Dublin

Parks in Dublin

Dublin is often called ‘The Big Smoke’ or ‘Dear Dirty Dublin’. But is it really just a big, dirty capital city? Definitely not!

Dublin is even home to the Phoenix Park, which claims to be the largest enclosed public park in a capital city in Europe. In addition, there are many small green oases scattered throughout the city, which are great recreational areas to get away from the hustle and bustle of sightseeing.

After a busy day of checking out Dublin’s secret sites or some of the main attractions of Ireland’s capital, parks are the ideal spot to visit if you want to chill or check out one of the public events that are often staged in these locations.

Dublin Parks Opening Hours

It is worth noting that the parks have clear opening times. The official opening time of public parks is 10am, but closing time varies depending on the time of the year. In December the parks close at 5pm, while in June and July you can enjoy the long summer evenings in the parks until 10pm at night.

For more information about the opening hours of specific parks in Dublin City, check the Dublin City Council website.

Looking for more information about visiting Dublin? Check out these posts:

• Dublin 3-day itinerary – Discover Dublin’s highlights
• Dublin’s best kept secrets – Ireland’s capital’s hidden gems
• Unusual Dublin – These sights are truly special to Dublin

Best Parks in Dublin

While some of the parks mentioned in this post are very popular and well known, others are real insider tips. This post contains my personal favorites.

There are however several other parks in Dublin City and County Dublin worth checking out too including Bushy Park in Terenure for woody walks and Killiney Hill Park for superb coastal views.

Iveagh Gardens

First, my absolute favorite park and a real insider tip is right in Dublin City Centre. Iveagh Gardens can be described as the little brother of the famous St. Stephens Green, which is only about 100 meters further north. Not only is Iveagh Gardens more beautiful than its nearby neighbor, it has the added advantage of receiving considerably less visitors, probably because it is a little hard to find. This secret garden is a true gem.

The garden is completely surrounded by a wall and many buildings are built directly on its border, which slightly obscures the entrances. The most obvious access is via Clonmel Street. There is also an entrance to the rear of the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace. A slightly more conspicuous gate is on Hatch Street. It might be a bit tricky to get in, but once you have, you will find this beautiful park a haven of tranquility in the middle of the center.

This park features a large waterfall that flows over a stone structure made up of stones from all 32 counties in Ireland. To the north is the only dedicated archery facility in Ireland, which also houses the remains of an elephant buried there in 1922. There are also really lovely fountains, a rose garden and a labyrinth to explore. Without a doubt this park is absolutely worth seeing!

St. Stephen’s Green

North of Iveagh Gardens, at the southern end of Grafton Street, is probably the most famous of all Dublin’s parks: St. Stephen’s Green (aka Stephen’s Green). I would recommend everyone to stroll through this park at least once to get a feel for it, though I personally find it too overcrowded to relax and chill in (especially when the weather is good (or just dry!) around lunchtime).  

The high number of visitors doesn’t only refer to those who walk on two legs….. There are also a large number of feathered friends such as seagulls, pigeons, ducks and other birds, which can be quite noisy and messy. Despite this criticism, the park is still worth a visit.

Stephen’s Green is intimately linked to Irish history due to its central location in Dublin city. In the 18th century, it was the site of numerous executions, and in the 19th century, the Guinness family financed the redesign and opening of the park to the public.

During the Easter Rising of 1916, the rebels occupied the park and defended it (without success) against the British army. Today you can see public art in the form of statues and busts of famous personalities (for example, James Joyce or W. B. Yeats), a triumphal arch from 1907, a plant garden for the visually impaired with descriptions of the aromatic plants in Braille and much more.

It is interesting to note that in the 1950s, the Norns Fountain was a gift from the Cabinet of Germany to Ireland in memory of Operation Shamrock. After the Second World War, the Irish Red Cross enabled more than 1000 orphans from Germany, Austria and France to stay for up to three years with Irish host families. Some of them still live in Ireland today.

Blessington Street Basin

This is without doubt an insider tip! This park can probably be described as the most beautiful, but least known park of all and can be found north of O’Connell Street. The Blessington Street Basin was once a water reservoir and has also supplied the city’s great stills with water for whiskey production.

Today the park offers itself as the perfect oasis in the middle of the city. It almost feels like you are stepping into another world when you walk through the gates. Maybe it’s because water is the predominant element in the park. It doesn’t matter where you are in Blessington Street Basin, you look out over the large pond and the small green island on it.  On a beautiful day when the sky is reflected on the water, I think that there is nowhere better to relax in Dublin than this spot.

Merrion Square Park

Not far from Trinity College, surrounded by pompous Georgian-style Merrion Square, is Merrion Square Park. This is one of Dublin’s best-kept parks, and is much quieter compared to Stephen’s Green. Oscar Wilde fans will definitely get their money’s worth here.

