Six places, chosen for what you get for the time. Two need booking in advance, two cost nothing, and one is best seen without paying for anything at all.
1Book of Kells Experience
Photo: Ann Marie Kennon / Pexels, Pexels License
The Book of Kells and the Old Library at Trinity College, with a digital exhibition around them. The Long Room is the reason people queue.
Time
45 min to 1 h 30 min
Setting
Indoor
Best time
First slot of the day
Getting there
City centre, on foot
Tip: Book ahead: there are self-guided and guided tickets. Take the earliest slot you can. Pick the shorter ticket if you are short of time, since it already includes the Old Library.
Book of Kells and Old Library from €19; the full self-guided experience from €25.
A prison built in 1796 and tied to the events that made modern Ireland. You see it on a guided tour, and the guide does most of the work.
Time
1 h 30 min
Setting
Indoor
Best time
Morning or early afternoon
Getting there
3.5 km from the centre
Tip: Entry is by guided tour only and pre-booking is essential. Dress for the outdoor parts and for cold cells.
Adult €8. Visitor centre open daily 9 am to 5.15 pm; the museum opens at 10.30 am and closes at 5.15 pm from October to March, 5.45 pm from April to September. Closed 24 to 27 December.
Ireland's national cathedral, on a site where Saint Patrick is said to have baptised converts more than 1,500 years ago. The spire is easy to find from across the roofs.
Time
30 min to 1 h
Setting
Both
Best time
Weekday mornings
Getting there
City centre, a walk from Trinity
Tip: Worth going in, especially if you already have a seat at Kilmainham the same day and want one more indoor stop in the afternoon.
Adult €11.50, student or senior €10. Open Monday to Friday 9.30 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 6 pm.
More than 700 hectares, the largest enclosed public park in any European capital. It began as a royal deer park in the 1660s, opened to the public in 1747, and still has fallow deer.
Time
1 h 30 min to 3 h
Setting
Outdoor
Best time
A dry afternoon
Getting there
Dublin 8, by bus or taxi
Tip: Free to enter. Dublin Zoo and the home of the President of Ireland are inside, but the deer are the point, and you will meet them on the grass without paying anyone.
