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National Museum of Ireland
Attractions in Dublin

In Dublin, Dublin Castle is the name to know

The 2022 count at Dublin Zoo was 1.3M visitors. 190 places to visit are mapped inside Dublin’s city boundary, with 24 more within 5 km of its edge. On the list: 67 museums, 40 art galleries and 20 attractions, among others. Of these, 19 are looked after by the Office of Public Works. Drive 36 km to reach Glendalough.

Photo: National Museum of Ireland, Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In Dublin
190
inside the city boundary
Within 5 km
24
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
107
in or near town
Castles & historic places
69
in or near town
Cared for
19
the OPW, the NPWS and Coillte
Best known

The first to see in Dublin

Dublin Castle aside, the next best known are 2 museums, a cathedral and a historic house.

CastleCastle · Office of Public WorksDublin Castlein townBig drawMuseumNational Museum of Irelandin town · 783K visitors a yearCathedralSt Patrick's Cathedralin townMuseumNational Library of Irelandin townHistoric houseLeinster Housein townBig drawZooDublin Zooin town · 1.3M visitors a year (2022)

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

The lie of the land

The list reaches out to Kilruddery House, 21 km away.

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The dashed line is Dublin’s city boundary; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · CSO 2022 outline

By kind

Grouped by kind

Count 107 museums or galleries and 69 castles or historic places.

Museums & galleries 67 museums · 40 art galleries102 in town · 5 nearby
Castles & historic places 18 historic houses · 17 castles · 14 churches · 13 historic sites · 3 cathedrals · 2 abbeys or priories · 1 fort · 1 historic ship57 in town · 12 nearby
Gardens & estates 13 gardens10 in town · 3 nearby
Nature & islands 1 island0 in town · 1 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 2 zoos · 2 water parks3 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 20 attractions18 in town · 2 nearby

Green: inside Dublin. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

19 places are cared for by the Office of Public Works (Dublin Castle, Saint Stephen's Green, Chester Beatty and Kilmainham Gaol, and 15 more).

Every place

Everything on the list

The 190 inside Dublin come first, then 24 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 190 inside Dublin come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches, protected structures and monuments belong to the History page, not here.

Monuments and historic buildings in Dublin → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Dublin →

Big names nearby

Further out, the best known

The pick of the 12 is Glendalough, 36 km off.

Abbey or prioryGlendalough36 km southNational parkWicklow Mountains National Park36 km southHistoric houseRussborough House and Parklands29 km southwestCastleMaynooth Castle21 km westHistoric houseHistoric houseNewbridge House & Farm18 km northeastCastleBarberstown Castle22 km westCastleArdgillan Castle and Gardens29 km northAbbey or prioryBective Abbey39 km northwestTheme parkEmerald Park26 km northwestCastleThreecastles Castle22 km southwestCastleKindlestown Castle25 km southeastCastleKilteel Castle20 km southwest

Places well known beyond Dublin (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Office of Public Works or National Parks and Wildlife Service property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Quick answers on Dublin

What are the main attractions in Dublin?

The best known inside Dublin’s city boundary are Dublin Castle, National Museum of Ireland, St Patrick's Cathedral and National Library of Ireland. In all, 190 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 24 more within 5 km.

Does Dublin have a museum?

107 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Dublin: National Museum of Ireland, National Library of Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland and Chester Beatty.

Is there a Heritage Ireland (OPW) or national park property near Dublin?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Dublin, 19 places are cared for by the Office of Public Works (Dublin Castle, Saint Stephen's Green, Chester Beatty and Kilmainham Gaol).

What are the best-known days out near Dublin?

Within 40 km: Glendalough (36 km), Wicklow Mountains National Park (36 km), Russborough House and Parklands (29 km), Maynooth Castle (21 km).

How is this list made?

From Fáilte Ireland’s open data on attractions (museums, castles, historic houses, abbeys, gardens, national parks, landscapes, islands, zoos and visitor farms: restaurants, pubs, shops and tour operators are left out), OpenStreetMap (places open to visitors; a ruined castle on farmland needs a sign it can be visited) and Wikidata (what each place is, who looks after it, its Wikipedia articles), merged into one list and placed in the town’s CSO 2022 outline or within 5 km of its edge.

Places to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in each town’s CSO 2022 outline. Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (70)

Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).