Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
4
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Monday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Tuesday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Wednesday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Thursday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Friday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Saturday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Sunday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
About
Dublin Castle was for 700 years the seat of British power in Ireland. Today you can still view the remains of the 13th century structure as part of the guided tour. The present Dublin Castle dates from the mid 1700's and today is used by the Irish Governemnt for state events such as the inauguration of the Irish President and state banquets for visiting dignatories. Amongst the highlights are the Ladies Drawing Room, the Throne Room and St. Patricks Hall.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: South City Centre
How to get there
- Jervis • 7 min walk
- St. Stephen's Green • 8 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
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Restaurants
2,062 within 3 miles
Attractions
646 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- Stephanie & AnthonyNewark-on-Trent, United Kingdom627 contributionsNice visitFirstly if you expect to see a castle know it was transformed into a palace for the old viceroy. Lovely building with lots of information on it's history. Plenty of fantastic rooms to look through, really insightful. One of the museums we would recommend going along toHello. We're delighted that you discovered some fantastic rooms in the 18th century State Apartments, and that you found the experience insightful. Thanks for your feedback on your visit to Dublin Castle!Written 3 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 March 2023
- Barry HSwords, Ireland76 contributionsVery enjoyableAlthough only one tower is left from the original Castle which wasn't available to tour, the state apartments and St. Patrick's Hall were beautiful. Also the room where Irish patriot James Connolly was treated is open. The guide also took us underground where the foundations of the original Castle can be seen.Hello. Two of the four towers from the original medieval castle can be seen, specifically the Record Tower (visible from the lower courtyard) and the foundations of the Powder Tower (visible on the guided tour of the medieval undercroft). We're delighted that you were able to avail of the guided tour and hope that you got lots of historical value from your Tour Guide and the site itself. Thanks again for the feedback.Written 3 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2022Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 March 2023
- Thanks For The Memories19 contributionsDublin Castle and more recent renovated buildingIf you go to the booking desk in person they can offer you a guided tour ( only 20 places per hour) with a castle guide telling about the medieval history and outlining things to see once in the castle . It’s just 4 euros more and well worth it . It helped a lot to better understand the history and relevance of the building. The free printed guides are also good support on the day.Hello thanksfortravel, and thank you for your feedback. We're delighted that you found value in the guided tour. Our tours often sell out, but we try to encourage people to take the guided tour if they have time. Thanks again.Written 3 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 25 March 2023
- Luce8 contributionsGreat guided tour and a good site to visit with limited time to exploreA great, well-maintained and historical building with a modern twist. The self guided tour was easy to follow with the information booklet and tickets were fairly priced. I opted for the additional guided tour of the medieval remains and chapel and would highly recommend if you are short on time during your visit. Our guide Darragh was very informative and engaging, and provided lots of historical facts about the medieval engineering of the ruins. The chapel was also stunning. The tour was well timed to an hour and all staff were very friendly and helpful.Hi Lucy. Thanks for your positive feedback. We'll be sure to pass on your lovely comments to our Tour Guide Darragh and the rest of our wonderful guiding team. Thanks again.Written 3 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2023Travelled soloWritten 6 April 2023
- GAR243 contributionsMust seeAnyone giving this low reviews clearly hasn’t done their research! This is still a working castle used by the Irish government, so yes it doesn’t have many furnishings and you can’t see all of it. But it is still a beautiful building with a lot of history and very much worth seeing. Only €8 ticket, the booklet they give you for free has a lot of interesting information. There are also guided toursHello Gioia. We're delighted that you enjoyed our written leaflets which guide visitors through the artwork of the 18th century State Apartments. Thanks for your positive feedback.Written 3 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 7 April 2023
- 390bredahCarlow, Ireland4 contributionsVisit to Dublin Castle as part of a groupI visited Dublin Castle with Myshall Drumphea Social History Group on Saturday 6th May. We had a really enjoyable visit. The staff were courteous and friendly. Our tour guide was Marie who was both friendly and informative,and had no problem answering our questions. I highly recommend a visit to Dublin Castle.Hello. We're delighted that you enjoyed your tour with our fabulous Tour Guide Marie! Thank you for your feedback!Written 7 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 6 May 2023
- Kelly B20 contributionsAn hour well spentNot your typical castle. However, was cheap to enter and was pleasantly surprised. Was great we could pop our bags in a locker so didn't need to treck them round. The booklet we were handed as we entered bought the place the life. It was in perfect order of how you explore the castle and gives you history on each room and helps you find out things you would otherwise miss.Hi Kelly and thanks for your feedback! We're delighted that you found the information booklet helpful and that it brought the collection to life!Written 21 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 15 May 2023
