Complete Guide To All The Best Dublin Attractions [2026]

This article was last updated in 2026

Dublin sightseeing is the most popular in March during Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations. Numerous tourists visit Dublin then, the city lights up in green, people walk around in green clothing, you can see Celtic dance shows. You can drink green (and not only) beer and participate in Saint Patrick’s Festival.

If you can visit Dublin in the middle of March, that’s great – you will have fun and it may be the best time to visit Ireland 🙂 However, you will find numerous top things to do in Dublin, Ireland in other times of the year too.

Which Dublin attractions should you visit all year round? I prepared a complete list for you to help you plan your trip to Ireland and its capital 🙂

Dublin Attractions – The Complete List

Where To Stay In Dublin?

Most major attractions in Dublin are located in or near the city centre. The most convenient areas to stay include Temple Bar, Trinity / Grafton Street, St. Stephen’s Green, and the Docklands, each offering a slightly different atmosphere.

• First time in Dublin: Trinity / Grafton Street area
• Nightlife and pubs: Temple Bar
• Quiet and elegant: St. Stephen’s Green
• Modern area: Docklands near Liffey River

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Recommended hotel

The Mercantile Hotel – a 4-star hotel in a great location (Temple Bar district), amazing decor, clean and with a really good breakfast.

O’Regans – less expensive hotel with amazing reviews. It’s in a noisy area, but the hotel provides earplugs 😉 Great design, excellent value for money.

Recommended apartment

Grafton Street Studios – great location, very clean and convenient. Rooms are clean, modern, and comfortable. The bathrooms are excellent and have nice showers.

Recommended hostel

Gogartys Temple Bar Hostel – centrally located in the Temple Bar district, basic breakfast is included in the price. Perfect for budget, young travellers.

Temple Bar and pubs in Dublin

The Temple Bar

If you visit Dublin for the first time you may think that Temple Bar is a bar… but it’s actually not 🙂 It is a district on the southern side of river Liffey and it is one of Dublin must sees, no matter if you’re visiting Dublin for one day or a longer time. You can indeed start your sightseeing from a pint of Guinness in The Temple Bar Pub – but I decided to see this place from outside and go for a beer to a less crowded and less popular place 🙂

A walk around Temple Bar district is one of the most fun things to do in Dublin at night especially, when streets and pubs fill up and people go out to party 🙂

If you’re looking for ideas for a longer trip, check this idea for 5 days road-trip around Ireland 🙂

The Brazen Head

Many of Dublin tourist attractions spin around bars, pubs and beer – and this one is no different 🙂 The Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland. Even though the current building comes from XVIIIth century, history of the pub dates six hundred years further, to 1198!

If you’re looking for the best things to do in Dublin, Ireland, having a pint of beer or a traditional Irish meal in this old-school place is one of them.

The Porterhouse

We spent our weekend in Dublin visiting a friend who lived there permanently. We started our trip by exploring the Porterhouse pubs 🙂

First, we went to The Porterhouse Temple Bar. It’s an authentic and lively pub where you can stop for a beer and listen to live music. There are plenty of tables, it’s spacious. The staff is nice and polite. They have a good selection of craft beers at a fair price.

There’s also Tapped Late Bar in Dublin city centre. It’s also a nice, atmospheric pub. They brew their own great beer there and serve delicious burgers. I highly recommend both places.

Dublin – attractions along the river

Ha’Penny Bridge

River Liffey divides Dublin into two parts. Before, the only way to get from one side to another was to use a ferry. When ferries’ condition started to deteriorate, the city demanded from their owner to either fix them or to build a bridge. He chose the bridge – and he got permission to charge people halfpenny every time someone crosses it for a period of one hundred years after finishing the construction.

Today Ha’Penny Bridge is one of main Dublin sights – and don’t worry, there is no charge anymore and crossing it is now one of free things to do in Dublin 🙂

Samuel Beckett Bridge (Harp Bridge)

Samuel Beckett Bridge should also appear on your list of places to visit in Dublin. It looks like a harp – the symbol of Ireland. The name comes from an Irish writes, Nobel Prize winner and it is impressive 🙂

Famine Memorial

Famine Memorial is one of sad places in Dublin – it commemorates the Great Famine from 1845-1849 which caused big emigration to America. The Famine started from potato blight which damaged the crops a few years in a row. British government supported Ireland in the first year but didn’t intervene in the next. History and reasons of this disaster are complicated and I encourage you to read about them here. Whoever could, left Ireland at that time.

What to see in Dublin currently as a memory of this tragedy?

Famine Memorial shows a group of starving people walking along the river with a thin dog following them. The Memorial is located at the river bank at the exact spot from where the first emigration ship left  the country – the first of thousands.

It is still estimated that more Irish people live abroad than in the country.

Monuments and best museums in Dublin

Guinness Storehouse

One of Dublin top attractions is Guinness Storehouse – a museum of Ireland’s most famous stout beer. You can taste it in almost every bar but in this museum you will not only drink a pint but also learn all about it.

The museum takes you step by step through beer production process – from its ingredients, bringing them together, adding gas, bottling – to advertising and marketing communication of the company. You will learn the story of the brewery’s founder, Arthur Guinness.

You will also pour your own pint from a pump – and drink it later in a sky bar on the last floor. And this is definitely a must do in Dublin 🙂

Guinness Storehouse was definitely one of the best places to see in Dublin, Ireland and I highly recommend it to you.

You can get a discounted entry ticket with a complimentary pint of Guinness on Get Your Guide:

Jameson Distillery

Except for drinking beer, tasting some whiskey is one of top activities in Dublin 🙂 Where should you go to learn more about its production?