Places to visit: Tours

St Stephens Green

Green Mile Walking Tour

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.

Scheduling:
Currently not running. New Tour run by their pop-up “Walk of Shame”.
Contact the Little Museum for more information.

Contact & Pricing:
littlemuseum.ie
hello@littlemuseum.ie
Phone 01 661 1000
15 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
Adults €13; concessions

HistoricalWalkingTour-SackvilleStreet

Historical Walking Tours of Dublin

Historical Walking Tours of Dublin run the longest-established walking tour in the city. Historically themed tours are led by knowledgeable history graduates from Trinity College. The tours are highly rated by the Irish Times, the Sunday Times, Fodor, Frommers, etc. The standard tour covers Dublin’s development, the influence of American/French Revolutions, the Famine, the Great War/1916 Rising, the War of Independence, the Northern conflict and Ireland today.

The meeting point is the front gate of Trinity College. From there the tour visits Trinity College, Old Parliament House, Temple Bar, City Hall, Dublin Castle, Wood Quay, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Four Courts.

Also on offer is a range of specialised tours for private or group bookings: Revolutionary Dublin: 1913-23; Monks, Marauders and Merchants: A Walk through Medieval Dublin; and Dublin’s Architecture: Augustan Capital of a Gaelic Nation.

Scheduling:
May to Sept: 11am & 3pm, 7 days a week
April & Oct: 11am, 7 days a week
Nov to March: 11am, Fri to Sun only

Private or group tours with more specific themes may be available on request.
Visit website to book, or for more info.

Contact & Pricing:
historicaltours.ie
info@historicaltours.ie
Tel: 087 6889412 / 087 8303523
Historical Insights Ireland Ltd, 6 Palmerston Place, Dublin 7
Adults €19; concessions

Howth Lighthouse

Howth Day Tour

Embark on a half-day excursion to Howth, a pretty seaside village on the Howth peninsula, a short way out of Dublin City. Howth is home to ancient monuments, lighthouses, 18th Century coastal defences, Howth Castle, Howth Harbour, medieval ruins, dramatic scenery and wildlife.

Scheduling:
Ticket includes a return journey to Howth, a guided walk on the cliffs of Howth, and free time to explore the village.
Operated by Big Bus Dublin, this tour can be purchased on its own, or included in their 72hr Hop-on, Hop-off tour bus ticket. Tour departs from O’Connell Street.

Contact & Pricing:
bigbustours.com/en/dublin/coastal-tour
Tel: 01 531 1711
Big Bus Tours, 13 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1
Adults €38; concessions

Irish Rock’n’Roll Museum

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

The Irish Rock’n’Roll Museum is essentially a tour featuring some of Dublin’s best loved professional music facilities, including the Button Factory (a live music venue); Temple Lane Rehearsal Studios; and Temple Lane Recording Studio (where artists such as Rihanna, the Script and Kodaline have recorded).

The Thin Lizzy exhibition celebrates one of Ireland’s greatest bands, within the setting of Apollo Studio where Phil Lynott recorded his last songs before his untimely death. The exhibition is incorporated into a fully functioning studio and features memorabilia such as gold and platinum albums, set lists, some of Phil Lynotts’s costumes, and musical instruments.

The Wall of Fame as a symbol of Irish music royalty has been a fixture in Temple Bar since its unveiling in 2003, providing a focal point for many of Dublin’s walking tours and showcasing the music that is such an integral part of Irish culture. Recently, LED screens were added to the exhibit, allowing for new artists to be added to the exhibit more frequently.

Down through history, certain guitars and equipment have become as legendary as the musicians who play them. Gibson, Fender, Marshall, and Vox are companies that any musician or music enthusiast will know and love. On display in the museum is an extensive variety of vintage instruments and equipment.

Temple Lane Rehearsal Studios are the premiere rehearsal studios in Dublin. Many acts do pre-production for albums here, trying out new material and getting songs ready to record or perform. Now you can experience what it’s like to rehearse with your very own band.

Temple Lane Recording Studio has been at the centre of Irish music since 1984. Countless bands have recorded here, including Paolo Nutini, The Script, Rihanna and many more. Now, for the first time, explore and experience the iconic studios for yourself.

