Dublin

Most of the city’s historic monuments are on the South side of the city, with Trinity College as its most famous landmark. It is a good place from which to start your tour.

Trinity College
Address: College Green
Website: www.tcd.ie
Opening hours: campus tours May to September, daily, 10.15 am until 3.45 pm, and some weekends. The tour lasts 30 minutes.
Founded in 1592 by Elizabeth 1, Trinity College is a time capsule of manicured lawns, cobbled quads and elegant buildings, reminiscent of Oxford colleges. Amongst the many famous students who attended the college was Samuel Beckett. Its finest building is the Old Library which houses an extensive collection of priceless Irish manuscripts and the Book of Kells. Upstairs, the magnificent Long Room houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books and temporary exhibitions.
Library opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 9:30 am - 5 pm; Sunday (May - September) 9:30 am - 4:30 pm; (October - April) noon - 4:30 pm

Bank of Ireland
Address: College Green
Opening hours: Monday- Wednesday & Friday 10 am -4 pm; Thursday
10 am – 5 pm. Guided Tours: Tuesdays only at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, & 1:45 pm or by appointment.
Admission: free
Facing Trinity College, the imposing building was originally built in 1729 as the Parliament of independent Ireland. It was sold in 1801 to the Bank of Ireland which has kept the tradition of having a guard in top hat and tailcoat. The grand Cash Hall is open to visitors during working hours. The building is home to real treasures, such as a splendid crystal chandelier, huge tapestries and elegant coffered ceilings.

Leinster House
Address: Kildare Street
Admission: free
Close to St Stephen’s Green, Leinster house is situated in an elegant Georgian neighbourhood and is now the seat of the Irish Parliament. It was originally built in 1745 for the Duke of Leinster. There are no tours when the Dail is in session. You will need ID to get in.

Dublín Castle
Address: Dame Street
Tel: 01 677 7129
Opening hours: Guided tours only. Monday to Friday, 10 am – 5 pm; weekends and bank holidays, 2 pm – 5 pm.
Admission prices: Adults: €4.50, children: €2.50 (free admission to Castle Yard, Chapel Royal and Dubh Linn Garden)

Built in 1204 to defend the city, the castle stands on the site of an early Gaelic Ring fort, and of a Viking Fortress. It was once Dublin’s biggest stronghold. In 1922, the castle was handed over to Michael Collins as Commander in Chief of the Irish Army. The guided tour takes you through the State Apartments which are now the venue for Ireland’s state functions.
Within the castle walls, do not miss the stunning Chester Beatty Library (European Museum of the year 2002) which houses a unique collection of religious treasures donated to the Irish state by the mining magnate. Free admission.

Christ Church Cathedral
Address: Lord Edward Street
Tel: 01 677 8099
Website: www.cccdub.ie
Opening hours: April to September, daily, 10 am – 5 pm. October to March, Monday to Saturday, 11 am – 4 pm; Sunday and Bank Holidays 10 am – 4.30 pm; closed 24th-26th December.
The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the city’s oldest and best known landmark in the city. It was founded in the 11th century, in the former heart of medieval Dublin. The Cathedral underwent extensive renovation in Victorian times, but you can still admire the 12th century crypt, the north wall and south transept. Inside, do not miss the tomb of the Norman conqueror Strongbow, and the Treasury in the crypt, the largest in Britain or Ireland.

St Patrick’s Cathedral
Address: Patrick Street
Tel: 01 475 4817
Admission charge: adults €5.50
Opening times: March to October, Monday – Friday, 9 am till 5.30 pm; Saturday 9 am till 6.30 pm; Sunday, check the times of religious services.

Built in honour of Ireland’s patron saint, St Patrick’s Cathedral is the most interesting of the two and is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. It is headed by a Dean, one of the most famous of whom was Jonathan Swift.
The basis of the present building is thought to date from the early 13th century, though little remains beyond the Baptistery. Extensive renovation works were financed by Benjamin Guinness around 1860 and much of what you can see today dates from the Victorian era. Nowadays, the cathedral is used to host public national ceremonies.

Aras an Uachtarain – “the Irish White House”
Address: Phoenix Park, Dublin 8
Tel: 01 670 9155
Opening hours: guided tours are available every Saturday, 9.40 am – 4.20 pm. Closed 24th-26th December.
Free admission
A chance to see the residence of the President of Ireland and the main state reception rooms. The guided tour lasts about an hour and starts with a film at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre.

General Post office
Address: O’Connell Street
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 8 am - 8 pm; 10.30am - 6.20pm on Sunday.
Admission: Free
Built in 1818, the General Post Office became a symbol of the 1916 Easter Rising. The building was seized on Easter Monday and Patrick Pearse read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic from its steps. Inside the building is a sculpture of the Irish warrior Cuchulainn, dedicated to those who died in the Easter Rising.

Kilmainham Gaol
Address: Inchicore Road
Tel: 01 453 5984
Opening hours: daily, 9.30 am – 5 pm; Sunday, 10am – 5pm.
Built in 1792, it is Ireland's most famous disused prison; it closed in 1924. Over the years it held many famous Nationalist and Republican prisoners, including the leaders of the 1916 Ester Rising who were executed here. A visit gives a good insight into the history of Irish Republicanism.

Monument of Light –
Address: O’Connell Street
Known as the Spire of Dublin, the monument is a 120-metre tower made of stainless steel tubes and is the symbol of 21st century Dublin. 

Two light-hearted stops:
Molly Malone statue
Address: Grafton Street
Affectionately known as “The Tart with the Cart”, Molly Malone is forever linked to the city through the popular song..

Anna Livia Fountain
Located near Heuston Station, the bronze monument is best known to the Dubliners as “the Floozy in the Jacuzzi”. The young woman, a character in James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake, embodies the river Liffey.

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