3 days in Dublin

Kilmainham Gaol

A Victorian prison where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were held and executed. Entry is by guided tour only, followed by time in the museum.

2 h visit (official site suggests 1 h 30)Open 9:30 am–5:15 pmAdult ticket €8

Set a reminder for the release 28 days before your date, since the popular slots go first. The same-day release at 9:15 is a back-up, not a plan.

Every visit needs a booked ticket and the official site is the only seller. A limited number of tours are released 28 days ahead at midnight Irish time, and more tickets for the day go online from 9:15. Children under 12 are free but still need a ticket.

The visitor centre opens at 9:30 and the museum at 10:30. Tours run in timed slots through the day and the site closes at 17:15 (16:15 and 16:45 on 23 December). It is closed from 24 to 27 December.

Source: Kilmainham Gaol Museum (OPW), checked October 5, 2026

Dublin Castle

A working government complex with the State Apartments, once the seat of British rule and today used for state occasions. You can tour the rooms alone or with a guide.

1 h 30 visitOpen 9:45 am–5:45 pm · last entry 5:15 pmAdult ticket €8

The courtyards and the garden behind the castle are usually open to walk through, so you can see the buildings from outside even without a ticket.

Tickets can be booked online up to 15 days ahead. A limited number are sold on the day at the ticket desk, so book if you have a fixed date.

Open daily 9:45 to 17:45, with last admission at 17:15. Guided tours run from 10:00 to 16:30. As a government building, the castle can close rooms at short notice. The Chester Beatty library inside the grounds is closed to the public until the end of December 2026.

Source: Dublin Castle, checked October 5, 2026

St Stephen's Green

A Victorian park in the middle of the city, with a pond, a bandstand and shaded paths. It suits a break between museums.

1 h 15 visit (official site suggests 1 h)Hours not confirmed. Check the official site.

Bring something to eat and sit by the pond on a dry day. Summer concerts sometimes take place at the bandstand.

The park is open all year, from 7:30 Monday to Saturday and from 9:30 on Sundays and bank holidays. No closing time is given on the official page, so check it before an evening visit. On Christmas Day the park opens only from 9:30 to 12:30.

Source: Heritage Ireland (OPW), checked October 5, 2026

The Little Museum of Dublin

A small museum in a Georgian house on St Stephen's Green, told through donated objects and a guided tour. It covers Dublin in the 20th century.

1 h visitOpen 9:30 am–5:00 pm · last entry 4:30 pmAdult ticket €18

Book a slot at the start of the day and walk on to the nearby park afterwards.

Entry is by guided tour only. The museum says its tours book up quickly, so book ahead online.

Open daily from 9:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30.

Source: The Little Museum of Dublin, checked October 5, 2026

Guinness Storehouse

A self-guided tour through seven floors on how stout is made and sold, ending with a pint in the Gravity Bar at the top of the building. Allow a full morning or afternoon.

3 h visit (official site suggests 1 h 30)Open 10:00 am–7:00 pm · last entry 5:00 pmAdult ticket €26

Book the first slot of the day, before the groups arrive, and leave time at the end for the view from the Gravity Bar.

Booking a time slot online is strongly recommended. If a slot is sold out online it will not be available at the door, and tickets cost 2 euros more on the day.

Monday to Friday and Sunday the building stays open until 19:00, Saturday until 20:00. Entry runs until 17:00 on weekdays and Sundays and until 18:00 on Saturdays, so the last entry is two hours before closing. The official page says hours are subject to change.

Source: Guinness Storehouse, checked October 5, 2026

St Patrick's Cathedral

The national cathedral of the Church of Ireland and the largest church in the country, with Jonathan Swift buried inside. Sunday visiting windows are short.

1 h 15 visitOpen 9:30 am–5:00 pmAdult ticket €11.50

Join one of the free guided tours before wandering alone, as they explain the monuments that the signs skip.

The cathedral lists an opening time and a last admission. Monday to Friday: 9:30 to 17:00. Saturday: 9:00 to 18:00. Sunday: 9:00 to 10:30, 13:00 to 14:30 and 16:30 to 18:00. Free guided tours run at 10:30 and 14:30 from Monday to Saturday and not on Sundays.

Source: St Patrick's Cathedral, checked October 5, 2026

Christ Church Cathedral

The medieval cathedral of Dublin, with a large crypt and a self-guided visit with an audio guide. It sits a short walk uphill from the river.

1 h 30 visit (official site suggests 1 h)Open 12:30 pm–5:30 pm · last entry 4:45 pmAdult ticket €12

The crypt is the part most visitors skip and the part that rewards the time, so allow a full hour for the audio guide.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9:30 to 18:00, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 to 17:30. Sunday 12:30 to 15:00 and 16:30 to 18:00. Last admission for tours is 45 minutes before closing.

Source: Christ Church Cathedral, checked October 5, 2026

Temple Bar

A cobbled quarter of narrow streets, pubs and small galleries between Dame Street and the river. It is livelier after dark and quiet and cheaper by day.

1 h 15 visitAlways open

Walk it in the morning or at a weekday lunch, then return for live music in the evening, when the pub sessions start.

Source: Visit Dublin (Fáilte Ireland), checked October 5, 2026

Trinity College and the Book of Kells

The oldest university in Ireland holds the Book of Kells and the Long Room of the Old Library. The visit is timed, runs through an exhibition and the Old Library, and ends in a shop.

2 h 30 visit (official site suggests 1 h 30)Open 9:00 am–6:30 pmAdult ticket €25

Take the first slot of the day. The Long Room is easier to look at before the tour groups arrive.

Book a timed ticket online before you travel. Same-day slots for the Book of Kells and Old Library often sell out.

Monday to Thursday 8:30 to 18:30, Friday and Saturday 8:30 to 19:00, Sunday 9:00 to 18:30. Entry is by timed ticket.

Source: Trinity College Dublin, Book of Kells Experience, checked October 5, 2026

National Gallery of Ireland

Irish and European painting from about 1300 to the present, with works by Vermeer, Caravaggio and Jack B Yeats. The permanent collection is free.

2 h visitOpen 11:00 am–5:30 pm · last entry 5:15 pm

Thursday evening is the quiet time, with the galleries open until 20:30. Free guided tours run at weekends.

Monday and Sunday 11:00 to 17:30. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9:15 to 17:30. Thursday 9:15 to 20:30. Entry stops 15 minutes before closing and the galleries start to close at 16:50 (19:50 on Thursdays). It is closed from 24 to 26 December and on Good Friday, and opens at 11:00 on 1 January.

Source: National Gallery of Ireland, checked October 5, 2026

National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology

The national collection of Irish gold, Celtic metalwork and Viking finds, in a domed building on Kildare Street. Entry is free.

1 h 30 visitHours not confirmed. Check the official site.

Start with the gold room and the Treasury, then move on to the bog bodies and the Viking floor, so the best objects come while you are fresh.

Opening days and times are not confirmed here, so check the museum's official page before you go.

Source: Visit Dublin (Fáilte Ireland), checked October 5, 2026

Merrion Square

The best preserved Georgian square in the city, with brightly painted doors, a park in the middle and an Oscar Wilde statue. Allow a short stop between museums.

45 min visitOpen 10:00 am–7:30 pm

Walk the full ring of the square for the doors, then cut through the park to the statue in the north-west corner.

The park is open daily, and the closing time follows the season. In October it is 10:00 to 19:30 before the clocks go back on 25 October, and 10:00 to 18:30 after that. In December and January it closes at 17:00.

Source: Dublin City Council, checked October 5, 2026