Top 5 Free Things to do In Dublin

We all love free stuff! so why not see the city on a budget! Below we list 5 Free places or things you can do in Dublin city whilst on a short trip. A Top tip is that most museums in Dublin are free to visit with a donation only appreciated. They are also closed on Monday’s so bare that in mind. Enough said let’s dive right in!

1. National Archaeology Museum

The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology (Irish: Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Seandálaíocht) is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland located on Kildare Street in Dublin, and dealing with Irish and other antiquities. In general, the museum covers the history of Ireland from the Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages. Many important artefacts from the museum were featured in a book A History of Ireland in 100 Objects.

It features displays on prehistoric Ireland, including Bronze Age work in gold, early medieval church treasures of Celtic art, Viking Ireland and Medieval Ireland. There are special displays of items from Ancient Egypt, Cyprus and the Roman world, and special exhibitions are regularly mounted.

2. Phoenix Park

Phoenix Park (Irish: Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 11 km perimeter wall encloses 707 hectares (1,750 acres); it is one of the largest enclosed recreational spaces within any European capital city. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the 17th century has been home to a herd of wild fallow deer. The English name comes from the Irish fionn uisce meaning “clear water”. The Irish Government is lobbying UNESCO to have the park designated as a world heritage site.

3. Chester Beatty Library

Described by Lonely Planet as ‘not just the best museum in Ireland but one of the best in Europe’, the Chester Beatty is the pre-eminent Irish museum promoting the appreciation and understanding of world cultures with holdings of manuscripts, rare books, and other treasures from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. An engaging and welcoming space, visitors from Ireland and overseas will find permanent and temporary displays, an intercultural learning programme and a broad variety of public activities for all ages and backgrounds.

A vibrant National Cultural Institution, the Chester Beatty also reaches out to the culturally diverse communities in Ireland. By drawing upon and interpreting the wonderful collections, the museum actively engages with the newest members of our society.

Once the private library of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875 – 1968), a successful American mining engineer, collector and philanthropist, the Chester Beatty is also today a research library for scholars from all over the world.

4. Free Walking Tours.

What better way to see the city than with a local Guide and a group of like minded travellers. Make new friends and learn in the process about the wonderful history and culture that Dublin has to offer. Generally these tours last 2.5 hrs and are at a leisurely pace around the city, there are very few hills too so it’s great to get around easily. Top landmarks that most tours do are Dublin Castle, St. Pat’s Cathedral, Christchurch, Daniel O’Connell Statue and a famous but hidden plaque in the city! You’ll just have to do the tours to find out!

We recommend AB Tours Dublin and Dublin School Tours for your walking tour needs, they also do private tours that we can arrange for you just get in touch with us!

Although Technically free it is at your discretion to tip the guide!

5. The National Gallery

Grand collection of European art spanning the 14th to the 20th-century covering all major schools. Their mission is to care for, interpret, develop and showcase art in a way that makes the National Gallery of Ireland an exciting place to encounter art. They aim to provide an outstanding experience that inspires an interest in and an appreciation of art for all. They are dedicated to bringing people and their art together.

Explore the wonders of the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection, and take a leisurely stroll around their beautiful galleries from the comfort of your own home in their virtual tours.

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