In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Day 1, Trinity and the south centre: the Book of Kells Experience (€25, a timed slot), the free National Museum or National Gallery, St Stephen’s Green and the Little Museum of Dublin (€18). Day 2, the Liberties: St Patrick’s and Christ Church (€11.50 each), Marsh’s Library and the Guinness Storehouse (from €24, a slot). Day 3, the north and west: Kilmainham Gaol (€8, booked 28 days ahead), the free Irish Museum of Modern Art and the GPO Museum (€15). Monday shuts 14 Henrietta Street, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and Marsh’s Library, Sunday shuts the GPO Museum, and Dublin Castle is closed until January 2027. Or book a walk: the Highlights and Hidden Gems walking tourad is from €24 for 2 hours.
Before you go: what to book
| Booking | Day | Price | Hours and closed days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilmainham Gaol | 3 | €8, guided only | Visitor Centre 9:30 to 17:15; closed 24 to 27 December. Tickets go on sale 28 days ahead at midnight Irish time |
| Book of Kells Experience | 1 | €25, or €19 for the Old Library alone | Wednesday 8:30 to 18:30; timed and non-refundable |
| Little Museum of Dublin | 1 | €18, guided only | Daily 9:30 to 17:00 |
| St Patrick’s Cathedral | 2 | €11.50 | Monday to Friday 9:30 to 17:00; free guided tours Monday to Saturday at 10:30 and 14:30 |
| Christ Church Cathedral and Dublinia | 2 | €11.50; Dublinia €16 | Christ Church Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9:30 to 18:00, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 to 17:30 |
| Guinness Storehouse | 2 | From €24 online, €2 more at the door | Monday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00; 15-minute slots |
| GPO Museum | 3 | €15 online, €17 walk-in | Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00; closed Sundays and public holidays |
| Free: the National Museum, the National Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and Phoenix Park | 1 and 3 | Free | See the table in what to book before you go to Dublin |
The centre is compact, and Kilmainham is the one trip out: Dublin Bus 60, the G1 and G2 or the Luas Red Line to Suir Road. A Leap card pays €2.00 for 90 minutes of travel and caps at €6 a day: see Dublin public transport.
The Dublin Pass
The Go City Dublin Pass does not pay on this plan. The six sights it covers cost €96 at the operators’ prices: Guinness €24, Dublinia €16, the Little Museum €18, the GPO Museum €15, St Patrick’s €11.50 and Christ Church €11.50. A three-day All-Inclusive pass is €134. The Book of Kells Experience and Kilmainham Gaol are not on the pass’s list. See Dublin Pass: is it worth it?.
Fitting the plan to your dates
The plan runs Wednesday to Friday, which keeps every sight open. If your days differ:
- Monday: 14 Henrietta Street and the Irish Museum of Modern Art are closed, Marsh’s Library is not open, and the National Museum opens at 13:00. The Book of Kells, the cathedrals, the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol and the GPO Museum are open.
- Tuesday: 14 Henrietta Street is closed. It is the day for Marsh’s Library and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, which opens at 10:00.
- Saturday: everything on the plan is open, Marsh’s Library opens at 10:00, and the Áras an Uachtaráin tours run, free, on a first-come basis.
- Sunday: the GPO Museum and Marsh’s Library are closed, the National Museum opens at 13:00 and Pearse Lyons from 12:00, and Christ Church opens 12:30 to 15:00 and 16:30 to 18:00.
- 17 March: the Museum of Literature Ireland is closed, the GPO Museum is closed as a public holiday, and the parade closes roads: see St Patrick’s Festival 2027.
- 24 to 27 December: nearly every sight is closed, and Kilmainham Gaol stays shut to 27 December: see Dublin Christmas markets 2026.
- Until January 2027: Dublin Castle is closed, and the Chester Beatty to the end of December: see Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty.
Day 1: Trinity and the south centre
The Book of Kells Experience
€25 · €19 for the Old Library alone · a timed slot
Book on Trinity’s own site and take the first slot you can: the Old Library opens at 8:30. The Long Room’s books have been taken out except from the first four bays, and Trinity says the Old Library stays open to the end of 2027, after which the Book of Kells moves to the Printing House. The €25 ticket adds the digital exhibitions in the Red Pavilion. See Book of Kells tickets.
The National Museum or the National Gallery
Both free · the Museum Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 · the Gallery 9:15 to 17:30 on Wednesday
Choose one for the late morning. The National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street holds the archaeology collection, and the National Gallery’s permanent collection is free. See museums in Dublin and free things to do in Dublin.
St Stephen’s Green and the Little Museum
The Green is free · the Little Museum €18, guided only, daily 9:30 to 17:00
The Little Museum is seen on a guided tour of about 29 minutes, and its tours book up quickly. Dublin Castle, which would belong on this day, is closed.
Grafton Street, which runs down to St Stephen’s Green. Photo: Donaldytong, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
In the evening
The music starts earliest at the Cobblestone, from 16:30 on Wednesday, and at the Brazen Head every night from 21:00: see traditional music pubs in Dublin. Temple Bar’s pubs play from the afternoon: see Temple Bar.
