Things to do in Co. Dublin
18 places
1.Howth Cliff Walk
4 colour-coded cliff loops with views of Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island
A rugged coastal trail just 30 minutes from Dublin city centre, the Howth Cliff Walk serves up dramatic sea-cliff views, a historic lighthouse, and a fishing village packed with seafood spots — all accessible by DART train.
- Highlights
- Four colour-coded loop trails (6–12 km)
- Views of Ireland's Eye, Lambay Island, and Dublin Bay
- Baily Lighthouse (built 1814)
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly
2.Howth Cliff Walk (Green Route)
a 6 km cliff loop with a lighthouse, beach & sea views 30 min from Dublin
A well-marked 6 km loop along dramatic sea cliffs just 30 minutes from Dublin city centre, offering lighthouse views, a hidden swimming cove, and one of the easiest coastal hikes in Ireland.
- Highlights
- 6 km loop, ~2 hours, 130 m ascent
- Baily Lighthouse views from Louis' Point
- Balscadden Bay Beach — hidden swimming cove
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly
3.Killiney Hill Viewpoint
1742 obelisk built as famine relief
A breezy hilltop park just south of Dublin with one of the best coastal panoramas in Ireland — city, sea, and mountains from a single 153m summit, reached in under 20 minutes.
- Highlights
- Panoramic views over Dublin Bay, Wicklow Mountains, and the Irish Sea
- Historic 1742 obelisk — built as famine relief
- The 'Wishing Stone' pyramid with its quirky local legend
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
4.National Botanic Gardens
home to the only replica Viking house
A free-to-enter botanical oasis just 3km from Dublin's city centre, home to over 15,000 plant species, award-winning Victorian glasshouses, and the only replica Viking house in Ireland — all set along the tranquil River Tolka.
- Highlights
- Free entry every day except Christmas Day
- Turner Curvilinear Range — the most important wrought-iron glasshouse in Ireland
- Over 15,000 plant species including 300+ endangered species
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
5.Jameson Distillery Bow St.
the original 1780 home of Ireland's best-selling whiskey
The original 1780 home of Jameson Irish Whiskey — now a fully indoor, award-winning visitor experience in Smithfield with guided tours, tastings, cocktail classes, and Dublin's only live maturation warehouse.
- Highlights
- World's Leading Distillery Tour (award-winning)
- Original 1780 distillery site — over 240 years of history
- Dublin's only live whiskey maturation warehouse
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
6.Kilmainham Gaol
a former prison where 1916 Rising leaders were executed
One of Europe's largest unoccupied prisons, where a one-hour guided tour walks you through 128 years of Irish rebellion, suffering, and the fight for independence — from the 1798 uprising to the 1916 Easter Rising and beyond.
- Highlights
- One-hour guided tour through a 228-year-old prison
- The dramatic Victorian East Wing with its iron galleries
- Stonebreaker's Yard — execution site of 1916 leaders
- Facilities
- Restrooms · Wheelchair access
7.National Gallery of Ireland
Caravaggio, Vermeer & Yeats under one roof — free
Ireland's national art collection, spanning from the 14th century to today — with masterpieces by Caravaggio, Vermeer, Monet, and Yeats, all in the heart of Georgian Dublin, and entry is free.
- Highlights
- Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ (1602)
- Vermeer's Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid
- Jack B. Yeats' The Liffey Swim
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
8.Newbridge House & Farm
Ireland's most intact Georgian mansion with a 30-acre working farm
A beautifully preserved Georgian mansion filled with original furnishings, set on 370 acres of parkland with a 30-acre working farm, walled garden, and woodland trails — just 30 minutes from Dublin city centre.
- Highlights
- Ireland's most intact Georgian mansion with original furnishings
- The Cabinet of Curiosities — 18th-century family museum
- Immersive servants' quarters with ambient sounds and projections
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
9.Phoenix Park
Wild fallow deer since 1660
Europe's largest enclosed city park — 1,752 acres of grassland, woodland, and history just 3 km from central Dublin, still home to a herd of wild fallow deer descended from the 1660s.