Open 7 days a week 10.30 am to 5.00 pm.

www.irishrocknrollmuseum.com

Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Tel: 01-6777134 or  089-4490795 (weekends).

Adults €16.50; concessions.

 

James Joyce Walking Tours

James Joyce Centre Walking Tours

Get an insight into historic Joycean Dublin via the James Joyce Centre Walking Tours, which take in some of the sights and sounds of the city in which Joyce staged all his works.

There are two different walking tours available:

Introducing James Joyce’s Dublin – Though Joyce lived most of his life outside of Ireland, Dublin would provide the backdrop for virtually all of his work. On a stroll around the north inner city, the guide explains the inspiration behind some of Joyce’s most celebrated writing and shows just how central the streetscape of the ‘Hibernian metropolis’ is to the author’s life and art. The tour visits stops such as Joyce’s alma mater, Belvedere College; Hardwicke Street, the setting of the short story ‘The Boarding House’; the Gresham Hotel, the setting of the final and most memorable scene of the short story ‘The Dead’; and the James Joyce Statue on North Earl Street, affectionately known as the ‘Prick with the Stick’. The tour also includes a visit to the site of one of the most famous addresses in English literature, No. 7 Eccles Street, and retraces the steps of Leopold Bloom’s celebrated journey to buy a pork kidney in the fourth episode of Ulysses. This tour ends on O’Connell Street.

In the Footsteps of Leopold Bloom – This tour explores the background to Joyce’s Ulysses and to Bloom’s thoughts as he crosses the city in search of something to eat in the ‘Lestrygonians’ episode. In Bloom’s footsteps, food becomes the central issue of social, cultural and political life in Dublin in 1904. The tour starts from the James Joyce Centre and finishes at the National Museum.

A third tour option was previously offered, but is not currently available:

Dubliners – Joyce once referred to Dublin as the ‘centre of paralysis’, a city that he felt was backward and repressive in contrast to the modern capitals of Europe. Joyce’s “Dubliners” is  a short story collection that illustrates the effects of this restrictive atmosphere on the city’s population. The tour visits some of the key locations from both the collection and the author’s life, discussing Joyce’s critical portrayal of the social, religious and political landscape of his home town. The tour also gives some insight into the publication history of the collection. The walk ends at O’Connell Bridge.

Scheduling:
Introducing Joyce’s Dublin, runs every Thursday and Saturday at 11am.
Footsteps of Leopold Bloom, runs every Friday at 11am.
Each tour lasts approximately 2 hours and covers about 2 km.

Contact & Pricing:
jamesjoyce.ie/book-a-walking-tour
info@jamesjoyce.ie
James Joyce Centre, 35 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1
Tel: 01 878 8547
Adults €20 (plus booking fee); concessions

1916 Walking Tour

1916 Rebellion Walking Tour

This highly recommended  tour takes you take you to sites associated with the Rising, accompanied by the authors of “The Easter Rising”.

Scheduling:
Mondays to Saturday: 11.30am, Sundays: 1pm.
Tour days may be limited or unavailable from November to March, private group tours available on demand.
Check here for latest schedule, or to book.
Tours last about 2 hours and start at The International Bar, 23 Wicklow Street, Dublin

Contact & Pricing:
1916rising.com
lorcan@1916rising.com
Tel: 086 858 3847
Adults €19; concessions

North Coast Tour

North Coast and Malahide Castle

*As of September 2023 this tour is suspended until further notice.
The tour may resume, but it is unlikely to happen before March 2024.
Check the website below for updates.

A Howth day tour would be a similar experince.
See here for details.

he North Coast and Malahide Castle tour is run by the State transport company, Dublin Bus. Visit Malahide Castle (admission included), Avoca Café, Malahide Marina/Village, Portmarnock, Howth & Clontarf (Rose Garden, Bull Island Nature Reserve, Dollymount Strand). With live commentary, the tour lasts 5 hours.

