This page is intended to help you to decide what attractions to include on an Essentials or Explorer Dublin Pass, and to help you to schedule your days on an All Inclusive pass to ensure you get the best value.
Key Information
Depending on which pass you choose, the effective cost breaks down to roughly €20 to €30 per attraction. This means if you use your pass at a lower cost site (like an €11 cathedral or €12 museum), you are actively losing money.
To guarantee you come out ahead:
All-Inclusive Pass: Aim to visit at least 2, ideally 3, high value places per day.
Explorer & Essentials Passes: Add only attractions that cost over €22 to enter. For lower cost places, you are much better off paying standard admission at the door.
I’ve divided the attractions into three sections:
- Free without any Pass or Card
Some of the attractions are free to enter for anyone. The All Inclusive Pass gives some additional perks, you will have to judge the worth of those for yourself but they are not of much monetary value. - Free with the Dublin Pass OR a Heritage Card
If you are travelling outside Dublin you will want to have a Heritage Card and even if you are not it can be a good, and far cheaper, alternative to the Dublin Pass. - Free with Dublin Pass Only
Places that are free only to holders of the Dublin Pass, with some useful comments on each to help you decide whether they are of interest to you.
I have also graded each attraction as
- A: Must see
- B: Recommended
- C: Not for everyone, great for some. Check to see if it’s of interest to you.
- D: Do not add to a pass.
These are entirely my opinion, based on what will be of interest to the average visitor new to Dublin and how much you get for your entry cost. Your mileage may vary!
To enable you to decide which places are worth including on your Dublin Pass, the normal adult and family entry fees without any card or pass are included below. Prices given for family tickets are for 2 Adults and 2 Children, there are usually options for more children and without a pass children under 3 are always free. There will also be reduced student and senior rates available in all places.
1. Free Without ANY Pass
Although there is no admission charge to these places and all are very good places to visit, highly recommended and enjoyable for just about everybody.
Never add any of these to to your Dublin Pass – while there are some perks, like guide books or tote bags, they are not worth wasting a pass credit on.
National Museums: A
These are branches of the National Museum, 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.
IMMA: Irish Museum of Modern Art: A
Housed in the magnificent 17th-century Royal Hospital, IMMA has an excellent permanent collection, with significant works by Irish artists including Louis le Brocquy, Dorothy Cross, Sean Scully, Alice Maher and Camille Souter. The are fabulous gardens surrounding the gallery, with sunken gardens, tree-lined avenues and cobblestone courtyards, great for kids to explore or run around to burn off steam. A great place to visit in combination with nearby Kilmainham Jail on a non-pass day.
National Botanic Gardens: A
Absolutely unmissable for keen gardeners or plant enthusiasts. There are over 15,000 plant species and stunning restored Victorian glasshouses, including the famous Palm House. Kids will enjoy the opportunity to run around and the jungle atmosphere in the glasshouses and it’s a great place for a picnic.
2. Free with a Dublin Pass OR a Heritage Card
If you are travelling outside Dublin, you need a Heritage Card, and if you already have one you do not need a Dublin Pass for the following attractions. The Heritage card also gives free entrance to 21 additional attractions in Dublin not included in the Dublin Pass.
Casino Marino: B
With no pass or card: Adult €5.00, Family €13
A bit out of the way but very well worth a detour, though with low entry charge best to visit on a day without an All Inclusive pass. Advance booking is recommended.
Custom House Visitor Centre: C
With no pass or card: Adult €8.00, Family €16.
Mainly of interest to history or architecture buffs, but there are excellent exhibits and activities for children that make it a good family rainy-day choice.
3. Free with the Dublin Pass only
If there are many of these places that make it onto your personal must-see list, then the Dublin Pass could be a real winner for you but only if you choose carefully.
Guinness Storehouse: A
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €27.50 – €30 (dynamic pricing), Family €40.
One of Dublin’s most popular attractions and surprisingly good for kids. Adults get a free pint at the Gravity Bar. There will be lines here in high season, even for pass holders, and a visit so factor that into your scheduling. Advance booking is essential and booking well before you travel is very much advised.
The Old Jameson Distillery: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €31, NO family ticket.
Rated B because it is not family friendly. If you enjoy a whiskey it is an A – the high entry cost is justified because it includes a good whiskey tasting. There is no actual distilling but the theatrical stage-style tour with interactive rooms makes it a very entertaining experience. For our money this tour is almost the equal of the Guinness Storehouse and is close by so combining them is good use of the Dublin Pass.
Teeling Whiskey Distillery: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €22, NO family ticket.
Rated B for the same reasons as Jameson’s. This is a less flashy and more craft focused tour with actual distilling and maturing taking place on the premises, so would be a solid A for real whiskey nerds. A tasting is included plus options for additional tasting menus at an extra cost.
Which Whiskey Tour Should You Pick?
Pick Jameson for a sleek, high tech, highly polished brand experience with interactive tastings, signature cocktails and the pedigree of a world famous name.
