The River Liffey in central Dublin, with the Ha'penny Bridge in the distance
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Dublin in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 6.9 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you see Dublin at an easy pace and go inside the places that really earn it. The first combines the Georgian centre, two treasures of ancient Ireland and the city's legends after dark; the second traces the country's political history and ends out west, between the jail of the 1916 rebels and the island's most famous stout. A good balance of walking and visits.

Day 1Celtic gold and pub legends

Set off at nine from the Ha'penny Bridge with “Bridges, pubs and Georgian squares”: Temple Bar, Trinity College, St Stephen's Green and Merrion Square. Have an Irish stew at O'Neill's or The Stag's Head, then give the afternoon to the Book of Kells at Trinity and the National Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street, five minutes apart. If you've time to spare, take a break on Grafton Street. As the light goes, head over to Church Street for “Mummies, a stolen heart and a cat in the organ”, with The Brazen Head and St Patrick's, and finish with fish and chips from Leo Burdock.

  1. Morning

    Bridges, pubs and Georgian squares: Dublin's highlights

    Mixed · 2.4 km · 2 h

    1. Ha'penny BridgeAn iron bridge cast in England in 1816 that, for a century, cost half a penny to cross.
    2. Temple BarThe quarter of pubs and live music that, in the 1980s, was nearly flattened for a bus station.
    3. Trinity CollegeThe university Elizabeth I founded in 1592, where Swift, Wilde and Beckett studied and the Book of Kells is kept.
    4. Molly Malone statueIreland's most famous seller of cockles and mussels never existed, or at least nobody has ever proved she did.
    5. St Stephen's Green and Fusiliers' ArchA park opened to the public by a Guinness, an arch some called ‘Traitors' Gate’ and a ceasefire to feed the ducks.
    6. Merrion Square and Oscar WildeThe Georgian square of coloured doors, where Oscar Wilde grew up and now lounges on a rock.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Irish stew at The Stag's Head. 1 Dame Court

  3. Afternoon

    Book of Kells (Trinity College)

    This illuminated Gospel manuscript from around AD 800 is Trinity's great treasure. The Old Library is in the middle of a major restoration and the visit has changed in recent years, so book a time slot and check which rooms are open.

    Directions

    National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology

    On Kildare Street, next door to Leinster House, it holds Bronze Age gold, the Ardagh Chalice, the Tara Brooch and the unsettling bog bodies. Entry is free; it usually closes on Mondays, so check before you go.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Mummies, a stolen heart and a cat in the organ

    Mysteries & legends · 2 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. St Michan's ChurchA plain-looking church whose vaults preserved bodies naturally for centuries.
    2. The Brazen HeadThe sign says 1198; the records say 1613. In between there are rebels, highwaymen and the odd ghost.
    3. Christ Church CathedralA cat and a rat trapped in an organ pipe, Strongbow's broken tomb and a saint's heart stolen in 2012.
    4. St Patrick's CathedralA legendary well of St Patrick, a door with a hole that gave English a saying, and the tomb of Jonathan Swift.
    5. Whitefriar Street ChurchBehind a modest front on a busy street lie relics attributed to St Valentine.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Fish and chips from Leo Burdock at Leo Burdock. 2 Werburgh Street

Day 2Rebels, stone and black stuff

Make an early start at St Audoen's with “From Vikings to the Republic”: Christ Church, the Castle, the Old Parliament House and the GPO, still pocked with bullet marks from 1916, up to the Garden of Remembrance. Walk down O'Connell Street and cross the river for seafood chowder and brown bread at Davy Byrne's. In the afternoon, head west: Kilmainham Gaol first, with your tour booked, then the Guinness Storehouse, about twenty minutes away on foot or by bus, to round off the trip with a pint and the whole city spread out below the Gravity Bar.

  1. Morning

    From Vikings to the Republic: eight centuries on foot

    History · 2.5 km · 2 h

    1. St Audoen's ChurchDublin's oldest parish church still in use, with Ireland's oldest bells and the last surviving gate of the medieval walls.
    2. Christ Church CathedralThe cathedral a Viking king founded, Strongbow rebuilt and, seven centuries later, a whiskey distiller saved.
    3. Dublin CastleFor seven centuries the heart of English and British power in Ireland; in 1922, handed over to Michael Collins.
    4. Old Parliament House (Bank of Ireland)The world's first purpose-built two-chamber parliament, which lost its parliament in 1800.
    5. General Post Office (GPO)The Proclamation of the Republic was read outside it in 1916, and the bullet marks are still visible on its columns.
    6. Garden of RemembranceA cross-shaped pool and the Children of Lir turning into swans, on the spot where the Irish Volunteers were founded.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Seafood chowder with brown bread at Davy Byrne's. 21 Duke Street

  3. Afternoon

    Kilmainham Gaol

    The old prison that held rebels from several generations and where fourteen leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed. It can only be visited on a guided tour and tickets go fast, so book a few days ahead. It completes the story that begins at the GPO.

    Directions

    Guinness Storehouse

    Seven floors in a former fermentation building at the St James's Gate brewery, built around an atrium shaped like a giant pint glass. The tour tells the story of the stout and ends in the Gravity Bar, with views across the city. Buy your ticket online.

    Directions

The map

Dublin in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Dublin in 2 days

  • Book Kilmainham Gaol and the Book of Kells before you travel: they're the two visits that sell out first, especially in summer and at weekends.
  • If your first day falls on a Monday, swap the two days round: the National Museum of Archaeology usually closes on Mondays, while Kilmainham and the Guinness Storehouse don't.
  • Several buses run out to Kilmainham from the city centre along the quays; a Leap card is cheaper than paying cash fares and saves you hunting for coins.

Questions

Dublin in 2 days: your questions

Are 2 days enough for Dublin?

Yes, for a well-rounded first visit: the historic centre, both cathedrals, Trinity and the Book of Kells, the big archaeology museum, Kilmainham and the Guinness Storehouse. What you'll miss is the coast; if you can add a day, the 3-day plan takes in Howth.

Is the Guinness Storehouse worth it?

If you're into beer or want the view from the Gravity Bar, yes. Bear in mind it's a pricey and very commercial experience, more brand museum than working brewery. If you don't drink, you might prefer the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital, right next to Kilmainham.

How much walking is there over 2 days?

The three routes add up to about 6.9 kilometres: 4.35 on day one (highlights and mystery) and 2.5 on day two (history). On top of that come the walk between museums and the trip out to Kilmainham, which you can do by bus if your legs are flagging.

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