Wilde lived the first 20 years of his life in No. 1 Merrion Square (by the way, he was born around the corner, in 21 Westland Row). Opposite the house in the park itself you will come face to face with an extravagant Oscar Wilde statue.

The park is also home to other strange art objects, sculptures and a collection of historic street lamps. Another peculiarity lies under a small hill in the southeast of the park: a World War II air raid shelter. In any case, Merrion Square Park is a nice place to go for a stroll.

While in the neighborhood, also check out Merrion Square itself as many famous people have lived here: W. B. Yeats for example in No. 82 and Daniel O’Connell (“The Liberator”) in No. 58. Even the British Embassy was based there until 1972 until it was burned down as a result of the Bloody Sunday riots.

One more thing: The park has only been called Merrion Square Park since 2010. Previously, it was officially named Archbishop Ryan Park, named after the Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Ryan. The land belonged to the archdiocese (a cathedral was once to be built here) until Archbishop Ryan donated the park to the city of Dublin in 1974. Incidentally, you could only go to the park before if you had a key.

Phoenix Park

The largest park in Dublin aka “Dublin’s Green Lung” is in the north of the city. Incidentally, in case you were wondering, the name derives not from the mythological phoenix from the ashes, but from the Irish word fionn uisce, which means “clear water”. This is the place to go if you fancy wandering and exploring. It is so big and rambly that you can tend to get lost (it has happened to us a few times …).

If you fancy being active, then the Phoenix Park is ideal as there are great possibilities for jogging, cycling (at the entrance you can rent bicycles), inline skating (the asphalt here is in mostly in good condition) and orienteering.

In the section of the Phoenix Park known as the People’s Flower Gardens, you will have the chance to enjoy an immaculately manicured Victorian garden, complete with an ornamental lake.

The park is also a great place to watch wild fallow deer. They can be found almost everywhere in the park, but in our experience, we have seen more animals in the north. There are also designated picnic areas and barbeque spots throughout the park and a colorful playground for children.

Furthermore, the Phoenix Park also includes the headquarters of the Gardaí (police), a huge papal cross that marks the place where Pope John II held a mass in 1979, a magazine Fort which is more than 300 years old (and quite rundown), the imposing Farmleigh House, which until 1999 was owned by the Guinness family (sometimes tours of the house are available), the residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland, and the official residence of the Irish President (Áras an Uachtaráin). On Saturdays, free guided tours of the president’s residence are offered to the public.

One more thing for the bucket list: The obelisk in the Phoenix Park is called the Wellington Monument (62m high) and is the biggest obelisk in Europe. It is named after Dublin born Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, who beat Napoleon at Waterloo.

A tip for those of you who have a weak bladder: The only toilets in the park are next to the Visitor Center at ‘The Phoenix Café’ (north of the park) and the ‘Victorian Tea Kiosk’ (east near the zoo). If the fallow deer are not enough for you, you can also go to the great Dublin Zoo and see many more animals. It is definitely worth it!

National Botanic Gardens

To really get away from the stress of a city trip, it’s worth taking a trip to the green oasis of the National Botanic Gardens. Admission is free and very easy to reach from the city center in just 15 minutes by bus no. 9 and no. 83. Here you can marvel at over 15,000 different plant species from all over the world. But regardless of whether you are interested in plants or not, the Botanic Gardens offer a lovely landscaped environment to stroll around.

Our highlights are definitely the Victorian Glass Houses, especially the Great Palm House, which is home to Ireland’s only tropical rainforest. There is also a magnificent rose garden, which is a treat for the senses in the summer, a rock garden, an arboretum and much more to admire.

Looking for more information about visiting Dublin? Check out these posts:

• Dublin 3-day itinerary – Discover Dublin’s highlights
• Dublin’s best kept secrets – Ireland’s capital’s hidden gems
• Unusual Dublin – These sights are truly special to Dublin

If you feel like it, you can also join one of the two guided tours offered daily to learn more about the over 200-year-old garden. The tours are free on Sundays or cost about €5 on other days. Ideally you should plan about 2-3 hours for a visit.

On sunny days, the Botanic Gardens are a great place for a picnic. The Garden Tea Room also offers food and refreshments and can be a good spot to heat up or cool down or dry off (!) depending on the season.

Furthermore, it is worth taking a look at the website of the Botanic Gardens, as exhibitions, scientific lectures and workshops are often offered for both kids and adults alike.

Bonus tip: If you feel like it, you can combine your visit with a walk through Ireland’s largest and most famous cemetery, Glasnevin, which is just around the corner. There are some of the most important historical figures in Irish history interned here and you can admire the Celtic designs featuring on many tombstones.

