Discover the culture and vibrancy of Ireland between the rolling landscapes and foggy skyline and see the best of Dublin and its historical highlights on this half-day tour with your knowledgeable tour guide and Dubliner.
On your private tour, you will:
Dublin has a rich 2,000-year-old history, spanning from the Celts to the modern-day; this curated walking tour will bring that history alive. On your tour, you will explore the castle’s 800-year history. Near old Christ Church Cathedral, you will learn about the area's history as a Viking settlement, and view the site of the world’s first performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Continue your turn about the city with a dive into some of Dublin's most famous architectural buildings, including the Neoclassical 18th-century former House of Parliament and the Georgian-style City Hall. You will also visit the famous Temple Bar, Dublin’s cultural and entertainment quarter and one of the liveliest nightlife areas that preserve its medieval street pattern, with many narrow, cobbled streets.
Visit the famed O’Connell Street, where you will see The Spire, Daniel O'Connell and James Joyce statues and the General Post Office. This is the very spot where the crowds gathered for the Declaration of Irish Independence and which became the inspiration for poetry and literature of the era. You will hear all about the many writers and rebels from your knowledgeable local guide.
Stepping on the Ha’penny Bridge, a beautiful pedestrian bridge that once charged the eponymous half penny to cross, we will cross the River Liffey to learn all about the famed Trinity College, Ireland’s first and most acclaimed university.
You will hear about the college’s numerous treasures and tales of renowned past students, including Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker as well as visit its campus and see the famous Book of Kells, the most famous of the medieval illuminated manuscripts.
Your tour will leave you not only full of the local history of the capital city but also with a great foundation to explore the city at your leisure.
Please note: external guides are not allowed in Trinity College so you will be parting ways with your guide at the entrance where you will join a small guided tour the visit to the Trinity College Campus, Old Library and the Book of Kells.
All books from the Long Room have been removed as part of the historic Old Library Redevelopment Project, except the first four bays as you enter the space. In the meantime your visitor experience will include a digital journey through the Old Library’s precious collections.
Explore the library history of Dublin, a city that has produced many famous writers and poets over the centuries – see where they took their inspiration on this private, off-the-beaten-path walking tour.
On your private walking tour, you will:
Ireland, the Emerald Isle, is famed for its lush green rolling landscapes and its capital city, Dublin, for its stunning architecture and turbulent political history, so it is no surprise that the country has produced so many famous literary figures!
On your private walking tour of beautiful Dublin, with its stunning architecture, wonderful traditional pubs and cafes and antiquated bookshops, you’ll see where figures such as Wilde and Joyce, Yeats and Stoker lived, studied, socialized, and wrote.
You will begin your private tour in Merrion Square, where many houses have plaques detailing the names of the rich and famous who once lived in the area, including Dublin’s most famous son, the writer and dramatist Oscar Wilde.
There is a statue of him in the middle of the square. Wandering on, you’ll spy a statue of Yeats in St Stephen’s Square, and pass by St Patrick’s Cathedral, where you will hear about the illustrious writer and satirist Jonathan Swift, who had a lifelong connection to the cathedral's Dean and is buried there.
Next, step back into the 18th century and learn the history of Marsh’s Library. Unchanged for three centuries, this perfectly preserved library of the early Enlightenment—with its original oak bookcases— houses more than 25,000 rare and obscure books.
On your literary tour of Dublin, you will visit Sweny’s Pharmacy and the literary pub Davy Byrne’s, both famous for their appearance in James Joyce's Ulysses, and are bursting with interesting tidbits about the famous novelist and poet.
UNESCO recognises Dublin as a City of Literature, reflecting the city’s rich and varied history of writers and writing. During your tour, you will meander through the streets, libraries, and bookstores which are woven into the stories and lives of Ireland's most celebrated Irish thinkers.
From Nobel Literature Prize winners WB Yeats, GB Shaw and Samuel Beckett to its beloved James Joyce, Dublin is brimming with stories of its favourite authors waiting to be heard.
Get a comprehensive look at some of the most important sites of the Easter Rising of 1916 in the beautiful city of Dublin, independent Ireland's capital city. In the company of a local guide well-versed in Irish history, you'll visit the scenes of fierce fighting, the statues of rebel leaders on O'Connell Street and the rebels' HQ at the General Post Office and gain an understanding of the events that led up to this pivotal moment in Ireland's struggle for independence.
On your private tour, you will:
While the fight for Irish independence or ‘Home rule’ had long been fought for, the Easter uprising of 1916 was a definitive moment in the history of Ireland and its long road to independence from the British. The rebellion took place in the middle of the First World War and was brutally suppressed by the British army. It paved the way for the election of Arthur Griffith as the president of a new nation six years later.
In this 2.5-hour private walking tour, you will explore the most significant sites of the Easter Uprising in Dublin, while learning all about the history of the Emerald Isle and its turbulent, often violent relationship with Britain. Hear about the events that led to the Easter Uprising, its defeat and the fallout from it.
Visit the General Post Office—the headquarters where the rebels declared Ireland a republic and raised the flag—to the City Hall, where fierce fighting took place. You will learn about the failed rebel attempt to capture Dublin Castle at the start of the conflict.
After walking up O’Connell Street, lined with the statues of those who made significant contributions to the fight for Independence, you will end the tour at the Garden of Remembrance, where the lives of all the Irishmen who fought for freedom are commemorated.
