Must Do Attractions in Dublin, Ireland
Hello, travelers!
I am so excited you are here on our first post on the International section of our blog. After years of wanting and waiting, I finally made it to Europe! For Spring Break this year, instead of heading south to sun and warmth, my family decided to trade that for the grey clouds of Ireland and I am so glad we did. I wanted this post to be a little intro to Ireland as I share what I did through multiple articles. I plan on writing other posts on specifics with more photos and details!
I want to preface this post that the majority of this trip was based in Dublin. We did take a few day trips, but our home base was in the Capital city of the Emerald Isle. That being said, I will be focusing on the attractions and locations in Dublin specifically.
BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS
I am a very big reader and I always like checking out local bookstores wherever I am traveling! Dublin has no shortage of bookstores to choose from. Out of the many bookstores I visited on my trip, I want to highlight three that I really enjoyed.
Hodges Figgis- 56-58 Dawson St, Dublin 2, D02 XE81, Ireland
If you are visiting Dublin and you only want to stop at one bookstore, make it Hodges and Figgis on Dawson St. Established in 1768, this historic storefront is Dublin’s oldest bookstore. It will pull you in and you won’t want to leave. I must have spent a total of two hours there in the span of three days. I love that this store has so many books; it has floor to ceiling shelves and tables on all four floors! I also really enjoyed that they have an entire room dedicated to Irish Literature. That’s exactly why I went to the bookstore: to pick up a book written by an Irish author as a souvenir.
Eason Bookstore- 24/25 Nassau Street Dublin 2 Ireland
Eason Bookstore is an Irish national chain, think of it like their Barnes & Noble! I found this cute store very easy to browse, it had all the most popular reads, and there was an exceptional stationary and gift section. This made it very easy to get a book and a little gift for one of my friends! If you want a bookstore that feels familiar, forgot a game for the plane ride home, or want a journal to document your travels, I recommend stopping at Eason.
Ulysses Rare Books- 10 Duke Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
This rare book store is a must visit for your Dublin trip. Ulysses was founded in 1969 and after a few years, they moved to the Duke Street location where the store stands today. This store had some unique and very old books that are so amazing to see. I got to see the first edition of P.L. Travers’s Mary Poppins and the Disney fan in me was so happy! Some others I saw included a signed copy of a Seamus Heaney book, a limited edition Edgar Allen Poe, and a special edition collection of Oscar Wilde books. The bookseller was very kind as well, and was more than happy to explain the process of authenticating historic literature. If you want to browse a rare selection of books, please stop here!
MUSEUMS!
Dublin has SO MANY museums to see and wander through. Although we did not go to all of them, here’s a few I suggest you visit on your trip to Dublin.
National Museum of Ireland on Kildare St.
Some of you may be familiar with the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C., and the National Museum of Ireland is the equivalent! What I really love about this museum is it has such a deep focus on Irish history. There was only one exhibit that focused on ancient Egypt (which is still really cool), but the rest was all about Ireland. I got to see gold pieces from 800s CE, prehistoric pieces of gold jewelry dating back to 2200 BCE, and even artifacts from the 600s CE when Vikings brought Christianity to Ireland. Another great thing about this museum? It is completely free! You get to browse a collection of rich Irish historic artifacts and walk through a breathtaking building . . . and it's free! This spot has to be on your radar if you want to see a bit of Irish history on your next trip.
https://www.museum.ie/en-ie/home
Oscar Wilde House- American College, 1 Merrion Square N, Dublin 2
You know that book, The Picture of Dorian Gray? Well, the author of that book and so many others is Dublin native, Oscar Wilde! For 12 Euro, you can tour the house that he grew up in and learn about the Wilde family history. They first have you watch a 15-20 minute video on the history of the Wilde family, how Dr. Wilde (Oscar Wilde’s Dad) was very well-known in society as the best ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) surgeon in Dublin, and how his son Oscar, lived a very interesting life. Like I said, I only really knew Wilde from The Picture of Dorian Gray and knew nothing about his personal life. After the video, you get to walk around his house, see the dining room, nursery, and study. This is another must-do if you are a history or literature fan!
