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Sights and landmarks in Dublin

31 sights worth seeing in Dublin: landmarks, galleries, monuments and viewpoints.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Sights and landmarks in Dublin

  1. See

    14 Henrietta Street

    Many Dubliners lived in buildings like this. Built in the 1740s, its first occupant was Lord Viscount Molesworth and his family, and after him came a series of Right Honorable This and Viscount That and Bishop of Wherever. But the union with England in 1801 drained power and money to London, and the neighbourhood went downhill. Rural folk flocked to Dublin after the famine, so the building was broken up into tenements, with 100 living here. From the 1930s the inner city drained out to new suburbs, and No 14 fell derelict in 1970 before being preserved. Visit by guided tour.

    Wed-Sun 10AM-4PMAdult €10, conc €8, child €6

  2. See

    Christ Church Cathedral

    Holy Trinity

    A wooden church was built by the Vikings around 1030, and the first stone church was from the 1180s. So this is the oldest building in Dublin, though it underwent a massive restoration in the 1870s. It became Protestant under Henty VIII, apart from a brief Roman Catholic interlude in 1690 when the exiled James II was campaigning in Ireland, and the Vatican still claims it. The oldest part is the large crypt, where amongst the items on display are a mummified cat and rat, which got themselves stuck in the church organ in the 19th century.

    Apr-Sep Mon-Sat 9:30AM-7PM, Sun 12:30-14:30PM & 4:30-7PM; Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5PM, Sun 12:30-2:30PMAdult €11.50, conc €10, child €4

  3. See

    Dublin Castle

    Former seat of British rule in Ireland. The guided tour takes in the medieval basements and Chapel Royal, then you see the State Apartments in your own time. You can skip the tour and just see the apartments for less.

    Daily 10AM-5:15PMGuided tour €12, apartments alone €8

  4. See

    Dublin Zoo

    Opened in 1830 and extended in 1997, this Zoo has a dozen habitats and is the largest in Ireland.

    Daily 9:30AM-6PMAdult €24, conc or child €18

  5. See

    EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

    Over the centuries more than 10 million people emigrated from Ireland; this is the story of why they left, where they went and how they shaped the world.

    Daily 10AM-5PMAdult €21, child 6-12 €10.50, teen 13-17 €14.50, under 5s free, senior €19

  6. See

    GPO Museum

    The GPO is the headquarters of the Post Office in Ireland, built in Neo-Classical style 1814-1818. In 1916 it was occupied by Irish rebels led by PH Pearse, who read the Proclamation of the Republic outside the front door of the building. The interior was burnt out by shelling from government forces against the rebels, but the exterior survived. Subsequently the GPO was restored, reopening in 1929, and remains a busy working post office. The museum within it is a multimedia exploration of the Easter Rising.

    Mon-Sat 10AM-5PMAdult €17, conc €15, child €8.50

  7. See

    Glasnevin Cemetery

    Reilig Ghlas Naíon

    This opened as an RC cemetery in 1832, in an era when the Catholics weren't allowed their own parish churches, and their burials were begrudged affairs in Protestant ground. Glasnevin has grown and grown, expanding south across Finglas road into the St Paul's section, but the famous names are north side. You can visit the cemetery free, but to make sense of it go to the visitor centre (daily 10AM-5PM, closed M Tu in winter). Walking tours visit the graves of Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera and many others of historic or architectural interest. A back gate connects to the Botanic Gardens.

    Daily 9AM-5PMTour adult €14, conc or child €12

  8. See

    Green on Red Gallery

    Commercial gallery exhibiting Irish and international modern art.

    Mon-Fri 10AM-6PMFree

  9. See

    Hugh Lane Gallery

    Sir Hugh Lane (1875-1915) was one of the first collectors of modern art. He died in the sinking of Lusitania and this public gallery reflects his Will, which involved about as much negotiation, fudge and compromise as the Treaty for Irish independence. The permanent exhibitions are mostly contemporary Irish artists, plus Francis Bacon's studio, relocated from London in 2001. Charlemont House was built in 1763 and in 1929 its gardens were built over to create the gallery, which is wheelchair accessible.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 11AM-5PMFree

  10. See

    Irish Jewish Museum

    Exhibiting Jewish life in the cities - as in Great Britain, many were emigres from "White Russia". Their best known member is fictional, Leopold Bloom the protagonist of Ulysses.

