Things to do in Dublin with kids

What to do

Any weather Best on a dry day

A plan for preschool children

For children under school age, start with St Stephen's Green and keep the indoor visit short. The playground gives them room to run and play between short indoor stops. The National Gallery can provide a brief look at pictures if the children are interested, but it need not become a full collection tour. On a wet day, compare Explorium's junior area with a central gallery visit before deciding how much travel the outing deserves.

Airfield is a separate outdoor choice for young children who want farm animals and gardens. The operator describes it as a working farm, so spend time exploring the estate and leave the choice of activities flexible. Dublin Zoo offers another animal-focused day in Phoenix Park. Choose one of those larger outings. Adding both to a day already devoted to central sights would leave little room for breaks.

Primary-school children and teenagers

For primary-school children, Dublinia brings Viking and medieval stories into recreated settings that children can look around. Pair it with a central outdoor break if the weather allows. At Kildare Street, choose the Viking objects or gold as a narrower museum visit. Choose Dublinia for the recreated scenes or Kildare Street for the objects. Visit both only if the children want more history. Decide separately whether the archaeology museum's bog bodies suit your children.

Teenagers with an interest in science may prefer Explorium's main science section. EPIC offers a different indoor choice through the stories of emigrants and their impact abroad. Let the subject decide between them. A city-centre family day can also use the National Gallery without a children's workshop, particularly for an older child who enjoys art. Use these age suggestions to choose a subject your children enjoy. Explorium sets its own age divisions: two to seven for the junior area and eight and over for the main science section.

A wet day with fewer transfers

For a wet central day, choose Kildare Street archaeology or the National Gallery as the main stop. If the Docklands are a convenient starting point, choose EPIC instead. Each has plenty to see indoors, without long walks through several districts in the rain. Dublinia is another option at Christchurch. Avoid using Phoenix Park or Airfield to fill the afternoon when the family specifically needs indoor time.

Explorium is useful for a dedicated indoor outing, but its Sandyford address matters. Use the current TFI journey planner for the final connection and walk, particularly with a buggy or tired children. Allow for any bus connection and the final walk after the Luas. Fit that whole journey around your booking, so the family can reach the venue in time.

Public transport and what to skip

Keep the family plan in one part of Dublin when possible. St Stephen's Green has a Luas Green Line stop, and the central museum district can form a walking day. Phoenix Park and the Docklands are separate outings with different arrival points. Use the zoo map or EPIC's CHQ address for the last part of the journey. The last walk matters with a buggy, so choose the park entrance or museum address you will actually use.

Skip the idea that every family should visit every famous attraction. A preschool day can be the park and one short indoor stop. A school-age day can centre on Dublinia, and a teenager's day can centre on science or emigration stories. Closure notices put the Natural History Museum and Chester Beatty outside this plan. Choose from the listed alternatives and check visitor notices before you go.