walk to O’Connell Bridge, which spans the murky waters of Dublin’s River Liffey.

O’Connell Bridge replaced Gandon’s Carlisle Bridge, which opened in 1794. The bridge that stands to this day opened back in 1880 and cost £70,000 to build.

It measures at 148 ft in length and 160 ft in width. Named after political leader Daniel ‘The Liberator’ O’Connell it boasts impressive features, like its impressive lanterns.

Related reads: See our guides on spending 1 day in Dublin , 2 days in Dublin and 3 days in Dublin

5. The General Post Office

Walk up the historic O’Connell Street (be careful – there are plenty of dodgy characters that hang around here) and head straight from the The General Post Office (GPO) – it’s around a 4-minute walk from the last stop.

The GPO was built during the early 19th century and it’s here that you’ll see some of the more impressive architecture in Dublin , courtesy of the buildings neoclassical design.

This building played a key part in Irish history during the Easter Rising of 1916 when it served as the rebel headquarters. You can take a tour here that’ll immerse you in the city’s past.

6. The Spire

One of the more unique places you’ll visit on this walking tour of Dublin is the Spire – it’s less than 1-minute walk from the GPO… you can’t miss it.

Also known as ‘the Monument of Light’ (along with many other colourful nicknames…), the Spire stands 394 feet tall and it was erected in 2003.

I’ll be honest – the Spire is impressive when viewed from afar, but there’s no real point of seeing it up close.

7. The Ha’penny Bridge

The next stop on our self-guided walking tour of Dublin is a 7-minute walk from the Spire and it’s arguably one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe!

The Ha’penny Bridge , officially known as the Liffey Bridge, is an iconic pedestrian bridge that spans the River Liffey that was built in 1816.

It’s name comes from the fact that you once had to pay a toll to cross the bridge. The cost was a Ha’penny and there were turnstiles at either end of the bridge.

The bridge is a little slice of ‘old-Dublin’ that still used heavily to this day. It’s believed that around 27,000 people cross it each day.

Related read: See our guide on how to get around Dublin

8. St. Michan’s Church

Photos with thanks to Jennifer Boyer

You won’t find our next stop, St. Michan’s Church , on many Dublin walking tours, however, it’s  well-worth  a visit.

It’s a 12-minute walk from the Ha’penny Bridge and it’s here that you’ll find a historic building that dates back to the 11th century.

Oh, you’ll also find crypts with mummies… yes, mummies. In fact, some of the mummies at St. Michan’s are thought to be over 400 years old.

If you’re looking for unique things to see in the capital, make sure to add this one to your self-guided walking tour of Dublin.

9. The Brazen Head

We’re off Dublin’s oldest pub, next – The Brazen Head (a 4-minute walk from St. Michan’s).

The present building that you see today dates back to 1754, local legend claims that the site has housed a tavern since 1198.

And though no documents exist to prove that, we know that there’s been a licensed alehouse here since the mid 17th-century at least (which is old enough!).

If you’re feeling peckish, this is a handy lunch-spot. It’s well worth visiting either way as this place is steeped in history .

10. Christ Church Cathedral

One of the most popular stops on this self-guided walking tour of Dublin is the stunning Christ Church Cathedral , a 6-minute walk from The Brazen Head.

Christ Church Cathedral was founded in the early 11th century under the Viking king Sitruic Silkenbeard (amazingly, that is his real name!).

Originally built as a wooden structure in 1030 with the help of an Irish priest, it was rebuilt in stone in 1172.

The current Gothic-style cathedral, with its striking architecture and impressive interior, has been standing since the 12th century.

11. Dublin Castle

Few castles in Ireland receive visitor numbers like our next stop. Dublin Castle is a 4-minute walk away and it’s here you’ll find an impressive structure that dates back over 800 years.

Originally developed as a medieval fortress under the orders of King John of England, work on Dublin Castle was started by Meiler Fitzhenry in 1204 when the city was under Norman rule following the invasion of 1169.

Constructed on elevated ground once occupied by an earlier Viking settlement, it was completed in 1230 and took on the look of a classic Norman courtyard design.

One of the most prominent parts of the castle today, the imposing Record Tower is the only surviving tower of the original Medieval fortifications.

While its rectangular battlements on the roof are actually a 19th-century addition, they look pretty convincing! 

Related read: See our guide on the best castles in Dublin

12. St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Another firm favourite on this self-guided walking tour of Dublin is located a 12-minute walk from the castle.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a historic religious landmark that was founded in 1191. It’s the largest church in Ireland and it boasts Gothic architecture.

When you arrive here, take some time to saunter around the part and admire the cathedral’s exterior, before heading inside to get an eyeful of its outstanding interior.

13. The Guinness Storehouse

Photos © Diageo via Ireland’s Content Pool

Few Dublin walking tours can resist rounding off a day of strolling at The Guinness Storehouse , which is a 17-minute walk from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Book your tickets in advance (self-guided or guided) and immerse yourself in the story of the most famous of the many Irish beers .

The building itself is part of the Guinness Brewery and it acts as a seven-story visitor centre that takes visitors through the history of Guinness along with how it’s made and more.

The tour finishes on the rooftop in the impressive Gravity Bar that overlooks Dublin City and beyond.

Day 2 of our self-guided walking tour of Dublin

1. St. Stephen’s Green

We’re going to kick-start day two of our self-guided walking tour of Dublin at St. Stephen’s Green , which is often referred to as the ‘Lungs of Dublin’.

You’ll find the nine hectare/22-acre park at the top of busy Grafton Street when it’s home to commemorative sculptures, extensive trees and a large pond.

It has a pretty  wild  history that few are familiar with (read more here ) and it’s a nice, calm spot to kick-start the day!

2. Leinster House

The second stop of the day takes us 4 minutes down the road to Leinster House – the epicenter of Irish politics.

This is an impressive Georgian building that dates back to the 18th century. Now, while you can take a guided tour, if you like, you’re arguably best off admiring Leinster House from afar.

Unless you’re interested in politics, that is – in that case head on in for a journey back through Ireland’s political past.

3. National Gallery of Ireland

Photo left: Cathy Wheatley. Others: James Fennell (Tourism Ireland)

The National Gallery of Ireland is a 5-minute walk from Leinster House and it’s here you’ll find one of the most popular museums in Dublin .

It’s also one of the best free things to do in Dublin when it’s raining! For visiting art enthusiasts, the National Gallery of Ireland is an absolute must.

This cultural treasure trove houses a vast collection of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts spanning various periods, from the Renaissance to the present.

Ireland’s artistic heritage can go overlooked by tourists and locals alike – this is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in it.

4. Merrion Square

Located in Dublin’s charming Georgian quarter, Merrion Square is a delightful mix of greenery and history (and it’s only 5 minutes from our last stop).

The square boasts finely manicured gardens that feel a far-cry from the busy city streets that lay just minutes away.

If you head for a stroll through its grounds, you’ll stumble upon impressive sculptures (including one of Oscar Wilde).

5. Irish Whiskey Museum

Photos by Brian Morrison via Failte Ireland

If you’re taking this self-guided walking tour of Dublin and it’s raining, our next stop will provide some welcome respite from the elements!

You’ll find the Irish Whiskey Museum a handy 15-minute stroll from Merrion Square and it’s here that you’ll discover the story behind the coveted Irish Whiskey .

I’ve done this tour in recent years and it offers a good mix (terrible pub intended…) of sippin’ and storytellin’.

You’ll get an insight into the history of whiskey and how it’s made and there’s also a tasting at the end.

6. Mulligan’s

© Tourism Ireland

Many Dublin walking tours take you to the busy pubs in Temple Bar . However, if you want to dodge the tourist traps, take the 6-minute walk from the Whiskey Museum to Mulligan’s.

You’ll find it on Poolbeg Street where it’s loved by locals and tourists alike for its old-worlde charm.

The pub received its license in 1782 but it operated as a Shebeen (a place where drink was sold illegally) for many years before.

The biggest compliment that I can give Mulligan’s is that walking through its doors makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

Expect a lovely, traditional interior, a fine pint of Guinness and a furnishings that have stood the test of time.

7. The Custom House

The next stop on our self-guided walking tour of Dublin is the magnificent Custom House, a 4-minute walk from Mulligan’s.

This is an architectural marvel on Dublin’s waterfront and it was designed by James Gandon in the late 18th century.

The Custom House is famous for its neoclassical facade which is best admired from afar, first, before up close.

The building is now home to the Department of Housing.

8. The Famine Memorial

Dublin’s Famine Memorial is a poignant tribute to one of Ireland’s darkest chapters in history.

Located on Custom House Quay, a 4-minute walk from the Custom House, these haunting sculptures depict the devastating impact of the Great Famine in the 19th century.

The memorial serves as a solemn reminder of the suffering endured by the Irish people during that time and stands as a testament to the resilience and spirit of those who lived through the tragedy.

Photo left: Eileen Coffey. Others: Ros Kavanagh (via Fáilte Ireland)

The next stop on our self-guided walking tour of Dublin is a handy 2-minute walk from The Famine Memorial.

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum explores the profound impact that Irish emigrants have had across the world.

The museum is housed inside a vaulted space and stories are told via interactive exhibitions and striking displays.

You’ll need to pay into this one but it’s well-worth it (especially if it’s raining!).

10. The Jeanie Johnston

Photo left: Gareth McCormack. Others: Dylan Vaughan (via Failte Ireland)

Many Dublin walking tours omit the brilliant Jeanie Johnston Famine Ship which sits a 2-minute walk from the EPIC Museum.

The Jeanie Johnston is an impressive replica of the original ship that transported Irish emigrants to North America during the Great Famine.

The ship is a floating museum that offers an insight into the challenges faced by those Irish men and women that sought a better life across the pond.

You can take a guided tour here where you’ll be immersed in a story that shaped the very DNA of Ireland.

Dublin walking tours FAQs

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘What’s a good route with free attractions?’ to ‘What unique stops should be included?’.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

What’s a good route for a self-guided walking tour of Dublin?

If you use our Dublin walking tour map above, you’ll find a clear, logical route that takes in the city’s top sights over the course of two days. You could easily chop and change this route if needed.

Can you walk around Dublin in a day?

You can see the main sights in Dublin city in one day. If you follow the route on our Dublin walking tour map, you’ll only be walking from attraction-to-attraction for a total of 1.5 to 2 hours.

Can you walk around Dublin easily?

Yes. Dublin City is very walkable. Once you have a clear itinerary and know where you’re visiting and when, you’ll have no problem exploring the city on a self-guided walking tour of Dublin.

Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries . Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.

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Self-Guided Dublin Tour

This post is a self-guided tour of Dublin that covers all the iconic sites on the city's south bank as well as some lesser-known haunts.

The tour should take approximately 1.5 hours or just a bit less than that. The walk is approximately 1.5 km (just over 1/2 a mile).

Don't forget that you can also book a pay-what-you-like live-guided tour of the city centre with us!

• Start: Viking Longboat Statue
• End: St Stephen's Green

Click the map to enlarge it or to download it to a smartphone.

GPS-Enabled Audio Tour

We also offer an audio tour of historic Dublin, researched, written, and recorded by one of our own tour guides.

Here’s a sample.

Book the Dublin audio tour .

1. Viking Longboat Statue

We’ll see a lot of monuments in the course of the walk, and this one wins the prize for the most useful.

It doubles as a bus stop. If you have it to yourself, pretending to row is a classic photo opportunity.

It surprises many visitors, but Vikings are a major part of Dublin’s story.

Initially raiders, in 841, some of them decided to settle down in Ireland, and they established towns along the coast.

2. Fishamble Street

Today, Fishamble Street is lined with modern buildings today, but its history was discovered starting in 1974 when the Dublin City Council decided to move its offices to a four-acre site here.

When archaeologists spoke up to say they’d found one of the most intact sites of its age in Europe, residents rallied around the idea of preserving it.

Those artifacts are mainly on display at the National Museum of Ireland, and the sidewalk here has little nods to them.

On the left side of the street, you can find five bronze markers with the shapes of artifacts unearthed here.

3. Handel’s Messiah

Also on the left, as the street begins to bend to the right, is a short, narrow white wall with a decorative arch.

This is the former entrance to the New Music Hall, wherein in 1742 the premiere of Handel’s Messiah was performed.

Messiah is a fixture across the English-speaking world during the Christmas season, and no less so here – except the annual tradition here happens on April 13 th , the same date as the original performance.

And since this is no longer a music venue, it takes place outside.

4. Christ Church Cathedral

There’s a lot to see on the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral – the stunning exterior, a labyrinth in the courtyard if you need somewhere to clear your head, and the interior, available to explore with either a guided or self-guided tour. 

Inside, you’ll discover impressive stained glass windows and a mosaic floor, and sacred objects from the building’s history as both a Catholic and a Protestant church.

You'll also find a tower with a world-record-setting number of bells – 19 – and a crypt with the preserved remains of a saint as well as of a mummified cat and rat.

All that inside the oldest structure still in use in Dublin.

The story of this church is long and interesting but you’ll need to learn more with the PDF and/or audio tour version.

If you’re interested in exploring inside, the church hosts services, tours, and music events.

Prayer services are held weekday mornings at 10 and evenings at 5, except on Wednesdays when they hold a choral evensong at 6. Sunday Eucharist is at 11 am.

Tours are available Thursday through Sunday, with first admission at 10 am and last admission at 4:15 pm.

Tickets are 7 Euros and fifty cents for adults with various discounts available.

The tour includes access to the bell tower and crypts, both of which involve stairs.

Tickets: https://www.mytoptickets.com/?3B041324-155D-D234-0AA684C0D2E68919

5. Dublin Castle

For more than seven centuries, Dublin Castle was the center of government in Ireland.

While there are still some older elements under the castle, most of what you can see dates from after a major fire.

It took place in the 17 th century, so the castle was rebuilt in the heyday of Dublin’s famous Georgian style of architecture.

Dublin Castle was built near the meeting of two rivers: the Liffey, where our tour started, and the Poddle, which still merges into the Liffey here, but today flows underground.

If you’d like to visit the castle, it’s open from 9:45 am to 5:45 pm daily, with final admission at 5:15 pm.

Self-guided and guided tours are available. Guided tours are an hour long and cover the State Apartments, the undercroft, and the royal chapel; tickets are 12 Euros with discounts for students, seniors, and children.

Self-guided tours offer access only to the State Apartments and exhibitions; these are 8 Euros, with the same discounts.

6. City Hall

City Hall is open to the public and free to enter.

Right through the door is a vast, impressive, echoing entrance hall with a massive dome, plus a glass elevator so you can see the whole thing from above.

All this opulence comes from the fact that when this was built in the 18 th century, it was the royal stock exchange and custom house.

But, when the city bought it in the 1850s for its current function, they added a floor mosaic with the city seal.

There’s also a rotunda, which is available to visit when it isn’t rented out for events.

And the basement is home to a small gallery with a broad exhibition of artifacts from Dublin’s history.

There’s also a café inside if you’re due to rest a while. The building is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 am to 5:15 pm.

7. Temple Bar And The Irish Rock ‘N’ Roll Museum

Curved St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

The area you’ve been walking through is called Temple Bar. For newcomers, the name can be confusing – it’s the name of a neighborhood, not a drinking establishment.

For the “Bar” part of the name, think sandbar rather than whiskey bar. It was named for the riverbed it borders.

Today, the bars are of the whiskey rather than the sand variety, and the neighborhood has become a place where art meets nightlife.

The highlight of the neighborhood is its live music venues, and the Irish Rock N Roll Museum was built right in the middle of the action.

Within a few blocks, you’ll find art galleries, theaters, festivals, and lots of bars, more often than not with live music.

There are lots of other things to do in Temple Bar, and it’s well worth exploring this area at more leisure.

It’s also tourist central for Dublin, so scoping things out and making plans during the daytime can save you time after nightfall.

8. Bank Bar

The Bank is a bar and restaurant today, but it started out as a bank.

If you looked inside City Hall earlier, you’ll have gotten an impression of what Irish institutions of commerce looked like in the 18 th century.

This building takes that atmosphere into the late 19 th century.

The current interior was designed in the 1890s, and it was given the stained-glass ceilings, mosaic floors, and generally over-the-top décor that would inspire confidence in investors.

All that grandeur is still there – if you’re here during open hours, you’re welcome to step inside and get a look at the place, whether or not you plan to patronize it.

And if you did decide to stay awhile, you could also see the bank vaults, which are in the basement near the restrooms.

Another treasure on offer is a full replica of the Book of Kells – the main tourist attraction of Trinity College, a couple of stops ahead.

The Bank Bar is open from 11 am to 10 pm daily.

9. Molly Malone Statue

This is Molly Malone. She’s the subject of a song called “Cockles and Mussels,” which is famous to the point of cliché among Irish people.

The title comes from the line “cockles and mussels alive, alive, oh,” which is a cry that street vendors selling mollusks actually used in the 19 th century when the song probably originated.

But its origins are mysterious, and its main character may or may not have been a real person.

Molly Malone is one of the most stereotypical Irish names you could think of.

The character, real or not, meets a tragic end.

After taking up the family business of selling seafood from a cart, she meets the song’s narrator and leaves a strong impression, but then dies of fever and haunts the streets, hawking shellfish for eternity.

And you actually can hear Molly’s voice today.

This is one of the Talking Statues of Dublin – twelve monuments that can talk to you through your phone with the help of a QR code on a plaque located nearby.

10. Irish Houses Of Parliament (Former Location)

We’ve already seen a couple of examples of transformed houses of commerce, a stock exchange turned into a city hall and a bank turned into a bar.

This is a house of parliament turned into a bank.

It was built in 1729 when Ireland was dominated by an English upper class but still had its own legislature.

Like the English Parliament, it was a bicameral or two-house parliament, with a House of Lords and a House of Commons.

They had no permanent home and met where they could, often in religious spaces or private homes, where it could be difficult to even fit all the members, much less do their work gracefully.

This building was commissioned to solve that problem.

The architect was himself a member of parliament, and he designed the first building in the world meant to serve exactly the purpose of a two-house legislature.

In 1800, the Acts of Union, passed by both the English and Irish Parliaments, formally joined the two lands into the United Kingdom.

The Irish Parliament was dissolved. Three years later, the Bank of Ireland acquired the building.

11. Trinity College

What you’re seeing now is the oldest part of Trinity’s campus, mostly consisting of 19 th -century buildings.

Trinity is the single college that makes up the University of Dublin.  Similar universities in the UK contain many colleges.

And that was the model the founders had in mind in 1592 when a Church of Ireland archbishop asked the English crown to grant land that had once belonged to a monastery for the creation of a university.

The bell tower, called the Campanile, is the centerpiece of this area – it’s from 1853, so it’s been here long enough to develop some lore.

Trinity is one of the most respected universities in the world, and its alumni can be found in many corners of the present and of history, including the Irish separatist movement.

Several Irish presidents went here, and it’s particularly known for its literary graduates.

James Joyce unsurprisingly wasn’t one of them, but Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett, Bram Stoker, and lots of others were.

And when it comes to literary significance, Trinity also has an undeniable claim to fame: the Book of Kells , located in a stunning library just a few steps away from the Campanile.

It’s the university’s main attraction for visitors, but not the only one: the campus is also home to a zoological museum (only open during the summer), a science museum, an art gallery, and a theater.

12. The Book Of Kells

If you don’t know the Book of Kells, it isn’t the kind of book you sit and read.

