Places to visit: Dublin A to Z

1916 Walking Tour

1916 Rebellion Walking Tour

Dublin A to Z, Historical, Tours

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
[email protected]
Tel: 086 858 3847
Adults €19; concessions

North Coast Tour

North Coast and Malahide Castle

Castles, Country Estates, Dublin A to Z, Tours

*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
[email protected]
Tel: 01 703 3024
Adults €22.50; concessions

Pat Liddy Walking Tours

Pat Liddy Walking Tours

Dublin A to Z, Historical, 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
[email protected]
Tel: 01 832 9406 (Emergency phone: 087 905 2480)
Adults €25; concessions

Sandemans Tour - Kings Inns

Sandemans Dublin Walking Tours

Dublin A to Z, Historical, 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
[email protected]
The tours operate on a free/tips-only basis, meaning you are not obliged to pay, but a suitable tip is requested.

Traditional Irish Musical Pub Crawl

Traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl

Art, Dublin A to Z, Entertainment, Tours

Two professional musicians perform tunes and songs while telling the story of Irish music and its influence on contemporary world music. The tour visits two pubs and lasts about 2 and a half hours.

For an even more immersive experience, The Musical Pub Crawl Dinner Show has all the goodness of the original show, but with a lot more Irish dancing and a delicious 3 course meal included.

Scheduling:
Mon, Tues, Wednesday. Thurs & Sunday is at 7:00pm is the Pub Crawl
Friday and Saturday at 6.30pm is a special 3-hour Musical Dinner Show show that adds a meal and Irish dancing display.
Both shows begin upstairs at Ha’penny Bridge Inn, 42 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2.

Contact & Pricing:
musicalpubcrawl.com
Tel: 01 4758345
Adults €22 (€59 for dinner & show); online booking required

vintage-tea-bus

Vintage Tea Trips

Dublin A to Z, Entertainment, Tours

Take a step back in time with Vintage Tea Trips and experience Dublin in a unique way. Indulge in afternoon tea treats, great conversation and tap your feet along to some fabulous 1950s jazz while taking in the sights of the city aboard a 1960s vintage bus.
Afternoon tea with a difference, this is afternoon tea the Irish way.

Savour all your afternoon tea favourites— freshly made sandwiches, desserts, cakes, and pastries—as your bus travels through downtown Dublin. Pass sights such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church, Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, Wood Quay, O’Connell Street, Phoenix Park, and the grand buildings of Georgian Dublin.

Scheduling:
Runs Thursday to Monday at 11:30am, 1:45pm and 4pm.
From March extra tours will be added on Saturday and Sunday at 1:15pm and 3:30pm.
In June, July and August tours will be running 7 days a week with up to 5 tours a day. Please check website for exact times.
Tour lasts 70 – 80 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
The meeting point is Stephens Green North, Dublin 2 – across the road from Stephen Court. 

For same day bookings please call 01 255 1777.
Private group booking also available.

Contact & Pricing:
vintageteatrips.ie
[email protected]
Tel: 01 255 1777
4 Essex Street East, Dublin 8
Adults from €49.50; concessions

Powerscourt

Wicklow and Glendalough Day Tour

Country Estates, Dublin A to Z, Tours

There are options on this tour to visit the Powerscourt Gardens, enjoy a guided walk or horse-ride in the Wicklow Mountains. Your tour starts with a pickup from Dublin and a scenic drive south into the Wicklow mountains to visit some of its best locations. The guides are very friendly and full of local history and stories of both Dublin and the Wicklow Mountains and will keep you informed along the way.

Scheduling:
Operates daily, but may be restricted booking options off-peak.
Tour pick up is 9.20am at the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street.
Estimated arrival back in Dublin is 5.30pm.

The base tour starts at €65 but extras, such as horse-riding, can be added.
Lunch and reduced admission fee into Powerscourt (€8) are not included in the tour price.

Contact & Pricing:
hilltoptreks.com/day-tours-from-dublin/day-tour-of-wicklow-glendalough
[email protected]
Tel: 087 784 9599
Adults from €65; concessions

Round tower at Glenalough

Wicklow, Glendalough and Kilkenny Tour

Castles, Dublin A to Z, Gardens, Historical, Tours

This day tour from Dublin is fully guided with live commentary. It departs from Dublin city and travels south into the Glens and Valleys of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, then on to Kilkenny, and returns to Dublin in the evening. Along the way there are extended stops in scenic Glendalough and the historic town of Kilkenny.

Scheduling:
Operates Mon, Wed, Fri, but may have restricted booking options off-peak.
Tour pick up is 9am at the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street.
Estimated arrival back in Dublin is 5:30pm.

Contact & Pricing:
https://www.hilltoptreks.com/day-tours-from-dublin/day-tour-of-kilkenny-and-wicklow
[email protected]
Tel: 087 784 9599
Adults from €65; concessions

Avondale House

Avondale House and Forest Park

Country Estates, Dublin A to Z, Further Afield A to Z, Gardens

Avondale House in Rathdrum, County Wicklow, was the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891), one of the greatest political leaders in Irish history. The forest park that surrounds Avondale House is 214 hectares of magnificent parkland on the west bank of the Avonmore River. Avondale Forest Park has been the home of Irish Forestry since 1904. It was in Avondale that the first silvicultural experimental plots were laid out along the lines of a continental forest garden and today it has an extensive collection of trees and shrubs from around the globe.

The State purchased Avondale in 1904 and today the park has seven way-marked walks and trails. Avondale also hosts a permanent orienteering course. The Park is home to most of our common woodland animals including red squirrel, badger, hedgehog, stoat and fox. Rich bird life exists with over ninety species having been recorded here.

Avondale House was built in 1777 for Samuel Hayes. When he died in 1795 the house passed to the Parnell Family. It was at Avondale that Charles Stewart Parnell, one of the greatest political leaders of modern Irish history, was born in 1846. The house has been beautifully restored and functions as a museum to Parnell’s memory.

A major redevelopment project was completed in 2023 which included the addition of the Treetop Walk experience. This is a 1.4km wooden walkway that weaves through the forest and includes a viewing tower that climbs 38m above the forest floor. It also houses Ireland’s longest slide. Use of the slide is an optional extra, and due to demand, access cannot be guaranteed.

Opening Hours:
Opening days and times vary monthly, please consult the website for details.
Generally open 9am – 7pm, 7 days a week, during summer.
Guided tours of the house are available.

Contact & Pricing:
beyondthetreesavondale.com
[email protected]
Tel: 04 044 6111
Avondale Forest Park, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow
Adults from €16 (plus €5 car park fee); concessions