What should we do in Dublin?!

Two of our favorite things were: EPIC Museum and a cocktail making class at the Jameson factory.

Newgrange is fascinating. We did a day tour with https://www.newgrangetours.com/.

Rick Steves has a couple of self-guided walking tours in his Ireland guide book.

Definately have fish-n-chips at Leo Burdocks. There are a few takeaway stands around Dublin. You could share one, they give you enough, at least they used to.

Here are some options:
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Dublin--Leinster--Ireland/experiences?place_id=ChIJL6wn6oAOZ0gRoHExl6nHAAo&search_type=unknown&refinement_paths%5B%5D=%2Fexperiences&checkin=2026-09-06&checkout=2026-09-12&date_picker_type=calendar&query=Dublin%2C%20Leinster%2C%20Ireland&adults=2&source=structured_search_input_header

My #1 site in Dublin was seeing the Book of Kells and the Old Library at Trinity College. I'm a sucker for ancient illustrated manuscripts. Even though you only get to see two pages of the actual book, and it might not be an illustrated page, the entire exhibit is very informative and shows large reproductions of a lot of the illustrations. The digital exhibition (in the Red Pavilion) was "meh" to me. (The ticket that includes the digital exhibition is called "The Book of Kells Experience;" to visit the normal exhibit and library, choose the ticket for "Book of Kells and Old Library.")

edited to add: If you want to see this, book in advance. They do sell out, but I have no idea how far in advance you need to book. We went on an RS tour.

We arrived in Dublin for three nights at the end of our trip. We took the historical walking tour, in Rick Steves book, that was led by a graduate student from Trinity. It was excellent.
We also took in the museums, which far exceeded my expectations: National Museum of Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland and Chester Beatty Museum. Visited Christ Church at noon for their Peace Prayer Service.
We had the historical pass, so we took a tour of Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Gaol.
We did not go to the Guinness storehouse, which we later regretted because everyone said it’s a very unique experience.
And we walked, did the last of our Irish pub drinking and a bit of shopping before heading home. We had good final dinner of our trip at Mister S.

PS The Book of Kells was closed while we were there.

I thought the tour I took of 14 Henrietta Street was really interesting. It started as the home of a wealthy family in the 1700s and by the 1900s was a tenement housing 100 people. The last resident left in the 1970s.

https://14henriettastreet.ie/

I also enjoyed the EPIC Museum.

I was there in June.
The EPIC Museum is great, especially if you have Irish ancestry.
I went to the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland, near to each other…...also really good.

We were in Dublin for 2 1/2 days, highly recommend the Historical Walking Tour and Musical Pub Crawl in Rick Steves tour book. If Book of Kells is open, a must. Really glad we got tickets IN ADVANCE for Killmainham Gaol. The historical contexts really enhanced everything. We also went to EPIC and booked an hour with a genealogist at EPIC. I was incredibly fortunate to have learned a ton about just one ancestor with scant info to start. If we'd had more time I would have kept going with other family branches. It was a highlight of our short, wonderful driving trip visit to Ireland, starting from Shannon Airport, stay in Ennis then Dingle, Doolin and (with what ended up being a detour in Westport) at the end, Dublin! If I had known I would learn at the end of our trip while visiting EPIC, EXACTLY where in Tipperary my great grandfather came from we would have planned to go to Dublin first instead of last. We even got to see the national police blotter, "The Hugh and Cry" were my great grandfather as a 6 year old with two of his older brothers were "not arrested" but involved in an incident that involved a cow and the death of a man... Incredible! Also, last on our list but glad we did it, the Guinness Experience. Because I learned I actually like Guinness now -- when it is consumed in Ireland, not the U.S.!! And I can say, "Yep! I went there!"

A Rick Steves Tour did not fit into our schedule this year but I feel like now having been on a fabulous tour (Sicily), we missed covering much ground and deep context. Touring/driving ourselves using the RS tourbook was a wonderful different kind of experience of things we might not have had if we were on a tour (off the beaten trail local hardscrabble places), but the book was a really really helpful guide.

Howth is great! We also loved EPIC, and the Jameson class mentioned. You could also catch the DART to Malahide and visit the Malahide Castle (stunning!) If whiskey is your thing, the Irish Whiskey Museum was very good. Enjoy Dublin!