No one is allowed to touch it, it’s in Latin, and even if you know the language, it’s written so elaborately that it’s almost unreadable.

But the decoration is the point: the Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript.

It's a copy of the four gospels of the New Testament of the Bible written so artfully that it’s considered Ireland’s single foremost cultural artifact, and one of the greatest works of art of Europe’s Middle Ages.

The word “Kells” comes from the Abbey of Kells, which was where the book was kept for centuries and probably where at least part of it was made.

The building where it’s located is called the Old Library, built in 1712, and the part that houses the book is the Long Room, a 65-meter room that’s remarkably beautiful on its own.

It’s also home to a 15 th -century wooden harp – an instrument that was as essential at one time to Gaelic music as the fiddle is today.

This one is the basis for the harp design seen on the Irish emblem and on the logo of Guinness.

Because abbeys were wealthy, they were targets for Viking raids, and that disruption probably destroyed many works of Insular Art and ended the era of their creation.

Given how fragile the book is, its survival is remarkable, and it’s had some close scrapes.

It was stolen once, probably less for the book itself than for a jeweled cover; the cover was torn off and the book was thrown away, but somehow it was recovered.  

13. Irish Whiskey Museum

Famous as Irish whiskey may be, it’s on its way out of a dark age.

After a heyday in the 18 th and 19 th centuries, when there were many hundreds of distilling companies on the island, by 1972 the number was down to one.

That company was Irish Distillers Limited, which produces well-known brands like Jameson, and in 1988, that single company became a subsidiary of a beverage giant based in France.

But 1988 also saw the opening of the first new distillery in Ireland in many decades. And today, there are 32.

This museum opened in 2014 and tells the story of that rise and fall and rise again, going all the way back to the drink’s origins.

The word “whiskey” comes from the Irish phrase “uisce beatha,” which means “water of life” – a straight translation of the Latin “aqua vitae,” which was the medieval name for any kind of solution involving alcohol.

The museum offers tours, a whiskey blending experience, and a brunch.

Of course, it has a bar, which has around 100 whiskeys and hosts live music and other events Friday through Sunday evenings, closing at 10:30 pm.

14. Grafton Street

Grafton Street is Dublin’s most famous corridor for shopping and people watching, and from here until St. Stephen’s Green, where the street ends, it’s pedestrian-only.

The street is mostly retail, and it has a little of everything from high-end to low-end, and some of the oldest businesses here are Dublin or Irish exclusives, mostly high-end shopping.

There’s Brown Thomas, a classy Irish department store, JM Barnardo Furriers, Weir and Sons Jewelers, and James Fox Cigars and Whiskey.

The smallest local businesses are the musicians – Grafton Street is busking central for Dublin.

One other local business to keep an eye out for is Bewley’s Oriental Café, founded in 1927.

Besides a place to stop for coffee or lunch, it’s also a historic hangout for writers – James Joyce not only spent time there but mentioned it in his book Dubliners.

15. National Gallery Of Ireland

Merrion Square West, Dublin 2

The National Gallery has been one of the best places to see art in Ireland since 1854.

It’s got both a national and a continental focus, with plenty of Irish artists, but also lots of other Europeans, from medieval to modern.

The Grand Gallery in particular mixes the two – it’s a long, elegant space showing works from across Enlightenment Europe, but all with some relation to Ireland, whether by artist or subject matter or the painting’s back story.

A local favorite piece is Irish painter Frederic William Burton’s The Meeting on the Turret Stairs .

Or, for some emphatically Irish subject matter, you could find Daniel Maclise’s The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife , which depicts the cementing by marriage of the alliance between Diarmat Mac Murchada and his Norman allies.

But you can also see Vermeer and Caravaggio and Picasso, among other greats.

Admission is free for the main gallery, with admission sometimes charged for temporary shows.

Exhibitions and events: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on

16. Oscar Wilde Statue

Oscar Wilde stood out, and in a city full of statues in simple bronze or stone, so does this monument.

Artist Danny Osborne did his research, and given Wilde’s taste for overdressing and living beyond his means.

Osborne chose fitting materials: it’s made of four different stones from places as far apart as Canada and India, with bits of porcelain and bronze, plus the giant chunk of quartz he’s sprawled on, which is the only element sourced from Ireland.

He’s wearing a Trinity necktie and his wedding ring.

The female figure in his view is his wife Constance Lloyd, pregnant with one of their two sons; one of their grandchildren officiated at the unveiling of the monument.

And the male torso is meant to be Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine and drama.

Behind the flashy exterior, though, his private life was shaky.

He had a lasting relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, a young man who introduced him to London’s underground gay scene.

Wilde eventually found himself on trial for sodomy and gross indecency. He was sentenced to prison with hard labor for two years.

With all this in mind, to see what the artist had in mind for this statue, you have to look at it from both sides.

His face is split like a tragicomic mask. Viewed from the right, he’s smiling, and you can see the society man and the quick wit; the other side shows him as he emerged from prison.

Besides reading Wilde’s many words engraved on the statues, you also have another opportunity to hear this statue talk, just like the Molly Malone one; there’s a link to information in the notes.

http://www.talkingstatuesdublin.ie/

17. Leinster House

Leinster House is the home of the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature, since 1922.

As before the Acts of Union, it’s a two-house legislature, but without the distinction between nobility and non-nobility drawn under the old system, and without English names.

Today, the two houses are the Seanad, the upper house, and the Dáil, the lower house, both of which meet here.

Unlike the old Parliament House, Leinster House wasn’t built for the purpose of legislative action.

It was a private residence, finished in 1748 for a man who would eventually become the Duke of Leinster.

But in 1922, when the Oireachtas has its debut at Leinster House, closely watched by hopeful locals and curious international press, it gave them a particularly Irish welcome: the proceedings of the legislature were held in the Irish language.

Fun Fact: Leinster House was partly the basis for the United States’ White House, designed by Irish architect James Hoban.

18. National Museum Of Ireland – Archaeology

This museum covers the history of Ireland from the Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages, along with a few exhibits on the ancient Mediterranean.

The area called the Treasury shows a history of Irish art, from the Iron Age through the development of the church-influenced Insular style (including illuminated manuscripts) to the Viking-influenced style that followed.

Another show focuses on prehistoric gold ornaments made during the Bronze Age.

And another focuses on the more practical items of prehistoric life in Ireland, including a 4500-year-old boat and the island’s oldest known musical instruments.

The last of the permanent exhibitions focus on Viking life in Ireland, including relics from the elaborate burial traditions observed in the Norse religion, as well as Christian art created by those Vikings who settled and converted.

Other exhibits are shown on a temporary basis, and if you’re lucky – or unlucky, depending on how you feel about it – you may see bog bodies.

These are human remains naturally preserved in peat bogs, likely part of an ancient human sacrifice ritual.

Exhibitions: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Archaeology/Exhibitions

Events: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Archaeology/Events

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday and Monday, 1 - 5 pm. Admission is free, as it is at all four of the National Museum of Ireland locations.

19. The Mansion House

Through all of Dublin’s political upheaval and the game of musical chairs its governing institutions have played, this place has been unusually stable: since 1715, it’s been the official home of the Cathaoirleach, the mayor of Dublin.

It’s also been the scene of plenty of other major political moments.

In 1919, the first Dáil, or the lower house of the legislature, met here and spoke the declaration of Irish independence (there was also a centennial celebration of that event in January of 2019).

And in 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, formalizing the terms of separation between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, was signed here.

And before either of those events, this was where Michael Collins, a leader of the Irish separatist movement, evaded arrest by the British military by sweeping the floor and pretending to be a janitor.

Civic ceremonies are held here today, such as when the city bestows the title of Freeman of Dublin, a high honor that comes with grazing rights on the public greens and the duty to defend the city in case of attack.

All kinds of political and cultural figures have been honored in this way, so take a moment to imagine a future siege of Dublin when the city is defended by Michael Gorbachev, Bono and the Edge, and Barack and Michelle Obama.

20. The Little Museum Of Dublin

Next to the national museums we’ve seen, this is a humble place, but it’s also a local favorite.

It’s a scrappy, homemade, self-described “people’s museum,” focused on the part of Dublin history that’s still in living memory – think more U2 paraphernalia and soccer memorabilia than illuminated manuscripts and bog bodies.

It’s also a young museum. In 2011, a call was put out to the public for objects that screamed 20 th century Dublin, and the results were arranged in three floors of a Georgian townhouse.

For Dubliners, it’s a nostalgia experience on top of being educational.

They sell a variety of tickets – for 8 Euros you can get either a roughly hour-long self-guided experience or their staple, a half-hour guided tour.

The same price gets you access to their several themed tours:

• a tour of Irish women’s history every Monday at 4 pm
• a walk of St. Stephen’s Green every day at 3:30 pm
• a tour themed around writers every day at 11:30 am
• a tour within the museum of queer Dublin history every other Saturday at 4 pm.

15 Euros gets you an all-day pass for whatever’s on the day’s schedule.

There are guided options in Irish sign and French, and there’s a free tour of the museum Wednesdays at 11 am. 

The building is also home to a project called the City of a Thousand Welcomes, which can arrange, usually with some notice, for you to meet a Dubliner, one-on-one or two-on-one. 

21. St. Stephen’s Green

As indicated at the last stop, there’s enough to see in St. Stephen’s Green to make a whole walking tour on its own.

But it’s also a good place for leisure, which may be in order by now.

The park is open 7:30 am to dusk Monday through Saturday, 9:30 am to dusk on Sundays.

From here on the northside of St. Stephen’s Green, you’re just a short walk from the lake that spans most of the park’s width.

When you reach the water, you can make a right and walk a little further to find a bridge crossing a narrow point in the lake and leading to the center of the park, where you’ll find a Victorian flower garden.

To the right from there is a garden designed for blind visitors, with plants chosen for their smell and physical texture, and to the left, in a bend in the lake, a bog garden.

The park was originally a commons used for grazing, but in the 17 th century, homes were built around it, and it became a private park for the residents.

In 1880 it became a public park, thanks to the philanthropic work of the Guinness family, the people behind Guinness beer.

One of them bought the park and paid for its renovation, and today he’s one of the many statues and monuments in the park.

During the Easter Rising, separatists seized the park, dug trenches, and fought against the British military, with a pause in the fighting so a groundskeeper could feed the ducks.

The park still shows the marks of that event: there’s a monument called the Fusilier’s Arch at the northwest entrance, which still has bullet holes in it.

And in the center of the park, opposite the bridge across the lake, is a bronze bust of Constance Markievicz, an Irish woman who fought in the Easter Rising, was the first woman elected to the British Parliament, and also served in the First Dáil and as a minister in the first government of the Republic of Ireland.

This is the end of the tour. We hope you enjoyed it. 

Free Walking Tours

Our free walking tour page lists the various pay-what-you-like walks that are available on a daily basis in English and Spanish.

These tours usually last 2.5 - 3 hours each. You can  book tours here .

Tourist Passes and Bus Tours

If you purchase a Dublin Pass or GoDublin Card , you'll get small-group guided walking tours included.

A hop-on-hop-off bus ticket will get you easy transportation around the city - directly to Dublin's most popular attractions. Audio guides and guided walks are also offered with each ticket.

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Unleash your creativity inside one of Dublin's most unique treasures, the National Print Museum! Read More

DoDublin City Sightseeing Map Route Map

Plan your visit on Dublin's No.1 Hop-on hop-off tour with our Route Map options. We provide an interactive map which shows you all of our tour stops, as well as all of the city's top attractions, landmarks, hotels and much more!

We also provide a static PDF version of our route map. This is a simplified version which just highlights the tour route, all of the tour stops and highlights the main attraction associated with each stop. This map can be downloaded and printed off, or accessed offline.

Note; you will receive a copy of this map as part of our free brochure when you arrive to take the hop-on hop-off tour, or look out for the green brochure marked hop-on hop-off tour at your hotel or accommodation provider reception,

Interactive Map

Follow the link to visit our Interactive map. Zoom in to see exactly where Dublin's top attractions are located and plan your trip. The tour has 25 stops, each at a top Dublin Attraction

24 Hour Hop-on hop-off Tickets

Purchase tickets for Dublin's top City Sightseeing tour. This link is for 24 hours tickets. Valid for 24 hours from the time they're first scanned. Scan your tickets directly from your phone.

Follow the link for a static PDF map of the DoDublin hop-on hop-off tour route. You'll receive a free copy of this map when you board the tour bus, or look out for our free brochure and map at your hotel reception. This map can be printed off or used when offline.

48 Hour Hop-on hop-off Tickets

Purchase tickets for Dublin's top City Sightseeing tour. This link is for 48 hours tickets. Valid for 48 hours from the time they're first scanned. Scan your tickets directly from your phone.

The DoDublin hop-on hop-off tour Interactive Route map has a filter to show you items including;

• Dublin's top hotels
• Bus Stations
• Train Stations
• Art Galleries

Toggle any of these elements on or off and zoom in as much as you like to plan exactly where you want to go. The hop-on hop-off tour will bring you right to the doorstop of most of Dublin's Top attractions, but there are always a few hidden gems that are off the beaten track.

"Excellent and humorous"

"People keep asking if I hopped off the bus and no I didn't hop off because I didn't want to miss Ger's excellent guiding full of humour and singing"

Ryan S - Tripadvisor, February 2023

"Marty Made the Day!"

"My wife and 2 sons (under 10) done the whole tour, and Martin the driver was fantastic. The tour was great, the city is amazing and we would highly recommend"

Stephen Purcell, Tripadvisor, February 2023

"Great Service"

"Had a great driver Mary very friendly gave a great interactive tour even had a sing song . On Tuesday 14/02/23 Even remembered us the day after. Highly recommend the tour"

Julie Young, Tripadvisor, February 2023

Jetsetting Fools

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Dublin Walking Tour: A Self-Guided Walk To Dublin, Ireland Sights

Welcome to JetSetting Fools, here you will find our best travel tips for destinations worldwide. Some of the links on this site are Affiliate Links and if you use them to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. For more information, read our Disclosure Policy .

Dublin, Ireland is home to numerous iconic sights and historic attractions – and the best way to see them is on a Dublin Walking Tour. We have devised a go-at-your-own-pace Free Self Guided Walking Tour of Dublin that features the best of the city. 

The top places to visit in Dublin are clustered together in the heart of the city center, which allows guests the opportunity to explore on foot. Travelers can use our easy-to-follow Self-Guided Dublin Walking Tour to navigate to the top sights… for free ! We even include a helpful Dublin Walking Tour Map to help you make your way.

Free Walking Tour Dublin, Ireland

Our free walking tour of Dublin is a self-guided adventure to top attractions. The walk focuses on downtown Dublin and is an easy, flat stroll through the city center. Our Dublin sightseeing tour, without any stops, should take about 2 hours at a casual pace.

How To Use Our Free Walking Tour Dublin

For each sight on our Dublin free tour, we provide a brief introduction, as well as some background information. Additionally, we include directions from one sight to the next. You will find our helpful map of Dublin tourist attractions – plus a printable Dublin, Ireland tour map –  at the end of the article. 

The route includes 15 Must-See Dublin Attractions, many of which can be entered. Some sights are free, while other require a ticket (we indicate if there is an admission fee). If you plan on entering several sights, the Dublin Pass will likely save you money and so will our article covering 50 Free Things To Do in Dublin !

Why Use Our Dublin Walking Tour Free Route

If you only have one day, this free walking tour of Dublin, Ireland will surely get you acquainted with the city, as it includes stops at all the top things to see. Visitors can complete the walk of Dublin highlights in just 2 hours, but those who are entering attractions can plan a full day of sightseeing. 

Those with 2 days in Dublin – or more – can use our Free Tour Dublin Walk on the first day of their trip to get oriented. We also offer recommendations for more things to do in Dublin at the end of the article.

Free Tours Dublin: What You Need To Know

Our Free Tour of Dublin, Ireland is as advertised: absolutely free! Visitors simply follow our step-by-step tour as outlined below to the top sights. Our self-guided tour allows travelers to experience Dublin at their own pace and enter attractions as desired.

Walking Tour Dublin: Free & Guided

Visitors will see touts for many Free Tours in Dublin that are guide-led. However, it is essential to understand that a Guided Dublin Free Walking Tour is not, in fact, free. These Free Walking Tours Dublin are tip based – and guides expect (and hopefully deserve) tips. 

While we have outlined our Best Free Walking Tour of Dublin, visitors may opt to join one of the many guided tours. There are many themed guided walks in Dublin, including historical walking tours, street art tours and Dublin food tours.  We feature a few of the highly-rated Dublin walking tours – that are guided and require a fee – at the end of the article. 

Save, Pin or Bookmark our Free Dublin  Walk to use during your trip to Ireland!

Dublin Walking Tour: 15 Sights To See

Our self-guided, free tour of Dublin begins at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Use the provided links or the downtown Dublin Map at the end of the post to navigate from sight to sight. 

#1 St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland

The first sight on our city tour of Dublin is the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was on this site that in 450 AD St. Patrick baptized the first Irish converts. St. Patrick’s Cathedral was completed in 1191 and is the largest church in Ireland. The spire reaches 140 feet.

The cathedral is one of the top attractions in Dublin and visiting requires an entry ticket. Buy your ticket now and download it to your phone!

Map Directions from St. Patrick’s Cathedral to St. Stephen’s Green.

#2 St. Stephen’s Green

The second attraction on our Dublin, Ireland sightseeing tour is St. Stephen’s Green. The 22-acre park in the center of Dublin was created in 1664 and has been open to the public since 1880. St. Stephen’s Green features a pond, a bandstand, memorials, statues, several paths and green lawns. If you wish, you can visit the official site for more information about the park.

If there is time in your Dublin itinerary, consider having a relaxing picnic in the park. Alternatively, explore the area directly north of St. Stephen’s Green. Top attractions in the vicinity are museums (The Little Museum of Dublin, The National Museum of Ireland Archeology, The National Gallery of Ireland), the Irish parliament building (called Leinster), the historic Mansion House (the residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin) and Merrion Square Park. 

Map Directions from Saint Stephen’s Green to Grafton Street.

#3 Grafton Street

The pedestrian-only shopping district, Grafton Street, is the next stop on our tour – and one of the must-see sights in Dublin. Grafton Street leads from St. Stephen’s Green to Trinity College and features long-standing stores, recognizable brands, and historic cafes.

Sights to look for are the Brown Thomas Department Store (opened in 1849), Weir & Sons jewelry store (opened in 1869) and Bewley’s Café (opened in 1927). 

Grafton Street is also popular with street performers and musicians that entertain the passers-by. In fact, even U2’s Bono has performed on Grafton. No Dublin visit is complete without strolling the iconic street. 

Map Directions from Grafton Street to Irish Whiskey Museum.

#4 Irish Whiskey Museum

Whiskey is firmly part of Irish history. Today, distilleries dot the city landscape – each one offering their own story and tastings of their product. At the Irish Whiskey Museum, however, visitors get an unbiased version of the history of Irish whiskey…plus a chance to taste the product from several distillers. 

The Irish Whiskey Museum is conveniently located on Grafton Street – making it a popular stop on walking tours in Dublin, Ireland.

While tickets are required for the tour and tasting experiences at the Irish Whiskey Museum, visitors are free to stop in and check out the bar and shop. If you are skipping the guided tour, brush up on your Irish whiskey history . 

Map Directions from Irish Whiskey Museum to Trinity College.