- Bryant S258 contributionsDublin CastleDublin Castle is currently in use by the Irish Govt so you won’t be touring midieval ruins. Make sure you do the guided tour. You won’t see much on the self guided tour. We did go underground where we saw a portion of an original tower and wall and this was very interesting. The chapel was also interesting but the reception hall portion was underwhelming. The information on the tour was more interesting than what we actually saw, but I’d still recommend it if you have a spare hour or so. You buy tickets at the castle, not online.Hi Bryant. We're delighted that you found the guided tour interesting. Thanks for your feedback!Written 21 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2023Written 15 May 2023
- CarolDeland514 contributionsHistoric beautiful.Lush inside. More like a state government house versus old castle. It has been renovated over the past two to three hundred years. Room lovely. Not that large. Historic location visited by world leaders over the 1700 and 1800s. We paid 6 euro to enter.Hi Carol and thanks for your feedback!Written 21 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 May 2023
- MeghanGreen Lane, Pennsylvania3 contributionsA great place to learn about English control of Ireland and with the tour you can learn even more!Dublin castle has a wide range of Irish history for you to learn about. The State Apartments are free to enter and offer a great way to learn about English control of Ireland. They provide free booklets that go through the different rooms and give descriptions about the importance of each room and about some of the art on the walls. But if you want to learn even more about Irish history going back all the way to the Vikings, book the Dublin Castle tour that takes you to more on the property. We had Pat as our tour guide, who was absolutely wonderful. Definitely somewhere to visit to learn about hundreds of years of Irish history.Hello and thanks for your feedback. We're glad that you had a wonderful experience with our great Tour Guide Pat! I'll be sure to pass on the feedback to him.Written 21 May 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2023Travelled with familyWritten 20 May 2023
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4.0
5,406 reviews
Excellent
1,867
Very good
2,002
Average
1,200
Poor
254
Terrible
83
Larissa S
Dublin, Ireland2 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
I went on a guided tour of the castle and it was wonderful! The place is beautiful, with lots of interesting history, but the highlight was undoubtedly our guide Bart, simply fantastic! Bart is an incredible professional, clearly mastering all the topics related to the castle, and he's extremely funny, which made the tour much more enjoyable! If you're looking for something to do in Dublin, I highly recommend a visit to Dublin Castle and try to schedule a guided tour with Bart, you won't regret it!
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisbeth G
3 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Dara didn't just show us around; he made the castle come alive with stories that had us hooked from start to finish! We also got to explore the underground section of the castle, where we were able to see ancient walls and a section of the River Poddle. Dara was a captivating story-teller, we would highly recommend a guided tour with him over a self-guided tour.
Written 11 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren M
Devizes, UK96 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Really enjoyed the guided tour with Tristan, would thoroughly recommend as it not onlg allows you to see more of the castle but you also learn alot about the place and its history. You have to get tickets for the guided tour on the day, we turned up at 0945 and went on the 1015 tour.
Written 5 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
E/L/C
Scotland, UK6 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
3/5 weren’t given brochures when purchasing tickets so didn’t know any of the artwork throughout the experience.
Some staff were rude when queuing.
If you are young, you can get students tickets too.
Some staff were rude when queuing.
If you are young, you can get students tickets too.
Written 4 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
emma
Amsterdam, The Netherlands43 contributions
Mar 2024 • Friends
This castle is very silly! Did a little self guided tour and found the booklet to be very funny, many jokes were made. If anyone knows where the lost Dublin jewels are pls let me know …
Written 3 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TmonT
Glasgow, UK34 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
Excellent day spent at Dublin castle Very informative Visited the state rooms of which there are many and all stunning if culture is your thing this place is a must
Written 19 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
okie56
Rockford, IL347 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
Dublin Castle was free to us today. Not sure why; we had our heritage pass in hand. It houses an exquisite collection of art, most notably that of Thomas Frye.
Written 18 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iris B
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
I usually dread going to museums or historical sites because I don't like being inundated with long, in depth historical stories and dates that I can't follow or remember. But this tour through Dublin castle was genuinely fun, informative and light at the same time. Bart, the tour guide, is very knowledgeable and a great story teller. With this combination of talents, he manages to really bring the history of the castle and the chapel to live. You get a good feel of what life must have been like and how the castle and surroundings were used. With many interesting stories and facts and very funny jokes this one hour tour was over before I knew it. I heartily recommend everyone to go and seek out this tour and guide on your next visit to Dublin.
Written 10 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were delighted to here that your tour was fun, informative and light! We're lucky to have Bart on our wonderful team of guides, so we appreciate your positive feedback!
Thanks again.
