Dublin Castle tickets: closed to the public until January 2027, the Chester Beatty until the end of December, and what is open instead

💡 The Short Version: Dublin Castle is closed to the public until January 2027, because it is the main State venue for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Chester Beatty inside it is closed from 15 June to the end of December 2026. Open instead: Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Marsh’s Library, which Christ Church’s own page lists as neighbours. When the castle reopens, its site lists a self-guided visit at €8 and a guided tour at €12: dublincastle.ie. Or book a tour: the Highlights and Hidden Gems walking tourad passes the castle and the cathedrals and is from €24.

What is closed

Search results for “Dublin Castle tickets” include sites with the castle’s name in their address that say on their own pages they are independent guides, and tour listings that still include castle entry. The castle’s own site is the one to read.

The Upper Yard at Dublin Castle, with the Bedford Tower on the left. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

• Why. Dublin Castle is the primary State venue for events during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with more than 100 events, including conferences, meetings, dinners and receptions.
• Reopening. The castle says January 2027 and the Chester Beatty says after the end of December 2026. Check both sites before planning a visit in the first days of January.
• Booking. When the castle is open, guided and self-guided tickets are sold online from 15 days ahead, and a limited number are sold at the desk on the day.

What is open nearby

Christ Church Cathedral’s own page names Dublinia, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Marsh’s Library, St Audoen’s Church and Dublin Castle together as the neighbouring sights in the Liberties and Dublin 8. These four are open, and the cathedrals page has the details.

For manuscripts, the Book of Kells is at Trinity: see Book of Kells tickets. The National Museum of Ireland’s archaeology galleries on Kildare Street are free: see museums in Dublin.

Tours worth paying for

A walking tour passes the castle and the cathedrals from the street. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

Highlights and Hidden Gems walking tour

From €24 · 2 hours · 4,055 reviews

Dublin: Highlights and Hidden Gems Walking Tourad is run by Original Dublin in English with an accredited guide. It starts at 3 Crown Alley in Temple Bar, goes past Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Smock Alley Theatre, City Hall, the Ha’penny Bridge and the GPO Museum, and finishes at Trinity College. The castle is closed to visitors, so the tour does not go in. Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund. The tour is wheelchair accessible.

What to see when it reopens

The castle is a working government building, and its site says access to rooms and opening arrangements may change at short notice.

The Chapel Royal and the Record Tower at Dublin Castle. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

1. The State Apartments. Fully accessible, with an audio guide.
2. The Chapel Royal. Fully accessible.
3. The medieval tower and the Viking excavation. The excavation is reached by stairs only.
4. The Dubh Linn Gardens and the Coach House Gallery. Both are step-free.
5. The Chester Beatty. Free, with a suggested donation of €10. The collection runs from papyri and Qur’ans to Japanese prints and Asian textiles, and the building has a roof garden. It is entered through the Palace Street Gate from Dame Street, or the Ship Street Gate from Christ Church. Free drop-in public tours run, and the museum’s digital guide is free to download.

A self-guided visit takes about 30 minutes and a guided tour about an hour, with tours from 10:00 to 16:30.

The Chester Beatty building in the grounds of Dublin Castle. Photo: William Murphy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

What to skip: the guided tour, if the State Apartments are the point. The self-guided ticket is €4 cheaper and takes half the time.

Ticket prices

These are the prices on the castle’s own site, per person. Seniors are 60 and over, and students 18 and over.

Practical information

• Hours when open: every day including bank holidays, 9:45 to 17:45, last admission 17:15. Closed from 25 to 27 December and on 1 January.
• Where: Dame Street, in the old city, with entrances from Palace Street and Ship Street. The Dublin Express airport coach stops on Wellington Quay for the castle.
• Chester Beatty by Luas and DART: the Luas Red Line stop is Jervis, and the Green Line stops are Trinity and St Stephen’s Green. The DART stop is Tara Street.
• The Chester Beatty online: a 3D virtual tour and the digital collections are on its site while the building is shut.

What to book before you go to Dublin has the closed days for every sight. Dublin walking tours compares the guided walks that pass the castle, and free things to do in Dublin lists what is open at no cost. The 1916 Easter Rising covers the GPO, Kilmainham and Glasnevin. Where to stay in Dublin and hotels near Temple Bar cover the old city, and 3 days in Dublin builds the plan round what is shut.