#5 Dublin Trinity College

The famous Trinity College is the next stop on our Dublin walk (and it’s just across the street from the Whiskey Museum).

Established in 1592, Trinity College is Ireland’s oldest university and a must see in Dublin. The official name is College of the “Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin”, but is just called Trinity College for short.

Some of the college’s famous attendees are Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Samuel Becket and Courtney Love. The 47-acre campus has buildings arranged in squares around a bell tower and the library houses the Book of Kells (buy your fast-track ticket ). 

Map Directions from Trinity College to the Irish House of Parliament.

#6 Irish House of Parliament

Directly opposite the main entrance to Trinity College is the former Irish House of Parliament, and today houses the Bank of Ireland. The building is both architecturally and historically significant, which is why it is an important stop on walks around Dublin. 

Built in the mid-1700s, the Irish House of Parliament was the first ever specifically designed parliament structure, in that it featured an interior with a dual chamber – one for the House of Lords and one for the House of Commons. It’s a design that is still used today in bicameral government buildings around the world.

In the year 1800, however, it was inside the building that the parliament voted (under bribery and threat of King George III) to abolish itself in order to unite Ireland and Britain under as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was a relationship that only lasted 22 years. 

One odd thing to note about the building is the absence of windows. While there are places for windows, glass panes were never installed as there was a Window Tax that would have driven up the cost. 

Want to take a fun detour? Just around the corner from the House of Parliament is one of the most famous statues in Dublin – the Molly Malone Statue ( MAP ). Walk past the front of the Parliament House and turn left on Church Lane and walk about a block to find the famous Molly Malone. She is a character in an Irish song – a fishmonger by day and prostitute by night. The statue is often referred to as ‘The Tart with the Cart’ and visitors rub her bosoms for good luck. 

Map Directions from Parliament Building to O’Connell Street.

#7 O’Connell Street and The Spire

Continue your Free Dublin Walking Tour by making your way north to the O’ Connell Street Bridge. Standing on the bridge, look up the stretch of O’Connell Street as it leads north from the River Liffey. The street has been the site of massive protests, the annual St. Patrick’s Day parades, shellings during the 1916 Easter Rising and a bombing of the Nelson Pillar in 1966. 

The street is named after the influential Daniel O’Connell (who is called The Liberator for his part in the Catholic Emancipation and his efforts to repeal the 1800 Act of Union). His statue stands at the north end of the bridge.

Further along the street are many other statues featuring some of Ireland’s most celebrated figures – as well as the Spire of Dublin. Officially called Monument of Light , the Spire was built on the site of Nelson’s Pillar and reaches a height of 390 feet. The needle-like monument stands as a symbol of Dublin.

Map Directions from O’Connell Bridge to Ha’Penny Bridge.

#8 River Liffey and the Ha’Penny Bridge

The next sight on our free Dublin Tour is the River Liffey. The river runs through the center of Dublin, dividing the city into north and south. The river has been an important part of the city’s trade since the time of the Vikings. 

Several bridges span the river, including three that are designated pedestrian-only, which makes for nice walks in Dublin. The most popular footbridge is the Liffey Bridge, which dates to 1816 and is better known as the Ha’ Penny Bridge for the 1/2 pence toll once required to cross it. 

Map Directions from River Liffey to Temple Bar District.

#9 The Dublin Temple Bar District

Every Dublin itinerary should include one or two stops at a traditional pub! The energetic Temple Bar District on the south side of the river is chock-full of Irish pubs, restaurants and tourist shops – and is one of the Dublin areas most visited by tourists.

Enter the district through the Merchant’s Arch, directly across from Ha’Penny Bridge and turn right onto Temple Bar. It’s fun to simply roam, but Temple Bar Street is not to be missed! 

The Temple Bar District is one of the best places in Dublin for a Pub Crawl ( like this one! ). Several of the bars have a line-up of live music starting mid-day and going late into the night. Our favorite pubs in the district are The Temple Bar and The Quays. 

Map Directions from Temple Bar to Dame Street and the Olympia Theater.

#10 Dame Street Dublin and The Olympia Theater

The next stop on our free tour of Dublin is Dame Street, a major thoroughfare through the heart of Dublin City Centre. Lined with a mishmash of architectural styles, the street is home to numerous banking institutions, restaurants and shops. 

That said, the still-operating Olympia Theater is, perhaps, the most prominent landmark on the street. Opened in 1879, The Olympia Theater is the premier theater and concert hall in the Dublin city center. 

The stage has seen a slew of famous acts from Charlie Chaplin to Mumford & Sons. The theater underwent a major overhaul in the 1970s and the original iron and glass awning had to be completely restored after a truck crashed into it in 2004. For more about the history – and upcoming events – visit the official website . 

Map Directions from Olympia Theater to Dublin City Hall.

#11 Dublin City Hall

Built as the Royal Exchange in the mid-1800s, the building was transferred to the city government and renamed Dublin City Hall in 1850. The building is still used by the Dublin City Council today.

It is free to visit Dublin City Hall. Step inside the rotunda, where giant columns support the domed ceiling. The murals on the walls of the rotunda tell the story of Dublin’s history, which the tiled floor mosaic depicts the city’s Coat of Arms.  

Map Directions from Dublin City Hall to the Dublin Castle.

#12 Dublin Castle

Next up on our Dublin historic walking tour is the grand Dublin Castle. The Dublin Castle was built between 1208 and 1220 as the residence of viceroys.

Although the castle is now used as a conference center and event complex, the buildings of Dublin Castle represent some of the oldest architecture in the city. It remains one of the top tourist attractions in Dublin. It is free to walk on the grounds, but a ticket is required for admission inside, where they also offer tours of Dublin Castle. Get more details for you visit.

Map Directions from Dublin Castle to Christ Church Cathedral. 

#13 Christ Church Cathedral of Dublin

The Christ Church Cathedral is the next stop on our tour. One of the top attractions in Dublin, Ireland, the Christ Church Cathedral dates to Medieval times. 

The church was built around the year 1030 – making it older than St. Patrick’s and one of the best places to visit in Dublin for a history lesson. It was expanded in 1171, but most of the current structure was built between 1871 and 1878. An entry ticket is required for admission, unless you are there to pray. Visit the official Christ Church website for more information.

Map Directions from Christ Church Cathedral to John’s Lane Church. 

#14 John’s Lane Church

Although lesser-known than St. Patrick’s and Christ Church Cathedral, we think the John’s Lane Church is one of the Dublin hidden gems, which is why we include it in our free Dublin walking tour. 

The church was built on the previous site of St. John’s Hospital between 1862 and 1895. The French Gothic steeple reaches over 200 feet and is the tallest in Dublin – however, it is the colorful interior that is most striking. John’s Lane Church is one of the churches you can enter in Dublin for free.

Map Directions from John’s Lane Church to The Brazen Head Pub. 

#15 The Brazen Head

Claiming to be Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head is said to have origins dating back to the year 1198. The classic Irish pub features quaint rooms, three bars and live music. 

The traditional Brazen Head pub is a perfect place to stop for a pint at the end of a Dublin Self-Guided Walking Tour. For more information, read our article about The Brazen Head and be sure to also check out our Guide to Dublin’s Best Pubs !

MAP OF CITY CENTER DUBLIN, IRELAND

When embarking on Self Guided Walking Tours of Dublin, Ireland, a map is a must! We provided map links to each sight on our free Dublin walk, but we have a few more maps that will help you get from the first to the last stop!

Walking Route for Self Guided Tours in Dublin

Use this  link to Google for a Dublin sightseeing map that has turn-by-turn directions for our Self-Guided Walking Tour Dublin, Ireland. Note: While the map does not list every sight, the route is inclusive of all the stops on our tour.

Interactive City Center Map: Dublin, Ireland

Use this link to a Interactive Downtown Dublin Map to help route your way to the sights and attractions listed on our Self-Guided Dublin Walking Tour. 

Dublin, Ireland Self-Guided Walking Tour Map PRINTABLE

This is a printable map of Dublin. To print our Dublin, Ireland must-see map, first click on the map to enlarge it, then right-click and select Print. 

More Tours and Guided Walks in Dublin

Our above outlined free tour of Dublin is a great way to see the city. In fact, we think it is the Best Free Walking Tour Dublin that allows visitors to see the city at their own pace. 

However, visitors who want to learn more about the history of Dublin and meet fellow travelers may want to consider joining a Dublin tour guide for their walk.

The guided tours in Dublin range in price and duration – and focus on specific themes. 

Dublin Historical Walking Tour

The history of Dublin is fascinating. Join one of the easy 2-hour walking tours of Dublin that focuses on that vibrant history. Led by a local guide, participants are guided through the city while listening to the interesting facts and information that shaped Dublin. Get the details!  

Dublin Pub Crawl

When we think about things to do in Dublin, the first thing that comes to mind is drinking in pubs. We could have easily spent our days in Dublin doing nothing more than sipping pints of Guinness goodness; it really does taste better in Dublin!

However, then we would have missed out on Dublin sightseeing – and we weren’t going to visit Dublin and not see the top tourist attractions!

After a day of Dublin city sightseeing, however, visit the best pubs in Temple Bar on one of the entertaining Dublin night tours to the best bars! Book this tour!

Dublin Dark Side Walking Tour

There is a dark side to Dublin – as evidenced by gruesome stories of the past. On the Dark Dublin Tour participants will learn about the brothels and witches and the Hellfire Club while waltzing through back alleys and dark city streets. Book it…if you dare!

Ghost Tour Dublin

Join one of the Dublin guided tours to the spookiest spots in town! Learn the haunted history of Dublin on a spooky Gravedigger Ghost Tour. Note: This is a bus tour…which will give your feet a much-needed rest. Find out more!

Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

Follow in the footsteps of Ireland’s most famous writers…to the pubs, of course! On this Dublin Literary Tour, listen to stories of the great writers and learn about Dublin’s pub culture. Book the Literary Pub Crawl! 

1916 Tour Dublin

The 1916 Tour is a Dublin history tour that focuses on the events of the Uprising. The 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour includes visiting key locations, re-enactments and multi-media presentations for a unique experience. Learn more!

Pro Tip: Looking for free walking tours about the Easter Rising? Use the Self Guided Dublin Walking Tour audio guide podcast for a basic intro.

Food Tour in Dublin

Join a guide for a grazing tour of Dublin on this highly rated Food Tour. Learn about the history and local cuisine while feasting your way past city sights. Reserve your space!

Alternatively, embark on a journey to experience the contemporary food culture with the best bites at a few of the top restaurants. Get the details!

Street Art Tour Dublin

The city of Dublin has a vibrant street art scene. Visitors interested in learning more about the alternative side of Dublin can join the Street Art Tour to find off the beaten path local haunts. Book it!

Dublin Private City Tour

Those who want a personal introduction can join one of the Dublin Private Walking Tours. On this private tour, visitors get to see Dublin with the help of a local guide. Get the details!

For more themed Dublin walking tours, check out these of Dublin City Tours .  

More Fun Dublin, Ireland Tours

Once you have the lay of the land, indulge in a few essential Dublin experiences and tours.

• Visit Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse for a connoisseur tasting
• Head to the Jameson Distillery for a lesson on Irish whiskey
• Take a River Liffey cruise

Hop On Hop Off Dublin Tour Bus

Visitors interested in sightseeing without all the walking can catch a ride on one of the Dublin Bus Tours. The Dublin sightseeing bus routes make stops at (or near) all of the top attractions. The bus tickets also include other perks, like on-board commentary, discounts at top sights and a guided Dublin walking tour. 

Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus Dublin

The classic, red Hop On Hop Off Tour in Dublin has two routes that stop at 28 places of interest – plus two walking tours included in the price. Visitors can opt for a 1- or 2-Day Pass .  

Green Do Dublin Hop On Hop Off Bus

Do Dublin is another tour company that offers a Hop On Hop Off Dublin, Ireland bus service. In addition to the 24- and 48-hour bus tickets , the Dublin tour company tickets also include transportation to and from the airport, as well as use of all Dublin city bus routes – plus free admission to The Little Museum of Dublin. 

Top Tip : A Dublin City Bus Tour is also included in the Dublin Pass , which can save money on entry into sights, too!

Tours and Day Trips From Dublin, Ireland

Use the city as a base and explore Ireland on one of many Dublin day trips. Visitors can explore on their own or join one of the highly rated tours that explores the region outside of Dublin City Center.

One of our favorite getaways is a short jaunt to the coastal village of Howth. Visitors can easily plan their own Day Trip To Howth – or book a guided trip . Other simple day trips from Dublin include the beachside community of Bray and the lovely village of Malahide .

Visitors can also travel to Northern Ireland to see the city of Belfast . Again, plan the trip on your own or join a tour from Dublin of Northern Ireland and Giant’s Causeway .

Other popular day tours from Dublin include seeing the stunning Cliffs of Moher (with a stop in quaint Doolin ), Visiting Galway or making a trip to the Blarney Castle (and kissing the Blarney Stone, of course!).  

Dublin day tours are offered by many companies. Read reviews from fellow travelers to find the best Ireland tours from Dublin on Viator ! 

Looking for multi-day Ireland trips? Set out from Dublin to see Ireland highlights on a five-day tour or enjoy the sights of Ireland on a six-day trip . 

Travel Tips For Your Dublin Trip

We have just a few final tips for your trip to Dublin! Planning an Ireland trip can feel a bit overwhelming – so we are outlining the essentials below – like where to stay, how to get there and what to pack.

Also check out our 3 Day Dublin Itinerary and 7 Day Ireland Itinerary for even more things to do! If you are coming from abroad, read our advice on Planning a Trip to Europe . 

As you make your plans, you will find that staying organized is key. To stay on top of all the details, use our Printable Travel Planner , which includes 25+ pages of travel organization! 

Where To Stay in Dublin, Ireland

We think the best place to stay in Dublin, Ireland is in the center, where it is easy to access the top sights and attractions on foot.

That said, during the summer tourist season, top value hotels book up quickly – so you will want to make sure you secure Dublin accommodations in advance of your trip. Before you start your search, read our tips for Booking the Best Hotels . 

Two of the highly-rated Dublin hotels are Leonardo Dublin Christchurch and Temple Bar Inn . Budget travelers can search for Dublin Hostels – like  Garden Lane Backpackers . Finding a vacation rental through Airbnb is another option on your vacation to Ireland.

Getting To Dublin, Ireland

Dublin can be reached by plane, train, bus, or ferry. Our preferred method of getting anywhere is by flying, we are JetSettingFools, after all! When we do need to purchase cheap plane tickets , we start our search for the best deals on airline fares on Skyscanner . 

Flying to Dublin from the US is easy, with direct flights from DC , Philadelphia , Boston , NYC , Chicago , and SFO . Additionally, DUB is well-connected with all major European hubs like London , Frankfurt , Paris , Madrid , Lisbon and Amsterdam !

To get between destinations when flights are not possible, we usually rely on public transportation and take trains or buses. Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann provide bus transportation services in Ireland. 

We aren’t keen on driving abroad, but renting a car can often save time and money (especially when traveling with more than two people) – and having a car rental allows for greater discovery.  

Dublin Walking Tours: What You Will Need

Now that you know all about the Best Walking Tours of Dublin – plus other fun activities and essentials – it’s time to get ready for your sightseeing!

Make sure you are prepared by bringing the following items along with you. You can find all of our packing hacks  and advice on our Packing Page  – and grab your FREE packing checklist !

Travel Shoes

Although Downtown Dublin, Ireland is a very walkable, travelers will want to ensure they pack comfortable city walking shoes . I like to wear lightweight, rubber-soled shoes, like Columbia shoes or NB Trainers . Kris prefers wearing Merrell trail shoes, even in the city!

Ireland Weather Attire

The weather in Dublin is always unpredictable. It’s best to bring along a packable raincoat or travel umbrella for your free walking tour of Dublin. For those sunny moments, don’t forget sunglasses ,  sunscreen and a wide-brimmed travel hat . 

Whether you travel with a backpack or a suitcase , you will also want to have a great day bag to organize all your daily travel essentials . When we explore a city on foot, we like to wear small backpacks where we can stow our wallets, keys, map, jacket and umbrella.

Travel Camera

On walking tours of Dublin, Ireland visitors see heaps of top sights. While many travelers use their phone, we believe it is best to invest in an actual travel camera that will take high-quality photographs. We carry a Canon Rebel  with a 18-135mm lens . This DSLR is a perfect budget camera for beginner photographers – as it comes bundled with heaps of accessories and is easy to use! 

WiFi Connection

In our free Dublin Walking Tour, we include map links to get from sight to sight. However, in order to use those links, you will need a WiFi Connection . While many US cellphone providers offer temporary international data packages, they can be expensive! Instead, we recommend purchasing a WiFi Mobile Hotspot . 

Not only can we connect up to ten devices at one time (which is perfect for families or friends traveling together), but we purchase an eSIM in advance and are connected the minute we touch down off that long-haul flight . We would be lost without it – literally! That said, we still think it is also a good idea to carry a paper Dublin map and/or guidebook .

Ireland Travel Insurance

Travel insurance may help in the case of cancelled flights or lost luggage – as well as illness or injury while abroad. Consider traveling protected with World Nomads .

Start planning your trip to Ireland ! Search for the lowest airfares , the best accommodations and fun things to do …then start packing !   Want more travel advice? Head over to our Travel Planning Page for more tips on traveling – and for country-specific information, take a look at our Travel Guides Page !

Pin it! See all of our travel pins on our JetSetting Fools Pinterest Board .

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Dublin: A Walking Tour of the Main Sights

Ready to explore Dublin on foot? Follow this guide to cover the compact Irish capital and see all of the main sights without needed to hop on a guided Dublin tour.

Starting Out on O'Connell Bridge

 TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto

A walking tour of Dublin, self-guided, does it need a lot of preparation and map-work? Actually, it does not, as Ireland's capital is ideal for a leisurely stroll that will take in most of the top attractions too.

Most of the best sights of Dublin are situated in a comparatively small area. To get a good impression of this lively and historic city you only need to take a walk. And you can travel light as shelter from rain and refreshments can be found virtually everywhere. The whole tour of Dublin's Fair City should take anything between two and six hours - two hours for energetic walkers and without lingering too long at any place, six hours including stops, the Trinity College tour and a pause or two in a café. So put on your walking shoes and off we go ...

Start your walk on O'Connell Bridge, the nearest equivalent of a central place Dublin can boast. Reputed to be one of the only bridge in the world that is wider than it is actually long, this is the heart of Dublin, admire the view for a few minutes, then start walking up O'Connell Street . Cross over to the central reservation and have a good look at the O'Connell Memorial with its magnificent statues full of allegory. See an angel crushing a serpent, spot the faithful Irish wolfhound and notice some bullet holes. These were caused by gunfire during the fighting in 1916 and have never been repaired.

O'Connell Street and the General Post Office

Further statues and "The Spire of Dublin" await you—the latter was erected to mark the millennium and is also known as "The Stiletto in the Ghetto."

Of the impressive buildings on O'Connell Street, the General Post Office  takes pride of place. This was the central fighting area of 1916 but has been lovingly restored - it is open to the public during daytime as it still is Dublin's GPO. Have a look around and maybe buy some commemorative stamps in the Philatelic Office. Then continue up O'Connell Street, past the trompe d'oeil Carlton Cinema and on to the Parnell Statue.