Please note that you cannot reserve this tour in advance, so you will have to pay at the door. This tour also offers discounted rates for seniors, students, and children!
https://oscarwildehouse.com/?v=0b3b97fa6688
OTHER MUST-DO ATTRACTIONS
Trinity College and The Book of Kells Experience
If you are like me, you enjoy traveling to historic sights and experiencing the essence of the place you are visiting. That’s why I am recommending Trinity College. This school was founded in 1592 by a British Royal Charter. Modeled after Oxford University, Trinity College became the place to study in Ireland. Walking around the campus was very exciting, however very hectic. If you are not a fan of crowds and standing shoulder to shoulder with people, I would skip this location. Everywhere you turned there was either another tourist, student, or faculty member. Due to the rich history of the location, it attracts so many people. Once inside the college, we entered the Book of Kells experience. You have to pre-register your tickets before entering and time slots fill up very quickly, so I recommend booking at least a week in advance if you are interested. This experience ranges from €19 Euro to €65 Euro. If you are a history buff and really enjoy medieval history, sign up and go. If that does not sound like you, I would skip this experience. It is nearly $30 USD for a walk through exhibit explaining the book, you get ushered into a room to view the book (you cannot take photos), and then they lead you to the Old Library. When I visited in April of 2026, the majority of the books in the library were removed for maintenance. So, that means that I paid that money to look at an empty library. If there were books past the first four rows, I might suggest this more readily, but I was a little disappointed to see hundreds of rows of empty bookshelves in a library. A warning before checking out with the tickets would have been nice! However, it does make a good photo opportunity. So, if you do not mind spending the money on this experience, I would say go for it. But if you are just looking for fun things to do in Dublin, I would say skip this and find another museum.
https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells-experience/
Dublin Castle
The Dublin Castle is located in downtown Dublin and is the landing site of the Viking establishment of the area in the 1300s. As the British Crown took over the island, The Dublin Castle served as the main establishment for the crown in Ireland until 1922 when Ireland gained independence. Once handed over to the Irish Government, they turned the castle into a key tourist attraction. The castle offers self-guided and guided tours ranging from 8 Euro to 12 Euro. They also offer special discounts for seniors, students, children, and families!
This is a must visit in Dublin. If you only have time to visit one location in the city, it should be this. The castle was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Once stepping inside, you are greeted by a large staircase lined with portraits of British nobles and crests. You got to go through the waiting room, a room full of statues, bedrooms, dining rooms, and a great hall. All are filled with art and antiques from the time of British rule in Ireland. It was amazing to walk around in a castle and step into the history of the building. We opted for the self-guided tour and they provide you with an online listening guide that you can turn on as you walk the castle grounds. If you do end up choosing self-guided, make sure you bring a pair of headphones so you can follow along with the audio. This very affordable slice of Irish history has to be on your list for a Dublin trip.
Jameson Distillery Tour
I know, you were probably expecting me to say Guinness, but no! I have had Guinness before and honestly . . . I’m not a fan. So, I opted to tour the Jameson distillery in Dublin on Bow Street instead. Stepping into the grounds, you are met with a gift shop to your right and the experience on the left. Once you walk into the Jameson building, there is a bar, another gift shop, and the reception desk. I pre-registered for the tour and it was about €26 EUR per person. They will give you a drink voucher and have you head upstairs to redeem them while you wait for your tour to begin. They gave the option of whiskey neat, whiskey lemonade (which is actually 7-Up), or whiskey with a ginger lime soda. I chose the whiskey lemonade and it was very refreshing! Once the tour began, we were led into a circular room to learn the history of Jamesons. We got to smell the ingredients and learn about the Jameson distilling process. Finally, the guide led me into a tasting room where I got to try three different types of Jameson whiskey. If you are interested in learning about the history of Jameson and the whiskey making process, I highly recommend this immersive tour. If you are looking to actually see the barrels, pot stills, or bottling facilities, you will be disappointed. The company moved all actual operations out of the original Bow Street location to the Midleton facility in County Cork.
https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/en-us/visit-our-distilleries/jameson-bow-street-distillery-tour/
FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope you all enjoyed some of my must-visit attractions in Dublin city center! I plan on making more guides highlighting restaurants, snacks, stores, and the various day trips I took while in Ireland. Have you visited Dublin or are you planning on going soon? I hope you were able to take some of the experiences I had into consideration for your upcoming trip!
Happy Travels,