Interested in some more hidden gems in Dublin? Read our post on Dublin’s secret sights! 

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Most tourists visit the main attraction in Dublin. Guinness Storehouse? Check. Temple Bar? Been there done that. Book of Kells? Bought the T-Shirt. But there is so much more in Dublin than those main attractions of Dublin tourism. There are so many worthwhile hidden gems that can really be the icing on the cake of anybody who really wants to enhance a trip to Dublin.

Our hidden gems do not include any of Dublin’s mainstays (if you want to find out more about them, check our post here). We have included these sights, because we really love them and in our experience they generally are not filled to the brim with tourists.

Looking for more information about visiting Dublin? Check out these posts:

• Dublin 3-day itinerary – Discover Dublin’s highlights
• Unusual Dublin – These sights are truly special to Dublin
• The Best Parks in Dublin

Chester Beatty Library

If I had to choose three favorite locations in Dublin City Centre, the Chester Beatty Library would be one of them. The Chester Beatty Library is located directly behind Dublin Castle and although it is called a “library”, do not be misled by the name, it is in fact a museum.

Sir Alfred Chester Beatty was a mining magnate, who by the 1940s had already gathered an impressive collection of manuscripts dating from antiquity to the middle ages, as well as rare books, lithographs, and other works of art from all over the world.

The collections of Islamic and East Asian art are particularly impressive in my opinion, but so too are the collections of papyrus dating back to Ancient Egypt. The comprehensive exhibitions on show here are changed on a regular basis and I must say that all of the exhibitions that I have seen so far have been excellent.

It was here that I first discovered my interest in Persian and Indian miniature drawings (the detailed drawings are so minuscule that you have to use the magnifying glasses offered in the exhibition to properly enjoy them!).

In addition to great art exhibitions, this museum, which was honored as the European Museum of the Year in 2002, is also an inspirational place to learn about the five world religions. This permanent exhibition has been cleverly created to allow visitors to delve into fascinating subject material, without feeling overwhelmed. The five world religions are explained side by side according to their basic characteristics without any preference between one religion or another.

One of the best parts of this fabulous cultural attraction is that admission is free although, if you can support it by giving a small donation, that would be appreciated.

Bonus Tip: The Silk Road Café and the Silk Road Kitchen offer a fantastic selection of food and drinks (perfect for afternoon tea!).

In good weather the roof garden is open to the public and from here have a wonderful view of Dublin Castle. The lovely selection of planted flowers give an almost Japanese-like touch to the ambiance making this the ideal spot to recharge before embarking on your next sightseeing adventure. Definitely stop by!

St. Michan’s Church – A Crypt Tour with Mummies

This tour is not for the faint hearted or those of you with sensitive souls, but it is absolutely one of a kind and should not be missed! I’ve been on this tour three times and I’ve been thrilled by it every time.

St. Michan’s Church itself is not the highpoint of the tour, the underground crypt is. However, it is worth noting that St. Michan’s is one of the oldest churches in Dublin (the original church was built in 1065, but the present church dates back to the 17th century). The organ was also where Georg Friedrich Handel allegedly performed his Messiah oratorio before the first official performance in Dublin.

It takes a very enthusiastic, quirky tour guide (I always had the same great guy) to make a tour of a burial vault come to life and that is the case here! The tales and scary stories, delivered with perfect timing by the tour guide, leave the audience in rapture.

Those of you who are not easily disturbed can descend into the vaults as part of the tour to see the mummified remains of several nobles from the 17th to 19th centuries. (This may seem like an odd attraction to do on your holiday, but that is something you should judge for yourself!) Among the mummies is even a “Crusader” (in the photo at the back of the wall), but according to the latest findings the remains are only about 650 years old and thus cannot be a crusader.

Until 2017 you could touch the middle finger of the ‘Crusader’ to bring a year of luck in your life. Although this is no longer allowed for conservation reasons, it is a truly peculiar and memorable tour that will not be forgotten so quickly! Supposedly, Bram Stoker even got his inspiration for Dracula here. If you want to do five things in Dublin, St. Michan’s Church Tour should be one of them.

Update: At the end of February 2019, there was a burglary in the crypt and the skull of the Crusader and another skull were stolen. Luckily, both skulls have since been recovered. Guided tours are still ongoing, but unfortunately visitors are not allowed to see the “mummies” at present. They hope to have this open to the public again soon.

Freemason’s Hall

Most people are aware of the stereotypes about the Masons, especially since Dan Brown’s Illuminati. In this tour of the Grand Lodge of Ireland on Molesworth Street you can finally see behind the guarded walls of this mysterious society.