Charles Stewart Parnell is remembered more low-key than O'Connell but his monument is among the most beautiful in Dublin. Walk around it and read the names of all 32 counties ... including pre-independence "King's County" and "Queen's County". Carry on past the "Ambassador" (a former cinema converted to a rock venue) for a walk around Parnell Square. You will pass a small monument with a broken chain and an Irish inscription commemorating the founding of the nationalist Irish Volunteers in 1913 on your left.

The Garden of Remembrance and Moore Street Market

Continue towards the magnificent Presbyterian Church and reach the Garden of Remembrance . These were established to honor all the victims of the fight for Irish independence - at all times. The theme is mythical. The large pond, forming a cross, has representations of discarded bronze age weapons at its bottom. The focus of attention will almost invariably be on the massive statue showing the transformation of the "Children of Lír", an evocative and fitting memorial.

When you leave the Garden continue the walk by turning left and then left and left again, passing the historic (and still very busy) Rotunda Hospital and the low-key headquarters of Sinn Fein until you hit Parnell Street. Turn right and then left again into Moore Street , noticing how Dubliners have elevated jaywalking to an art form. Moore Street itself is a semi-pedestrian zone and a collision of Dublin old and new. Traditional street traders hawk their wares from barrows and you might jostle for a place with a horse looking for a snack. The modern ILAC-Centre is on your right, countless Asian, African and East European "supermarkets" are on your left. Smuggled tobacco and cigarettes are sold next to butchers who do a mean breakfast roll. Take some time to enjoy this truly cosmopolitan and colorful area and then take a right into Henry Street to see South Dublin's premier shopping street.

Ha'penny Bridge, Temple Bar and the Bank of Ireland

TripSavvy / Jamie Ditaranto 

Now turn left into Liffey Street and walk down to the river of the same name. You will see the "Hags with the Bags" on your right just before having to cross the river using Ha'penny Bridge (officially "Liffey Bridge"). Dublin's most photographed river crossing was originally financed by a toll of one Halfpenny, hence the name. Today crossing is free.

On the south bank, a small (and sometimes very smelly) thoroughfare will take you straight into the "bohemian" ​ Temple Bar area, the hub of Dublin's trendy nightlife. Assuming you will make this walk during the daytime you may wonder what the fuss is all about - especially in the mornings Temple Bar is near deserted. Most of the action would be in the streets to the right - have a look and judge for yourself whether to come back later.

For now, you may well walk straight on past the looming Central Bank until you reach Dame Street. Take a left here and walk to College Green. On your left is the stately building that once was Ireland's parliament and now is the Bank of Ireland - take a look at the slightly dated security measures including small cannons. The Irish parliament is known as the only democratic representation that voted itself out of existence, effectively accepting direct British rule at the start of the 19th century.

Trinity College and Environs

TripSavvy / Kathleen Messmer

Exactly opposite to the Bank of Ireland, the entrance to Trinity College can be found - do not, under any circumstances, attempt to cross the road without using the regulated crossings. Even hardened Dubliners only attempt this in utter desperation!

After the crossing, you will want to enter the inner courtyard of Trinity College through the arch. It will be a revelation - a wide-open space with the impressive campanile at its center awaits you. The effect can be stunning, so watch out for fellow visitors stopping dead in their tracks right in front of you. Also, watch out for the more daring students trying to cycle through the narrow entrance! Immediately after coming out into the open again you will be invited to join the tour of Trinity College for a fee of € 10. As this includes the entrance fee for the library and the Book of Kells it is a worthwhile option. Should you have no time or restricted funds just have a look around the college grounds and then exit through the same gateway again.

After leaving Trinity College and turning left you will have to brave throngs of people waiting to catch a bus. On your right, you will see  a statue of Molly Malone in a very kitschy music hall style. Nearly every tourist has his or her photo taken here and some scurrilous street "performers" regularly frequent the site. Watching for a few minutes before continuing to Grafton Street can be very amusing.

Grafton Street, Stephen's Green and Merrion Row

Further on you will then find the pedestrian zone of Grafton Street, Dublin's "posh" shopping area. Do some window shopping but also have a look at the magnificent details to be found on the upper facades of the buildings themselves.

At the upper end of Grafton Street, some excellent buskers can occasionally be found performing on the streets for tips. Don't miss the life-size statue of Phil Lynott in a street to the right. The singer of "Thin Lizzy" was Ireland's rock hero long before Bono.

At the end of Grafton Street, the magnificent Stephen's Green Shopping Centre will dazzle you - the faux-Victorian metal and glass building holds dozens of shops plus a good food court and is the perfect place for a quick refresher.

Opposite the shopping center, you'll then notice the Fusilier's Arch, the grandiose entrance to Stephen's Green proper. Take a leisurely stroll through the park and also take in the surrounding areas. In the park, you will find a number of monuments, a garden dedicated to W.B.Yeats (won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923) with a cryptic piece by Henry Moore, a quaint lodge and numerous ducks on the lakes. You will also find shop assistants, office workers and students having their lunch al fresco .

Exit the park at the Wolfe Tone Memorial (commonly called "Tonehenge" for obvious reasons) in the northeast corner and then turn into Merrion Row. Here you will find the picturesque Huguenot Cemetery on your left and O'Donoghue's Pub on your right - where the seminal folk group "The Dubliners" started their rise to worldwide fame.

Merrion Square and Kildare Street

When you reach Merrion Street turn left and walk past the impressive Government Buildings, the Natural History Museum (the "Dead Zoo") and the National Gallery . You are now in the center of Georgian Dublin and near the Center of Irish politics. Merrion Square is on your right and in the northwest corner, the strange monument to Oscar Wilde is to be admired - opposite his childhood home. If you are feeling energetic take a stroll around the park, originally earmarked for construction of a cathedral. As the Catholic Church ran out of funds and steam for this project the park was presented to the citizens of Dublin. Today it hosts memorials, flowerbeds, pleasant walks and the buried remains of a bomb shelter.

From Oscar Wilde's statue carry on into Clare Street and then straight on to Leinster Street. At the corner of Kildare Street, the former Kildare Street Club can be admired - look at the curious carvings at the windows, from squirrels playing the lute to monkeys playing pool. Today the French Cultural Institute and the Heraldic Museum are based here. Walk up Kildare Street past the National Library and have a look at Leinster House and the National Museum . On a normal day, you will see protesters in front of Leinster house proclaiming worthy or simply bizarre causes. The gardai on duty seem to have seen it all and are usually visibly bored.

Dawson Street, Burgh Quay and the Custom House

Carry on up Kildare Street and at Stephen's Green take a right and then a right again down into Dawson Street. On your right Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin is seen. A palatial building with the Dublin coat-of-arms on display and frequently used for official functions.

Walking on you cross the road at the bottom of Dawson Street and then bear left, following the footpath right past Trinity College, finally taking a right onto College Street. There you have to cross the street opposite D'Olier Street. Admire the gothic Pearse Street Garda Station to your right, the romantic D'Olier-Building in front and the charming bronze sculpture showing the way to the "Screen" cinema in-between. Walk down Hawkins Street towards the Liffey, passing the faux-Tudor building of the Dublin Gasworks on your left. At the end of the street, you will find a nice memorial to a policeman who died saving the lives of Victorian workmen trapped underground.

You are now at Burgh Quay and will have to bear right to walk downstream along the Liffey. Do not worry if the Liffey seems to flow in the opposite direction, this will be just a strong tide coming in. After a short walk, you will have a splendid view of the faithfully restored Custom House on the north bank of the river. Cross over to the Northside using the modern Talbot Memorial Bridge and you will see the International Financial Services Centre on your right, dwarfing the moving Famine Memorial just beside the river.

Back to O'Connell Bridge ... or Further?

From the bridge, you might also see the replica "famine ship" Jeanie Johnston lying at berth in the redeveloped Dublin Docklands to the right. Have a closer look if you like, then head back westwards (or upstream) along the quays, passing Custom House until you come to the unashamedly ugly Liberty Hall (the Trade Union Headquarters) and turn right. Tucked away under the railway overpass and facing Liberty Hall is a memorial to James Connolly, the Irish-American socialist who fought and died with his small Irish Citizen Army in 1916.

Near the tram tracks take a left turn into Abbey Street and you will be guided towards the Abbey Theatre - Ireland's national theatre founded by W.B.Yeats. Unimposing on the outside but still putting on top-notch productions, though the scandals of O'Casey's days seem to be truly a thing of the past. Just a few yards more will bring you to O'Connell Street and O'Connell Bridge is to your left.

Your walking tour of Dublin has ended.

If you still feel energetic (maybe after a coffee and some cake) you could hop on a LUAS tram going westwards. This will take you to the Four Courts, the National Museum in Collins Barracks and on to Kilmainham Gaol. You will also be able to see the sprawling Guinness brewery and could even walk up to the Phoenix Park .

Dublin in 1 Day Itinerary

Walking Through Dublin Along the Liffey

20 Best Things to Do in Dublin

How to Spend 5 Days in Ireland

How to Visit Dublin on a Budget

Dublin's Must-See Architecture

Dublin Guide: Planning Your Trip

Sightseeing on the Number 11 London Bus

One Day Los Angeles Self-Driving Tour

15 Best Pubs in Dublin

Monopoly Board Locations by London Bus

The 10 Neighborhoods You Need to Know in Dublin

Romantic Dublin, Ireland's Sights and Attractions

Parks and Gardens in Central Dublin

20 Best Things to Do for Free in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin's Temple Bar District

15 Sights in One Day | A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Dublin

Dublin city centre is fairly compact and can be easily explored on foot. Knowing the Irish capital very well, I put together an itinerary for a self-guided walking tour of Dublin focusing on sights located in the city centre so you can see as much as possible in one day.

Time spent on this tour depends entirely on you. It can be completed in less than 2 hours if you plan on just getting a feel for the city. Or you can spend all day if you decide to explore further and visit some of the attractions along this walking route of Dublin .

So let’s jump right in!

Disclaimer This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link, I earn a little money at no extra cost to you.

Best Online Resources to Book your Trip to Dublin

• Getting There | I would recommend Aer Lingus and Air France , two reliable and affordable airlines. If you’re travelling from the UK or France, you can also sail to Dublin with Irish Ferries and Stena Line .
• Where to Stay | You’ll find accommodation for every budget on Booking.com . Cheaper options can be found on Hostelworld .
• Things to Do | You can buy tickets, skip-the-line passes and day trips with GetYourGuide and Viator .
• Getting Around | Travel from and to Dublin airport with AirCoach or Dublin Express . Transport For Ireland free app will help you navigate the city transport network if you ever need a bus.
• Planning | Lonely Planet Dublin city guide is one of my favourite travel guides when it comes to planning a trip to the Irish capital.
• Travel Insurance | Don’t forget to buy travel insurance before visiting Dublin. Heymondo has a nifty app to help you get the assistance you need while on the go.

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Dublin – PART 1

A. O’Connell Street

Start your day on  O’Connell Street . This large thoroughfare featuring statues to various Irish political leaders was in large part rebuilt after the violence of the  1916 Easter Rising . O’Connell Street has been the backdrop to several political events over the years and remains today the starting point of public protests and demonstrations.

On O’Connell Street is one of Dublin’s main landmarks: the  General Post Office . It is still a working post office today, rebuilt after its near-destruction during the 1916 events. Don’t hesitate to have a quick look inside, or why not check out its Easter Rising museum .

Also on O’Connell Street can be found the  Spire , a controversial 121-metre-high needle of stainless steel that is now one of Dublin’s most recognisable features.

B. Ha’Penny Bridge

Taking a selfie on the  Ha’Penny Bridge  is a real cliché that few can resist. It is also a real challenge. Made of cast iron, this elegant but narrow 19th century pedestrian bridge over the  River Liffey  is a Dubliners’ favourite to cross between the North and South side of the city. Also very popular with tourists, it can become congested at times.

The bridge was built in 1816 to replace rickety ferries used by pedestrians to move between the North and South bank of the river. It owes its name to the toll that people had to pay to cross the river: half a penny.

You might also be interested in: – Ireland Travel Books | The Best Guidebooks to Plan your Irish Adventure – Beyond the Cityscape | The Best Seaside Towns Near Dublin – The 4 Best Distillery Tours in Dublin To Learn About Irish Whiskey – 5 Amazing Places to Visit Near Dublin Without a Car

C. Temple Bar

Once you have crossed the Ha’Penny Bridge, head straight beneath the archway and enter  Temple Bar . The most photographed part of Dublin, Temple Bar is famous for its colourful pubs and Irish music pouring down its cobbled streets.

Often decried by locals as a tourist trap charging exorbitant prices for a pint of beer, Temple Bar is also Dublin’s cultural quarter , home to funky vintage shops, interesting art galleries, reputable restaurants and – a favourite of mine – a food market every Saturday.

D. Dublin Castle

Just across from Temple Bar is Dublin Castle . This wonderful piece of Georgian architecture is a must-see castle to visit on your first trip to Dublin . Dating from the 18th century, it replaced an earlier Norman fortress ravaged by a fire in 1684.

You won’t be allowed to enter the building without a ticket, but you can take a stroll around the Upper Yard for free and admire the Chapel Royal from outside.

At the back of the Castle can be found the Dubh Linn Gardens , a landscaped haven of peace in bustling Dublin. It is also here you’ll discover the Chester Beatty Library . No doubt one of the best art museums in Dublin, the world renowned Chester Beatty Library is also free to visit. Your chance to take a peek at rare and richly decorated Bibles and Qurans dating back centuries ago.

E. City Hall

Next to Dublin Castle is the  City Hall . Built in the 18th century, the building is a great piece of neo-classical architecture. City Hall holds temporary exhibitions and access is free.

F. Christ Church Cathedral

Five minutes away is  Christ Church , Dublin’s oldest cathedral. Extensively restored in the 1870s, it is an interesting mix of 12th-13th century architecture and Victorian Gothic features. Entrance is not free. If you decide to spend some time here, the guided tour will give you the opportunity to ring the bells in the belfry. Cheaper, you can also book a self-guided tour with audio guide (different languages available).

In the Synod Hall of the Cathedral across the bridge is  Dublinia , a museum dedicated to Viking and Medieval Dublin that commands the access to the medieval St Michael’s Tower. Entrance is with ticket only.

G. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

Located 5-10 minutes down St Patrick’s Street,  Saint Patrick’s  is Dublin’s second cathedral. Jonathan Swift, best known as the author of Gulliver’s Travels, is buried under its floor. He was Dean of the Cathedral from 1713 to 1745. Tickets must be purchased to enter the edifice.

Adjacent to the Cathedral is the picturesque  St. Patrick’s Park  created in 1901 by Sir Edward Guinness. Around the corner from the Cathedral down St. Patrick’s Close can be found the  Marsh’s Library . One of Dublin’s oldest libraries , the Marsh’s Library is a perfectly preserved 18th century library.

H. George’s Street Arcade

This walking itinerary will now take you back to the heart of the city.

One of Europe’s oldest shopping centres,  George’s Street Arcade  is a Victorian indoor market home to an eclectic range of stores, stalls and cafés. Visit its vintage shops or browse drawings from local artists. Discover the unexpected in George’s Street Arcade.

I. Powerscourt Centre

In the heart of the Creative Quarter,  Powerscourt Centre  is a beautiful townhouse elegantly transformed into a shopping centre. Discover designer and craft shops, antique Irish brooches and rings including the famous  Claddagh ring , or just take some time to relax with a coffee.

Wander through the streets of the Creative Quarter for more independent stores with locally made products and some of the best Irish craft and souvenir shops in Dublin .

J. Grafton Street

You’ve reached  Grafton Street , Dublin’s main shopping district. This pedestrian-only street is home to many high-street brands, from Vans to Victoria’s Secret. On sunny days, Grafton Street is taken over by buskers and inventive entertainers. Talented or not, that’s up to you to decide!

At Grafton Street’s far end sits  Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre . Its impressive architecture of glass and steel should convince you to have a peek inside. Across from it can be found the  Gaiety Theatre . Every summer, the Gaiety welcomes a world-renowned show: River Dance.

Feeling hungry or tired? Time to get some energy back before exploring further. Cafés and restaurants abound in Grafton Street and nearby side streets. Eat a sandwich on the go, sit on a terrace for a coffee and light bite, or enjoy comforting pub food. There’s something for every taste in and around Grafton Street.

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Dublin – PART 2

Now that you have rested your feet for a little while, let’s get back to our walking tour of Dublin.

A. St. Stephen’s Green

St. Stephen’s Green  is Dublin’s largest Georgian garden square and one of the most popular public parks in the city. Donated by Sir Arthur Guinness to the people of Dublin in the 19th century, St. Stephen’s Green has been a respite from the bustling city ever since.

Across from St. Stephen’s Green, you might spot a 300-year-old cemetery on Merrion Row. Established in 1693, it was the burial ground for French Huguenots in Dublin , who fled religious persecution in France.

B. Merrion Square

With elegant Georgian townhouses lined up all around it,  Merrion Square  is considered Dublin’s finest Georgian garden square. Among other notable residents, famous writers Oscar Wilde and W.B. Yeats lived in those desirable homes, as well as Irish political leader Daniel O’Connell.

Only open to the public since the 1960s, it is worth wandering around the garden’s well maintained alleys and manicured lawns until you bump into the great Oscar Wilde himself resting on a rock.

Behind a secured gate,  Leinster House  and the  Government Buildings  can be observed at a distance from Merrion Square. If you fancy a breath of culture along your walking tour, the  National Museum of Ireland  and the  National Gallery  both have their entrances around the corner. If you are visiting Dublin on a budget, these free leading museums have to be on your do-list !

C. Trinity College

Enter  Trinity College  through Nassau Street. Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, Trinity College is Ireland’s oldest surviving university and its most prestigious. You can roam the grounds freely and observe the elegant architecture of its oldest buildings harmoniously arranged in squares.

Tours are available from the main entrance on College Green, though not offered all year round. If you have some spare time, visit the  Old Library  (tickets only) that hosts an exhibition of the famous  Book of Kells , an illuminated manuscript believed to date back to the 9th century. The Long Room with its spectacular vaulted ceiling is a must-see masterpiece.

D. Molly Malone

End your self-guided walking tour in front of St Andrew’s Church in St. Andrew’s Street where the statue of  Molly Malone  is now located. Molly Malone is a fictional fishmonger rendered famous by a popular song of the same name. The song has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin and ending a tour of the city without paying your respect to Molly Malone could be perceived as rude.

Guided Tours for the History Enthusiast

Self-guided tours are great. You can go at your own pace and decide where and how you want to spend your time.

But if, like me, you like learning about the history and interesting anecdotes of the place you visit, why not book a guided tour with someone knowledgeable?

Check out the recommendations below!

Where to Stay in Dublin City Centre

To make the most of your day, I recommend staying in the city centre to allow for an early start. Here are some recommendations of top-rated hotels with the perfect location:

• O’Connell Street: The Gresham
• Ha’Penny Bridge: Zanzibar Lock
• Temple Bar: The Hard Rock Hotel
• Grafton Street: The Westbury Hotel
• Merrion Square: The Alex

Click here for more options, or read the latest reviews on Tripadvisor . Dublin can be very pricey, especially in the summer months. Always book early to get the best deal.

I hope you will enjoy this self-walking tour of Dublin and you will get to see as many sights as possible in just one day. There is so much to see that you might want to come back and explore Dublin even more. Hopefully this Dublin city guide will give you more ideas of things to do during your next visit to this wonderful and lively city.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link, I earn a little money at no extra cost to you.