- Highlights
- 600-strong wild fallow deer herd
- Europe's tallest obelisk (Wellington Testimonial, 62m)
- Largest enclosed city park in any European capital
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
10.St Stephen's Green
still bears bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising
A 22-acre Victorian oasis in the heart of Dublin, gifted to the city by Lord Ardilaun in 1880 — with an ornamental lake, 750 trees, 15 sculptures, and over 3.5km of accessible pathways.
- Highlights
- Ornamental lake with waterfall and Pulham rockwork
- 15 commemorative sculptures including Henry Moore and James Joyce
- Garden for the Blind with aromatic plants and Braille labels
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
11.EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Voted Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction 3 years running
A fully digital, interactive museum in Dublin's Docklands telling the story of 10 million Irish emigrants and their extraordinary global impact — voted Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction three years in a row.
- Highlights
- 20 interactive digital galleries across four themes
- World's only fully digital museum
- Irish Family History Centre on-site (genealogy consultations)
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
12.Malahide Castle & Gardens
Only exotic butterfly house in the country
An 800-year-old medieval castle on 260 acres of parkland, just 25 minutes from Dublin — home to the Talbot family's story, Ireland's only exotic butterfly house, a world-renowned botanical collection, and an enchanted fairy trail.
- Highlights
- 800 years of Talbot family history in one of Ireland's oldest inhabited castles
- Ireland's only exotic Butterfly House with 20+ species
- World-renowned botanical collection assembled by Lord Milo Talbot
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
13.National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street
free home to the Ardagh Chalice, Tara Brooch & Iron Age bog bodies
Ireland's national archaeological treasures — from prehistoric gold to Viking artefacts and Iron Age bog bodies — housed in a stunning Victorian Palladian building in the heart of Dublin.
- Highlights
- The Ardagh Chalice and Tara Brooch in The Treasury
- Ór – Ireland's Gold, one of Europe's finest prehistoric gold collections
- Iron Age bog bodies in Kingship and Sacrifice
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
14.Trinity College Dublin
Ireland's oldest university, home to the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells
Ireland's oldest university, founded in 1592, is a 47-acre oasis in central Dublin housing the world-famous Book of Kells, the stunning Long Room library, and centuries of hidden stories brought to life by student-led tours.
- Highlights
- The 1,200-year-old Book of Kells, Ireland's greatest cultural treasure
- The Long Room — one of the world's most beautiful libraries
- Gaia: a suspended illuminated Earth installation by Luke Jerram
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
15.Airfield Estate
1927 Rolls Royce with a cow tow bar
Dublin's only urban working farm — 38 acres of organic gardens, Jersey cows, heritage tours and farm-to-table dining, just 15 minutes from the city centre.
- Highlights
- Jersey herd milking & milk tasting (weekends)
- 1927 Rolls Royce with a tow bar for cows
- Two-acre certified organic food garden
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
16.Guinness Storehouse
a 9,000-year lease from 1759
Ireland's most popular visitor attraction: a seven-storey journey through the history, brewing, and culture of Guinness, capped by a pint with 360° views from the rooftop Gravity Bar.
- Highlights
- Panoramic 360° views from the Gravity Bar, 46m above Dublin
- Arthur Guinness's original 9,000-year lease from 1759
- Immersive multi-sensory Tasting Room
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
17.Jump Zone Adventure & Inflatable Park Santry
13 unique inflatable attractions including Europe's only inflatable dodgeball court
A 15,000 sq ft indoor inflatable sports adventure park packed with drop slides, wipeout zones, obstacle courses, and Europe's only inflatable Dodgeball Court — all under one roof in Santry.
- Highlights
- 13 unique inflatable attractions across 15,000+ sq ft
- Europe's only inflatable Dodgeball Court
- 6-metre drop slide
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
18.Dublin Castle
Where Michael Collins took control in 1922
An 800-year-old castle in the heart of Dublin — from Viking fortifications to viceregal splendour and the handover to Irish independence. **Closed to the public until January 2027** due to Ireland's EU Presidency hosting.
- Highlights
- Throne made for King George IV's 1821 visit
- James Connolly's final bedside before execution
- Viking defensive embankment beneath the castle
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access