Dublin: top attractions & road trip guide
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland, built around the River Liffey where it meets Dublin Bay on the east coast. Founded by Vikings in the 9th century and later shaped by centuries of Georgian building, the city is known for Trinity College, the Guinness brewery at St James's Gate, and a literary tradition that includes James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Jonathan Swift.
As a road trip base, Dublin works well as a starting point rather than a place to drive through, since the city centre is compact, largely one-way, and best covered on foot or by tram. Most visitors collect a hire car near the airport or edge of town before heading south to the Wicklow Mountains or west across the midlands, keeping in mind that Ireland drives on the left.
Top attractions
Trinity College & the Book of Kells
Ireland's oldest university, founded in 1592, whose Old Library houses the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels created around 800 AD.
Guinness Storehouse
A seven-storey visitor attraction at the St James's Gate brewery, tracing the history of Guinness stout since founder Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on the site in 1759.
Dublin Castle
A former seat of British rule in Ireland, built in the 13th century on the site of a Viking settlement and now used for state ceremonies and official functions.
St Patrick's Cathedral
Ireland's largest cathedral, founded in 1191 beside a well said to have been used by St Patrick, and closely associated with satirist Jonathan Swift, who served as dean.
Temple Bar
A riverside cultural quarter of cobbled streets, pubs, and galleries that grew from Dublin's old medieval core into the city's best-known nightlife district.
Kilmainham Gaol
A former prison dating to 1796 where leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed, now a museum on Irish nationalism and penal history.
Plan your route with EuroDrive Scout →