    Sun 10:30AM-2:30PMDonation

  11. See

    Irish Museum of Modern Art

    IMMA

    Modern and contemporary art, housed in the Royal Hospital of 1684. See also the elegant courtyard and formal gardens.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-5:30PM, Sun noon-5:30PMFree

  12. See

    Kilmainham Gaol

    This prison was in use 1796-1924; thousands have passed through, including many convicts transported to Australia. It's best known as the place where the rebels from the 1916 Easter Rising were executed. (Several now lie in Arbour Hill Cemetery just north of the Decorative Arts Museum.) Access by guided tour every 30 min, pre-booking essential.

    Daily 9:30AM-5:30PMAdult €8, senior €6, child or student €4

  13. See

    Little Museum of Dublin

    Their main building on St Stephen's Green is closed for renovation, so this is a temporary home. It displays the 20th-century social, cultural and political history of Dublin city, with many artefacts donated by Dubliners. Visit by guided tour every hour.

    Daily 9AM-5PMAdult €15, conc or child €13

  14. See

    National Botanic Gardens

    Extensive gardens favouring alkaline-loving species. The great Palm House was where Wittgenstein often came to warm his lugubrious backside. A gateway leads into Glasnevin Cemetery adjacent. The gardens also manage the arboretum at Kilmacurragh near Wicklow Town.

    Mar-Oct Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat Sun 10AM-6PM; Nov-Feb Mon-Fri 9AM-4:30PM, Sat Sun 10AM-4:30PMFree

  15. See

    National Gallery of Ireland

    Impressive national collection of Irish and European Art. In January the gallery displays its watercolours by JMW Turner; the original donor specified that they had to be kept out of the light for the rest of the year.

    Tue Wed Fri Sat 9:15AM-5:30PM, Thu 9:15AM-8:30PM, Sun Mon 11AM-5:30PMFree

  16. See

    National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology

    Amazing display of Ireland's artefacts from prehistory through the Viking era to independence. The standout is the Treasury (with the 12th century Ardagh Chalice and 9th century Tara Brooch), and the prehistoric jewellery: gold and silver beautifully worked and carved.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun Mon 1-5PMFree

  17. See

    National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History

    The building is remarkable, a Georgian barracks around a parade square. Displays decorative arts and artefacts over 400 years, from rustic houses through Georgian elegance to "Proclaiming a Republic", the events of Easter 1916 when the interior decor of the Post Office took a sad turn for the worse.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun Mon 1-5PMFree

  18. See

    National Museum of Ireland - Natural History

    The "Dead Zoo" contains a comprehensive zoological collection presented in a manner unchanged since its establishment in Victorian times.

    closed for refurbishment as of April 2026, but some of the collections are on display in the Dead Zoo Lab at their Collins Barracks siteFree

  19. See

    Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre

    Safe space for LGBTQ+ people, with community café, social and cultural events, resources and support services, a queer library, theatre and meeting spaces.

    Tue 2-9PM, Wed-Fri noon-9PM, Sat noon-6PM

  20. See

    Pearse Museum

    Patrick Pearse (1879-1916) saw Irish culture and language as essential for national independence. His one and only case as a barrister was his unsuccessful defence of a Donegal tradesman for using an "illegible" sign, and the verdict effectively made Irish signage illegal. He set up a language school in 1908, which moved here in 1910. He was also a leading Republican, reading the proclamation of independence on the GPO steps in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was court-martialled and shot nine days later.

    Daily Feb-Oct 9:30AM-5:30PM, Nov-Jan 9:30AM-4PMFree

  21. See

    Rathfarnham Castle

    Built as a fortified mansion around 1583 and prettified in the 18th century, it fell derelict in the 19th but has been restored as a museum.

    Oct-Apr Wed-Sun, May-Sep daily 10:30AM-5PMAdult €5, conc €4

  22. See

    St Mary's Pro-Cathedral

    Dublin's Catholic cathedral, built in 1825. Catholicism was always the majority religion in Ireland, but its practice was forbidden until the 19th century. The official cathedral is Christ Church, so designated by the Pope in 1300, but taken over by the Protestants in the 16th century. When the laws relaxed, St Mary's was built in neo-Classical style as a temporary or "pro"-cathedral, until such time as the Pope decrees otherwise or the Protestants hand back Christ Church. Neither event appears imminent.

