City in Ireland
20 things to see
Dublin hands you world-class culture for free: the branches of the National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology and Decorative Arts & History) and the National Gallery all have free permanent collections. For free air and green space, Phoenix Park is one of the largest city parks in Europe with a wild deer herd, and the National Botanic Gardens cost nothing to wander. Skip Temple Bar for drinking, where prices are aimed squarely at tourists, and follow locals into the neighborhood pubs for better value and better craic. Trains and buses reach Belfast, Galway, Cork, and Kilkenny for cheap day trips or onward hops, so Dublin works well as a base. Visit in shoulder season, spring or autumn, for milder crowds and lower bed prices than the summer and St Patrick’s peaks.
What to see
What each one costs, where the cost is known.
The Book of Kells Exhibition at Trinity College displays the 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels, one of the most famous medieval manuscripts in the world. Entry is paid (includes access to the Long Room, a 65-meter barrel-vaulted library of 200,000 books and marble busts).
The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle is a museum of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, and rare books collected by Alfred Chester Beatty, an American mining magnate who made Dublin his home. Free.
Christ Church Cathedral is Dublin's oldest building (founded 1030), a medieval cathedral with a massive crypt (the largest in Britain and Ireland), the tomb of Strongbow (the Norman warlord who conquered Dublin), and a preserved cat and rat found in an organ pipe (known as "Tom and Jerry"). Entry is paid at a modest price.
Free formal gardens behind Dublin Castle featuring a Celtic knot pattern laid out in planting beds. The name recalls the "black pool" that gave Dublin its name.
Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland for 700 years, from 1204 until Irish independence in 1922. The exterior grounds and the Chapel Royal (with spectacular carved stone and oak interiors) are free.
Glasnevin Cemetery is Ireland's national cemetery, where Michael Collins, Eamon de Valera, Daniel O'Connell, and many other figures from Irish history are buried. Free to enter (guided tours are available for a fee).
Grafton Street is Dublin's main pedestrian shopping street, running from Trinity College to St Stephen's Green. Free to walk.
The Guinness Storehouse at St James's Gate Brewery is Ireland's most visited tourist attraction, a seven-floor experience through the history, brewing, and marketing of Guinness, ending at the Gravity Bar with a complimentary pint and 360-degree views over Dublin. Entry is paid (book online for cheaper tickets).
The Ha'penny Bridge is a cast-iron pedestrian bridge over the River Liffey, built in 1816 and named for the halfpenny toll once charged to cross it. Free today.
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison that held many of the leaders of Irish independence movements, including those executed after the 1916 Easter Rising. Guided tours only, at a very modest price.
Leinster House is the seat of the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas), a Georgian mansion on Kildare Street between Trinity College and St Stephen's Green. Free to view from outside.
The Molly Malone statue stands at the junction of Grafton Street and Suffolk Street, depicting the fictional fishmonger from Dublin's most famous song. Free.
The National Gallery of Ireland on Merrion Square houses a collection spanning European art from the 13th century to the present, including works by Caravaggio (The Taking of Christ, discovered in a Jesuit dining room in Dublin in 1990), Vermeer, Monet, and Jack B. Yeats.
O'Connell Street is Dublin's widest and most historic boulevard, running from the River Liffey to Parnell Square. Free to walk.
Phoenix Park is one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital, over 700 hectares of grassland, deer herds, and tree-lined avenues. Free.
Free medieval church in the Liberties district of Dublin. The modest exterior hides a richly decorated interior, and the church remains an active parish with welcoming doors.
St Patrick's Cathedral is the largest church in Ireland, founded in 1191. Entry is paid at a modest price.
St Stephen's Green is a Victorian public park at the south end of Grafton Street, with a lake, bandstand, formal gardens, and mature trees. Free.
Temple Bar is Dublin's cultural quarter, a compact grid of cobblestone streets between Dame Street and the River Liffey. Free to walk.
Trinity College is Ireland's oldest university, founded in 1592, and the campus grounds are free to enter. The cobblestone Parliament Square, the Campanile, and the 18th-century buildings form one of the most beautiful university settings in Europe.
On foot
Tip-based tours and self-guided routes, which is usually the cheapest orientation there is.
The Dublin Georgian Quarter Walk is a self-guided route through Dublin's 18th-century residential core. Free. From Trinity College through Merrion Square, the National Gallery of Ireland, St Stephen's Green, and back via Grafton Street, it covers the elegant side of Dublin and two world-class free attractions in one walk.
The Dublin Free Walking Tour Intro to Dublin (Southside) starts at the Spire on O'Connell Street and crosses the Liffey to cover Trinity College, Temple Bar, and St Patrick's Cathedral in 2.5 to 3 hours. Groups are capped at 5 people, running since 2012.
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