Scheduling:
Tour departs every day at 11am (subject to availability).
Meeting point – Dublin Bus, 59 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

Contact & Pricing:
dodublin.ie/day-tours/north-dublin-malahide-howth
info@dodublin.ie
Tel: 01 703 3024
Adults €22.50; concessions

John Jameson

Old Jameson Distillery Tour

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

The Old Jameson Distillery Tour takes you through a re-created distillery which is visited by over 350,000 people a year.

The story of Jameson Whiskey starts on October 5th 1740 when John Jameson was born. The family motto ‘Sine Metu’ (‘Without Fear’) was awarded to them for their bravery in battling pirates on the high seas in the 1500’s. Years later, this motto was the inspiration for 30-year-old John Jameson’s move to Dublin in 1770 to start a whiskey distillery.

As Jameson established his distillery in Dublin, his practice of using only the finest ingredients began to leave a mark. Jameson personally selected the barley and casks, insisting his whiskey be distilled three times, not twice like Scottish whiskey, to create a very smooth spirit.

In the 1780’s, the men and women working in the distilleries enjoyed the best wages and working conditions in the city. Jameson believed sharing his profits, time and spirit with each worker made them loyal and, in turn, made a better whiskey.

By 1810, John Jameson’s son, John II, had expanded the distillery to be one of the largest in Ireland and, in the late 1800’s, his son, John III expanded the business globally to make it one of the largest whiskeys in the world. By the time John IV took over in the early 1900’s, Jameson Whiskey was world renowned.

Open 7 days
Sunday: Open 12.00 pm – Last Tour at 5.30 pm
Monday– Thursday: Open 11.00 am – Last Tour at 5.30 pm
Friday – Saturday: 11.00 am – Last Tour at 6.30 pm
Open Bank Holidays
Closed Good Friday, 24-26 December

www.jamesonwhiskey.com

Bow Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7.

Tel: 01 807 2355

Adults €25; concessions

Pat Liddy Walking Tours

Pat Liddy Walking Tours

Pat Liddy Walking Tours offer the Best of Dublin walking tour.

The walk takes you to many of Dublin’s icons and also brings you to some wonderful hidden spots too. Starting from Dame Street you will wind your way through the former Viking & Medieval Quarter including Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral before wheeling around through Temple Bar and across to the River Liffey to the Northside City and onto the main historic street, O’Connell Street. You will pass by the General Post Office which housed the headquarters of the rebels of the 1916 Rising which resulted in the then destruction of this building and almost the entire street and surrounds. You will finish around Trinity College and the former 18th century Houses of Parliament.

This tour is also available in German.

Scheduling:
01 May – 30 September
Monday through Saturday at 10.15 am and 2.15 pm
Sunday at 10.15 am
Tours start at 10.15am (arrive 10mins early).
Meet at The Tree of Gold, Central Plaza, Dame Street, Dublin 2.
Online booking recommended.

Special event or temporary themed tours may also be available to book on the website.

Contact & Pricing:
walkingtours.ie
info@walkingtours.ie
Tel: 01 832 9406 (Emergency phone: 087 905 2480)
Adults €25; concessions

Sandemans Tour - Kings Inns

Sandemans Dublin Walking Tours

Sandemans Dublin is a branch of Sandemans New Europe, who offer “free” and paid tours around European cities.

The tours are offered to book for free, with customers being asked to tip the tour guides whatever they deem appropriate at the end of the tour.

Scheduling:
Currently, there are two free tours available:
Daytime Walking Tours, covering general history of Dublin, run 7 days a week at 11am & 2pm.
Evening “Dark Side Tour”, which focuses on spooky and macabre history and folklore, starts at 5pm on Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sat and Sun only.

Meet at Bernardo Square, next to City Hall.
Check the website as there can be additional/reduced tour frequency depending on the season. Reservations are not necessary, though you can book online.

Tours may be offered in languages other than English, subject to availability.

Tour guides can be booked for personalised private or large group tours for a set fee.

Contact & Pricing:
neweuropetours.eu/dublin-walking-tours
private@neweuropetours.eu
The tours operate on a free/tips-only basis, meaning you are not obliged to pay, but a suitable tip is requested.