RELATED POSTS

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Routes and Trips Travel Guide with Maps and Photos

Self-guided dublin walking tour: dublin’s top sights.

Posted by: Liisa Nygård

I spent a week in Dublin, walking a lot each day. That made me plan a self-guided Dublin walking tour and mark it on a map. My tour will show you the best of Dublin – in a day, two days or using a week, whatever you like.

Ireland’s  cosmopolitan  capital draws millions of tourists. The city has something that makes people return, time after time.

Maybe the pubs with live Irish music, or maybe Dublin’s past, present or future? Or is it the Liffey and other waterways with old Georgian houses and Dublin doors?

My walk will take you to the banks of the Liffey were most Dublin sights are and follow the Grand Canal to Dublin’s Georgian streets and coloured doors, like this one:.

Self-guided Dublin walking tour: a Dublin door

Dublin is an ideal city to walk around. It’s not too big to walk as the population is only half a million. Dublin centre is small enough to stroll through and there’s seldom too much traffic. All this makes walking the best way to explore Dublin. though there are hop on hop off buses and arranged Dublin tours as well.

Dublin has a small centre but the whole metropolitan area has almost 2 million people which is a third of Ireland’s total population. Ireland has 5 million people.

It could be more, 10 million  people have left the country over the centuries. That makes there are 17 million people with an Irish background spread around the world. So in a way Dublin is the capital of a big nationality.

My Self-guided Dublin Walking Tour on the Map

This is a map of Dublin city centre with the river Liffey running through it. The red marker points at Temple Bar where my self-guided walking tour starts. We first walk south of the Liffey and return north along the Grand Canal that is in west.

North of the Liffey we walk west along the quays and cross the famous Ha’penny Bridge back to Temple Bar. Then we will still visit Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral in the city’s old part.

Of course it’s not mandatory to start at Temple Bar. You can start wherever you like or walk in the opposite direction. This walk has no rules.

Zoom in the map to see more details or zoom it out to see Dublin in another scale.

Self-guided Dublin walking tour: a Temple Bar pub

Temple Bar is the heart of the city that most tourist want to see first and that’s why the self-guided Dublin walking tour starts there too.

What Temple Bar is famous for are the pubs. There are pubs in every street corner and more pubs in between so you can’t visit every pub. Most of them are traditional Irish pubs and look very old.

Temple Bar is one of the oldest areas in Dublin and it dates back to Viking times. Over centuries craftsmen and merchants moved to these narrow quarters that got their name from Sir William Temple who owned the land.

Click on these small photos of Temple Bar to see them in a slideshow:

Walking up and down these cobbled streets you will hear Irish music drift from pubs. Mostly exactly the kind of Irish music you recognize, the kind of music people all over the world love. The Irish that left abroad packed Irish music in their suitcases.

Look inside the pubs and sit down for a while and listen, but not too long. This is a self-guided Dublin Walking Tour and we have to go on. You can come back and you sure want to!

The colourful area of Temple Bar, Dublin

But Temple Bar has more than the pubs, it’s a large entertainment area with theatre, art exhibitions, galleries and so on. And all venues look like pubs, or what do you say about this one?It’s a pharmacy.

This pub fills the narrow gateway that leads to Ha’penny Bridge. We will come back to that well known bridge later.

Self-guided Dublin walking tour: an Irish pub

More Dublin Pubs

As we are in Ireland there are Irish pubs all over the city, not just in Temple Bar. We found great pubs east of St Stephen’s Green (this Dublin walking tour will bring you there too) and those pubs were not touristic at all. In Temple Bar most pub guests are tourists.

Another Irish pub

This pub is next to Trinity College that is what we will see next.

Trinity College

Dublin’s Trinity College

Trinity College is a world-famous university and highly respected. The college was built before year 1600 and for hundreds of years, until the 1970’s, they only let protestants in to study.

The Trinity College courtyard has green lawns for students to sit, an old clock tower and many beautiful old buildings – and a huge tree to give shade. The tree is like a well planned monument.

Even if you are not a student you are free to walk on Trinity College grounds. But to get to the library you will need a ticket.

Trinity College Library

Trinity College Library has a huge 64 metres long room with 200 000 old books and there are more books in other rooms. This is Ireland’s biggest book collection. All books are not Irish and a part of them came from the Dutch prime minister’s book collection.

The old library of Trinity College

Trinity College Library also has Ireland’s oldest harp and the Irish national script, the Book of Kells.

The Book of Kells is a book in four parts that has the four gospels written down in Latin. Monks in other parts of Ireland did the job over 1000 years ago and the book finally came to Dublin in 1653.

Trinity College Dublin

These photos show the Book of Kells, but I can’t show you the original. I only have photos on Book of Kells souvenirs from the bookstore. It was not allowed to take any photos on the real one.

But you can see the writing: the monks wrote in Latin but used Celtic letters. They decorated the each chapter with large initial letters that had many colours. And to end the lines they used decoration as well. Book of Kells also has beautiful picture pages that include a lot of symbols. The exhibition explains that all.

Statues in Trinity College Library

Sooner of later you will want to leave the dusty library. Take Grafton Street south.

Grafton Street is Dublin’s most important shopping street and leads to St Stephen’s Park that has a lot of flowers and a pond. There is another park too, Merrion Square that has beautiful Georgian houses around it.

In general this area has a lot of old Georgian houses that have colourful doors, doors of Dublin.

Doors of Dublin

A Dublin door

The residential area south of Temple Bar and Trinity College was built in the Georgian time in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Dublin was one of the most important cities in the British Empire, second only to London and Dublin needed to grow.

Wealthy families built their houses south of the Liffey and they built them all in the Georgian style. The rules said that all houses have to look the same. That’s what they really do.

But the families didn’t like it that way and made the doors individual. The result was that each door in a house has a different colour.

You can see coloured Dublin doors around Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square south of it and on Baggot Street between them. And there are more doors around the Grand Canal.

Emerald green, royal blue,  deep purple, bright yellow, black and white, turquoise and of course red doors. And why not pink:

Another coloured door

A typical Dublin iron gate

And Georgian houses all have some great details like iron gates and apartments below ground level. I loved walking around and snapping photos on these Georgian houses and we even stayed in one. We rented an apartment and our Georgian Dublin door was black.

Dublin Museums

Dublin self-guided walking tour: visiting museums

The area south of the Liffey is an interesting place for tourists. There are a lot of Irish pubs that have live music and some great museums. There is the Irish National Gallery, Natural History Museum, the Irish National Museum – Archaelogy, the National Library and a museum called Science Gallery.

The museums I went to happened to be free so it was easy to drop in and have a look. You can do that on rainy days, probably you will have them during your Dublin stay. Dublin weather is hard to predict, or you can predict that it’s going to change in a minute.

National Museum – Archaeology exhibition

The photos are from the National Museum – Archaeology that opened my eyes to Irish history. The museum is full of old findings from prehistoric and Viking times and from medieval Ireland and some of these findings are from places where I have been to in this country so I know where they come from.

That’s imposing, thousands of years old pottery and jewellery from the Irish countryside!

Self-Guided Dublin Walking Tour along the Grand Canal

Dublin self-guided walking tour: walking along the Grand Canal

Did you know Dublin has more waterways than the Liffey? There are the canals that were originally built for transport needs. The Grand Canal is the longest of them. It makes a 6 km loop around Dublin city centre.

There is no traffic more, just occasional house boats. And you can see more Dublin doors behind the canal.

I would like to walk the whole loop but didn’t have time with that. But you can do it if you like. So my self-guided Dublin walking tour only covers a part of the Grand Canal.

We are walking along the canal from the old Georgian part of Dublin to its modern part, the Docklands.

The Grand Canal of Dublin, Ireland

It’s quite a difference if you can walk along a waterway compared to ordinary streets. You hear the birds and sit down for a while like my husband Clas did while I took photos on Dublin doors. There was someone else too, the Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie.

Two men sitting in a Dublin park

Dublin Docklands

Self-guided Dublin walking tour: Dublin Docklands

This is the Grand Canal Docklands a bit north, a new built area where red sticks are used as a decoration. That reminds me of boating on the lake which is my summer hobby.

The Docklands has mainly office buildings but there are hotels and culture venues as well.

This (below) is Bord Gais Energy Theatre, also called Grand Canal Theatre, on a huge square built in 2007. It certainly brings a lot of energy to the docklands.

Bord Gais Energy Theatre

Self-Guided Dublin Walking Tour: Liffey Riverside

Samuel Beckett bridge

The Grand Canal waterway takes you back to the Liffey that you can cross along s a modern bridge, Samuel Beckett bridge that looks like a harp. Beckett was a writer and a Nobel Prize winner and a Trinity College student. The harp bridge was designed by a Spanish architect inspired by Irish music.

One of the new buildings across the bridge looks like a Guinness glass. But Guinness that is a Dublin sight too, is in west. This is a new landmark in Dublin, the Convention Centre Dublin. An American-Irish architect designed it and building it took a long time. The CCD opened for international business visitors in 2010.

The Convention Centre Dublin says it can take up to 8000 conference guests and there are 22 meeting rooms. The Guinness glass hides a large atrium that has curved walls and many escalators. A great example of what modern architecture can do! I came here many times since Clas was working here the whole weekk.

Convention Centre Dublin

The CCD represents modern Ireland and nearby there is something that takes you back to the old days. The Jeanie  Johnston Tallship shows us the hard times Ireland has had.

The Great Famine

The Jeanie Johnston is a museum ship that shows how Irish emigrants left their homes when they were starving during the Great Famine and had to take the weeks long trip on rocky ocean waves and begin a new live in the New World.

Jeanie Johnston, self-guided Dublin walking tour

The Great Famine lasted for years around 1850 and changed Ireland quite a bit. One million people died from the lack of food and one and a half million left the country, most of them with ships similar to the Jeannie Johnston.

These quayside statues by the Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie bring back the Great Famine. They touch so much.  The sculptor himself sits on a bench by the Grand Canal. Maybe you walked by him?

The quays are a wonderful area to walk along and there are good places to sit down. It’s mostly a modern area, office blocks and so, but old harbour equipment has been saved as well. And there are many bridges across the Liffey for cars, walkers and trains.

Sitting by the Liffey

A Liffey bridge

And you can learn more about the Great Famine and Irish history:

EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum

EPIC, the Irish Immigration Museum

I said in the beginning that 10 million people have left Ireland and told that one and a half million left in the Famine years. When did all the others leave? You will get to know that in this glass building. It is the Irish Emigration Museum EPIC.

The museum shows Irish history in a modern, interactive way. I was planning just to drop in and finally spent hours in the museum listening to Irish stories and learning about Irish culture.

The focus of EPIC is yet on when, why and how so many people left Ireland, where they went and what they did in their new home country. Very fascinating stories and a very nice way to show it all. The museum has got a lot of praise and I agree. If you can go and see EPIC.

EPIC The Irish Immigration Museum

Entrance to EPIC, the Irish Immigration Museum

Self-guided Dublin Walking Tour: North of the Liffey

Dublin’s Custom House

Walking north of the Liffey there is this large building. It is called Custom House but it is a government office. The Irish built this huge custom house but after a while custom business moved to London. Neither is a custom house needed in today’s EU.

These photos show O’Connell Street that is the main street between north and south in Dublin. There is the Old Post Office, in fact it’s only the facade of it. The rest was destroyed in an uprising in 1916 that finally led to Irish independence.

Dublin self-guided walking tour: the Monument of Light.

This is the Spire. Its real name is the Monument of Light. It is 120 m high and made of stainless steel. It’s three metres wide in the beginning and 10 cm wide at the top.

Ha’penny Bridge

On Ha’penny Bridge

Ha’penny bridge is what most people think about when they hear the word Dublin and you can see the bridge here. The bridge links Temple Bar to the north and 30 000 people cross the bridge each day.

There is no fee but there used to be. That’s what the name comes from. For over a hundred years they took a fee for crossing the bridge, a half penny.

The half penny bridge was made by an English iron worker in 1816. He made the bridge of cast iron and painted it white. He designed nice gates and on the top he put iron lanterns. Ha’penny bridge, the symbol of Dublin.

Crossing the Liffey on Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge

Ha’penny Bridge takes you back to Temple Bar and beyond it, to the old part of Dublin. There is the Dublin Castle.

Self-Guided Dublin Walking Tour: Dublin Castle

Interior of Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is located in the place Dublin got its name from. There was a dark pool (Dub Linn) that later on got covered. You don’t see much about the old centre of Dublin. But Dublin Castle is left, rebuilt over centuries and added to.

Originally built in 1204 by King John of England the castle was the headquarters of the English that ruled Ireland for the next 750 years. Since Ireland got independent in 1922 Dublin Castle is the place for Ireland’s big state events.

One of the halls of Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle, Ireland

The present Georgian palace was added in the 18th century and there are the castle’s state apartments that you can visit. The state apartments consist of dining and drawing rooms and a throne room. All rooms are very decorative.

St Patrick’s Hall,  Dublin Castle

This is St Patrick’s Hall that used to be the castle’s ballroom. Today it is the most important ceremonial room in Ireland. It is a hall with beautiful ceiling paintings and many banners on sides. They are banners of the knights of St Patrick.

Dublin Castle

Christ Church Cathedral

The 1038 Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is close to Dublin Castle and it is Dublin’s oldest building. A Norse king and an Irish bishop built the cathedral in 1038 after the Normans took over the city.

Christ Church Cathedral has changed its form since but there is an old leaning wall inside and other old parts remain. And you have to see the interior decoration. You can also see that if you go on a concert in the church.

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Self-guided Dublin Walking Tour Ends

Self-guided Dublin walking tour along Dublin waterways

If you followed my Dublin walking tour you have been walking 8 km in a day which is quite a bit. You deserve a beer in Temple Bar, and Irish live music. Hoping to meet you one day in Dublin and have a great evening!

Have a great Temple Bar evening!

More on Dublin and Ireland

• Maybe you want to make a day trip from Dublin? Check out my post  Giants Causeway Day Trip from Dublin
• Or rent a car and head to the Wicklow Mountains?  Wicklow Mountains Scenic Drive from Dublin
• We also have a guest post about a road trip around Ireland: Road Trip in Ireland: Dublin to Galway, Moher and Cork

Giants Causeway day trip from Dublin

Read about European Cities

• Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bruges and Gent
• Tallinn Old Town
• Palma de Mallorca

Trinity College has admitted Catholics since the 1870s. It was the Catholic Church itself that forbade it’s members from attending without specific permission until 1970.

Thank you for your lovely walking tour and for your information and photos of Giant’s Causeway. We are planning a trip in the near future to Ireland and your site has been very helpful. We can’t wait!

So glad to hear you find my site helpful. I also recommend you go and see Wicklow mountains, I went there too but didn’t write about it yet. You can rent a car or take a bus tour.

This was very helpful! Thank you! We are visiting in May and spending 2 nights in Dublin. How is parking around town? We plan on staying in outer Dublin as the hotel prices are cheaper, but want to go into the city.

I’m sure you will have great days in Dublin, May is a wonderful time to visit! But I have to say I don’t know about parking. We only rented a car to make a day trip to Glendalough and Wicklow mountains so I don’t have any experience in parking in the city.

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Home > Sightseeing Tours > The Fantastic Walking Tour of Dublin

The Fantastic Walking Tour of Dublin

From €306 - 411.

Duration: 3hrs

Price: €306 - 411

Suitable for: Those who are short of time

Suggested start time: 10am, 2pm

Tour Highlights

• Get a great overview of Dublin city centre
• Learn about over 2,000 years of Ireland’s history & culture
• Feel the character and spirit of the Irish people
• Spend the day with a charming Irish person

What to expect on this tour

• Customizable – the guide will change the itinerary to go where you want to go
• Pacing – we’ll take a break (coffee/beer/meal) every 80-90mins
• Exercise – Dublin is a very compact city so we will NOT be covering vast distances
• Communication forms – the guide will use a display folder full of photos, maps, etc. and might also sing or act
• Variety – the right mix of fun, culture and history to suit you!
• Private – no one else will be joining your group, ever.
• Professional, well-travelled, clear-spoken and personable Irish tour guide who is specialised in giving private tours and therefore is able to talk AND listen
• Lifetime memories – create wonderful and lasting memories

Tour Description

On this 3hr walking tour of the city centre, you’ll discover the main sites, become immersed in the history, and experience the life, songs and stories of ireland’s capital city..

In the courtyard of Dublin Castle , our footfalls will echo through the castle’s 800-year history. Learn about Dublin while you explore the city on foot with this private, three-hour walking tour. You’ll learn about everything from ancient culture, Irish culture to Irish Independence to with your local guide as you walk through the city.  We’ll hobble along the cobbles of Temple Bar & Trinity College catching the cadences of Irish accents cascading through the streets.  Stand by the River Liffey and tilt your nose to inhale the hops wafting from the Guinness Brewery. Marvel at the fascinating Irish (Gaelic) language.

You’ll be kept energised and engaged throughout the three hours thanks to the enthusiasm of the guide, the wide variety of the topics discussed, as well as a break for coffee to nicely punctuate the tour.

By the end of the tour, you will have learned what’s the deal with Northern Ireland, how the Irish won independence, as well as what life is like in Dublin and Ireland today, and what lies ahead for this humble nation. More importantly, however, the amazing time you have just spent laughing and learning with your new Irish friend will become fantastic memories that you will appreciate for years to come.

At the GPO on O’Connell Street, the crowds gathered for the Declaration of Irish Independenc e & the passions of poets and Irish freedom fighters throughout the centuries were born anew.

Can you feel it? Welcome to Dublin!

Dublin Castle

A crucially important site for the history of Ireland, especially since 1204 when the castle was built. From 1204 until 1922, it was the centre of British rule in Ireland and had therefore a reputation of oppression and violence. Since the keys of the castle were metaphorically AND literally handed off to the Irish in 1922, it has experienced a complete change in the minds of the Irish people. The Irish President is inaugurated here, dignitaries are welcomed and referendum results are announced here, making it into a place where, although history is still being made, the changes are positive and are creating a better Ireland.

We will not be venturing inside, but thankfully we are free to explore the grounds – the lower and upper courtyards and the Dubh Linn gardens – which is fully satisfying.

Christchurch Cathedral

Although a wooden church was built here in ca. 1030, and there was likely a pagan shrine before that, Christchurch as a stone structure began in the 1180s and has been restored and changed numerous times since. The neo-gothic architecture makes Christchurch, arguably, Dublin’s most beautiful complex. The vast crypt underneath the cathedral deserves particular attention for its size, interesting curious and the fact that it hosted a pub, distillery and… brothel (!) in the 18th century.

Trinity College

Started in 1592 as a university only for Protestants, Trinity remained an institution of resentment for Ireland’s Catholic majority up until at least 1970. Throughout the centuries, this fine university nurtured such aspiring students as Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett , the greatest playwright of the 20th century.

A remarkable building that really gives you a sense of how wealthy Dublin was at the end of the 18th century. Often there are events taking place inside, which would preclude us from entering, but if there are not we can explore the fantastic frescoes and gold-leaf design on the rotunda.

The Ha’Penny Bridge

Built in 1816, the beautiful white cast iron bridge straddles the River Liffey. It serves as the gateway to the charming Temple Bar quarter with its narrow cobbled streets. We’ll cross over it to look up and down the river. On the north side, there’s a great opportunity for a photo.

