Things to do in Co. Dublin
18 places
1.Howth Cliff Walk
Four way-marked loops over Dublin Bay
A network of four colour-coded, way-marked loops around Howth Head, where Dublin Bay sea cliffs, seabird colonies and the Baily Lighthouse are all free to walk and reachable by DART.
- Highlights
- Four colour-coded way-marked loops
- Sea cliffs with Dublin Bay views
- Baily Lighthouse and Ireland's Eye
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly
2.Howth Cliff Walk (Green Route)
A free 6 km clifftop loop with lighthouse views
A gentle, waymarked 6 km clifftop loop out of Howth village, with seabird cliffs, the Baily Lighthouse and wide views over Dublin Bay towards Ireland's Eye.
- Highlights
- Waymarked 6 km Green Route loop, about 2 hours
- Best Baily Lighthouse views from Louis' Point
- Seabird cliffs above Dublin Bay
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly
3.Killiney Hill Viewpoint
Summit views of Wicklow and Wales a 30-minute climb
A short climb through woodland to one of Dublin's finest lookouts, where Dublin Bay, the Wicklow Mountains and — on a clear day — the Welsh coast unfold below. Killiney Hill is part of a free public park above Dalkey, with two odd monuments on its summit.
- Highlights
- Panoramas of Dublin city, Dublin Bay and the Wicklow Mountains
- The Obelisk, nicknamed the Witch's Hat, and a small step pyramid
- Dalkey Quarry's dramatic cliff face
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
4.National Botanic Gardens
Free entry to restored Victorian glasshouses
A free, seven-days-a-week botanic garden three kilometres from Dublin's centre, famed for its restored Victorian wrought-iron glasshouses. Over 15,000 plant species and cultivars are spread across glasshouses, borders, a rock garden and riverside grounds.
- Highlights
- Free entry, open all year
- Turner's Curvilinear Range and the Great Palm House
- Over 15,000 plant species and cultivars
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
5.Jameson Distillery Bow St.
Original 1780 distillery tours and whiskey tastings
Founded by John Jameson in 1780, Bow St. is Dublin's original Jameson distillery — now a visitor experience with guided tours, whiskey tastings, cocktail classes and a centrepiece bar in Smithfield.
- Highlights
- Guided Bow St. Experience distillery tour
- Premium whiskey tasting sessions
- Cocktail-making classes
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
6.Kilmainham Gaol
A 1916 execution site in a vast 1796 gaol
Opened in 1796 and closed in 1924, Kilmainham is one of Europe's largest unoccupied gaols — and the place where leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held and executed.
- Highlights
- Europe's largest unoccupied gaol
- Access by guided tour only
- Stonebreakers' Yard — scene of the 1916 executions
- Facilities
- Restrooms · Wheelchair access
7.National Gallery of Ireland
Free art from Caravaggio to Monet since 1864
Ireland's national art collection, free to enter since 1864, spans European painting from the 14th century to today across grand Georgian and modern wings on Merrion Square.
- Highlights
- Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ
- Vermeer, Velázquez and Monet
- Free entry to the permanent collection
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
8.Newbridge House & Farm
A Georgian mansion with a 30-acre working farm
One of Ireland's most intact Georgian mansions, still filled with the Cobbe family's original furnishings, sits at the heart of a 30-acre working farm with rare breeds, a 250-year-old walled garden and a deer-filled demesne.
- Highlights
- Ireland's most intact, best-preserved Georgian mansion
- 18th-century 'Cabinet of Curiosities' museum
- 30-acre working farm with rare and traditional breeds
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
9.Phoenix Park
600 wild fallow deer in a 700-hectare royal park
Originally a 1660s royal hunting ground, this is the largest enclosed public park in any European capital — and a wild herd of fallow deer still roams it today.
- Highlights
- A herd of around 600 wild fallow deer
- Free-entry Phoenix Park Visitor Centre and Ashtown Castle
- Restored Victorian walled kitchen garden
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
10.St Stephen's Green
Free entry to a 27-acre Victorian oasis
A 27-acre Victorian park in the heart of Dublin, laid out in 1880 with a three-acre lake, waterfall, fountains and formal gardens — and free to walk into.
- Highlights
- 27-acre Victorian park, free to enter
- Three-acre man-made lake with waterfall and island
- Over 750 trees, including the formal Lime Walk
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
11.EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Trace your Irish roots in 20 interactive galleries
The story of Irish emigration told across 20 immersive, interactive galleries inside the restored vaults of the CHQ Building on Custom House Quay.
- Highlights
- 20 interactive galleries, self-guided
- Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction, 3 years running
- Irish Family History Centre on site
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
12.Malahide Castle & Gardens
an 800-year-old castle and a butterfly house
An 800-year-old Talbot family stronghold set in 260 acres of parkland, with opulent state rooms, botanic gardens, Ireland's only exotic butterfly house, and a woodland fairy trail for children.
- Highlights
- Guided castle tours of 800 years of Talbot history
- Botanic gardens with rare Southern Hemisphere plants
- Ireland's only exotic Butterfly House
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
13.National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street
Bog bodies, Viking gold and the Ardagh Chalice
In a grand 1890s building beside Leinster House, Ireland's national archaeology museum holds the country's greatest treasures — and entry costs nothing. From the Ardagh Chalice and the 'Tara' Brooch to Iron Age bog bodies, it packs 7,000 years of history into a single city-centre block.
- Highlights
- Ardagh Chalice
- 'Tara' Brooch
- Derrynaflan Hoard and Cross of Cong
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
14.Trinity College Dublin
a 1,200-year-old illuminated gospel manuscript
Ireland's oldest university, founded in 1592, whose cobbled Front Square leads to the Long Room and the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells — the country's greatest cultural treasure.
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
15.Airfield Estate
A 38-acre city farm with a daily milking herd
A 38-acre working farm and gardens tucked into Dundrum, 15 minutes from Dublin city centre, with a milking Jersey herd, six acres of gardens and farm-to-table food.
- Highlights
- Working urban farm with a milking Jersey herd
- Free daily guided activities included with admission
- Six acres of gardens including a walled and organic food garden
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
16.Guinness Storehouse
A 9,000-year lease and a 360° rooftop pint
Seven storeys of brewing history inside a 1904 fermentation plant at St. James's Gate, crowned by a glass-walled rooftop bar with 360-degree views over Dublin. Your ticket includes a pint of Guinness or Guinness 0.0 to drink up there.
- Highlights
- Rooftop Gravity Bar with 360-degree Dublin views
- Complimentary pint of Guinness or Guinness 0.0 with admission
- Seven floors of brewing, advertising and transport exhibits
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
17.Jump Zone Adventure & Inflatable Park Santry
Europe's only inflatable dodgeball court
One of the largest inflatable sports parks around, with 13 attractions under one roof — including Europe's only inflatable dodgeball court. Entirely indoors, so it works whatever the Irish weather.
- Highlights
- Over 15,000 sq ft of inflatables after a major refurbishment
- 13 attractions: drop slides, wipeout, obstacle courses
- Europe's only inflatable dodgeball court
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
18.Dublin Castle
A 1204 seat of English rule for 700 years
Built in the early 13th century on a Viking site, Dublin Castle was the headquarters of English and later British rule in Ireland until 1922, and is now a working government complex and ceremonial venue. Important: the castle's own website says the campus is closed to the public until January 2027 while Ireland hosts the EU Council Presidency — confirm before travelling.
- Highlights
- State Apartments: Throne Room, Portrait Gallery, St Patrick's Hall
- Viking and medieval excavation beneath the Powder Tower
- Gothic Revival Chapel Royal (1814)
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access