Pick Teeling if you want to tour a fully operational working distillery, support a craft brand or save ~€9 a ticket!
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum A
Admission without a Dublin Pass: €22 online/€24 at the door, Family €58.
A great visit for kids from about 8 up, who can read well enough to enjoy and understand the exhibitions. While called a museum there are no actual artifacts on display, instead you collect a passport on entry and stamp it in each of 20 excellent interactive galleries that tell the story of the Irish emigration.
The Little Museum of Dublin: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €18, Family €56.
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 your house or in shops, not in museums! It’s an interesting place and a great building though and worth a short visit for anyone.
Dublinia: C
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €16 online/€18.00 at door, Family €44.
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 mostly fun for kids – probably the best rainy day option for families in the city. The tower and the view from the top is the best bit.
Jeanie Johnston Tallship & Famine Museum: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €16, Family €38.
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 and of what conditions were like for those who sailed. The tour guides are particularly knowledgeable and engaging. Close to EPIC and a good companion visit.
GPO Museum: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €15 online/€17.00 door, Family €38 (up to 3 Children).
A permanent exhibition about the history of the Irish state from the Easter Rising in 1916 to the Northern Ireland Peace Process. It is not a museum as such, but billed as an ‘immersive experience’, and with lots of AV and interactive exhibits it does give a very rounded view of history. It is an excellent visit but has limited appeal for kids and is probably one of most interest to history buffs.
14 Henrietta Street: A
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €12, Family €26.
Traces the life of a typical Georgian house as it evolved from a grand 1740s townhouse to a multi-family tenement. On an excellent 75 minute small group tour you’ll see perfect restorations of rooms from each period along with oral histories and family stories. It builds a vivid social history of life in Dublin but might not be for very young kids or toddlers. Timed tickets must be booked in advance.
Christ Church Cathedral: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €11.50, Family €30.
If you just want a look inside combined with a great musical experience attending Evensong at 6:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 3:30pm on Sundays to experience a service and hear the excellent choir. Admission is free for those attending a service, but you will need a ticket to explore the cathedral fully and don’t pull out a selfie stick or wander around during what is a religious service! Never add to an Explorer pass, it is not value, you are better off paying on entry.
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €11.10, Family €32.
Fascinating church with loads of interesting history and the final resting place of Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. The tour is very highly recommended. There are sung services almost every day, sometimes twice a day, with truly wonderful music from a choir that has existed since 1432. As above, not good value on an Explorer pass.
Which Cathedral Should You Pick?
Pick Christ Church for medieval history, exploring Ireland’s largest underground crypt (with a mummified cat & rat!) and combining it with Dublinia right across the stone archway.
Pick Saint Patrick’s for grander interior scale, literary history and to enjoy the beautiful gardens that surround it.
Though as they are only an easy 7 minute walk apart you can easily do both in under 90 minutes.
Airfield Farm: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €15, Family €42 (up to 4 Children).
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.
Newbridge House and Farm: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €10.50, Family €28.
An alternative to Airfield, this is a Georgian country mansion on a 30-acre traditional working farm. Again a huge hit with children, there are rare breed livestock and, if you visit in spring or early summer, piglets, baby goats and chicks. There is also a massive adventure playground.
Which Farm Should You Pick?
Pick Airfield if you are staying in the city center and want a fairly short trip out of town that bridges lunch time – there is an exceptional farm-to-fork café. It’s a 20 minute ride on the Luas Green Line (Balally stop).
Pick Newbridge for a full half day out that combines a mansion tour with the farm and playground. Requires a 25 minute northern DART/train ride to Donabate.
Dublin Zoo : A
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €22.50 online/€26.50 gate, Family €56.
A fantastic, world class zoo and great for families on a fine day. However, it takes at least half a day with miles of walking, leaving kids exhausted. Trying to break even on a 1 day All-Inclusive pass would mean dragging tired children to two more attractions afterwards and be a recipe for a meltdown. Get a family ticket on a non-pass day instead – it’s both more sensible and vastly cheaper.
National Wax Museum: C
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €16.50, Family €48.
A quirky option to kill time on a wet afternoon, but hard to justify otherwise. The wax figures are notoriously hit and miss and focused on Irish (often not very) famous people unrecognisable to overseas visitors. I think it’s on the expensive side, you’ll be in and out in well under an hour and wax sculptures are a bit old hat at this stage.
Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €10, Family €25 (up to 4 children).
Something of a pilgrimage for literary buffs, the museum houses Copy No. 1 of James Joyce’s Ulysses and has a series of immersive audio installations, digital displays and rotating contemporary Irish writing exhibits. Everyone will enjoy the ‘secret’ garden, though a hidden entrance to the Iveagh Gardens, where the Commons Café is arguably one of the best lunch spots in town.
Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum Experience: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €20, Family €55.
