Things to do · Dublin
Things to do in Dublin
Start with Trinity and the Kildare Street museum quarter. Choose Kilmainham Gaol for political history or EPIC for emigration, with park walks between indoor visits.
What to do
Any weather Best on a dry day
An hour or two
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street Any weather
Irish gold, Viking material and early medieval objects fill the archaeology collections. Start here for Irish history in the central museum district, with other collections nearby.
The collections include bog bodies. For a family visit, choose the galleries according to the children's interests and comfort with that material.
National Gallery of Ireland Any weather
The Irish and European collections offer a different indoor visit from archaeology. Choose a few rooms for a short stop, or give art the larger share of a rainy day.
The collection includes work by Jack B Yeats, Vermeer and Caravaggio. Use the current gallery information to choose a focus before trying to cover the whole building.
Book of Kells Experience Any weather
Trinity's manuscript visit suits readers interested in illuminated books and the Old Library setting. The wider experience also includes digital displays, alongside the manuscript and library setting.
Book through Trinity's official site and use its visitor description to see what the library experience includes. Leave time for the campus as a separate walk.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum Any weather
Interactive galleries explain the stories of Irish people who left and the lives they built abroad. Choose it for family-history interests or for a substantial indoor visit in the Docklands.
EPIC is in the CHQ Building on Custom House Quay. Its self-guided format lets the visit focus on the subjects that interest the group.
Dublinia Any weather
Dublinia has Viking and medieval displays, reconstructed settings and living-history interpretation. It is a useful alternative when objects in museum cases would not hold the group's attention.
Dublinia is at Christchurch. The tower climb is a separate part of the attraction, so use its visitor information if the view is your main reason to go.
St Stephen's Green Dry day
The park beside Grafton Street has paths, planting and a playground. Take a break here between central indoor visits, with space for a group of different ages.
The park is a good companion to a central museum day. Walk for as long as the group wants, leaving time in the park between museum visits.
Half a day
Kilmainham Gaol Any weather
The former prison tells Ireland's political history through its guided tour and museum. Allow half a day for the journey to Kilmainham, the museum and the guided tour through the former prison.
Access is by guided tour and tickets must be pre-booked through the official museum site. Book your place before travelling to the gaol.
Guinness Storehouse Any weather
The Storehouse tells the Guinness story at St. James's Gate. Go for an interest in the brand's history, or use the time for another museum or park.
Use the operator's current booking information for the experience being offered. Visit on a western Dublin day, with the eastern museums on another outing.
Irish Museum of Modern Art Any weather
IMMA combines modern art with the Royal Hospital Kilmainham setting. It is a useful western-city alternative if a Kilmainham Gaol tour cannot be booked or contemporary art is the stronger interest.
Use the museum's exhibition listings to choose what to see. The museum and its grounds offer different parts of a visit, so save the grounds for a break in the rain.
Phoenix Park Dry day
Phoenix Park has room for walking and cycling. Pick one part to explore instead of trying to see the whole park. It offers a different day from the compact streets around Grafton Street.
The park includes the visitor centre and Ashtown Castle area. Choose an entrance near the visitor centre and Ashtown Castle if that is the part you want to see.
A first city day that stays in one area
Begin with Trinity if the Book of Kells is a priority, then give the National Gallery or Kildare Street archaeology museum the next substantial visit. Add St Stephen's Green as an outdoor break. Give Trinity and your chosen collection time, with the park between or after them. Choose between the two museums on a short visit and return to the other if a second day is available.
Keep western Dublin as its own outing. Kilmainham Gaol and IMMA provide two different reasons to travel to Kilmainham, while the Storehouse is a separate St. James's Gate visit. Fit the Kilmainham day around the time of your gaol tour. If it is unavailable, use IMMA for modern art in the same district. The prison tour needs an advance booking.
A rainy-day plan
For a central wet day, pair the archaeology museum with the National Gallery and leave St Stephen's Green for a break in the rain. For a Docklands day, give EPIC the main visit. Both options give you plenty to see indoors, with no need for a long walk between districts in the rain. Kilmainham can work too when the official tour has already been booked.
Leave the parks for better weather when you want a day indoors. Phoenix Park is a dry-weather choice in this list, even though it contains individual buildings. Official closure notices put Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty outside this plan. Use the museums listed here for a day indoors. Check before you go if adding another attraction to the day.
Families, couples and what to leave out
With children, choose Dublinia for recreated history or EPIC for interactive emigration stories. At the archaeology museum, select suitable galleries before including the bog-body displays. St Stephen's Green adds a playground break near the central museums. A family day does not need Trinity, the gaol and the Storehouse as well. The dedicated family guide offers an age-based plan with the zoo, Airfield and Explorium as alternatives.
For a couple, choose a visit for a shared interest, such as art at the National Gallery or manuscripts at Trinity, followed by time in the park or along the city streets. Skip the Storehouse if the Guinness story does not interest either traveller. Skip a distant day trip if Dublin has only one full sightseeing day. The coast has its own guide, and Howth deserves time beyond a rushed photograph at the harbour.
Questions people ask
What should you do in Dublin on a first visit?
Choose Trinity and one national collection, with St Stephen's Green as an outdoor break. Add EPIC or Kilmainham on another outing according to the subjects that interest you.
What can you do in Dublin in the rain?
The archaeology museum, National Gallery, EPIC, Dublinia and IMMA offer indoor visits. Kilmainham requires an official guided-tour booking. Keep park walks flexible.
What works in Dublin for couples?
An art or manuscript visit followed by a park or neighbourhood walk makes a useful short plan. Visit the Storehouse if you both want to hear the Guinness story.
Do you need a car for these Dublin sights?
No. Plan walking and city public transport between districts. Allow a separate outing for Kilmainham or the Docklands, as both are beyond the Grafton Street sights.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources. Prices, times and opening hours change, so check with the operator before you travel.
- Visit Dublin: National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: National Gallery of Ireland, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: Book of Kells Experience, checked 4 November 2026
- Kilmainham Gaol: visiting, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: EPIC, checked 4 November 2026
- Guinness Storehouse, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: Dublinia, checked 4 November 2026
- IMMA: visitor information, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: family days out, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: Phoenix Park, checked 4 November 2026
- Transport for Ireland: Dublin network maps, checked 4 November 2026
- Visit Dublin: Chester Beatty visitor notice, checked 4 November 2026
- Heritage Ireland: Dublin Castle visitor notice, checked 4 November 2026
- Trinity College Dublin: Book of Kells Experience, checked 4 November 2026