20 of the best · Dublin, Ireland
The Book of Kells and the Long Room, the Guinness Storehouse, Christ Church and St Patrick’s, Kilmainham Gaol, EPIC, 14 Henrietta Street, the distilleries of the Liberties and Malahide Castle.
Our 20 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Three places from this list we would send a friend to first, chosen by people who know Dublin well.
Timed entry
The Book of Kells, the Long Room of the Old Library and three digital rooms in the Red Pavilion, at Trinity College.
Opened in 1796
One of Europe’s largest unoccupied gaols, opened in 1796; guided tours only, booked ahead.
Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 D08 T2X5Explore View on map
St James’s Gate
The home of Guinness at St James’s Gate: the story of the stout, ending in the Gravity Bar.
St James’s Gate, Dublin 8 D08 VF8HExplore View on map
Vikings, Georgians and writers: the thousand years behind the sights.
The back story
Viking Dublin and the medieval cathedrals, the Georgian squares, Trinity and the Book of Kells, the Liffey quays and the coast: how to read Dublin.
Trinity, cathedrals and the castle.
Almost 1,000 years
The cathedral that has stood at the heart of Dublin for almost 1,000 years, famous for its music.
Christchurch Place, Dublin 8 D08 TF98Explore View on map
Closed until January 2027
Built in the early 13th century on the site of a Viking settlement; closed to the public until January 2027.
Viking and medieval Dublin
Viking and medieval Dublin beside Christ Church, with a medieval tower to climb.
St James’s Gate
The home of Guinness at St James’s Gate: the story of the stout, ending in the Gravity Bar.
St James’s Gate, Dublin 8 D08 VF8HExplore View on map
Founded in 1707
Dublin’s oldest public library, founded in 1707: one of the few 18th-century libraries left in the world.
St Patrick’s Close, Dublin 8 D08 FK79Explore View on map
National Cathedral
Ireland’s National Cathedral, on a site linked to St Patrick for more than 1,500 years.
Timed entry
The Book of Kells, the Long Room of the Old Library and three digital rooms in the Red Pavilion, at Trinity College.
The city’s story.
Georgian house to tenement
Three hundred years of city life in one address, from Georgian townhouse to tenement.
14 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1 D01 HH34Explore View on map
Gaelic games
Behind the scenes at the home of Gaelic games, with the GAA Museum.
Jones’s Road, Dublin 3 D03 P6K7Explore View on map
Twenty galleries
The stories of the people who left Ireland, in 20 interactive galleries at CHQ.
CHQ, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1 D01 R9Y0Explore View on map
Since 1832
Ireland’s national cemetery, a Victorian garden cemetery opened in 1832, with tours and a museum.
Opened in 1796
One of Europe’s largest unoccupied gaols, opened in 1796; guided tours only, booked ahead.
Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 D08 T2X5Explore View on map
Guided tours
The city’s story in a Georgian house on the Green, by 29-minute guided tour.
15 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 D02 Y066Explore View on map
The distilleries.
Bow Street
Guided tours and tastings at the old Jameson distillery in Smithfield.
Bow Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7 D07 N9VHExplore View on map
In a former church
A family distillery in the restored St James’s Church in the Liberties.
James’s Street, Dublin 8 D08 ET27Explore View on map
A pedigree to 1782
A working whiskey distillery in the Liberties, from a family with Dublin roots back to 1782.
Castles, gardens and the zoo.
Neoclassical
Sir William Chambers’ 18th-century pleasure-house, one of Europe’s finest neoclassical buildings.
Cherrymount Crescent, Marino, Dublin 3 D03 HH70Explore View on map
Eight hundred years
A medieval castle in parkland north of the city, home to the Talbot family for over 800 years.
Malahide Demesne, Malahide K36 YP65Explore View on map