Day 2: the Liberties
St Patrick’s, Marsh’s Library and Christ Church
St Patrick’s €11.50, or €17 with Marsh’s Library · Christ Church €11.50 · Dublinia €16
Start at St Patrick’s when it opens at 9:30 and join the free guided tour at 10:30. Marsh’s Library is open Tuesday to Saturday, and the joint ticket costs €2.50 less than the two separately. Christ Church’s own page lists Dublinia, St Patrick’s and Marsh’s Library as nearby. See Dublin’s cathedrals.
The arch between Christ Church Cathedral and Dublinia. Photo: J.-H. Janßen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Guinness Storehouse
From €24 online · 15-minute slots · about 90 minutes
Book an afternoon slot on Guinness’s own site. The self-guided visit runs over seven floors and ends in the Gravity Bar with a pint, and a late arrival moves to the next slot. See Guinness Storehouse tickets.
A distillery
Teeling €22 · Pearse Lyons about a five-minute walk from the Storehouse
Pearse Lyons is in a former church and distils on site, and its tours run hourly to 17:00. Teeling also distils in Dublin. Jameson Bow St. is a visitor experience and no longer makes whiskey. See Dublin whiskey distillery tours.
In the evening
Darkey Kelly’s has a traditional ceili from 17:30 on Thursday and a trad session from 20:30. See oldest pubs in Dublin for what each pub claims and where to eat in Dublin for dinner.
Day 3: Kilmainham and the 1916 sites
Kilmainham Gaol
€8 · guided only · allow 90 minutes · booked online 28 days ahead
Book this first, 28 days ahead at midnight Irish time, on the Office of Public Works’ own site. Extra and cancelled tickets are released online from 9:15 each day. The gaol is cold in winter. See Kilmainham Gaol tickets.
The Irish Museum of Modern Art
Free · Wednesday 11:30 to 17:30, Thursday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:30
About five minutes’ walk from the gaol, and closed on Mondays.
The GPO Museum
€15 online · Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, last admission 16:00
On O’Connell Street, where the Rising of 1916 began. Glasnevin’s Irish History Tour is €15 and an outdoor walk, and the 1916 walking tour is €23. See the 1916 Rising in Dublin.
Or something else
Croke Park tours €18 · Dublin Zoo €22.50 online · Phoenix Park free
The Croke Park stadium tour is on the Croke Park page, and the zoo and Phoenix Park are in Dublin Zoo tickets. For a morning on a bus, see hop-on hop-off buses in Dublin and Dublin walking tours.
Or leave Dublin
Howth and Malahide are about 25 minutes by DART from Connolly: see Howth and Malahide. The longer trips are in day trips from Dublin, including Glendalough, Newgrange, the Cliffs of Moher, Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway.
In the evening
On a Friday the Cobblestone’s sessions in Smithfield start at 14:00, and Jameson Bow St. runs its last tour at 18:30. See where to stay in Dublin for the area.
Where to sleep and when to go
Where to stay in Dublin compares the areas, and hotels near Temple Bar lists the hotels beside the pubs. The best time to visit Dublin gives the weather by month, Dublin on New Year’s Eve 2026 covers 31 December, and St Patrick’s Festival 2027 covers March. For the way in, see Dublin airport to the city. For the full list of bookings, see what to book before you go to Dublin.
Common questions
Is three days enough for Dublin?
For the main sights, yes. Day one fits Trinity and the Book of Kells with the free museums by St Stephen's Green, day two the two cathedrals, Marsh's Library and the Guinness Storehouse, and day three Kilmainham Gaol, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the GPO Museum.
What should I book before going to Dublin?
Kilmainham Gaol first, because its €8 guided tours go on sale 28 days ahead at midnight Irish time and no other seller's ticket is valid. Then a timed slot for the Book of Kells Experience, €25 or €19 for the Old Library alone, and a 15-minute slot for the Guinness Storehouse, from €24 online.
Which days of the week should I avoid for which sights?
On Mondays 14 Henrietta Street and the Irish Museum of Modern Art are closed, Marsh's Library is not open, and the National Museum opens at 13:00. On Tuesdays 14 Henrietta Street is closed. On Sundays the GPO Museum and Marsh's Library are closed and the cathedrals keep short hours.
Does the Dublin Pass pay back on this itinerary?
No. The six sights on this plan that the pass covers cost €96 at the operators' prices, against €134 for three days of the All-Inclusive pass. The Book of Kells Experience and Kilmainham Gaol are not on the pass's list.
Is Dublin Castle open?
No. The campus is closed to the public until January 2027 for Ireland's EU Presidency, and the Chester Beatty inside it is closed until the end of December 2026.
Can I fit a day trip into three days?
Yes, by swapping day three. Howth and Malahide are about 25 minutes by DART from Connolly, and Glendalough, Newgrange, the Cliffs of Moher and Belfast are full-day trips.