    Daily 9AM-5PM

  23. See

    St Patrick's Cathedral

    Founded in 1191, it became Anglican at the Reformation, so the Protestants had two cathedrals in the same city while the Catholics had none. It feuded with Christ Church over rights and precedence, until 1871 when Christ Church was nominated the senior church for Dublin and Glendalough and St Patrick's for the rest of Ireland. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, was dean of St Patrick's from 1713 to 1745 and is buried here, as is his lady friend Stella Johnson. It was rebuilt in the 1860s into a confident pile of Victoriana, and anything that looks medieval is probably a 19th century concoction.

    Daily 9:30AM-5PMAdult €11.50, conc €9

  24. See

    Trinity College

    Trinity College is the fine Georgian campus of the University of Dublin. It's generally open to stroll around in daylight hours, but it is a working university, and most interiors are off-limits to tourists. You can visit the Chapel near the front (west) gate of the College. But the big attraction is the Old Library and Book of Kells. Book online, otherwise buy your ticket from the machines under the Lecky library just south. This is for a timed slot, and at weekends may be booked out. You enter an exhibition hall setting the Book in the context of other monastic writings of its period, circa 800 AD. Next enter the display area: only two pages are displayed at any time, one being richly illustrated with little text (or no text, on the "carpet" pages), and one page being text of the Vulgate Gospels, written in Insular Majuscule Latin. But it's difficult to enjoy, with crowds jostling round the display case. Next, go upstairs into the massive Long Hall of the library, with books and ladders and more books and ladders towering away upwards. No books are accessible to the public. Last but not least, exit through the gift shop, which can be entered without a ticket.

    Kells: May-Sep Mon-Sat 8:30AM-7PM, Sun 9:30AM-5PM; Oct-Apr Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5PM, Sun noon-4:30PMAdults €26, conc €21, child €14-20

  25. See Not mapped

    Chester Beatty Library

    Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) was an American mining magnate who amassed a fabulous collection of early books and manuscripts and oriental art. He moved to London and collaborated generously with the British Museum, but in 1950 there was a falling-out and he moved to Ireland. He established the library to avoid his collection being split up; it's now in the Clock Tower in the Castle gardens.

    Mar-Oct Mon Tue Thu-Sat 10AM-5:30PM, Wed 10AM-8PM, Sun noon-5:30PM, Nov-Feb closed MonDonation €10

  26. See Not mapped

    Dublinia

    Viking Museum

    Exhibition of life in the Viking settlement and medieval city, child-friendly.

    Daily 10AM-6PMAdult €15, conc €13.50, child €8.50

  27. See Not mapped

    Irish Whiskey Museum

    And not before time. Irish distilleries have for too long pumped out bland commercial fare, though the country has all the ingredients and know-how to produce whiskey of character to rival single-malt Scotch.

    Daily 10AM-6PMStandard tour €20

  28. See Not mapped

    James Joyce Centre

    Georgian townhouse with an exhibition of Joyce's life and times. He never lived here himself.

    Tue-Sat 10:30AM-4:30PM

  29. See Not mapped

    Leinster House

    This opulent Georgian mansion is in the same block as the Archaeology Museum. Designed by Cassels, it was built in 1745 as the residence of the Duke of Leinster at a time when the southside was unfashionable. It proved an "anchor development" and Dublin's centre of power and culture soon gravitated from the northside. From 1922 it became the temporary base of the Oireachtas, the Irish bi-cameral parliament, and like the Ulster border it remains temporary over a century later. Tours are only available if you're sponsored by a TD or senator.

  30. See Not mapped

    National Leprechaun Museum

    The "little folk" appeared in lore around 1300 AD but only flourished from the 19th century Celtic revival, dressed in late Georgian garb in an idealised rural past, mending a shoe. They proliferated into the silliest of 20th century Irish tourism, like greenfly upon the Rose of Tralee, and fell out of fashion. This museum is immersive telling of the stories woven around them, with a daytime and darker night show.

    Sun-Thu 10AM-6:30PM, Fri Sat 10AM-8PMDay show adult €18, conce €16, child €11

  31. See Not mapped

    The Jeanie Johnston

    One million Irish people fled Ireland during the famine. 2500 took a gruelling voyage aboard the Jeanie Johnston, and this is a replica. You take a 50 min tour above and below deck.

    Daily Apr-Oct 10AM-4PM, Nov-Mar 11AM-3PMAdult €15, child €10

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Dublin (CC BY-SA 4.0).