Architecture Tours Ireland is a joint enterprise between the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Irish Architecture Foundation. The group organises informative walking tours of Dublin’s built environment.

In the past, four tours took place every weekend – the Temple Bar tour, the Docklands tour, the Living City tour and the Georgian tour – but now group tours are arranged by prior appointment only (minimum of 15 persons, maximum of 25 persons). The cost is roughly €11.50 per person.

www.architecturetours.ie

Tel: 01 6761703. Tours not operational during 2022. 

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Bus tours have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

Your 2 day ticket is valid on 2 different routes (Red and Black). The Red route is the day tour, the black route is the night tour.  The Red route takes in 30 stops at Dublin’s top visitor attractions, is 105 minutes long, and is organised on a “hop on, hop off” basis. The night tour is one hour long.  (The night tour is sold as part of the premium or 2-day ticket).

Departures take place daily all year round every 15 minutes (Red route). There is a live guide commentary; audio guides are also available in 8 languages. The tour departs from 13 Upper O’Connell Street.

First tour 8.45 am. Tours run from 9.00 am until 6.00 pm everyday.

The 2-day ticket includes a free walking tour of Dublin (summer only: 10.30 am and 2.00 pm daily).

www.bigbustours.com

Big Bus Tours (City Sightseeing), 13 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1.

Tel: (01) 531 1711.

Adults €17.60 (1 day – online price) or €23.20 (2 days – online price). Otherwise, these tickets cost €22 and €29 respectively. Concessions available. 2 children (under 14) free with each full paying adult.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Tour businesses have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

Dublin Bay Cruises is the only regular passenger ferry operating on Dublin Bay and offers a daily service with seven different cruise options to choose from.

Two especially attractive routes are –

Dublin City to Howth via Dun Laoghaire
Cruise south from the City to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, taking in the Convention Centre, the East Link Bridge, Dublin Port and Docklands, Poolbeg Lighthouse, Clontarf and the Bull Island wildlife reserve, the Baily and Kish Lighthouses, Howth Head, Ireland’s Eye, Lambay Island and Howth Harbour. The cruise lasts 150 minutes.

Dun Laoghaire to Dalkey Island, returning via Killiney Bay
Set sail on a 75 minute cruise, heading south past the James Joyce Martello Tower, the Forty Foot, Bullock Harbour, Dalkey Island and Collimore Harbour, Sorrento Point, and Killiney Bay. The ship is regularly joined by a group of dolphins.

The vessel has a capacity for 120 passengers. In theory, you can simply arrive and purchase a ticket at the boat, but advance booking is recommended.

Sailing Schedule:
Cruise 1 – Dun Laoghaire – City Centre – 9:30 am
Cruise 2 – City Centre – Dun Laoghaire – 11.00 am
Cruise 3 – City Centre – Howth (via Dun Laoghaire) – 11.00 am
Cruise 4 – Dun Laoghaire – Howth – 12:30 pm
Cruise 5 – Howth round trip – 2:15 pm
Cruise 6 – Howth – Dun Laoghaire – 3:30 pm
Cruise 7 – Dun Laoghaire – Dalkey Island round trip – 6:45 pm

No sailings Jan-March 16th. First sailing of the year on March 17th.

€25.00 One way. Concessions.

www.dublinbaycruises.com/

Tel: 01 9011 757

In the city centre, Dublin Bay Cruises are located on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, opposite the Convention Centre and beside the Samuel Beckett Bridge (directly in front of the Ferryman Pub). The company is situated at the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire (i.e. the long pedestrian pier in Dun Laoghaire Harbour; passengers embark opposite the band stand on the East Pier). The company berths at the West Pier in Howth beside the Ice Plant and opposite the Brass Monkey and the Oar House Restaurants.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Bus tours have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

Join the world’s first and most terrifying Ghostbus Tour and discover the darker side to Dublin City. The Ghostbus Tour brings to life the tales of horrors that shocked Dubliners back in the day.

Visit the scenes of these most horrendous acts and allow your storyteller to bring you these stories in sinister detail. Delve into the medieval vault at Dublin Castle and visit the most haunted vault in the city. Learn about the sinister Dublin surgeon Dr Clossey and explore the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s legendary character Dracula.

