A capital city full of stories, with cliff walks, castles and seaside villages just a DART ride away.
Dublin is the place most visitors start, and plenty never get much further. We get it: there's enough history, music and good pubs in the city centre to fill a week.
But County Dublin is more than the capital. Within half an hour on the DART you can be on a cliff path in Howth, wandering Malahide Castle's gardens or watching swimmers brave the Forty Foot.
We've filmed in Dublin a lot, from 1916 walking tours to medieval crypts, so this guide mixes our own videos with the research to help you plan the rest.
The Dublin Castle campus is closed to the public for Ireland's EU Presidency and expects to reopen to visitors in January 2027. The Chester Beatty in its grounds is closed until the end of December 2026. Check dublincastle.ie before you plan around either.
The Book of Kells, a ninth-century illuminated gospel book, is displayed at Trinity College, along with the soaring Long Room of the Old Library.
The Old Library is heading into a major conservation project. The Long Room stays open until the end of 2027, after which the Book of Kells moves to a new home on campus.
Why visit? Irish history, manuscripts and one of the world's great library interiors.
A former prison where many of the leaders of the 1916 Rising were held and executed. The guided tour is one of the most powerful history experiences in Ireland.
Why visit? Irish independence history and the story behind modern Ireland.
Nearly a thousand years old, with one of the largest medieval crypts in Britain and Ireland. Down in the crypt you'll find some unexpected residents, including the famous 'cat and rat'.
Why visit? Medieval Dublin, architecture and a properly atmospheric crypt.
Ireland's largest cathedral, beside a well where tradition says St Patrick baptised converts. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, was dean here and is buried inside.
Why visit? History, architecture and a peaceful park next door.
On Kildare Street, home to prehistoric gold, Viking Dublin, the Ardagh Chalice and the eerie bog bodies of the Kingship and Sacrifice exhibition.
Why visit? Rainy days, ancient Ireland and a fantastic free museum.
In a beautiful Georgian house on St Stephen's Green, MoLI brings Joyce, Wilde, Beckett and Ireland's other great writers to life, with a lovely courtyard garden out the back.
Why visit? Book lovers and slow, rainy afternoons.
An interactive museum in the vaults of CHQ in the Docklands, telling the stories of the millions of people who left Ireland and what they did around the world.
Why visit? Families, interactive exhibits and anyone tracing Irish roots.
James Gandon's 18th-century masterpiece on the Liffey, burned during the War of Independence in 1921 and restored. Most people walk straight past it, and it deserves a proper look.
Why visit? Architecture, riverside walks and revolutionary history.
Seven floors of brewing history at St James's Gate, finishing in the Gravity Bar with a pint and a 360° view over the city.
Why visit? First-time visitors and anyone who wants the views.
A fishing village at the end of the DART line, with a busy harbour, seafood and a cliff path looping around the head with views over Dublin Bay.
Why visit? Easy escape from the city, sea air and seafood.
A medieval castle that was home to the Talbot family for around 800 years, with walled gardens and parkland beside a seaside village.
Why visit? Families, gardens and an easy DART day out.
Walk Dún Laoghaire's East Pier, then follow the coast to Sandycove and the Forty Foot, where people have been swimming year-round for well over a century. James Joyce opens Ulysses at the Martello tower here.
Why visit? Coastal walks, sea swimming and literary history.
Dalkey is a charming village with a medieval castle, and a short climb up Killiney Hill gives one of the best views in Ireland, across Killiney Bay to the Wicklow Mountains.
Why visit? Views, independent shops and a seaside afternoon.
One of Europe's largest enclosed city parks, with wild fallow deer, Áras an Uachtaráin (the President's residence) and Dublin Zoo, which has been here since 1831.
Why visit? Families, cycling and a green break from the city.
We've spent a lot of time in Dublin with the camera rolling. These are short, so tap one to play it right here.
Walking the Easter Rising with historian Lorcan Collins.
Down into one of the oldest crypts in Ireland.
A wander through Ireland's largest cathedral.
The 800-year-old church nobody talks about.
The Liffey landmark most people walk straight past.
Irish literary heaven on St Stephen's Green.
Lights, music and that winter Dublin buzz.
Quick facts to take on your trip.
Dublin's oldest parish church still in use, around 800 years old, tucked behind High Street. A quiet, fascinating stop between the two cathedrals.
Historian Lorcan Collins leads this walk through the streets of the Easter Rising. We joined him and it brought 1916 to life in a way no museum could. See our video above.
A quirky, much-loved museum of 20th-century Dublin in a Georgian townhouse on St Stephen's Green, told through objects donated by Dubliners.
Inside the General Post Office on O'Connell Street, the headquarters of the 1916 Rising, an exhibition tells the story of Easter week.
Away from the late-night crowds, Meeting House Square hosts a weekend food market with local producers and street food.
A sandy island in Dublin Bay with a long beach, dunes and birdlife, all within sight of the city.
A seaside town in north County Dublin with harbour walks, Skerries Mills and views out to the offshore islands.
Free to visit in Glasnevin, with restored Victorian glasshouses. Glasnevin Cemetery, where Michael Collins and Daniel O'Connell are buried, is right next door.
Our Hidden Ireland collection is where we keep the places most visitors drive straight past.
History and legend, clearly labelled.
On Easter Monday 1916, rebels seized key buildings around Dublin and proclaimed an Irish Republic from the steps of the GPO. The Rising was defeated within a week, but the executions at Kilmainham that followed turned public opinion and changed Irish history.
You can still walk the route today, and the bullet marks on some buildings are still visible if you know where to look.
The name Dublin comes from the Irish Dubh Linn, the 'black pool' where the River Poddle met the Liffey. Vikings founded a settlement here in the ninth century, and excavations at Wood Quay uncovered their streets and houses.
In the cathedral crypt lie a mummified cat and rat, found trapped in an organ pipe, frozen mid-chase. James Joyce mentions them in Finnegans Wake.
On Montpelier Hill in the Dublin Mountains stands a ruined hunting lodge linked to an 18th-century club of wild young aristocrats. Stories of card games with the devil and a black cat have kept it notorious ever since.
It's a lovely woodland walk with views over the city, whatever you make of the legends.
Our Friday Night Frights series explores ghost stories, myths and folklore from all over Ireland.
Realistic days, each focused on one part of the county.
Places with a strong local reputation. We haven't eaten at these ourselves yet, so treat this as a starting point rather than our personal picks, and check opening hours before you set off.
We don't accept payment for listings. Opening hours and menus change, so please check before you travel.
Prefer a guide, a ready-made tour or someone else to do the driving? These are good places to start:
Disclosure: GetYourGuide, Klook and TourRadar links are affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Tours on TourRadar are our picks, not trips we've taken ourselves. Availability and prices change, so always check the provider's page before booking.
Opening times and booking rules change, so please check official websites before you travel. Useful links: Visit Dublin, Heritage Ireland, National Museum of Ireland, Transport for Ireland and Dublin Zoo.
Ready to get out of the city? These are all an easy trip from Dublin:
Slán go fóill, and safe travels! — Nicola & Podge