The two things I enjoyed the most were Newgrange, and Kilmainham Gaol. Then the Book of Kells, and the natural history museum. The Newgrange tour I did also included Monasterboice and the Hill of Tara. I made use of the HOHO bus in Dublin as it was reasonably priced then, and easier than trying to figure out public transit. If you can’t get the tickets you want, then maybe look at taking the train to Kilkenny for the day. It’s only an hour away, and it’s a pretty little town.

Trinity College library is #1 on my list.

If you have Irish heritage (or even if you don't!) the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum is a must-see.

Another thing we enjoyed - which isn't strictly in Dublin - was a half day trip to the little fishing village of Howth.

The word "walking" sticks out. Take a day trip to Glendalough (https://www.ireland.com/en-us/things-to-do/attractions/glendalough/), the ancient monastic site about 25 miles south of Dublin, would make a good fit. Google "Day trips to Glendalough" or visit the Tourist Information office in central Dublin for information on day trips. Glendalough is on the Wicklow Way (https://www.wicklowway.com/), a 100-mile-long trail that starts (or ends) in Dublin. A day trip along the Wicklow Way from Glendalough would make a nice walk. In 1999, I walked the entire Wicklow Way, and it was wonderful. Glendalough has amazing antiquities from its ancient past as a monastic center founded by St. Kevin around 600 A.D.

Two more ideas: visit MoLI, the Museum of Irish Literature, in Dublin: https://moli.ie/. See a play at either the Gate Theater or Abbey Theater in Dublin.

We hit most of the above well-known sites mentioned in this thread, and I'll list a few other stops our group made that were a little off the beaten path that were great:

Little Museum of Dublin: Just off St. Stevens Green. It has some really unique items including several U2 memorabilia pieces if you happen to like the band U2. You can purchase a 30 minute guided tour also.
Literary Pub Crawl: A really fun and interesting guided (and funny) tour by locals that brings Ireland's great writers to life.
Arlington Hotel Celtic Nights: Traditional Irish Dinner and Dancing show. Located right by the O'Connell Bridge; offers traditional Irish music and dancing.
River Liffey Boat Tour: Less than an hour but gives a different view of the city from the water.
Irish Whiskey Museum: We enjoyed this more than the touristy Jameson tour. Located centrally on Grafton St.
Irish Rock & Roll Museum: Temple Bar area. Has a "Jam Room" for any musicians giving you a chance to play your instruments in the same rehearsal rooms as famous Irish bands and musicians.
Musical Pub Crawls: There are a couple to choose from; we did this one and it was awesome: https://www.musicalpubcrawl.com/
Pat Liddy Walking Tour: https://www.walkingtours.ie/ Begins on O'Connell Street; excellent historical tour.

Hardly anyone mentions these, and I don't know if they're just missed or maybe unsatisfying for some. We found both "The Leprechaun Museum" and the "Little Museum of Dublin" to be memorable. Both are based on very simple decor in just two or three rooms, and the tour guide makes the visit. Don't let the high-ish entry price deter you, as the guides are fabulous actors.

At the Leprechaun Museum, the guide relates three different stories (each guide has favorite stories, with at least one involving Leprechauns), complete with audience participation, high drama, and the ambience of a stage show.

The Little Museum (we visited before they moved, but I assume it's still similar), the building is just two rooms full of posters, newspapers, and a few antiques, and the guide is similar to a carnival barker, energetically hopping from wall to wall, pointing out history and getting patrons to participate with the dialog. A few years ago, the Little Museum was Tripadvisor's #1 attraction in Dublin.

My trip report from last year might give you some ideas.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-ireland-may-2025-my-trip-report

I hope you can get tickets for the Kilmainham Gaol. It was fascinating! We also enjoyed the GPO Museum.
https://www.gpomuseum.ie/

Other highlights are the Book of Kells at Trinity College.

We enjoyed a "free" walking tour. You tip the guide what you think the tour is worth. It was very interesting!
https://www.freetour.com/dublin?from=2026-09-01&to=2026-09-15&price=0-0

EPIC Museum is fantastic and a must visit I think when going to Dublin. One of the best museums I've ever visited anywhere. Also a visit to the GPO Museum we found interesting as well. There was so much history we learned here including a stop at the Killmanheim Goal (Jail) that we as Americans with Irish heritage were not aware of.

Thank you all! We are in Galway, off to Dublin tomorrow for the last four days of our journey. Can’t wait to do all the activities! Just a note that we loved Sligo!