General Post Office (G.P.O.) (O’Connell St)

It was outside this impressive building on Easter Monday when Padraig Pearse read the Declaration of Irish Independence and he, together with his 1600 comrades, led a rebellion that shook an empire. The most under-rated site in Dublin for tourists, the GPO retains all its historical potency for Dubliners and Irish people, but most tourists never learn why this should be on their top 5 list of sites to visit.

We’ll be able to stand at what was the front entrance where the proclamation was read and, possibly, venture inside to admire it’s reconstructed antique interior as well as soak up the significance of what happened on this spot and what it means to Irish people today.

Daniel O’Connell Statue (O’Connell St)

Daniel O’Connell was arguably the first man to prove to the masses that civil disobedience and peaceful resistance could be effective. A huge hero for Irish people, having secured Catholic Emancipation, he’s nick-named ‘The Liberator’ and the main street of our capital city is justifiably named after him.

We’ll explore the intricate notes of symbolism on this brilliant monument.

Old Parliament Building

Dublin was the 2nd city of the British Empire in the 18th century, and we have the subtle patriotism of the Irish-born politicians of the institution to thank. Today, Dublin’s architectural landscape is ornamented by an abundance of buildings from this period, making it look much older than Paris and London. What is now known as ‘The Bank of Ireland building’ was grand enough to serve as the architectural inspiration for the monumental British Museum in London.

This building is located in College Green, which could be regarded as the centre of the city. The entrance to Trinity College is adjacent as is famous Grafton Street.

Leinster House – Dáil Eireann – Irish Parliament

What was once the town house of the Fitzgerald family from the 1740s has, since 1922, hosted the Irish Parliament (Dáil Eireann). Much like the Old Parliament building, this parliament building also became an architectural inspiration. Its facade, as well as the floor plan for its 1st and 2nd floors, were used as blueprints for the design of the White House.

Naturally, we’ll only be able to view it from the gate, which, thankfully, gives us a more-or-less unobstructed view of the front facade.

Georgian Dublin

Dublin’s heyday was from 1729 to 1800, which roughly coincides with the reign of Kings George I to III. In the subsequent 19th century, however, money and influence abandoned Dublin. As a result, instead of constructing new buildings, the cash-strapped populace resorted to maintaining many of the fine Georgian buildings. Thanks to these circumstances, Dublin today is architecturally older than London.

Georgian architecture is characterised by symmetry, elegance and restraint (in contrast to Baroque or Rococo). The state buildings normally have neoclassical elements such as columns whereas the residential buildings have red-brick facades with famously colourful doors to distinguish them from each other.

Grafton Street

Don’t let the brands and blatant consumerism fool you, Grafton still has its charm. In fact, Grafton street is one of the last bastions of old Dublin left. Admire the flower ladies, enjoy the buskers (street musicians) as you head towards Bewleys Café, Ireland’s oldest and biggest café, built in 1927.

Saint Stephen’s Green

Gifted to the city in 1880 by a member of the Guinness family, Stephen’s Green remains much-appreciated by Dubliners today – it’s probably their favourite piece of the city. We’ll stroll through the lush verdure along the curved Victorian walkways and keep our eyes peeled for that most-rare of animals – an Irish person sunbathing!

Wolfe Tone Statue (St. Stephen’s Green)

Wolfe Tone led the rebel of 1798, which sought to free Ireland of its political, cultural and martial chains to Britain as well as introduce equal rights for Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters. Although the rebellion failed, it, and he, would become the inspiration for generations of Irish men and women to stand up against oppression, to this very day.

Northern Ireland

Find out how it came into existence and discuss the potential for it to dissolve and result in a united Ireland. We’ll be chatting about this when we’re inside siting down during one of our breaks.

The Irish Language

If the English language is a language of prose, then the Irish language is a language of poetry. An incredibly fascinating language – you’ll learn how to say ‘cheers’ in Irish. And hopefully get to properly practice it too, should we stop by a pub. Regardless, we’ll be chatting about this when we’re inside sitting down during one of our breaks.

• Entry or admission fee
• Tip or gratuity
• Food & drinks
• COVID 19 – We abide by current governmental safety guidelines. We suggest you read about Ireland’s current COVID updates on the Citizens Information website.
• There are no site entries included in this tour, but that will not limit our ability to properly explore sites like Trinity College or Dublin Castle
• Accessible for those with limited mobility, limited eyesight, wheelchairs, stroller/pram
• Make sure to bring comfortable walking shoes
• Weather – Check the weather before the tour to determine if you’ll need a lightweight raincoat or not
• Further details available once you click into our booking engine linked by a button called ‘Check availability’ or ‘Book’
• Complementary tour – If you book this tour, we recommend booking any of the following tours for later in the day (or on another day) to enhance your Dublin experience: Museums Tour , Pub Tour , Food Tour, Crafts & Design
• 15+ days before : Free postponement or 80% refund (we retain 20% to cover admin costs)
• 14-8 days before : 50% refund
• 7-0 days before : 0% refund
• All cancellations must be discussed via email or phone. Booking fees are non-refundable. For more info, see our T&Cs

“They may forget what you said…but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Carl W. Buehner​

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Dublin Tour Guide offers the highest quality tours of Dublin.

We specialise in private walking tours for discerning travelers.

(Nearly!) All of Dublin in 5 hours

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The Ultimate Day in Dublin

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Don’t just take our word for it. Read our reviews below.

Lots of laughter

“brought Irish history to life in terms and references that all of the family could relate to and understand. Of course, it included lots of laughter and even some Irish singing (a must). We enjoyed his company immensely. He has a great deal of knowledge to share and we all came out better educated about the history of Dublin AND Ireland, and really well entertained.”

Joey – July ’19

Very passionate

“Our tour with Garvan was a true highlight of our 8 days in Ireland. While walking and sightseeing around Dublin was our objective, Garvan gave us so much more. He essentially gave us the entire history of Ireland, but from a very passionate, deeply rooted Irish perspective. We all felt like we climbed into the mind of an Irishman for half a day to really feel the history of the people and the land. Highly recommended! Garvan was fun, personable and very thoughtful about how he wanted to share the Irish experience. He also took the time to learn something about us ahead of time and knew all of our names from the first minute of the tour. I cannot recommend him enough.”

Tom M from Chicago – May ‘18

Best Walking Tour in Years

“Prior to this tour, I had all but given up on walking tours—I’ve just been disappointed so many times by walking tours that lacked historical depth and nuance. This tour restored my faith in them. Garvan fully delivered on a superb overview of Irish history (such as one can learn it in the course of ~4 hours), replete with historical detail and nuance, and his enthusiasm for the subject matter and love of Ireland is contagious. 10/10 would recommend.”

Anna – January ’13

A fantastic tour of Dublin with Cathal

“A fantastic tour of Dublin with Cathal. We had some important visitors over from Germany on business and we had a wonderful few hours walking around Dublin on this excellent tour Highly recommended.”

Gerard K – November ’15

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

2 Days in Dublin – The Perfect Dublin Itinerary

Last updated: December 16, 2023 . Written by Laurence Norah - 11 Comments

Dublin is a fun city to visit, and a must if you’re heading to Ireland. We always enjoy visiting, meeting the locals and of course, sampling some of the good stuff! By which I mean Guinness of course.

In today’s post, we’re going to share with you our idea of how to spend 2 days in Dublin. We’re going to cover many of our favourite sights, which include some of the best museums and other major attractions, as well as a few curveballs you might not have thought of.

We’ll also be sharing our tips on where to stay in Dublin, how to save money on your visit, some practical tips as well as plenty of photos to get you excited for your Dublin trip!

Let’s get going.

2 Days in Dublin

Our first day exploring Dublin has us learning about Irish history and visiting some classic sights. It’s a busy day, but you’re always welcome to adjust the itinerary to suit your interests and pace of course!

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

If you’re visiting Ireland from the USA, there’s a chance that you have Irish heritage. Over the years, millions of Irish people have emigrated from Ireland, settling all over the world – with a great many of them heading west across the ocean to the New World.

EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum tells the story of these people. What drove them to emigrate, what the emigration process was like, and the sort of lives they built for themselves in their final destination.

It’s a very interactive experience, and you are issued with a passport when you enter, which you stamp as you proceed through the story. We both enjoyed it, and learnt a great deal.

There’s a fee to enter, and it’s free to holders of the Dublin Pass . See more on how this pass can save you money on your Dublin visit in our full review of the Dublin Pass .

Jeanie Johnston Tallship & Famine Experience

Just across the road from the Irish Emigration Museum is the Jeanie Johnston tall ship. This is an accurate replica of the original Jeanie Johnston – a three masted ship that was originally built to carry cargo between Ireland and North America.

During the Irish Famine in the mid-19th century though, the Jeanie Johnston was used to transport emigrants from Ireland to the USA. In this period in Irish history, over a million people left the country, with a million more dying at home.

The Jeanie Johnston made 16 emigrant voyages, and is notable for not losing a single passenger or crew member on any of her voyages. A visit to the replica ship will give you a sense of what life on board for these emigrants and crew would have been like, and is quite a moving experience.

When we visited, one of our fellow tour participants became quite emotional when he revealed that his ancestors had actually sailed on one of the original famine ships from Ireland.

This one also has a fee, and is a guided tour. It’s free to holders of the Dublin Pass .

Trinity College and the Long Room

Trinity College is the only college of the University of Dublin, and is generally considered to be the best University in Ireland. It was founded in 1592 by the first Queen Elizabeth, and as you might imagine, it has a rich history and a number of impressive buildings that you can both look at and visit.

The most popular sight though is the Old Library. Dating from the 18th century, this magnificent room houses over 200,000 books across two stunning floors. It’s over 200ft long, and is a sight you have to see.

As part of your visit, you will also have access to the Book of Kells – the world’s most famous medieval manuscript. This is a 9th century decorated copy of the four gospels, and is generally regarded as Ireland’s greatest cultural treasure.

Entry to both the Book of Kells and the Long Room are included in the same ticket, which you can buy directly from the Trinity College Dublin website , or in person when you arrive.

National Gallery of Ireland

Time for some art! And for that, we’re going to head over to the National Gallery of Ireland . This is free to enter (with the exception of any special exhibitions), and is home to over 2,500 paintings and 10,000 other works of art.

As you can imagine, there is plenty to see here. The National Gallery is home to Ireland’s collection of Irish and European art, including paintings by Turner, Rembrandt and Irish impressionist Walter Osborne.

Little Museum of Dublin

If you want to learn about what life was like in Dublin through the 20th century, then a visit to the Little Museum of Dublin should definitely be on your list for your Dublin visit.

This people’s museum takes you on an intimate journey through life in 20th century Dublin, and has over 5,000 artifacts on display in that time period. There’s also an exhibit on U2, Ireland’s most famous rock band, which you can visit without taking a tour.

Be aware, this is quite a small museum, and the main exhibition has to be seen on a guided tour. Slots on these tours can fill up quickly at busier times of year as the museum is popular, so to avoid disappointment we would advise booking in advance, which you can do here . Included on the Dublin Pass .

Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre

A shopping centre? No, we haven’t gone totally mad. We just love the interior design of this shopping centre, with it’s glass and steel interior, which reminds us of a Victorian era rail station (or shopping arcade).

There are of course plenty of shops and a food court in Stephen’s Green , should you need any retail therapy or a reasonably priced quick bite to eat. But our favourite thing to do is admire the view down the length of the arcade from the stairwell near the entrance, looking down towards the giant clock.

Molly Malone Statue

One of Dublin’s most popular sights, and not one that we’re going to miss on our itinerary, is the statue of Molly Malone.

Molly Malone is the fictional heroine of one of Ireland’s most well known songs , with the story going that she was a fishmonger who plied her cockles on mussels in Dublin’s fair city.

Fictional or not, her statue is a must when visiting Dublin. It’s currently located just outside the Irish tourist information office on Suffolk Street.

Sunset over the River Liffey

We’re coming to the end of our first day in Dublin, and what better way to finish off than by watching the sun set over the River Liffey, which runs right through the centre of the city.

Of course, the sunset time will vary depending on the time of year you visit, and you have to be lucky with the weather, but sometimes the sky can put on a real show!

Any of the bridges will offer you a good view, although if you can get the beautiful Ha’Penny bridge in your photo, you’ll be on to a winner.

Temple Bar District

Last but not least, our first day ends with a tour of the Temple Bar district. This is the party capital of Dublin, and if you’re seeking out pints of Guinness, live music and lots of “craic”, this is definitely the place to come.

Yes, it’s full of tourists and the prices are higher than everywhere else in town. But it also a lot of fun. Check out this guide to the best bars and pubs in Temple Bar to give yourself a plan of where to go for your evening of fun.

Our second day in Dublin has you visiting a cathedral, a gaol, learning about the history of the city, and of course, finishes off with a pint of Guinness!

Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is not quite a castle as you might be expecting, although there has been a castle on this site since around 1166. In fact, the only real “castle” looking part of Dublin Castle is the Record Tower, which dates from 1228.

The rest of the Dublin Castle complex, which has been built up around the old medieval castle, is home to a number of government buildings. These include the Irish government state apartments, which are used for official state engagements, as well as the Garda (Irish police) Museum and the Chester Beatty Library museum.

All of these can be visited. Visiting the main Castle, which includes the State Apartments, requires a ticket , and you can either do a self-guided tour or a guided tour. The former is free for holders of the Dublin Pass .

The Garda Museum is free as is the Chester Beatty Library . Note that access to Dublin Castle may be restricted due to government events or activities, so check the website before your visit to avoid disappointment.

Christ Church Cathedral

Founded in 1028, Christ Church Cathedral is Dublin’s oldest medieval cathedral. It’s a spectacular Gothic / Romanesque construction, and serves as the seat of both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic church in Dublin. It will be recognisable to fans of TV show The Tudors , as many scenes from the show were filmed on site.

There’s plenty to see here. The crypt contains a number of attractions, including a mummified cat and rat, and an extensive silver collection.

Entry is ticketed, and you can buy your tickets online or in person. It’s free to holders of the Dublin Pass .

Right next door to Christ Church Cathedral is Dublinia , a fun museum which tells the story of medieval and Viking Dublin. This part of the city was the heart of medieval Dublin, although other than the cathedral buildings, not much survives from that time period.

Still, a visit to Dublinia will give you a glimpse into what life in that time period might have been like. There are recreations of houses and street scenes from the time, and lots of information and hands on exhibits..

Naturally the Plague, or Black Death, is covered, and there’s also a whole section devoted to how archaeologists have unearthed the past to bring it to life.

You can also go up to the top of St. Michael’s Tower, a 96 step climb, for reasonable views across the city. Entry to Dublinia is ticketed , with tickets available online or in person. Entry is free for holders of the Dublin Pass .

Kilmainham Gaol

The attraction which is furthest from the centre in our two day Dublin itinerary is Kilmainham Gaol . Don’t worry though, this 18th century gaol no longer operates as such, and is today run as a museum by Ireland’s Office of Public Works.

Kilmainham Gaol is worth visiting for a number of reasons. First, it has seen some notable inmates – in particular, the leaders of the 1916 revolution were detained and executed here by the British, as were leaders of many other rebellions over the years.

The Gaol also housed thousands of ordinary Irish citizens, held for crimes ranging from food theft to murder. Film fans will also recognise this as the gaol that Michael Caine is held in in the original Italian Job movie,  and more recently, where Paddington Bear is held in Paddington 2.

Visiting Kilmainham Gaol is only possible on a guided tour, with tickets sold for specific times. Tickets are available for walk-ins, however this is a very popular attraction and we highly recommend buying your ticket in advance online to avoid disappointment.

Guinness Storehouse

Our last stop, and the perfect way to end your two days in Dublin is Dublin’s most popular visitor attraction – the Guinness Storehouse .

This is on the site of St James’s Gate Brewery, where Ireland’s legendary drink has been brewed since 1759. Today, over 50 million barrels of Guinness are produced annually on this location.

The Guinness Storehouse is a seven storey visitor attraction arranged around a central atrium which is shaped like a traditional Guinness glass. If actually filled with Guinness, it would hold 14 million pints! The tour goes across all seven floors, and covers everything from how Guinness is made, through to some of its iconic advertising through the ages.

Finally, the tour culminates at the Gravity Bar on the seventh floor, where you get to sample a pint of the good stuff (included with your ticket), and admire a spectacular view of the city. Not a bad way to end your last day in Dublin, we think you’ll agree.

Last entry is at 5pm, and the storehouse closes at 7pm (one hour later for last entry and closing in July and August). You can buy your tickets online , which can save you up to 30%, plus you get access to the fast track queue. You also get free entry and access to the fast track queue with the Dublin Pass.

2 Day Dublin Itinerary Map

To help you visualise our itinerary we’ve put it into a map, showing all the locations above divided by the two days. You can see this map on Google Maps here .

2 Days in Dublin Itinerary Summary

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll be seeing on each day for quick reference:

• Day 1 : EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Jeanie Johnston Tallship & Famine Experience, Trinity College and the Long Room, National Gallery of Ireland, Little Museum of Dublin, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, Molly Malone Statue, Sunset over the River Liffey
• Day 2 : Temple Bar District, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, Kilmainham Gaol, Guinness Storehouse

Walking Tours of Dublin

If you’d like to take a guided walking tour of Dublin, which can be a great way to learn about the city from an expert guide, then there are a few options to choose from.

Different walking tours focus on different subjects, with some being more broad, whilst others might narrow down on a specific subject. Here are a few to give you some ideas of what is available.

• This full day tour of Dublin with one of our favourite walking tour companies, Take Walks, includes Trinity College, the Book of Kells, the Guinness Brewery, Dublin Castle, and a whisky distillery.
• This customizable private walking tour can include highlights of the city such as Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, and other locations.
• This 2.5 hour guided bike tour lets you cover many of the highlights of the city
• This 2.5 hour guided walking tour focuses on the spooky history of Dublin, from ghosts to cults!
• This 3.5 hour food tour will have you sampling many of the cities’ famous dishes and drinks
• This 3 hour food tour with Devour Tours (we love their food tours!) has you sampling some of the best of the Dublin food scene

As you can see, there are plenty of tour options to choose from!

Practicalities for Visiting Dublin

Safety:  We’ve not had any problems in Dublin, just take basic precautions with your valuables and personal safety, and you should be fine.

Power:  Electricity is of the 220v standard, with the three pin plug that is also used in the UK. Travellers from anywhere else, including other countries in Europe and the US will need an adapter , and US travellers need to check their equipment supports the 220v standard – it will be written clearly on the power adapter.

Currency: Dublin is part of the Eurozone, so the currency is the Euro. You can get these from ATM’s, banks and currency exchanges, although credit cards are of course widely accepted. Euro’s from other eurozone states are of course accepted.

Internet:  Internet access is widely available in the form of WiFi all around the city and in hotels and coffee shops, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting online. You can also pick up local SIM cards if you have an unlocked phone. If you are travelling from the USA, consider a Google Fi package which lets you use your data overseas.

For more options on getting online when travelling, check out our  guide to getting online when travelling  to help you figure out the best options. We also have a guide to picking the best travel router , which can help you extend a weak WiFi network and share it across multiple devices.

Water:  The water in the taps in Dublin (and Ireland) is perfectly safe to drink unless otherwise posted. If you don’t like the taste, bottled water is widely available.

