The Dublin Pass Attractions

Chester Beatty Library : A

Free book worth €8.99, you have a choice from three. They are nicely illustrated and well worth having.10% discount in Silk Road Café, an excellent restaurant serving Middle Eastern food which is good value even with no discount. Highly recommended lunch stop.

National Gallery of Ireland: A

Free concise Gallery guide with Dublin Pass.

National Museums: A

The following three are all branches of the National Museum, and are in different locations. In addition to having very extensive holdings and well presented exhibitions, all of them cater particularly well for children – ask for activity packs on arrival.

The Dublin Pass gives you 20% off an illustrated Guidebook or 4 free postcards plus a 10% discount in museum stores.

1. National Museum – Archaeology 
2. National Museum – Decorative Arts & History
3. National Museum – Natural History

Irish Museum of Modern Art: A

Must see for art lovers and enjoyable for everyone. 15% off mid-morning coffee or afternoon special in the cafe – timing is a little restrictive. 15% off a gallery catalogue with the Dublin Pass. There are a number of catelogues available, relating to current and past exhibitions, usually priced between €20 and €40.

National Botanic Gardens: A

Free guided tour and a souvenir gift. The tour adds considerably to a visit and is worth doing.Note: Tours are free at the weekend anyway, and can be booked in advance at other times for €2 per person.

Phoenix Park Visitor Centre: B

Pleasant place, good café for lunch, relaxing after a Zoo visit. Fun for kids – there is a small castle (though it’s often closed), a little woodland with ‘secret paths’ and lots of space to run around.

Dublin’s City Hall: C

Not a whole lot to see but it is near the museums so worth visiting if you are in the area.

St Audoen’s Church: C

Free guidebook & tour with Dublin Pass.

The Casino, Marino: B

Admission without any pass: €4
A bit out of the way but very well worth a detour, though with low entry charge perhaps on a day without the pass.

Rathfarnham Castle: C

Admission without any pass: €4
In rather an out of the way place and not near any other attractions, probably not worth the journey unless is of particular interest to you.

Christ Church Cathedral: A

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €6
Definite must-see.  We highly recommend attending Evensong on Sunday at 3.30pm. Wednesday & Thursday at 6pm or Saturday at 5pm to experience a service and hear the excellent choir. Admission is free for those attending a service.

GPO Witness History: A

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €10
Opened in 2016 as a permanent exhibition about the Easter Rising which led to the formation of the Irish Republic. It is not a muesem as such, but billed as an ‘immersive experience’, and with lots of AV and interactive exhibits it does give a very rounded view of the period.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral: A

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €6
There are sung services almost every day, sometimes twice a day – try to time your visit to coincide with these for wonderful music.

Airfield Farm: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €10
A 38 acre working city farm with loads of animals to see, woodlands to walk and gardens to enjoy. Time your visit for early morning or last thing in the evening to catch the cows being milked. I love this place and if you have kids it’s a particular pleasure. A little out of the way though.

Jeanie Johnston Tallship & Famine Museum: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €9.50
A replica of the ships that carried people across the Atlantic during the famine years, the Jeanie Johnston is now permanently berthed in Dublin. The museum inside gives a very good overview of the Famine an of what conditions were like for those who sailed. The tour guides are particularly knowledgeable and engaging.

Croke Park Stadium Tour & GAA Museum: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €13.50
Croke Park is the HQ of the GAA, the governing body for hurling and Gaelic football. While primarily of interest to lovers of sport there is a surprising amount for those interested in history and architecture too. However if sport leaves you cold this probably isn’t for you.

Dublinia: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €8.50
A recreation of viking Dublin rather than a museum, though with some actual artifacts on loan from the National Museum. It has good interactive exhibits and is fun for kids – probably the best rainy day option for kids in the city. The tower and the view from the top is the best bit, so don’t miss that.

Dublin Zoo : B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €17 per adult, family ticket €47.50 (2 adults, 2 children)
The Zoo is well worth going to, especially for kids and on a nice day. However it will take at least a half day to get around, with lots of walking, so consider carefully whether your kids will be up to doing much else that day – and you would need to do quite a bit more to get value from the Pass.

Glasnevin Cemetery Museum: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €6
A must for those with a particular interest in Irish history as it is the burial place of so many well known figures from all fields of Irish life, and of course for the many people (me included) who cannot pass an old graveyard.

Guinness Storehouse: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €20
One of Dublin’s most popular attractions, loved by many but ho-hum for others. You do get a free pint of Guinness though!You can also get a 10% discount for online booking. There will be lines here in high season, even for pass holders.

No 29: Georgian House Museum: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €6
Interesting and impressively restored Georgian house. Some unusual and good items in the gift shop here which are not readily available elsewhere.

The Little Museum of Dublin: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €8
This is a solid A if you are from Dublin and particularly if you are old enough to remember a time when lots of the exhibits were in shops not museums! It’s a great building though, and worth a short visit for anyone.

The Old Jameson Distillery: B

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €16
Even if you don’t drink this is an interesting tour and for our money beats the Guinness Storehouse for fun. If you like whiskey get your hand in the air quickly when they ask for tasting volunteers! Expensive without a pass and close to the Brewery, so combining these is good use of the Dublin Pass.

Aquazone National Aquatic Centre: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €15
It’s a fairly average water park by international standards and is located in a quite out of the way place. Good rainy day activity for kids.

Aviva Stadium: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €10
A fabulous stadium which is the home ground to Ireland’s Rugby and Soccer teams, but not as good a tour as the Croke Park one. Missable without a Dublin Pass.

Bram Stoker Dracula Experience: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €8.50
One for the kids, especially those who like the ghoulish and gory!

Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €6
This is off the beaten track, but Dalkey and neighbouring Killiney are worth a visit anyway – if only to gawk at the multi-million Euro houses! – so it may be worth including. We recommend you do it at the end of the day and stay in Dalkey for dinner.

James Joyce Centre: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass:€5
This one is in central Dublin and is really of interest to Joyce fans only – if you are one it will be heaven to you. The museum run excellent walking tours, but these are not included in the Dublin Pass entry.

Dublin Writers Museum: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €7
Completely riveting for some, dull for others – if you love books you’ll love this place. It’s good for filling in the background of a lot of places you will see elsewhere in Dublin.

National Wax Museum: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €14
Good option to amuse kids on a rainy day and pretty enjoyable for adults too. It is fairly focused on Irish famous people, so can seem little irrelevant at times to overseas visitors. I think it’s on the expensive side – you’ll be in and out in less than an hour and wax sculptures are a bit old hat at this stage – so would only recommend if it’s raining or you have a Dublin Pass anyway.

Malahide Castle: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass:€12
The castle is small and while the tour is interesting it is short. The grounds are a nice place to walk or have a picnic, but entrance is free to them anyway. It’s also a bit remote from other Pass attractions so difficult to work into a good value day.

Rainforest Adventure Golf: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €9.00
Mini golf basically. Good rainy day time killer for kids, otherwise I’m not sure who this is for. I can’t see golf lovers liking it and if you don’t like golf I am not sure a rainforest will make it better. It is at the site of one of the biggest shopping malls in Dublin, so I suppose a good place for a the non-shoppers in a group to put in time while the shoppers shop.

Skerries Mills: C

Admission without a Dublin Pass: €7.50
A pair of lovely old windmills that have been well restored, with working machinery and with a very nice green area surrounding them. The cafe is unusually good and it’s worth timing a visit for lunch. This would get a B if it was closer to the city, but it is a little out of the way.