Absolutely fantastic collection of Irish historical finds…read more The bogs of Ireland preserved things such as fish traps, textiles, lots of gold jewelry, and, most notably, some human beings. The acidic and anaerobic nature of the peat bog was so effective at preserving these bodies that we even knew what the men had been eating. And even more interesting - the methods that had been used to MURDER them so long ago. Because these men had not just randomly fallen into the bog, oh no; there are all sorts of things to learn including why the nipples were cut off! But I will refrain from going in to more detail. If you are interested, and are in Dublin, you MUST go there yourself. It is free so you have no excuse not to. Well, unless you are not interested in things such as I described here. Whatever. Note: there is not a cafe in the museum, and no storage lockers for your bag. Also, I thought the gift shop was pretty boring as it had very few things that were relevant to the museum displays. Which is disappointing as the museum artifacts themselves are very local and specific to Ireland and are extremely interesting.

Wonderful museum. It is in the smaller side and a bit dark but it feels cozy somehow…read more The exhibitions tell a story of the history of Ireland. I wanted to visit to view the big bodies and I was not disappointed. They also had hordes of gold in display which were surrounded by beautiful jewelry. The museum is free.

Had SO MUCH FUN. We booked in advance the daytime storytelling experience. Our guide Ailsa Dixon…read morewas absolutely amazing. She was so knowledgeable and so immersive with her storytelling. As children were present she had a gift of making them included in every part and catering to age appropriate stories. Laughed and learned so much, would highly recommended!!!!

We enjoyed the story experience. You have a guide that takes you through multiple rooms where you…read moreget to interact and take pictures with props. We went in the morning before our flight but from what we heard there is a saucier night experience where the story is a little more naughty. We enjoyed our experience and would recommend it.

Dublin Castle was originally built in the early 1200s as a medieval fortress under the instruction…read moreof King John of England. For centuries, it was the headquarters of English (and eventually British) rule in Ireland. In 1684, a large fire destroyed a large portion of the castle. Instead of matching the original Gothic style, most of it was rebuilt using a Georgian style, similar to what you'd find in the French Palace of Versailles! It's quite the contrast. When you visit Dublin Castle, you can choose to explore it in two ways: with a self-guided tour to the state apartments or with a scheduled guided tour that visits the Viking Excavation, the Chapel Royal, and the State Apartments. When you first enter the courtyard, you'll immediately see the newer Georgian architecture in the neat red brick buildings surrounding the square. From the 13th century to the early 20th century, the castle was under British control. It served from being a royal palace and parliament to a prison. Dublin Castle was eventually handed over to General Michael Collins on the 16th of January in 1922. Collins was a soldier and a politician who lead the Irish people through their fight for Independence Dublin Castle plays a huge role in Ireland's history and a walk around the grounds is time well spent. Today the castle is a government complex and tourist attraction. Stroll through the famous Chester Beatty Library if time permits

This city centre attraction was once a Viking fortress!…read moreSuper popular tourist spot full of history. Lots of cool things to check out here like the gardens, record tower, and of course the apartments. Everything boasts a strong medieval vibe. We opted for a self-guided tour though guided tours are also available. Very interesting and worth a visit!

This is not one of the many free museums in Dublin since it was privately restored and operated…read more Still it's not that expensive and easily worth it. Book ahead of time because they are often sold out -- especially during tourist season. This was a Georgian mansion that was later converted to tenement slum housing (100 people lived in 17 rooms). You learn a lot about the history of the building and a bit about what happened in Dublin 100 years ago. As always, the tour quality depends on your guide and Sheila was excellent. Very knowledgeable, welcoming, and with a touch of humor. The videos you watch are informative. We also learned that "hit the hay" and "hit the sack" are from this era -- essentially make sure there are no mice in your bed before going to sleep. And "no pot to piss in" comes from the very poor during this era as well. This is an almost immersive experience which is much more meaningful than reading about it or just seeing photos.

Our tour guide was amazing and very passionate about her work, including preserving the history and…read morestories of the Dublin tenements. Would recommend this experience for anyone looking to learn more about the history of Dublin.

It doesn't cost anything - it's free to enter the National Gallery of Ireland, but they do take…read moredonations in cash or card form. This place is beautiful, and the spaces are gorgeous. They have chandeliers, staircases, and sculptures that make for wonderful photos. They have a good selection of art pieces, too. I really liked the portrait section. There's a space for kids to create their own art pieces with crayons, colored pencils, paper, and clipboards. There's also a museum gift shop with great gifts.

What is not to love about art?…read more They have some of the greats like Picasso and and Renoir. Some of the exhibits were closed but this was still worth a visit. Free entry.

This was one of the first stops on our tour of Ireland. The EPIC museum depicts Irish emigration to…read moreother countries. Much was a result of the potato famine. It's quite technologically interactive with plenty of audio/video displays. You're given an EPIC passport which is used to enter each of the different rooms. After visiting each room, you put your passport under the stamp until the card is completed. They have a gift shop and also food for sale. Our group ate one of their dining/bakery shops sharing snacks and beverages. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. A great start to our tour of Ireland.

