Visiting Dublin for the First Time? Here’s What To See and Do

While there are plenty of brewery tours to choose from, no first-time-visit-to-Dublin travel guide would be complete without recommending the Guinness Storehouse tour. Ireland’s most famous stout is made right here in Dublin, and the brewery is a popular place if you who want to learn about the history of the beer, the brand, and get insight into how to pour a perfect pint.

After touring the brewery, wrap up the experience at the Gravity Bar, an enclosed rooftop bar offering 360-degree views of the city. Best of all? Each tour ends with a complimentary pint.

Insider tip: The Guinness tour is open to all ages, but only guests 18 and up can imbibe. (Younger guests will receive a non-alcoholic beverage at the end of the tour.)

If you’ve spoken with anyone who's visited the Irish capital before, they probably mentioned enjoying Dublin pubs and live music experiences. It may be the quintessential Dublin experience: watching musicians gathering in a pub to play music, often in front of an enthusiastic crowd with pints of Guinness lining the tables. And you don’t even need to be familiar with traditional Irish music to get swept up in the tunes—the enthusiasm of the musicians is often infectious.

And sure, the sound of fiddles might draw you off the street into pubs in Temple Bar or other famous venues, but if you're especially interested in music, you should check out a music-themed tour or catch a live show at one of the city’s smaller clubs.

Of all the family-friendly activities in Dublin, taking a food tour and eating your way around the city may be one of the best. Especially because the island is known for its quality ingredients—from fresh seafood to farmstead cheddar—and chefs are incresingly using these excellent ingredients in an increasingly wide number of ways. (Plus, you'll be able to connect with the city’s chefs, makers, and bakers shaking up how Irish food is defined today.)

Join a food tour of the city to sample a range of the best local foods such as traditional brown bread, creamy ice cream, or stellar fish and chips. Or, if you'd prefer to explore Dublin’s liquid traditions, consider taking a distillery tour to learn about spirits including whiskey, cocktails such as Irish coffee, and more.

Related: Food in Dublin: 10 Quintessentially Irish Dishes and Where To Eat Them

If you do just two things on a first-time visit to Dublin, you're likely to go to the Guinness Storehouse and Temple Bar. But while Temple Bar (the neighborhood flanking the River Liffey, not the pub itself) is known for its pubs and nightlife, this area is also Dublin’s cultural quarter.

Look beyond the watering holes and you'll discover street art, vintage shopping options, an outdoor food market, a museum dedicated to photography, book shops, and the Irish Film Institute—which is incidentally a great place to see an independent film (if you haven’t already joined a guided Dublin movie tour).

Insider tip: Once you've discovered Temple Bar’s cultural side, complete the experience on a guided nightlife excursion or a literary pub crawl.

Trinity College—located in the heart of Dublin, and the place where writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett once studied—is known for its historic significance. In fact, this is where you can see the Book of Kells and visit the Long Room Library. Filled with more than 200,000 old books and topped with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, this library delights first-time and repeat visitors alike.

But this landmark is just the beginning of the historic sites to visit in Dublin, and you can learn more by joining a walking tour that dives into the city’s political history. Many walking tours even stop at places such as the General Post Office Museum, which was a significant place in the Easter Rising.

When considering day trips from Dublin for first timers, you might think the Cliffs of Moher or other west coast attractions. While there's obviously tons to explore in this part of Ireland, you don’t need to go quite so far for a day trip—especially because Dublin is a coastal city. In fact, it’s possible to hop on a train in the city center and be at the seaside in about 30 minutes.

That's why we'd recommend heading to Howth, a pretty fishing village north of the city center, where you can spend the day hiking along cliff paths or relaxing in a cozy pub over seafood and craft beer. Locals come here to stroll around the harbor and feast on oysters—follow their lead if you want to see a different side to Dublin and the surrounds.

Good news! Most museums in Dublin are free and centrally located, meaning you can pop in for a quick exploration rather than dedicate an entire day to getting your entry fee’s worth. However, if you choose just one museum, let it be the National Gallery of Ireland, with its excellent collection of Irish and European art. (The on-site café and bookstore are also worth a visit.)

Other museums to check out include the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Chester Beatty Library, and Photo Museum Ireland. But if you're particularly interested in art, seek out an art-themed walking tour or a guided photography tour—either one would make an excellent Dublin walking tour for beginners.

A Dublin must-see attractions itinerary might not always include parks, but it should. Between pub crawls and museum wanders, you’ll want a place to put your feet up, and Dublin has plenty—large and small.

Right in the city center, St. Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square both offer flower-lined paths with lots of benches for relaxing and people-watching. Prefer something slightly off the beaten path? Iveagh Gardens should do the trick—bring a picnic to enjoy while you relax in the grass.

But the biggest park of them all is Phoenix Park—at a whopping 1,750 acres (708 hectares), it's more than twice the size of New York City’s Central Park, making it ideal for families seeking space to play. (Plus, it's also home to the Dublin Zoo.)

Even for first-timers, it’s worth taking the time to discover neighborhoods outside Dublin city center. In Smithfield, hear traditional music at the Cobblestone or head to Ranelagh to wander the main street’s bookstores, pubs, and buzzing restaurants.

Meanwhile, in the Liberties, sip whiskey at the Teeling Whiskey Distillery or check out historic pubs such as the Brazen Head. In Portobello, stroll along the canal and visit cafés and brunch spots beloved by locals. No matter what direction you head, fun awaits.

When deciding where to stay in Dublin city centre, some theater-obsessed visitors opt for a location based strictly on their tickets. It's hard to blame them—the live performance scene in Dublin is fantastic, so you should make a point to catch a show when in town.

The Abbey Theatre and the Gate Theatre are located on the north side of the River Liffey, while the Gaiety Theatre and Bord Gais Energy Theatre are located on the south side of the River Liffey. All are excellent, but if you must go for just one? The Abbey Theatre is the national theatre of Ireland and regularly hosts Irish dramas and new plays.