Dublin

Trinity College and the Book of Kells

Trinity College Dublin, created by royal charter in 1592, sits right in the middle of the city. Walk through the front arch into the cobbled square and the traffic noise falls away. This is where the Book of Kells is kept. It's a manuscript of the four Gospels, written out in Latin and decorated by monks around 800 AD, and you'll see whichever pages are open behind the glass at the time. Spirals and animal motifs pack the spaces between the letters, and the closer you look, the finer and more exact each line turns out to be. Because of the Old Library redevelopment project, every book in the Long Room has been moved off the shelves except in the first four bays by the entrance. The project is a set of structural and environmental upgrades to protect the building and conserve its collections. The Old Library and Long Room stay open to visitors until restoration works begin at the end of 2027. During the works, you'll still be able to see the Book of Kells in the Printing House, the third-oldest building on campus. The emptied oak bookcases are a sight you can only catch until then. Entry is timed, so it's worth booking online.

A day out of a novel

James Joyce's Ulysses follows Leopold Bloom through a single day in Dublin in 1904. That day is June 16, and every year Dubliners call it Bloomsday and walk Bloom's routes through the book. People turn out in bonnets and boaters for walking tours and readings; in 2026, the festival ran from June 11 to 16. The Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) on St Stephen's Green is worth a stop, too. It's in Newman House, the university building where Joyce himself studied, and you can see Copy No. 1 of Ulysses up close.

Guinness, then an evening in the pub

The Guinness Storehouse at St. James's Gate turned the brewery's old fermentation plant into seven floors of exhibitions. The Guinness story goes back to Arthur Guinness in 1759. He also signed a 9,000-year lease on this brewery. Up in the Gravity Bar, you can have a pint while the city spreads out around you in 360 degrees. Pub evenings get better out in the neighborhoods. The Cobblestone in Smithfield has trad sessions seven nights a week, and O'Donoghue's is where The Dubliners got their start in 1962. Under its low ceiling, a song started at one table can get picked up at the next. You don't need to tip when you buy drinks in a pub. Restaurants don't expect a tip either, but adding about 10% for good service is customary.

Kilmainham Gaol and 1916

Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 as Dublin's new county gaol and stayed in use until 1924. Leaders of rebellions from 1798 to 1916 were held here, and 14 leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad in the Stonebreakers' Yard. After it closed, it was preserved as a national monument in the 1960s, and it still stands today. Visits are by one-hour guided tour, and you can see the museum afterward, so allow a good 90 minutes. Adult admission is €8.

Free museums and Phoenix Park

Many of Dublin's major museums are free. Entry to the permanent collection at the National Gallery of Ireland on Merrion Square costs nothing, and at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology on Kildare Street you can see gold pieces counted among the finest Celtic metalwork, plus four bog bodies recovered from peat bogs. When the sky clears, head west to Phoenix Park. It was laid out as a royal hunting park in the 1660s and opened to the public in 1747, and it's one of the largest enclosed parks in any European capital. A herd of wild fallow deer, descended from the ones brought in back then, still wanders the grass. The park asks you not to feed them and to watch from at least 50m away.

Out to the coast at Howth

The sea is one train ride from the center. Take the DART along the coast to Howth, on the north side, and beyond the harbor where fishing boats are tied up, a headland swells out toward the water. On the cliff path around it, there's heather on one side and sea on the other. Walk back down, warm up with seafood chowder and soda bread by the harbor, and that's half a day well spent. Even in July, average lows and highs are 11°C and 20°C, so a windproof layer comes in handy on the coast path.

A three-day plan

Day 1 — Trinity College and the Book of Kells → Grafton Street → St Stephen's Green and MoLI → a stroll through Temple Bar, then trad music in a pub Day 2 — Morning tour at Kilmainham Gaol → Guinness Storehouse → a walk in Phoenix Park Day 3 — National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and National Gallery → DART to Howth and the cliff path → dinner by the harbor

What to eat

• Guinness (a freshly poured pint)
• Irish stew (lamb and potato)
• Dublin coddle (sausage and bacon stew)
• Full Irish breakfast (black and white pudding)

Handy tips

• Kilmainham Gaol has to be booked ahead. Some tickets go on sale 28 days out at midnight Irish time, and same-day tickets are added online from 9:15am. Tickets bought on resale sites won't get you in.
• At the airport, the convenience store and WHSmith in Terminal 1 arrivals and SPAR in Terminal 2 arrivals sell the TFI Leap Visitor Card (1, 3 or 7 days). While it's valid, you get unlimited rides on Dublin Bus, the Luas tram and the DART.
• Sockets take three-pronged plugs (230V/50Hz), so you'll need an adapter if your chargers use a different plug.