The epic museum was another one of my favorite tourist attractions while in Dublin. For anyone…read morewho's interested in learning more about Irish history and culture this museum is definitely for you. What I really appreciated about the stop is that it's modernized and on the newer side (for a museum) so it does feel much more updated with the technology/exhibits so that it meets modern times. We purchased our tickets in advance, but they also allow you same-day/in person purchases. I don't know if we got lucky the day we came or if they have a cap on how many tickets they sell, but it did feel like the group/people allowed in was buffered, which kept the experience feeling more intimate/less crowded. There is plenty to see and multiple floors to explore so we were easily here three hours walking all about and taking in the different exhibits. My favorite exhibit was where they paid homage to the musical influences and artists of Ireland. I found this section to be the most interesting for me personally and it was well done. Honestly, there was so much to see, you could easily come back a few times to really take it all in. For the price it is worth it and a great way to spend a few hours in Dublin. I would highly recommend stopping here.

We participated in the Cocktail Making Experience with Dan (Daniel)…read moreThis is our second time time making Cocktails. We had a blast, Dan was super informative. The explanation of making Cocktails from Whiskey was informative. Dan is a great bartender and instructor Even if you don't drink whiskey the Cocktails are to die for Obviously the decor and ambience needs no mention as it is JAMESONS!!!

I've always been a fan of Jameson, so it was definitely a treat to visit the distillery. The…read morefacility is quite large, with plenty of photo ops and multiple bars throughout. My one complaint is that the tour groups are very large, which makes the experience feel a bit impersonal. You're essentially moving from room to room with the group, rather than having a more intimate tour. That said, I really enjoyed getting to taste some of the other whiskeys they produce that we don't typically see here in the U.S. Overall, it was a fun experience and definitely worth visiting if you're a whiskey fan.

An essential stop on any English major/Literary enthusiast's visit to Dublin. Some of the writers…read moreshowcased here I had heard of and others I was able to discover thanks to the extensive detail on their lives and works. The ground floor is the best part of the museum. There are two main rooms where all the information and artifacts on the writers are located. They also go in chronological order ending with the 20th and present day trends in Irish writing. However, everything seems to be crammed into these two rooms. If you go upstairs there is a lovely ballroom like area with some writer portraits but not much else. The gift shop was also a let down, being located in the very back of the building almost like an after thought. Overall I think this place is worth a visit, at least once.

Meh. Had a friend say we couldn't miss this, that the museum had an astonishing collection of…read morebeautifully made books from around the world. If that's true, very little of it was on display when I visited. And for the price of admission especially, what an underwhelming experience. The exhibits- sparse and also meh. The best part of this place was their cafe. My bowl of soup was gigantic and they had an impressive array of sweets, so don't miss that if you visit here.

The Dublinia is a historical re-creation museum focusing on Medieval and Viking history and is…read moreconnected to Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral. One of the most notable landmark buildings in the oldest part of the city, alongside and connected by a magnificent bridge to Christchurch Cathedral. There are 3 main exhibits in Dublinia which looks at the Viking and medieval history of the city of Dublin. The whole museum is very interactive and a lot of fun for kids The Viking section has recreations of a long ship and a home. There are Viking outfits to try on as well as lots of cool information that's presented in a fun way. The second exhibition is looks at medieval Dublin up to the 16th century with sets showing a rich merchant's house, a medieval street and a medieval faire. Fun fact: it was once a nightclub. Yes, Dublinia/The Synod Hall was once a nightclub, and one of the best in Dublin apparently

Learn about rich Irish history!…read more Admittedly, the Dublinia caught my eye because of the look of the building. The structure and architecture are pretty great. I could tell the building was old and wanted to know more! When you step foot inside, you learn so much about Irish history. I'm Irish and didn't know some of what was depicted. It starts with the history of the Vikings and goes from there. So interesting and definitely worth your time! If you like history, this is for you!

A much less polished version of the more well known wax museum franchise, the National Wax Museum…read moreis still a good stop when purchased as part of a package from companies like Go City. The staff are warm and friendly, and some of the pieces are quite good. In addition to real world figures they also have characters (like cartoons and Marvels Deadpool). All in it's about a 40 minute experience if you take your time.

I hadn't been to a wax museum before, so I have nothing to compare this to. But I enjoyed my visit…read moreto Ireland's National Wax Museum. The clever layout of the building takes you on a path through three floors. Most of the figures in the museum are of people of Irish (or partial Irish) descent who've had notable roles in science, entertainment, sports, literature and history. There are some non-Irish exceptions like Michael Jackson, who is here maybe because he had an estate in Ireland, or maybe because he's just too famous. I most enjoyed the basement floor with its exhibits covering Ireland's history. The exhibits there begin from the time of the Celts and Vikings in Ireland, to the Kingdom of Ireland, the Easter Rising of 1916, Irish independence, and finally modern Ireland. In addition to wax figures, these exhibits also feature audio narratives read in the first person by voice actors. I never thought I could learn so much about a country's history from a wax museum! Admission is €15 for adults and €10 for children. The cost of admission was included in our Dublin Pass. The self-guided tour took a little over an hour, and I thought it was time well-spent.