Christ Church Cathedral was the original Cathedral of Norse Dublin, founded in 1038 by King Sitric. Denied recognition by the Gaelic Irish Church, its Bishops were consecrated by Canterbury, to which they were subject for the next 124 years. The Nave, in the pointed style, dates from about 1230 and is very striking. Strongbow, the Norman adventurer who conquered Dublin and married Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster, is buried here.

Opening Times
June – August  09.00 – 18.00
Sept – May  09.45 – 17.00
Saturday  10.00 – 16.30
Sunday   12.45 – 14.45

Price: Admission Charges Apply

Built between 1208 and 1220, this complex represents some of the oldest surviving architecture in the city, and was the centre of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until it was taken of by the Irish Free State in 1922. Highlights include the 13th-century record tower, the largest visible fragment of the original Norman castle and the State Apartments, once the residence of English viceroys and now the focal point for government ceremonial functions, including the inauguration of Ireland's presidents. The newest developments for visitors are the Undercroft, and excavates site on the grounds where an early Viking fortress stood, and the treasury, built between 1712 and 1715, believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built office building in Ireland. It houses a new visitor centre in its vaulted basement.

Opening Times
Guided tours of the State Apartments, Undercroft and Chapel Royal
Mon-Fri    10.00 am – 4.45 pm
Sat, Sun, Public Holidays  2.00 – 4.45 pm
*Last admission 15 minutes before closing

Price: Admission Charges Apply

Opened in 1991, the museum occupies a tasteful 18th-century town house. There are displays relating to Irish literature in all its forms from around the 10th century to the present day. The exhibits include paintings, manuscripts, letters, rare editions and mementos of many of Ireland's famous authors, Shaw, Yeats, Beckett, Swift, Wilde, Joyce and Behan. There are a number of temporary exhibits and a sumptuously decorated Gallery of Writers upstairs. The museum also hosts frequent poetry readings and lectures. An excellent restaurant, and a specialist bookstore, providing an out-of-print search service, adds to the relaxed ambiance.

Opening Times
Monday-Saturday   10.00 – 17.00
Sunday & Public holidays  11:30 – 16.00

Price: Admission Charges Apply

Dublin Zoo is one of Dublin's most popular tourist attractions. Founded in 1830 it is also the third oldest zoo in the world, after London and Paris. Discover the world of the wild at Dublin Zoo. Visit the World of Primates and see massive gorillas and chimpanzees on the Monkey Islands. Dublin Zoo is all about fun, learning and conservation, there is so much to see and do.

Opening Times
Monday – Saturday 09.30
Sunday 10.30

Closing Times
January 16.30
February 17.00
March 18.00
April - Sept 18.30
Oct 15.30
Nov 16.30
Dec 16.00

Price: Admission Charges Apply

Welcome to Dublinia & the Viking world – where the turbulent history is brought vividly to life. Dublinia is a heritage centre located at the hearth of the old city and housed in a beautiful Victorian, neo-gothic style building. Since opening in 1993, Dublinia has been one of Dublin’s most popular attractions, allowing visitors to step back in time to the medieval city. Now Dublinia has expanded to include the Viking world – an exhibition revealing the amazing facts behind the myth of the Vikings.

Opening Times
Dublinia & The Viking World is open daily except 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th December and 17th March.
April - September:
10.00 – 17.00 daily

October - March:
11.00 – 16.00 (Mon-Fri) (last admission 15.15pm)
10.00 – 16.00 (Sat/Sun/Bank Hol) (last admission 15.15pm)

Price: Admission Charges Apply

The Guinness Storehouse is the home of Guinness. The exciting new Guinness Experience opened in November 2000 and is based in the heart of the Guinness brewery. In this restored 1904 building discover all there is to know about the world famous beer. Travel through each step of the brewing process as well as Guinness’s history of advertising and life worldwide. End the tour with your complimentary pint of GUINNESS® beer. Relax and enjoy the uninterrupted panoramic views across Dublin City - it really is one of the most spectacular places to visit in Dublin.