When to Visit Dublin

Dublin is a fun city to visit at any time of year. In the summer months you’ll get warmer days with more hours of sunlight. In the winter, it will be less busy, but darker and colder. Attractions are for the most part open year round in the city, but always check opening times in advance before visiting.

Whenever you visit, you will want to be prepared for all weathers – Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, and all that greenery takes plenty of watering, so rain is a possibility at any time of year!

How to Get Around Dublin

Dublin is an easy city to get around on foot, and we have laid out our itinerary in the most logical way so you should be able to walk between most of the attractions.

There are a few hop-on hop-off (HOHO) buses in Dublin, one of which is included as part of the Dublin Pass .

This will get you to all the sights in our two day Dublin itinerary, and you will likely find it most useful on your second day, as the Guinness Store Factory and Kilmainham Gaol in particular are a bit of a trek from the city centre, and the HOHO bus route goes right past these, as well as the majority of the other day two stops.

There are also public buses in Dublin for which you can buy tickets directly from the driver, with prices varying depending on the distance you are going. There are also taxis of course to get you where you need to go.

Where to Stay in Dublin for 2 Days

Dublin is not a budget city, but there are plenty of options in the city to suit most budgets, from hostels through to upmarket hotels. We’ve stayed at a number of hotels, from hotels like this through to hostels and apartments.

Our current favourite way to find the best price on hotels when travelling is Booking.com. We find they tend to have the widest choice of listings, good discounts if you use them regularly, and an excellent selection of properties from hotels to apartments. See their Dublin listings here . For some options at varying price points:

• Issacs Hostel – A great and central budget option
• Jacob’s Inn Hostel – another excellent option for those looking for a hostel experience
• Jury’s Inn Dublin Parnell Street – well rated excellent value mid-range central hotel
• Maldron Hotel Parnell Square – 5 minutes walk from the center, we’ve stayed here and enjoyed it
• If you want an apartment, check out this perfectly located and well reviewed option
• If you want something a bit more special, take a look at the 5* Merrion Hotel , which has everything you could want for a luxury stay in Dublin

If you prefer an apartment, then we recommend either  Plum Guide  or  Vrbo .

Plum Guide carefully curate their listings so their options tend to be of a very high quality whilst still being available at a range of price points. We’ve stayed at a number of their properties around the world, and you can see our  review of the Plum Guide here . See their  listings for Dublin here .

If you can’t find what you want from the above choices, or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the  best alternatives to AirBnB  which you should check out!

How to Save Money in Dublin

As mentioned above, Dublin is not a particularly cheap destination to visit. The main costs when you’re in Dublin are going to be food, entertainment, accommodation and sight-seeing.

For food, you can save money by cooking for yourself at your hostel or apartment – but don’t hold back on dining out, as this is one of the fun things about visiting Dublin. Expect to pay in the region of €12 – €20 for a meal at a pub type location.

For sight-seeing, our recommended way to save money is to invest in a Dublin Pass . We’ve used these on a number of occasions when visiting the city, and for a two day visit that includes a number of attractions, the savings can really add up.

As of April 2023, a two day Dublin Pass costs €99. If you were to visit all the attractions in the list above that are covered by the Dublin Pass, plus use the  HOHO Dublin bus (valued at €33), it would cost you around €145. So that would definitely be a good saving!

Definitely worth checking out for your trip. You can see our full review of the Dublin Pass here .

Further Reading for your Dublin Visit

And that sums up our itinerary for the perfect two days in Dublin! Before you go though, we wanted to share some resources that you might find useful for planning your trip, both content we’ve created ourselves, and third party books and websites that should come in useful.

• For a slightly longer trip, check our detailed guide to spending three days in Dublin
• We also have a guide to what to do in Dublin , for even more ideas!
• A popular day trip from Dublin is a visit to the Cliffs of Moher . Read our experience doing just that here .
• Another popular attraction, although in Northern Ireland, are the Game of Thrones locations. Check out our guide to visiting  the Dark Hedges for more on that.
• We also have a guide to spending two days in Belfast , a guide to things to do in Belfast , a guide to the best day trips from Belfast , and a guide to the highlights of the Causeway Coastal Route , which runs from Belfast right around the coast to Londonderry, and makes for an awesome road trip
• If you’re planning to include Ireland as part of a trip to the UK, check out our recommended two week itinerary for the UK and Ireland which includes Dublin
• For information on events, happenings, and more ideas for what to do in Dublin, take a look at the official Visit Dublin website .
• If you want a guidebook, we’re fans of Rick Steves. Check out his Dublin Snapshot Guide for insights and ideas for your trip.

And that’s it! We hope you found our two day Dublin guide useful, and are happy to answer any questions in the comments below.

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There are 11 comments on this post

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Sheila says

16th February 2023 at 8:23 pm

I have been looking for months for a website to help me plan my trip to London, Ireland and Scotland. Your site is very informative and it is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for your info. I am flying into London on March 30, 2023 to attend a wedding and plan on travelling from there. Once again. Thank you.

Laurence Norah says

17th February 2023 at 7:47 am

Thanks so much for your kind comment! I’m delighted that our sites were able to help you plan your trip. If you have any questions feel free to reach out. Otherwise, have a great trip, and do swing by to let me know how your trip goes once you’re home!

Archit says

6th October 2019 at 10:26 am

It’s really a great source of information. Though I have already visited Dublin in November 2018 from India but few good places mentioned here got missed. Thank you Laurence and Jessica, this time I will explore these places too. I have read your another blog related to Cliffs of Moher day trip, I would try to follow the directions as stated by you for best photography.

6th October 2019 at 10:28 am

Thanks very much – we hope you get to visit a few more places on your next trip, and enjoy your time at the Cliffs of Moher!

Mitch Paine says

7th February 2019 at 2:34 pm

Hoping you can offer some additional advice. 4 of us (over 55) are planning a trip to Dublin in July 2019.

Two days in Dublin, then heading to London for a weekend then, back to Dublin for two days. The two day guide of the city is great. Do you have any suggestions about the best way to see the city as well as see more of the country’s sites (do we rent a car, take a bus tour)?

8th February 2019 at 7:54 pm

Thanks for your comment, and I’ll certainly try to help. So depending on how able you all are, Dublin is certainly a walkable city for the most part. That said, the Hop on Hiop off bus is also excellent, and covers all the highlights you’ll want to visit. In terms of day trips, we can suggest taking a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher , or heading up to Belfast for the day. The former is easiest by bus tour, the latter can be done easily by train.

I hope this helps – let me know if I can be of further assistance, and I hope you have a great trip together!

8th February 2019 at 8:19 pm

Thanks Laurence. That’s pretty much our plan at this point. Walking is no problem while in Dublin, and a day trip to the Cliff of Moher is on the itinerary.

It’s the South we’re struggling with. We want to maximize seeing as much as possible with a day or two. Do we rent a car or take a tour?

8th February 2019 at 9:03 pm

Renting a car will likely be more cost effective and let you see things at your own pace, whilst taking a tour will mean you can let someone else worry about the driving, plus you’ll likely learn a few more things as you go from your guide. So it’s up to you – I think they both have positives and negatives, and it will depend which you prefer ultimately!

Sorry I can’t give an absolute answer 😉

8th February 2019 at 9:05 pm

Thank you very much

19th July 2018 at 12:50 pm

So heading to Dublin meanwhile this blog was so informative to me….and i think this was a perfect universe thanks a lot for sharing such a wonderful article keep posting!

22nd July 2018 at 9:05 pm

Our pleasure, thanks Jenny!

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Dublin Attractions Map and Tour, Historic Attractions

50 popular attractions on using the dublin attractions map and guide. three dublin self guided walking tour, old dublin self guided tour walk 3 – top 16 attractions, guide to historic area.

• Dublin Attractions Map Walk 1 – Top 18 Attractions, guide to Dublin City Center , North of the River Liffey Dublin, Click HERE
• Dublin Attractions Map Walk 2 – Top 16 attractions, guide to attractions south of the River Liffey, including the Temple Bar Region just, Click HERE

Use the Dublin google map below to visit the attractions in historic central Dublin. A complete Dublin self guided tour map and guide to attractions, including Cathedrals, City Gates and Fortified Walls and historic Viking Settlements. Follow the walking route in orange below, to explore the city at your own place. Spend a few hours or two days depending on how you want to complete all three walking tours and how long you want to spend at each attraction. There are three separate walking tours: Tour 1- Downtown Central Dublin located north of River Liffey, Tour 2 – Temple Bar Region, St Stephens Green and Grafton Street located south of River Liffey and Tour 3 – Historic Dublin includes Dublin Corporation, Dublin City Hall (and includes parts of the Temple Bar Region)

Dublin Self Guided Tour 3 – Start at the Molly Malone Statue. Break at the end of the walk in the Temple Bar Region for a well earned pint

Download the INTERACTIVE Dublin Attractions Map HERE

Download the PDF Dublin Attractions Map HERE

Start dublin attractions map walking tour 3, 1. city hall – dublin corporation.

The current city hall was originally the location of the Royal Exchange. The building was completed in 1779. For additional information including history, opening hours and admission, click HERE

2. Dublin Attractions Map Medieval Quarter – Dublin Castle

In 1204, on the orders of King John of England, Dublin Castle was built by the dark pool (“Dubh Linn”) which gave Dublin its name. Completed in 1230, it had a central court and defensive walls with towers at each corner. The ancient river Poddle drained into the Liffey. It also surrounded two sides of the castle acting as a natural moat. Today the river paddle flowers under the castle complex. The castle has had many purposes over the years. It was the site of a prison, the treasury, a military fortress, a courthouse and the seat of English Administration. 

The castle has had severe damage over the centuries and subsequent massive made in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Today it is used for State events including receptions and Presidential Inaugurations.

On the southern side of the buildings are state apartments including St  Patrick’s reception  hall, throne room,  state drawing rooms, state dining rooms,  state bedrooms and state corridors

Of the many towers only two survive today: the records tower and the Bermingham tower

3. Medieval Quarter of Dublin Attractions Map – St Patrick’s Cathedral 

Saint Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland; it is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. The 800 year old medieval Cathedral is said to be the location of a well St Patrick used to baptize converts to Christianity.  The original 5 th century wooden church was elevated to the status of Cathedral in 1191 and a stone church was built in its place. St Patricks Cathedral is the largest and tallest Church in Ireland. There is a small fee to enter which supports maintenance of the church however, services are free of charge to attend.  Renovations have been gone on throughout its history including a major renovation to prevent its collapse, funded by the Guinness family in the 19 th century.

Several facts related to the Dublin Attractions Map at St Patrick’s cathedral?

• Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travel and the Dean from 1713-1745  
• Richard Boyle, the first Earl of Cork,
• The Duke of Shomberg, killed in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne. He was the 2 nd in command to King William 
• Robert Boyle, who discovered “Boyles Law”
• Archbishop of Dublin, Fulk De Saundford, the first person to be buried at the Cathedral
• Lord Lisburne, the grandson of the dean of the Cathedral, Adam Loftus, he was killed by a cannonball in the Siege of Limerick.  Coincidentally the cannon ball that killed him hangs on the wall of the Choir, also marking his burial location
• The Great Boyle Monument of 1632, Richard Boyle and his 2 nd wife Lady Catherine
• A stone statue of St Patrick, the body is from the 13 th century, the head from the 14 th century and the base is from the 19 th century
• The Great Door – legend has it that the Butlers of Ormonde and the Fitzgerald’s of Kildare were in the middle of negotiating a “peace contract”. As a sign of good faith, Gerald Fitzgerald put his arm through the hole in the door in the hope of getting a handshake rather having his arm cutoff. The two families shook hands and made peace
• Oliver Cromwell, held court martials in the Cathedral in 1651 and also used the nave to stable his horses showing a lack of respect for the Anglican Church
• The Orange chair used by King William at a service in the cathedral after the Battle of Boyne. The battle marked a change in the practice from Catholicism to Protestantism in Ireland

One of Ireland’s best museums , with a detailed history of Medieval and Viking Settlements

5. Christ Church Cathedral, Medieval Quarter of the Dublin Attractions Map

Next on the Dublin self guided tour is Christ Church Cathedral. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, commonly referred to as Christ Church is one of two medieval churches in Dublin. In 1030AD the Norse King of Dublin Sitric Silkenbeard commissioned a place of Christian worship on a hilltop overlooking the Viking settlement at Wood Quay. Originally, a wooden Church for the Viking settlement, it is now an Anglican Church. In 1180AD wealthy Normans funded the rebuilding of the Church in stone, complete with choir aisles, transepts, chapels and a crypt. Since then there have been a number of renovations, restorations and expansions.

In the 17 th century, the law courts and the parliament convened in a building next to Christ Church. These functions were later moved elsewhere 

In the 19 th century, the Cathedral had sunk into disrepair and was declared unfit for usage, Extensive repairs and renovations funded by the distiller Henry Roe and carried out by English architect George Edmund Street were completed in 1878 after 7 years of work onsite. The work cost £230,000, equivalent to about €26M today. The last renovation was in 2000 and it is open to tourists at a cost.

The renovations over the centuries starting in the middle ages has resulted in a mix of architectural styles including Gothic, Romanesque and Victorian. As you enter, the church’s breathtaking beauty opens up with a patterned Victorian tiled floor, stained glass windows, richly carved woodwork and soaring cloisters.

Today Christ Church is one of three Cathedrals in Dublin; Christ Church, St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s. It is the location of Citizenship Services, and hosts consecrations of bishops and ordinations of priests. As you enter the Church, basic information on the church and its history is found near the entrance. Visited by over 200,000 tourists a year, tickets to see the Cathedral can be purchased with or without a tour, audio guides are also available at a cost. It is extra to see the Belfry in the upper part of the cathedral and perhaps try your hand at ringing the bells.  However if you attend the weekly morning service which is open to all faiths, there is no fee. The Belfry is not accessible as part of the service

What is there to see in Christ Church, Dublin

Christ church: saint laurence o’toole’s heart.

Christ Church in the Dublin Attractions Map has several areas that you may want to spend some time viewing. St Laurence O’Toole was born Lorcán Ua Tuathail. He was the Archbishop of Dublin when the Norman’s invaded Ireland. He mediated between the parties during and after the invasion. Pope Honorius !! canonized him in 1225AD. In 1442 his skull was brought to England, his bones were interred at the St. Laurence Church in Chorley England until they disappeared during the Reformation. His heart was preserved at Christ Church in the 13 th century until it was stolen in 2011. The heart was eventually recovered in Phoenix Park as the thieves believed it would bring illness to their family members. At an evensong, the heart was returned to Christ Church in April 2018

Christ Church: The Nave

In the Nave you will find the tomb of Strongbow an Anglo-Norman leader. Strongbow was the nickname of the 2 nd Earl of Pembroke, Richard de Clare, Lord of Leinster. He led the Anglo-Norman involvement into Ireland. Strongbow is nicknamed “Voldemort” as a result of people rubbing his nose over the years. His nose resembles that of Harry Potters nemesis Voldemort.

Christ Church: Crypt

The crypt was built in 1173AD and is one of the largest in Britain or Ireland at 64m long. As you make your way down to the crypt, you will notice a drop in temperature as it is cooler in the crypt. In the crypt, you will find:

• Costumes from the series “The Tudors”
• The oldest know Statues, carved in the 18 th century
• Ancient books
• Candlesticks and a tabernacle from when the Church was a Roman Catholic cathedral
• Mummied remains of a “Cat and the Rat” commonly referred to as “Tom and Jerry”. A cat got stuck in the tube organ while chasing a mouse, the cat inadvertently blocked the exit trapping both of them. Their mummified remains were found in 1860 and has become a popular tourist attraction

Christ Church: Stone Bridge

A stone bridge across Winetavern Street connects the cathedral to Synod hall. Synod Hall was a separate church, St Michaels; today it displays an exhibition of medieval Dublin called “Dublina”

6. Winetavern Street

This historic street in the Dublin Attractions Map could be the “historic” version of the Temple bar region. During the excavations of Wood Quay, pewter tavern tokens were found in the area dating to the 13 th century, in total about 2,061 tokens were uncovered. The area was occupied by taverns and drinking establishments until the 18 th century. The Dubliners came for a pint, to socialize or conduct business over a glass of wine or ale. Images of how it looked can be found on the Dublin Attractions Map (Red Route)

7. Fishamble Street

One of the oldest streets in Dublin dating back to the 14 th century. If you like history, it is a must see and experience area in the Dublin Attractions Map . It was the official fish market in Dublin until the 17 th century when the fish market was moved to the north bank of the Liffey River. In 1680 it was replaced with the General Post Office which stood here for 30 years, The street was the location of the famous Bulls Head Tavern from the 18 th century. They Bull’s Head Musical Society which met in the Tavern, decided to build the Neal’s New Musick Hall on this street. It opened in 1741.

The entrance arch to the Hall is still located there. Neal’s Musick Hall was the location where Handel’s Messiah was first performed on April 13 1742 for charity. To accommodate the expected 700 guests, it was requested that men come without swords and women attend without hooped skirts. Handle’s Messiah is still performed today as an open air concert free to everybody. The archway became the entrance to Kennan & Sons Ltd, an engineering company, and they used the building until in 1986

8. Cook Street

As you move to the next attraction, you may see a pattern where the names of the streets in the Dublin Attractions Map appear to be named for their function. Similar to Winetavern Street, this street dates back to the 14 th century and literally it was the “street of cooks” or “Vicus Cocorum”. Lined with stalls and shops selling food, it became residential when in 1535 when John Burnell, an Anglo-Norman took up residency there. Others followed him and in 1623 the Lord Mayor of Dublin lived on Cook Street. Cook Street became a refuge for Jesuit priests, monks, nuns and priests for the Dominican, Franciscan and Carmelite order. Many Dubliners were executed for housing them in their homes on Cook Street. An image of the istoric street can be found on the Dublin Attractions Map

Near Audeon’s Church on Cook Street, a portion of the medieval Dublin Wall can be seen with a restored functioning medieval gate at St Audeon’s Arch, also called St Audoens Gate. Part of the wall has been modified and restored; it stands 7 meters high, 2m wide and is 90 meters in length. Today you may be able to enter the gate and follow the narrow pathway to High Street.

As I walked these ancient cobble stone streets, I have to admit that I got a little lost looking for some of the attractions. However just wandering the street gave me a real sense of historic Dublin.

9. Wood Quay

Originally, a monastery, the Monks called the area Dubh Linn which was Gaelic for Black Pool as a large murky pool was located near the Liffery. The area became a Viking settlement in 795 AD and became their over winter camp laying the foundations for the modern city of Dublin. You can still see their encampment in Wood Quay and near the Dublin Castle. You may be able to use the images on the Dublin Attractions Map to try and map out the area.

The Viking settlement was destroyed when the Dublin City Council erected large office buildings however, the story of Dublin starts here at the Wood Quay, which is now occupied by concrete buildings of the Dublin Corporation. Though archeologists, historians and international experts tried to save the area from redevelopment, their campaign failed and in the 1980 development of the area went ahead.

The Viking settlement contained artifacts and remnants, which offered insights into life during that time. The quay was used to moor ships offloading goods. The settlement contained houses, shops, remnants of clothing, pottery, tools and craftsmanship. The Vikings were eventually driven off the land by the Irish, however soon after the Norsemen arrived led by King Sitric Gale who refounded Dublin. In 1240 they reinforced the walls built by the Vikings and peppered the barrier with a handful of gates. Not only did the wall protect Dublin, over time, it served as a tollbooth. The Norse now occupied the area.  Many of these are on display at the national Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street.

