Things to do · Dublin
Best Things to Do in Dublin
The best things to do in Dublin, what each is actually like, and how to group them into your days without wasting time in transit.
Updated 2026-07-01
What Dublin is worth your time for
Dublin is Europe's literary capital (UNESCO — Joyce, Wilde, Yeats, Beckett, Heaney) with Trinity's Book of Kells + Long Room, Temple Bar's trad-music pubs, Kilmainham Gaol history, and Georgian squares — plus base for Wicklow + Cliffs of Moher day trips and the Celtic + British Isles Edinburgh route.
Best things to do in Dublin
Trinity College + Book of Kells + Long Room
€18.50 timed entry — book online 2 weeks ahead in peak. Allow 90 min. Long Room reopened after 2024 refurb.
Guinness Storehouse + Gravity Bar 360° views
€26 online (30% cheaper than gate) — allow 2–3h with free pint. Book time-slot; last entry 5pm.
Kilmainham Gaol
1798–1924 nationalist prison — €8, mandatory guided tour 1h, book 4+ weeks ahead — often sold-out same-day.
Temple Bar + traditional music pubs
The Cobblestone (Smithfield — no tourists), Devitt's, O'Donoghue's — free trad sessions nightly from 9pm.
DART to Howth + cliff walk
€3.65 return, 30 min — 3-loop cliff walk (green 2h, purple 3h) + seafood at Aqua or King Sitric. Free.
Booking tours and experiences
Timed-entry sights and small-group tours in Dublin sell out first in peak season. Booking the two or three experiences you care most about before arrival usually costs the same and protects the dates you want.
Fitting it into your days
Plan around 3 days. Group sights by neighbourhood rather than by ranking — it saves hours of backtracking.
Ready to book your Dublin trip?
Everything in this guide is bookable through Marhaba's licensed partners.