Opening Times
Jan to June/ Sept to Dec: Mon – Sun 9.30 am – 5.00 pm
July and August: Mon – Sun 9.30 am – 8.00 pm

The biggest unoccupied gaol in these islands, Kilmainham Gaol givesvisitors a realistic insight into what it was like to have been confined in one of these forbidding bastions of punishment between 1796 when it opened, and 1924 when it closed. Leaders of 5 Irish rebellions between 1798 and 1916 were detained here. A visit to the gaol includes a guided tour and audio-visual presentation.

Opening Times

Ireland's largest church was founded beside a sacred well where St. Patrick is said to have baptised converts around 450A.D. A stone slab bearing a Celtic cross and covering the well was un-earthed at the turn of the 20th century. It is now preserved in the west end of the cathedral's nave. The original building was just a wooden chapel and remained so until 1192 when Archbishop John Comyn rebuilt the cathedral in stone. Much of the present building dates back to work completed between 1254 and 1270. The famous Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, is buried in the cathedral.

Opening Times
Monday – Friday              09.00 – 18.00
Saturday (March – Oct)  09.00 – 18.00
    (Nov – Feb)                  09.00 – 17.00
Sunday (March – Oct)    09.00 – 11.00, 12.45 – 15.00, 16.15 – 18.00
  (Nov – Feb)                   10.00 – 11.00, 12.45 – 15.00

Price: Admission Charges Apply

 

Smithfield Village is home to The Chimney, Dublin's viewing tower. The existing Distillery Chimney was built in 1896 and is now topped with a viewing platform on two levels. Visitors can enjoy the spectacular city views from the mountains to the bays from this fantastic vantage point.

Opening Times
Mon-Sat: 10.00-17.00
Sun:   11.00-17.30

Price: Admission Charges Apply

 

No. 35 North Great George’s Street was built in 1784 for Valentine Brown, the Earl of Kenmare, and is decorated with fine plasterwork by Michael Stapleton. The house was restored in the 1980s and opened as the James Joyce Centre in 1996, run by members of Joyce’s sister’s family.
The Library contains many translations of Joyce’s works, volumes about Joyce and his work, and other books of interest to Joyceans.
The Centre's permanent and temporary exhibitions interpret and illuminate various aspects of Joyce's life and work. The Joyce Centre is the new home to highlights from the National Library’s 2004-2006 landmark James Joyce & Ulysses exhibition.

Opening Times
Tuesday to Saturday 10.00 to 17.00

Price: Admission Charges Apply

Dublin The fascinating story of Irish whiskey (from the Gaelic words 'Uisce Beatha' - 'Water of Life') can be discovered in the Old Jameson Distillery. Situated in the original distillery, founded in 1780, visitors are treated to a recreated scene, visiting the mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturing areas with the guided tour culminating in the Jameson Bar where all visitors are offered a glass of the world famous Jameson Whiskey.

Open Daily from 9.30 – 5.30pm

Price: Admission Charges Apply

Founded by Elizabeth I. in 1592 on the site of a suppressed Augustinian monastery, Trinity College eventually overcame its exclusively Protestant proclivities and is now one of Ireland’s foremost seats of learning, as well as one of the most popular sites to visit in Ireland.  The grounds are fully open to the public and a focal point is the Campanile built in 1852, which dominates the cobblestone Quad.  Trinity College is also home to the famous Book of Kells.

Book of Kells
The Book of Kells was written around the year 800 AD and is one of the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. It contains the four gospels, preceded by prefaces, summaries, and canon tables or concordances of gospel passages. It is written on vellum and contains a Latin text of the Gospels in insular majuscule script accompanied by magnificent and intricate whole pages of decoration with smaller painted decorations appearing throughout the text.
The Book of Kells is housed in the Old Library building.

Opening Times
Monday - Saturday 09.30 - 17.00
Sunday (May - Sept.) 09.30 - 16.30
Sunday (Oct. - April) 12.00 - 16.30

Price: Admission Charges Apply