A fun, fast paced and noisy guided tour of a working music venue and recording studio, with memorabilia from iconic Irish artists including U2, Thin Lizzy, Sinead O’Connor and Rory Gallagher. You’ll get a look backstage and can try out instruments and costumes.
Skerries Mills: C
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €12, Family €30.
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 short visit and a little out of the way.
Casino Model Railway Museum: C
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult €9, Family €28.
Hundreds of handcrafted miniature Irish trains, trams and rail models, complete with working layouts and all housed in a restored 18th century thatched cottage. One for railway nerds or kids who love trains and will enjoy the button activated layouts. It’s 25 to 30 minutes out of the city, beside Malahide Dart station. Not good value on a one day pass – you can buy a discounted combo ticket to pair it with a visit to nearby Malahide Castle on a non pass day.
The Murder by Temple Bar: D
Price without a Dublin Pass: €53,00 per group of four.
A self-guided murder mystery walking trail inspired by true events. You’ll be cracking clues and gathering evidence around the streets of Dublin to catch the killer. It takes about two hours but as there is no time limit it is easy to fit in over a couple of days sightseeing.
Do not use a pass for this activity. Go City enforces a 2 pass minimum scan at pickup, which can easily burn as much as €150+ in pass value for a single game. If your group wants to play, skip the pass entirely and book book the experience directy. For a group of four, that works out at just €13.25 per person
Game of Thrones Studio Tour: B
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult £39.50 – £42, Family £110 – £115.
Located at the actual studio in Banbridge where the series was filmed. There are full sets, including ones for Winterfell, King’s Landing and Castle Black, as well as original costumes, props and green-screen interaction. Rated B because it isn’t in Dublin, otherwise would be A.
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens: C
Admission without a Dublin Pass: Adult £21.50, Family £53.80 (up to 3 children).
The official residence of the Royal Family in Northern Ireland, with over 100 acres of immaculately maintained gardens and guided tours of the 18th-century state rooms. Rated C purely because it isn’t in Dublin, if you are going to or are in Northern Ireland it is a strong B.
Hop-on Hop-off and Bus Tours: B
A Hop-On Hop-Off bus can be a great way to get an overview of the city, but it is rarely an efficient way to travel between attractions.
The full circular route takes roughly 1 hour 45 minutes. If your next planned sight is just a few stops behind you on the loop, you either have to walk or sit through nearly the entire circuit to get there. This can easily arise if you have timed slots booked.
If you are buying an Explorer or Essentials Pass (where you choose a fixed number of sights), think carefully before spending one of your choices here. It isn’t the only hop-on service in Dublin, nor is it the cheapest. Unless your itinerary perfectly aligns with the route, save your pass choices for higher priced entry tickets.
Bus Tours
If you have an All-Inclusive Pass, taking the Big Bus Night Tour is a fantastic choice because it runs after major museums and attractions close – effectively extending your daily pass value by a few hours.
The Big Bus Coastal Tour to Howth is a lovely daytime trip taking you along the coast with a guided walk of Howth included. However, it takes over 5 hours out of your day. It is best suited for those on multi-day Explorer Passes who have time to spare, rather than anyone trying to maximise a tight 1 or 2 day All Inclusive itinerary.
Walking Food and Drinks Tours: C, maybe D
Pass holders get a choice between two distinct guided walking tours, each provided by Walking Food Tours and taking around 3 hours, but serving very different purposes on a Dublin itinerary. Without a Dublin Pass value is €25.
Obviously the drinks tour isn’t suitable for kids and the food one probably isn’t either. It definitely won’t suit picky eaters and you are on your feet most of the time. Plus kids get bored fast listening to someone explain the origin of a food or how it is prepared.
Food on Foot Tour:
A street-food focused walking tour taking you off the the typical tourist track and into local bakeries, street food stalls and traditional markets. You’ll get plenty to eat and there is at least one dessert stop. Because it runs from 11am to 2pm, it slots naturally into the middle of a sightseeing day and you’ll have lunch sorted, though you will have to pay for your food.
Drinks on Foot Tour:
Billed as a guided pub and drink culture walk exploring traditional Dublin pubs, historic taverns, craft brews and Irish whiskey storytelling. In other words, it’s a pub crawl. It does take you out of the tourist trap pubs in Temple Bar and into pubs favoured by locals.
Be warned though, walking into pubs at the start time of 3pm can mean you’re deep into pint territory long before dinner time, practically guaranteeing your evening sightseeing plans are over. And if you give in to temptation and continue after the tour officially ends, the next day is at risk too! If it still sounds good to you, go for it, have fun!
The reason I’ve rated these low is that you have to foot the bill for food (budget €20+) and drink (budget €25+) yourself as you go. That’s a fair bit of out of pocket expense to have someone walk you around places you could easily just visit yourself – all the guide talk and storytelling notwithstanding.
If you want to have a go without a guide it is perfectly feasible – here are some food and drink walking tour routes with maps.
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