Written 13 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tony N
Burbank, CA1 contribution
Feb 2024 • Solo
Once you enter, one can't help but feel a certain emptiness or lack information and detail around the place. Granted, I did not hire a guide and the reception desk gives you a booklet to follow along with, but the constant flipping through the booklet and looking for the corresponding numbers on the walls loses its novelty quite quickly. I'd recommend a tour guide as I heard one giving some very interesting facts that I wish I had some way of reading about.
I found myself gravitating toward any written material in the castle I could find. The hallway of Ireland's past presidents was very informative and I wish the rest of the castle had been the same.
I did enjoy the fact that there were not a lot of visitors and therefore I had the rooms almost entirely to myself. But it's difficult to enjoy especially after you've done the Book of Kells exhibit which has been completely updated and revamped.
I found myself gravitating toward any written material in the castle I could find. The hallway of Ireland's past presidents was very informative and I wish the rest of the castle had been the same.
I did enjoy the fact that there were not a lot of visitors and therefore I had the rooms almost entirely to myself. But it's difficult to enjoy especially after you've done the Book of Kells exhibit which has been completely updated and revamped.
Written 6 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. We're sorry you were underwhelmed by your self-guided tour and the corresponding booklet.
We appreciate your feedback.
Written 13 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeff C
Sheffield, UK52 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
If you are visiting the castle, definitely book on one of their guided tours if you want to get the most out of the visit, including going underground to see the archeological remains of the original castle powder tower and moat, as well as the royal chapel and the staterooms that are still used to swear in the Irish President and host State dinners. Our guide Burt was really informative and his humour made the trip really entertaining.
Written 28 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Jeff and thanks for your wonderful feedback! We're very lucky to have Bart on our team of guides, so I'm delighted to hear that you found his tour informative and humorous!
Thanks again.
Written 13 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michael H
1 contribution
I'm confused about the difference in self guided and guided tours, looks like I can sign up for self guided 14 days in advance but a full tour with guide can't be reserved except on the day of the tour. is that correct? Thanks
GAR
243 contributions
I think this is correct, I had the same problem myself. I ended up doing a self guided tour, they give visitors a booklet which I think provided plenty of information
What time do the tours commence each day? On the website I can only find timeslots for self guided tours
Mandy C
Arlington, VA121 contributions
When we visited in October 2022 the first tour was at 10:00 am.
Concha B
17 contributions
hola queria saber si tienen audioguia en español o algun tipo de informacion para hacer el recorrido en español.
DublinCastle_OPW
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
We have written information in Spanish, but our audio guide is currently only in English.
Josephine B
Charlestown, RI585 contributions
Where is there parking close to Dublin castle? Thanks
Robert K
Santa Clara, CA22 contributions
Google parking lots near me. We walked and used the Green Hop and Hop Off Bus and walked in town. It's in a commercial area with lots of restaurants so there has to be parking nearby.
Vacation43007801386
2 contributions
Ciao a tutti volevo sapere se la visita guidata al Castello di Dublino c'è anche in Italiano oppure no. Grazie a tutti
ITRT
Virginia38,577 contributions
contact them directly at dublincastle
Guided Tours
Guided Tour (60 minutes) of the State Apartments, Medieval Section and Chapel Royal.
Admission
Adult €12
Senior (60+) €10
Student (valid student ID required) €10
Child (12-17) €6
Family (max. 2 adults & 5 children) €30
Self-guiding
Visitors can choose to self-guide (access to State Apartments and exhibitions only). We offer brochures on the State Apartments in seventeen languages at the ticket desk as well as additional information resources – simply ask one of our guides at the information desk in the State Apartments.
Admission
Adult €8
Senior (60+) €6
Student (valid student ID required) €6
Child (12-17) €4
Family (max. 2 adults & 5 children) €20
chicchic325
Houston, TX48 contributions
Do we need to buy tickets in advance? Do they actually seel out at the ticket booth?
DublinCastle_OPW
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
Hi there, tickets are available to book online but we have tickets available for walk-ins as well. These sell out during the day so the earlier you come in, the more choice you have.
Terry G
Norwich, UK12 contributions
do you have to go on guided tour to visit undercroft? can you see it on self-guided tour?
DublinCastle_OPW
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
Hi Terry, you can only visit the undercroft with the guided tour.
virtusTorino
Province of Turin, Italy59 contributions
All'interno del Castello si possono effettuare foto o riprese con la telecamera?
DublinCastle_OPW
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
You are allowed to take photos without flash!
Xannabob
10 contributions
A tad confused. Went to book a guided tour so we could see all areas today. Came to choose the date and time and the price came up at €12 even though it states on their website it is €10 admission for tour. What has everyone else paid?
DublinCastle_OPW
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
Hi there, from January 1st 2018 our prices will increase, so if your chosen date is in the new year you will be paying the new price.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Dublin Castle
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