5 Paid Attractions To Visit in South Dublin
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In this post I’m talking about paid attractions to visit in south Dublin. These are all in the city centre, but south of the Liffey river (unlike the previous post where I talked about paid attractions in the central Dublin but north of the river). Like the previous post I have made a Google Map of these attractions with nearby train or luas (the above-ground tram) listed as well. Admission rates listed for any attraction are accurate for the original publication date of this post. I would strongly recommend booking tickets/tour times in advance on line for these attractions as a couple of them are some of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland.
Guinness Storehouse
Visiting the Guinness Storehouse was the first touristy thing I did when I moved to Dublin. I wrote a blog post about my experience, so I won’t go into a ton of details here. The Guinness Storehouse is a self-guided tour with different exhibits about Guinness from the ingredients in the beer to advertisements. There is a tasting you can do if you want, and you ticket includes a pint of Guinness (or a mineral a.k.a soda) at the Gravity Bar, which is located at the top of the storehouse after the tour is done. This is one of the most popular attractions to visit in Dublin so you’ll want to book your time online particularily if it’s a weekend or holiday.

The Guinness Storehouse is located at St. James’s Gate, Dublin 8. The closest train station is Heuston, which is about a 16 minute walk away. There’s also a Luas stop just outside Heuston station, but there is a closer luas stop (James’s), which is only a 9-minute walk. Both the Heuston and James’s luas stops are on the red line.
Kilmainham Gaol
In the previous post I mentioned learning about the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO Museum. Well, history spoiler alert most of the leaders involved in that historic event (except one) were sent to trial and eventually executed at Kilmainham Gaol (last word is pronounced like jail). This gaol was in operation from the late 1700’s to the 1920s, and held many prisoners, not just those involved in historic Irish events. Kilmainham Gaol was preserved as historic museum in the 1960s. You need to book tickets for a tour in order to visit this museum, so I recommend booking ahead online. Adult tickets are €8 and children tickets are €4. My parents and I visited this site together when they came to visit me so this one was free for me, but I would highly recommend visiting this attraction in Dublin.

Kilmainham Gaol is located Inchicore Rd, Kilmainham, Dublin 8. Like the previous attraction the closest train station is Heuston, which is about a 17 minute. The James’s Luas stop is slightly closer, about a 16 minute walk away.
Dublinia
Dublinia is a small museum that’s about the Viking and Medieval History of Dublin. It has several different interactive exhibits and displays, so it would be a good museum to take kids. However myself and my parents did enjoy this museum when we went (and no I didn’t have to pay for this one either). It only took us about an hour to get through If you pay admission you can walk across the covered covered bridge that goes over Winetavern Street to Christchurch Cathedral. Admission is €14 for adults and €6.50 for children. While I enjoyed this museum I did like the National History Museum a bit better (probably because it was free so I could visit that one a few times). If you don’t have much context for the Viking and Medieval history of Dublin this gives a nice overview that you can see in an hour or so.

Dublinia is located at St Michaels Hill Christ Church, Dublin 8. There isn’t a train station close by; the closest would be Tara Street, which is about a 19-minute walk away. The closest Luas stop is Four Courts on the red line and is about a 7-minute walk. This luas stop is north of the Liffey so you’ll have to cross the river at the O’Donovan Rossa Bridge.
Christchurch Cathedral
Christchurch Cathedral is one of two famous churches in Dublin (the other St. Patrick’s Cathedral I didn’t visited). I got a discount for this Christchurch with a hop on hop off bus tour (yellow bus and I had a Groupon deal for that tour so it was a really good deal). This cathedral has been in operation for over 1000 years, and has crypts, it’s resting place of a few historic Irish figures, and has a mummified mouse and cat. When I was there also had costumes from the tv series The Tudors on display (not sure if those are still there). Being a place of worship you could attend a service if you wanted, but you wouldn’t be able to visit the museum parts of the church. You can buy admission for a tour or do a self-guided tour. I went self-guided, but I’d recommend an actual tour if you want to have a better understanding of Christchurch Cathedral’s history and some of the things your seeing inside. They also have a combined ticket with Dublinia so you could easily do both attractions on the same day.

Christchurch Cathedral is located at Christchurch Place, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. As this is right across from Dublinia the directions are similar for that attraction. The closest train station would be Tara Street (about a 19-minute walk away). The closest Luas stop is Four Courts on the red line and is about a 7-minute walk. Four Courts is north of the Liffey so you’ll have to cross the river at the O’Donovan Rossa Bridge.
Book of Kells & The Long Room at Trinity College
Trinity College is a functioning and quite famous University in central Dublin, not far from Temple Bar. You can wander around some of the grounds for free and see the famous bell tower, but the paid attraction here is the Book of Kells and the Long Room. The Book of Kells is an illustrated version of several gospels from the bible that dates back to the 9th century. The Long Room (part of the Old Library) is a historic library that you’ll probably recognize from different movies. You aren’t allowed to touch the books here (they’re quite old and fragile), but you can walk around and take photos. In order to visit either the Book of Kells or The Long Room you’ll need to buy a ticket for both, which will cost €18.50. Aside from maybe the Guinness Storehouse this is the busiest tourist attraction in Ireland. Definitely book tickets in advance and if you can avoid going on a weekend do so (it will still be busy but a little less crazy busy).

The Book of Kells and the Long Room is located at The University of Dublin Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2. The closest luas station is Trinity stop on the green line, which is about a 4-minute walk. The Dawson Luas stop a bit furth on the green line, is also a 4-minute walk away. For the train Pearse Street is the closest, about a 9-minute walk, but Tara Street is also fairly close by (10-minute walk).
Bonus – 2 Attractions I Wished I Visited in South Dublin
There are two attractions in South Dublin I wish I’d visited in South Dublin. One is a pretty big oversite and that’s Dublin Castle. Granted I did visit the free Chester Beatty Library on the castle grounds (and wandered around the castle grounds open to the public for free), but I never booked a tour or visited the castle itself. Next time I go back to Dublin I’d visit Dublin Castle. The other site I wish I’d visited is The Little Museum of Dublin. This is a small museum by St. Stephen’s Green, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this museum and the tours they have. I think I would have had a bit more context for some of Dublin’s history if I’d visited this museum early on, and I’d still like to visit this museum next time I’m in Dublin.
I think I’ve written about all the attractions I visited in Dublin itself while I was living there. Be sure to check out the previous post about attractions on the north side of central Dublin. And if you’re looking to save some money you can read my post about free museums in Dublin.
Things To Know
If you’re planning to visit Dublin you can book your hotel here.
Have you been to any of these attractions in south Dublin? Are there any other attractions in Dublin you’d recommend visiting?