The Ghostbus Tour is a theatrical experience involving professional actors. The tour is ideal for anyone interested in Dublin’s dark history, ghost stories and having  a fun outing. The bus itself is an incredible venue with creepy maze like corridors and stairs below leading up to a stark Victorian theatre above.

The tour lasts two hours and is not suitable for children under 14 years. It is run by the State transport company, Dublin Bus. Please book in advance to avoid disappointment. Please arrive 15 minutes before the departure time.

Meeting point – Dublin Bus, 59 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1.

Jan-Feb: The tour only operates on Tuesdays (8.00 pm) and Fridays/Saturdays (9.30 pm).
Mar-Dec: Mon-Thurs 7.00 pm; Fri & Sat 7.00 pm & 9.00 pm.
It is hard to get weekend bookings (due to huge demand). Check online or by phone in advance.

No tours on Sundays. No tours on bank holidays.

Adults €28. Tours can be booked online up to 1 hour before departure. The price includes a free walking tour of Dublin with Pat Liddy.

www.dublinsightseeing.ie [click on “Ghostbus (night) tour” in the left hand panel]

Tel: 01 703 3028.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Bus tours have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

The Dublin Bus Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Tour allows you to see the city’s essential attractions in a 135 minute minute tour with live commentary. Get off at any one of 33 stops. Get on again at no extra charge.

Book online up to 1 hour before departure. Run by the State transport company, Dublin Bus. Meeting point – Dublin Bus, 59 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1 or at any of the 33 hop off points.

Daily. A bus arrives at each stop every 15 minutes or so. First bus of the day – 9.00 am, last bus 5.00 pm. [During the summer months, the finishing time for the tours is later].

www.dublinsightseeing.ie (click on “Hop on Hop off” in the left hand panel)

Tel: 01 844 4265

Adults 24-hour pass €22 (€19.80 if booked online). Adults 48 hour pass €26 (€23.40 if booked online). 2 kids under 14 free with a fare-paying adult.

The price for the tour includes a free walking tour of Dublin with Pat Liddy (normally €14). Also included is free entry into the charming Little Museum of Dublin (normally €10).

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Tour businesses have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

Cruise along the River Liffey with Dublin Discovered Boat Tours through the heart of Dublin. During a 45 minute tour, you sail under Dublin’s famous bridges and admire historic buildings from a unique vantage point, assisted by an expert guide. Your vessel is an all-weather purpose-built boat.

At least four tours each day. Sailing times vary slightly, depending on the tides. Phone in advance to check the sailing schedule for a particular day. Check the exact  sailing schedule via the official website’s “Book Online” facility. No tours December, January, or February. [As a guide, cruise times in May and June are 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 am, 2.15 pm,  3.15 pm, and 4.15 pm]

www.dublindiscovered.ie

Bachelor’s Walk, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01 4730000.

Adults €17 (online price); concessions.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Tour businesses have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl brings the gossipy literary scene of Dublin to life. Of Dublin’s 850 licensed premises, its “literary pubs” have a special fame. Irish writers formerly patronised pubs like the Palace, McDaid’s, Mulligan’s and the Bailey to meet the journalists/literary editors of the Irish Times and the Irish Press. A team of actors leads you on a trail from bar to bar; no props, no lights, no make-up, just the voice and personality of the actor.

Apr-Oct 7.30 pm every evening;
Nov-March Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun 7.30 pm.

www.dublinpubcrawl.com

Meet from 7.00 pm onwards in Duke Pub (upstairs), 9 Duke Street (off Grafton St), Dublin 2.

Credit card booking 087 263 0270. You can also book online.

Adults €15.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel. Tour businesses have been very adversely affected by the pandemic. 

The Green Mile walking tour of St Stephen’s Green is a venture by the Little Museum of Dublin. The Green Mile tour tells the story of a square which has been at the centre of Irish history for hundreds of years.

Every year 8.1 million people walk through St Stephen’s Green; the park has long served as a backdrop for public and private drama, as well as being the setting for many great love stories.

The tour begins with a short presentation at the Little Museum. Participants then embark on a 60-minute walk in the company of an expert local guide.

The tours take place every day at 11.30 am. Advance booking is essential (see the Little Museum link below).

www.littlemuseum.ie

Phone 01-6611000

Adults €10; concessions