The memorial was placed on the site where rebel leaders of the Uprising were held before their execution. Above you’ll see the Irish flag, with the green colour representing Catholics, orange for protestants and white: a symbol of hope, that both can live together in peace. In 2011, Queen Elizabeth II visited the site, the first by a British monarch in 100 years. She laid a wreath of Remembrance and bowed her head. A deeply moving and healing moment for both countries.
Explore the highlights of central Dublin on this fascinating private welcome tour of Ireland's vibrant capital city. Situated on the Liffey River and the Irish Sea, surrounded by mountainous countryside, Dublin has a history spanning over a thousand years. The city has so much to offer, from its beautiful architecture and famous literary heritage to historic tales of the Vikings and Normans, the long fight for independence from the British, and its modern contemporary culture with picturesque cobbled streets, cafes, pubs, and general 'good craic!'
On your private walking tour, you will:
Get acquainted with Dublin on this engaging private tour with a knowledgeable local guide, the perfect way to get your bearings and to get to know the historic heart of Ireland's lively capital. You'll see all the highlights of the city, including the General Post Office on O'Connell's Street, the lively Temple Bar, City Hall, historic Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and St Stephen's Green.
You'll learn all about life in modern-day Dublin, as well as its long history dating back over 1000 years, as you walk along its quaint cobbled streets, passing beautiful, grand Georgian buildings, crossing the Liffey River into the fun, artsy and bohemian district of Temple Bar.
At Dublin Castle, the historic heart of the city and still a working governmental complex today, you'll hear about the Vikings, the Normans, and the country's long struggle for independence from the English. One of the most important buildings in Irish history, you'll be able to admire its 13th-century tower and surviving medieval structures. Your guide can reveal how Dublin has witnessed everything from the Great Famine to the fight for Irish Freedom and how it has evolved into a leading country in the European Union, a thriving modern city. You will also find out about Dublin's rich cultural heritage, and the different events that take place all over the city, including the annual St Patrick's Day Parade that attracts millions of revellers every year.
You'll pass by the prestigious Trinity College and hear about the academic excellence and poetic and literary appeal of the city, which was the home of many luminaries like James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and Oscar Wilde. Last but certainly not least, your tour will conclude with a scenic stroll through St. Stephen's Green, an iconic park in the heart of Dublin brimming with centuries of history. Once your tour comes to an end, your guide will be happy to recommend other things to see and do in the city or perhaps a top-notch pub nearby to enjoy a post-tour pint of Guinness.
However you choose to spend the rest of your day in Dublin, you will be left with a deeper understanding and a great affection for Ireland’s charming capital.
Situated on a beautiful bay at the edge of the River Liffey, and surrounded by spectacular mountainous countryside, the iconic city of Dublin has served as Ireland’s capital for over a thousand years and is known around the world for its rich cultural heritage, historic landmarks and friendly atmosphere. Our Dublin in a Day tour is a great way to make the most of your time in the city, showing off key sites in the company of a passionate local expert.
On your private full-day tour, you will:
Enjoy a delightful day exploring Dublin’s quaint cobbled streets, famed for their ‘craic’ (good fun) and filled with vibrant art, markets, cafes, pubs, and historic buildings. Thanks to your private guide, a local expert well-versed in Irish history and culture, you'll quickly get a feel for why so many famous historical figures have made Dublin their home, from beloved literary greats like W.B.Yeats, Oscar Wilde, (both of whom lived at Merrion Square,) Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett and James Joyce, to political and military figures like Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. Dublin has a long and varied history, dating back over 1000 years. Throughout your tour, you’ll learn about the Viking and Norman influences and see the medieval churches and 13th-century Dublin Castle. You’ll learn about the Christian takeover of Celtic traditions and spirituality, and hear all about the long struggle for Irish independence from the British as you stand outside the spectacular parliament buildings.
You'll make your way through the world-famous Temple Bar neighbourhood and enjoy its lively atmosphere of live music and buskers, and have the chance to peek inside the eponymous Temple Bar pub, founded back in 1840 and known for serving over 450 types of whiskey! Then, one of the main highlights of your tour of Dublin is undoubtedly your visit to Trinity College, Ireland’s historic elite university, considered equivalent to Oxford and Cambridge in England. You will follow in the footsteps of centuries of scholars as you make your way through its great library, home of the Book of Kells, one of the most famous and beautifully illustrated manuscripts in the world, consisting of an exquisite set of Gospels dating to circa 800 C.E.
Your guide will also show you inside two of Dublin’s major museums: the National Museum of Ireland to see the famous Bog bodies, remarkably well-preserved human remains discovered in Irish peat bogs, and the National Gallery to behold Caravaggio’s stunning painting The Taking of Christ. NB: In the event this work is on loan or unavailable on the day of your visit, your guide can show you other pieces within the museum's impressive collection. Last but certainly not least, you’ll take a taxi to the Guinness Storehouse, where your guide will bid you farewell, leaving you to enjoy the self-guided tour of this iconic brewery. You’ll learn all about Ireland’s most famous beer and take in panoramic views over the city as you enjoy a well-earned pint of the Black Stuff at the end of this fascinating day!
Please note: external guides are not allowed to guide in Trinity College, so you will join a shared guided tour at Trinity College Campus, Old Library and the Book of Kells. All books from the Long Room have been removed as part of the historic Old Library Redevelopment Project, except the first four bays as you enter the space. In the meantime, your visitor experience will include a digital journey through the Old Library’s precious collections.
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