The Liffey River had a natural island at its center, at low tide, Dubliners laid branches and created paths to cross the Liffey River, this was known as the “Fordes of the Hurdles”, and was the original crossing point of the Liffey River. It is very close to the current location of the Brazen Head Pub

10. Isolde’s Tower Lower Exchange Street, Dublin 2,

In 1993, during redevelopment of Woods Quay, the lower portion of a 13 th century tower was discovered. Estimated to stand at a height of 30-40 ft, it was originally discovered in the 17 th century and is part of the northeast corner of the city wall defense system that surrounded the city. Most of it was destroyed and the remains eventually buried as the city grew around and over it.  Part of the city wall and the Isoldes Tower still exist underground and some sections of Isodes Tower can be seen above ground, other parts were incorporated into the apartment complex of the same name. The circular foundations of Isolde’s Tower, can be seen from the street (Exchange Street Lower), hidden behind an iron grill

11. Old Dublin City Walls – Medieval Dublin

Dublin was established over a 1000 years ago from the merging of two small Christian settlements of “the Fordes of the Hurdles” and Dublh linn – the “Black Pool” under Viking and Norsemen control.

12. There are several attraction in the Dublin Attractions Map for the Temple Bar Area

The Templar bar area is seen as the cultural hub if central Ireland. A small area in a few blocks with bars, boutiques, restaurants, galleries, pubs accessed by narrow wandering streets lined with buskars, vendors and open air markets.  In medieval times, it was known as St Andrew’s Parish and located outside of the Dublin City Walls, Attacks by the native Irish resulted in St Andrews parish falling into disrepair and eventually disuse.

In the early 1600’s Sir William Temple built a home and garden in the area and the area got its name from the Temple Family when he became Provost to Trinity College from 1609 to 1627. The area was redeveloped from marshy lands bordering the Liffey River to create homes and gardens for wealthy English families where the gardens ran down to the water’s edge. Sir Williams’ son, Sir John Temple was instrumental in building a “sea wall” in 1656 to prevent the Liffey River from flooding into the homes and gardens. The area became known as Temple’s Barr (where a Barr was a raised sandbank that you could walk on)

In 1707, a customs house was established in the area, where the Clarence Hotel Stands. This attracted warehouses, taverns and brothels. In the 18 th century, the area continued its decline and was the location of ill repute and prostitution. The decline continued into the 19 th century. In 1991 the government rejuvenation of Templar Bar started with the creation of the Temple Bar Properties, a government nonprofit organization with the aim of establishing the area as Dublin’s Cultural Quarter

The Temple Bar Pub

Stop by the Temple Bar on the Dublin self guided tour. It is one of the most famous pubs in Ireland, its red exterior is distinct and attracts tourists from all over the world. Operating since 1840, it has Ireland’s largest collection of rare whiskey on display, 450 bottles in all

This might be a good time to take a break and continue the Dublin self guided tour after a well deserved pint at one of the local pubs

13.  Gates of Dublin – It is difficult to find all of these, a list of potential locations are on the Dublin Attractions Map

The city was protected by a fortified wall system, access into the city was through several well guarded gates. The wall and gates were refortified in 1240 by the Norman settlers. These can be seen on the Dublin Attractions map (green route)

• Dames Gate – May have included Isolde’s Tower and was built in 1305, corner of Dame Street and Palace Street on google maps. It was the narrowest entry into the city Street and you can still see remnants of the gate
• Pole Gate, also known as St Werburgh’s Gate  – It was located at the corner of Werburgh Street and Ship Street Little, southern end Werburgh Street
• Nicholas gate is south of New Gate – located at the corner of Nicholas Street at St Nicholas Place between Ross Road and Bride Road. There are no remnants for the three story high gate, just an unpaved alleyway
• Gormonds Gate – at the end of St Augustine Street , intersection of St Augustine Street and Wormwood gate on google map. Named after Willian Gormond who lived at the location in 1233
• Bridge/Osmans Gate – Protected the city from the River Liffey crossing at Bridge Street. It is on the corner of Bridge and Merchants Quay on google maps. There are no remnants of the gate
• Audeons Gate – called “Dublin City Gate” in google map. One of the most well preserved gates that has survived; it is located behind the side of the Audoen’s church and leads to a narrow alley. Today, it can be used to exist the historic city center to High Street
• New Gate – end of High Street, west of St Audoen’s church on the map (depicted by a gate symbol), Called “Old Dublin city wall” on google map. In 1485 the city jail, Newgate Prison, was established and became part of the gate structure

After the Walk – Might be a good time to take a break – Temple bar Region. Continue on to additional attractions below

Additional popular attractions in dublin:, 14.  guinness storehouse.

The brewery was founded by Sir Arthur Guinness in 1759 when he signed a lease for 9,000 years. The Irish’s love for Guinness is great that the brewery expanded to the point that it had its own giant gate across St James Street, giving the brewery its official name St James Gate Brewery. By 1930, 5000 people worked there, however automation has resulted in an employee population of about 600 people who produce 2.5M pints of beer EVERY DAY!!

The seven story building including a pint shaped atrium, is dedicated to the art of making and enjoying Guinness and welcoms 20M visitors a year. The building contains a museum with interactive exhibits, a tasting room, a retail store, a restaurant, a rooftop Gravity Bar with a spectacular view of Dublin city and a copy of the 9,000-year lease displayed in the atrium. Tickets can be purchased online at their website or at the entrance

15.  Pearse Lyons whisky distillery 

Owned by the founder of Alltech, an agriculture giant, the boutique distillery is located in a historic neighborhood that Pease and his father and grandfather grew up. In fact, Pearse’s first job was at the Paddy, Powers and Jameson Whisky distillery. The Pearse Lyons whisky distillery is in the restored St James Church located in the oldest city neighbourhood known as The Liberties. The painstaking renovation of the dilapidated 12 th century church has been designated as a national monument.

Tour of the distillery includes:

• A history of the area and of St James Church
• Stories of the individuals buried in the Church cemetery
• A tour of the distilling process
• Whisky tasting

16.  Jameson Distillery Bow St, St James distillery

The distillery was established in 1780 by John Jameson and expanded in 1805. It fell into difficult times during the American Prohibition, Ireland’s trade war with Great Britain and the advent of Scotch blended whisky.  Jameson rebranded itself as the Irish Distillers Group in 1966 by partnering with Cork Distillers and John Powers & Sons and was one of the last distillers in Ireland to close in 1971.  Today the distilling operation has moved out of Dublin to County Cork and is a subsidiary of Pernod Richard

The Distillery on Bow St is now a visitor’s center, it provides whisky tastings, guided tours, a gift shop and a bar

Queen of Tarts

If you’re on the lookout for some good coffee and even better cakes, then the Queen of Tarts on Dame Street. The caffe founded by NYC pastry chefs trained sisters Regina and Yvonne Fallon. They offer generous and delicious portions of sweet treats across two locations in Dublin since the late 1990s. This is the perfect rest stop in the middle of the Dublin Walking Tours

Additional Ireland Attraction Guides:

• Getting around Ireland – Using Public Transportation in Ireland
• Cliffs of Moher – A very popular tour, a complete guide to the 16 attractions along the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk
• Doolin – A quaint popular village in County Clare. Stop overnight and walk to the Cliffs of Moher from Doolin or enjoy the many other attractions in and around Doolin
• The Ring of Kerry – A spectacular 111 mile scenic route on the Iveragh Peninsula. Start at either Kenmare or Killarney for a circular route of three hours without stops. Jaw dropping views of the Atlantic ocean, charming villages and wild sweeping mountains makes this a popular must see attraction in Ireland. Use the map and attractions for the complete self guided tour of the Ring of Kerry
• The Dingle Peninsula – It is a 30 mile long clockwise loop that takes about 4 hours to complete. The area is the bedrock of Irish culture with signs in many villages and towns indicating that Irish is the predominant language in the area. The picturesque landscape includes rolling hills, craggy shorelines and sandy beaches. The PDF map and attractions guide explores the attractions of the Dingle Peninsula
• The Ring of Beara – An 85 mile circular route, similar to Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula, however it is far less travelled. In that sense, it is a better drive as there are far less cars on the road. I found the Ring of Beara far more dramatic than either the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula. It is not as popular because the tourist buses are not able to navigate the narrow roads with hairpin bends or the Healey Pass.
• Dublin Walk 1  – Top 18 Attractions, guide to  Dublin City Center , North of the River Liffey Dublin
• The Book of Kells and Trinity College in Dublin. Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland with the historic Long Room,and the old library with over 200,000 of the very old books. It is the most impressive library in the world
• In Dublin visit the Little Museum of Dublin, Grafton Street, St Stephens Green and Kilmainham Goal (the prison where many rebels from the Easter Rising were held before their execution)
• Dublin Walk 3  – Top 16 attractions, guide to  Historic Old Dublin
• Galway – Use the Galway Ireland guide for a flexible and personal tour of over 40 attractions Galway City
• Aran Islands – For a truly authentic Irish experience visit the Aran Islands. They are located at the mouth of Galway Bay. You can catch a ferry from either Doolin or Rosseeval port (Shuttle from Galway to Rosseeval ferry port)
• The Glens of Antrim – Driving route for the nine Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland. The guide includes options for public transportation, walking trails in The Glens and Game of Thrones Attractions
• Over 100 Northern Ireland Attractions – Visit over 100 attractions along the east and north coast of Ireland along the Antrim and Causeway Coastal Route. Travel by car or public transport from the Mourne Mountains to Londonderry. Includes game of thrones sites, castles and walks along the route
• The Burren – Explore the karst moonscape bedrock of The Burren located in the southwest region and close to the Cliffs of Moher. Attractions in the Burren include ancient tombs, underground caves, walks on an unusual landscape and The Burren National Park

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There’s more to Dublin than meets the eye. Ireland’s capital city is overflowing with so much personality; a single word is not enough to describe it. Dublin takes pride in its layers of history and heritage, its notable writers and revolutionary music, its pubs, and its world-famous beer. However, its finest gem is its people and their distinct Irish sense of humor.

Although Dublin does not have a subway system, getting around the city is quite easy, thanks to its efficient public transportation. The city’s metro is comprised of the Dublin Area Rapid Transport. With the Dublin metro map, you can explore the city with ease. Get a copy of the Dublin Transport Map to help you figure out the best routes to your chosen destinations.

There’s a little bit of something for everyone in Dublin. Visit the manicured lawns of Stephen’s Green, Phoenix Park and the Dublin Zoo. Explore the National Museum of Ireland and the stately St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Be sure to get a copy of the Dublin Tourist Sightseeing Map so you will not miss any of the top destinations of the city. 

Stroll the historic streets of the city center and take a closer look at Dublin’s past. Here you will find the majestic Dublin Castle, the prestigious Trinity College, the shopping strip Grafton Street, and the nightlife hot spot Temple Bar. For literature fans, enjoy a walk around places associated with James Joyce, starting at No. 7 Eccles St., the home of his famed character Leopold Bloom. The Dublin Walking Tour Maps provide detailed information on the city so you can plan your sightseeing ahead of time and explore at your own pace. The walking tour map does not only show the highlights of Dublin; it also allows you to discover the unknown but equally intriguing parts of the city.

If you prefer a more leisurely and comfortable way of seeing the city, take the Hop on Hop off Bus tour. This option is especially beneficial for tourists who are traveling with their elderly or with kids. To find out where you can catch the bus, check out our free printable copy of the Dublin Hop on Hop off Bus map. 

• Interactive Dublin Attractions Map
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Dublin City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour Map

Dublin bigbus hop-on hop-off bus tour map, dublin metro map, dublin transport map, dublin tourist map, dublin walking tour map.

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Dublin tourist map

You can find on this page the Dublin tourist map to print and to download in PDF. The Dublin tourist attractions map presents the monuments, museums, parks and points of interest of Dublin in Leinster - Ireland.

Map of Dublin points of interest

The Dublin sightseeing map shows all tourist places and points of interest of Dublin. This tourist attractions map of Dublin will allow you to easily plan your visits of landmarks of Dublin in Leinster - Ireland. The Dublin tourist map is downloadable in PDF, printable and free.

On average 500,000 people travel within Dublin City Centre every day. This is made up of circa 235,000 work-related trips, 45,000 education trips, and 120,000 visitors, tourists, and shoppers as its shown in Dublin tourist map. Dublin was ranked as Europe 2nd most attractive city for FDI by the Financial Times in 2018, ranking 2nd in Europe for business-friendliness and 2nd for economic potential. Dublin attracted over 5.9 million overseas visitors in 2017.

Dublin had the highest hotel occupancy rate among European cities in 2018 (83.8%). Three of the top five most popular tourist attractions in Ireland are in Dublin. The Guinness Storehouse topped the list with 1.7m visitors; in third place  was Dublin Zoo with 1.3m visitors; and the Book of Kells attracted just over 1m visitors as you can see in Dublin tourist map. On average 500,000 people travel within Dublin City Centre every day. This is made up of circa 235,000 work-related trips, 45,000 education trips, and 120,000 visitors, tourists, and shoppers.

Dublin Port welcomed 1.8 million ferry passengers and over 500,000 tourist vehicles in 2017 as its mentioned in Dublin tourist map. It will welcome 172 cruise ships in 2019, bringing over 200,000 passengers and adding in the region of €35 million to the local economy. 143 million passenger journeys were made with DublinBus in 2018, a rise of more than seven million and the fifth consecutive year of growth. 42 million passenger journeys were made using the Luas in 2018, marking an 11% increase on 2017.

Dublin attractions map

Map of Dublin tourist places

The Dublin attractions map shows the main monuments, museums and parks of Dublin. This tourist places map of Dublin will allow you to easily plan your visits of tourist attractions of Dublin in Leinster - Ireland. The Dublin attractions map is downloadable in PDF, printable and free.

Dublin has many landmarks and monuments dating back hundreds of years. One of the oldest is Dublin Castle as its shown in Dublin attractions map, which was first founded as a major defensive work on the orders of King John of England in 1204, shortly after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, when it was commanded that a castle be built with strong walls and good ditches for the defence of the city, the administration of justice, and the protection of the King treasure. Largely complete by 1230, the castle was of typical Norman courtyard design, with a central square without a keep, bounded on all sides by tall defensive walls and protected at each corner by a circular tower. Sited to the south-east of Norman Dublin, the castle formed one corner of the outer perimeter of the city, using the River Poddle as a natural means of defence.

One of Dublin newest monuments is the Spire of Dublin, or officially titled "Monument of Light". It is a 121.2 metres (398 ft) conical spire made of stainless steel and is located on O'Connell Street as you can see in Dublin attractions map. It replaces Nelson Pillar and is intended to mark Dublin place in the 21st century. The spire was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, who sought an "Elegant and dynamic simplicity bridging art and technology". During the day it maintains its steel look, but at dusk the monument appears to merge into the sky. The base of the monument is lit and the top is illuminated to provide a beacon in the night sky across the city. Many people visit Trinity College, Dublin to see the Book of Kells in the library there. The Book of Kells is an illustrated manuscript created by Irish monks circa. 800 AD. The Ha'penny Bridge; an old iron footbridge over the River Liffey is one of the most photographed sights in Dublin and is considered to be one of Dublin most iconic landmarks.

Dublin popular landmarks and monuments include the Mansion House, the Anna Livia monument, the Molly Malone statue, Christ Church Cathedral, St Patrick Cathedral, Saint Francis Xavier Church on Upper Gardiner Street near Mountjoy Square, The Custom House, and Áras an Uachtaráin as its mentioned in Dublin attractions map. The Poolbeg Towers are also iconic features of Dublin and are visible in many spots around the city. Dublin has more green spaces per square kilometre than any other European capital city, with 97% of city residents living within 300 metres of a park area. The city council provides 2.96 hectares (7.3 acres) of public green space per 1,000 people and 255 playing fields. There are many park areas around the city, including the Phoenix Park, Herbert Park and St Stephen Green. St Anne Park is a public park and recreational facility, shared between Raheny and Clontarf, both suburbs on the North Side of Dublin.

Dublin zoo map

Map of Dublin zoo park

The Dublin zoo map shows recommended tours of the Dublin Zoological Park. This zoo map of Dublin will allow you to easily find out where each animal is and where to picnic in the Zoological Park of Dublin in Leinster - Ireland. The Dublin zoo map is downloadable in PDF, printable and free.

Dublin Zoo (Irish: Zú Bhaile Átha Cliath), in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland is the largest zoo in Ireland and one of Dublin most popular attractions. Opened in 1831, the zoo describes its role as conservation, study, and education. Its stated mission is to "work in partnership with zoos worldwide to make a significant contribution to the conservation of the endangered species on Earth". Covering over 24 hectares (59 acres) of Phoenix Park, it is divided into areas named World of Cats, World of Primates, The Kaziranga Forest Trail, Fringes of the Arctic, African Plains, Birds, Reptiles, Plants, City Farm and Endangered Species as you can see in Dublin zoo map. The Royal Zoological Society of Dublin was established at a meeting held at the Rotunda Hospital on 10 May 1830 and the zoo, then called the Zoological Gardens Dublin, was opened on 1 September 1831. The animals, 46 mammals and 72 birds, were donated by London Zoo.

The zoo is part of a worldwide programme to breed endangered species. It is a member of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which helps the conservation of endangered species in Europe. Each species supervised by the EEP has a single coordinator that is responsible for the building of breeding groups with the aim of obtaining a genetically balanced population. Dublin Zoo manages the EEP for the Golden Lion Tamarin and the Moluccan Cockatoo as its shown in Dublin zoo map. It also houses members of the species Goeldi monkey and the white-faced Saki which are part of EEPs coordinated by other zoos. The focus is on conservation, which includes breeding and protecting endangered species, as well as research, study and education. Rodrigues fruit bats are one of Dublin Zoo endangered species. Fruit bats, as their name suggests, feed on fruit and because of that are very important to the rain forest.

Dublin Zoo is involved in the international breeding program and helps to fund researchers who study the Tamarins in Brazil as its mentioned in Dublin zoo map. Dublin Zoo holds the European studbook for Moluccan Cockatoos. A studbook is a record of all the individuals of a particular species that are held in zoos in a region. It contains information such as the sex of the animal, how old it is and who its parents were. Themed areas were decided on and the first, World of Primates, opened to the public in 1996. The latest, African Plains, opened in 2001. African Plains, opened in 2001, covers 13 hectares. Animals in the African Plains include Bongos, African Lions, African Wild Dogs, Red River Hogs, White-crowned Mangabeys, Chimpanzees, White Rhinos, Hippos, Giraffes, Zebras, Ostriches, Gorillas and Scimitar-horned Oryx (this species is now extinct in the wild). There are no longer any Polar Bears at Dublin Zoo because the enclosure was too small for them.

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The Five Lamps Arts Festival 2024

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Sun, 10 Mar - Sat, 18 May

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Wed, 20 Mar - Sun, 14 Apr

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Fri, 12 Apr - Sat, 13 Apr

Vicar Street

One Dublin One Book

Mon, 1 Apr - Tue, 30 Apr

Various Locations, Dublin City

Children of the Sun

Sat, 13 Apr - Sat, 11 May

Abbey Theatre

QOW TRIO - Jazz Live Performance

Sun, 14 Apr 18:00

Windmill Lane Recording Studios

Turning Heads: Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer

Sat, 24 Feb - Sun, 26 May

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