The River Liffey in central Dublin, with the Ha'penny Bridge in the distance
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Dublin in 3 days

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

Three days is the ideal pace for Dublin: time for the walks, the big museums and a trip out of town without watching the clock. Each day has its own theme, mornings are for walking and afternoons for going inside, and on the last day you swap streets for sea air in Howth before finishing with the darkest tales of medieval Dublin and a pub supper with music.

Day 1Bridges, squares and manuscripts

Start at the Ha'penny Bridge with “Bridges, pubs and Georgian squares”, taking your time: Temple Bar, Trinity College, Molly Malone, St Stephen's Green and the coloured doors of Merrion Square. For lunch, an Irish stew at The Stag's Head or O'Neill's. In the afternoon, go back to Trinity for the Book of Kells at your booked time, then carry on to the National Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street. Wind down with tea on Grafton Street and don't stay out late: tomorrow is an early start.

  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

Day 2Eight centuries and a pint

Begin at St Audoen's with “From Vikings to the Republic”: Ireland's oldest bells, Christ Church, the Castle, the Old Parliament House and the GPO, ending at the Garden of Remembrance. It's the key to everything else you'll see. Cross back south of the river for fish and chips from Leo Burdock, beside Christ Church. Then head west along Thomas Street: the Guinness Storehouse first and Kilmainham Gaol in the mid-afternoon, with your tour booked. To get back to the centre, a bus will drop you on the quays.

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

  3. Afternoon

    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

    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's the natural last chapter of the history walk.

    Directions

Day 3Cliffs, a market and ghosts

Catch an early DART to Howth and walk the harbour and the cliff path while the light is good. On the way back, get off at Tara Street or Pearse and browse George's Street Arcade before a seafood chowder lunch at Davy Byrne's on Duke Street. Rest for a while, then at dusk head to Church Street for “Mummies, a stolen heart and a cat in the organ”: The Brazen Head, Christ Church and St Patrick's. To say goodbye, go back to The Brazen Head for a Dublin coddle and live traditional music.

  1. Morning

    Howth

    A fishing village on a peninsula at the northern end of Dublin Bay, half an hour from the centre on the DART. The cliff path gives you views of the Baily Lighthouse and the open sea; afterwards there's the harbour, where seals often turn up beside the trawlers.

    Directions

    George's Street Arcade

    A red-brick Victorian covered market between South Great George's Street and Drury Street, with stalls selling records, second-hand books, vintage clothes and food. It's five minutes from Davy Byrne's, perfect for a browse before lunch.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

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

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Dublin coddle at The Brazen Head. 20 Bridge Street Lower

The map

Dublin in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Dublin in 3 days

  • Check the forecast before heading to Howth: in strong wind or heavy rain, stick to the harbour and village and skip the cliff path. Wear shoes with decent grip, as there's mud and some narrow stretches.
  • A Leap card works on the DART, Luas and buses and is cheaper than single tickets; you can buy and top it up in plenty of shops and at station machines.
  • Book Kilmainham Gaol and the Book of Kells ahead and, if one of your days is a Monday, use it for the walks and Howth: the National Museum usually closes that day.

Questions

Dublin in 3 days: your questions

What's the best half-day trip from Dublin?

Howth is the easiest: you get there on the DART and it combines a fishing village, a harbour and cliffs. Dún Laoghaire, to the south, is another relaxed option, with its long pier. For Glendalough or the Wicklow Mountains you'll need a full day, by car or on an organised tour.

How much walking is there over 3 days?

The routes add up to about 6.9 kilometres: 2.4 on day one, 2.5 on day two and 1.95 on day three. The Howth cliff path adds several kilometres of ups and downs, so day three is the hardest on the legs even though its route is the shortest.

When is the best time to visit Dublin?

From May to September the days are long and mild, ideal for Howth and for the dusk walk, which in June starts very late. Winter is cold and damp and gets dark early, but Trinity and Kilmainham are much quieter. It rains in every season.

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