I was very surprised how openly our guide talked about alleged secrets and stereotypes of this fraternal club, such as covert handshakes and other rituals. During the tour I also saw the many very elaborate rooms in the Freemason’s Hall. Some make you feel that you have almost travelled back in time.

There is a room full of Egyptian symbols and objects (just like in a Dan Brown Thriller), a gothic-style chapel with glass paintings that were a gift from Queen Victoria, and the Grand Lodge Room, which reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland because of its chequered floor.

I also found it very strange how many of the stereotypical ideas were confirmed – be it in the symbolism in the rooms or in statements of our guide that ‘Masons are like boy scouts for big boys’. It goes without saying that this bizarre journey through time into a world full of peculiarities is one that you should definitely when you are in Dublin.

Dublin Parks and Recreation

It always surprises me how much energy you need during a city holiday. After a few days of city touring, I am usually quite exhausted and in need of another holiday!

Dublin is no different to any other city in this regard. The great thing about Dublin though, is number of lovely parks, which are spread all over the city and are ideal to rest and recharge your batteries.

Some of the parks are very popular and well-known (e.g. Phoenix Park and St. Stephen’s Green), however, others such as the Iveagh Gardens are worth a visit in their own right. (It is surprising how few people take the time to visit these charming parks.) If the weather is sunny (or rather ‘not rainy’) they are certainly worth a stroll around.

Please note! Parks in Ireland are always closed at night. They usually open at around 10am and close before sunset depending on the month.

Do you want to visit our top 6 favorite parks in Dublin? You can read more about them here.

Archbishop Marsh’s Library

A real insider tip that you will find tucked away behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral is this library of the early Enlightenment era. Marsh’s Library has a collection of approximately 25,000 books from the 16th century. Most of them can be view during a tour.

While the library itself is not nearly as big as the Trinity College Long Room Library, it is still very worthy of a visit. James Joyce, Bram Stoker, Jonathan Swift, and many other writers and scholars researched their works here and even scribbled some books! These can now be admired as part of a permanent exhibition. Also new beautiful exhibitions of the library’s book inventory are constantly being shown.

Looking for more information about visiting Dublin? Check out these posts:

• Dublin 3-day itinerary – Discover Dublin’s highlights
• Unusual Dublin – These sights are truly special to Dublin
• The Best Parks in Dublin

The building itself is also quite special. Unlike many other buildings from this period, the interior has remained almost entirely unchanged since it was built in the early 18th century (from 1707!). This also includes the oak bookcases, which are reminiscent of a bygone era. Take some time to step back in time and explore this little gem.

Bonus Tip: To get a good impression of the collection, the Facebook page of the Marsh’s Library is worth checking out.

Irish Film Institute

There is definitely more to Temple Bar than just pubs, but you need to look in the right place! The Temple Bar District is also home to the Irish Film Institute or the IFI, as the Irish call it.

Not only is the IFI a normal cinema, it also supports the film culture of Ireland as a national institution. It also houses the Irish Film Archive, has a library and overall a great program with many activities, such as various festivals, talks, exhibitions and more for all the family throughout the year.

If you just want to see a good (Irish) movie one evening, or are generally interested in film history (the bookshop has a great selection of books and DVDs), or you just want to sit in the cozy café, you should definitely schedule a visit to the Irish Film Institute.

Rent Dublin Bikes

Ok so this is not a sight as such, but it is a unique part of the Dublin city experience and we think it is a good insider tip. Why not explore the city by bike instead of by bus, tram or taxi? In recent years, Dublin has become very cyclist-friendly, and a lot of money has gone into cycling infrastructure and a public bike rental program.

My favorite area for cycling in Dublin is along the Grand Canal in the south of downtown. Just try it out and relax on the bench next to the statue of the famous poet Patrick Kavanagh and watch the houseboats.

When I lived in Dublin, I bought the annual subscription for Dublin Bikes a couple of times, but as a tourist you can buy a 3-day ticket. All you have to do is pay € 5 at one of the many Bike Stations with a credit card (a deposit of € 150 will be deposited) and then you will have access to use the bikes. The first half hour is always free, then a small fee will apply.

From my own experience I can say that half an hour from A to B is usually sufficient for most journeys. The great thing is that there are over a hundred bike docking stations throughout the city to return the bicycles allowing you can easily drop off the bike to the nearest bike docking station once you are finished with it.

By the way: There is now also the ‘AllBikesNow’ app with which you can locate bike stations and also see where and how many bicycles are available.
You can learn more here.

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Tourists in Dublin are unlikely to get bored wide range of well-known attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse, the Book of Kells, the Ha’penny Bridge and the National Leprechaun Museum.

Yet, there are many charming, weird, offbeat, and sometimes simply downright strange places in Dublin that are entirely worth visiting (or doing), but usually are not on most tourist itineraries.