Dublin at Night: Seven Evening Plans

Dublin at night is easy to enjoy without a long pub crawl. This list gives you seven plans, with times where an official page states them, and a section on getting home.

1. Irish music and dance show: best for a first night out

An evening show is the safest plan for your first night, because you get live music, dancing and a seat. The Irish House Party is a show in an 18th-century townhouse, and the listing says the optional dinner starts at 6:30pm and the show runs 8pm to 9:30pm. It is from €35 per person, rated 4.7 from 1,210 reviews, with free cancellation. Drinks are extra. The listing says it is not suitable for children under 5. It meets at the Lansdowne Hotel in Ballsbridge, and the listing does not state a group size. No official page gives a dress code for the show, so wear what you would wear to a pub.

Other shows follow the same pattern, with a start time, a set length and a ticket you book ahead. For all of them, read our page on Irish dancing show Dublin to compare venues and prices.

Things to Do in Dublin's count of GetYourGuide listings on 25 October 2026 found 8 evening shows of music, dance, cabaret or comedy, from €15 to €89 per person, and 7 of the 8 have free cancellation.

2. Live music in a Temple Bar pub: best for no booking

A pub session is the cheapest way to hear live music, and you can walk in without a reservation. The Temple Bar pub is open until 1:30am Monday to Wednesday and 2:30am Thursday to Saturday, and live music runs through its opening hours, according to the pub's own site. On Sunday it opens at 12:30pm and closes at 2:30am, with music until 1:30am. The pub says it does not take bookings.

The wider Dublin bar Temple area has many more pubs, so you can move on if one is full. The pub's site does not list drink prices, so this guide does not quote one.

Pro Tip The Temple Bar pub takes no bookings, so arrive before 8pm on a Friday or Saturday and you are more likely to find a table.

3. A ghost tour: best for groups

A ghost tour gives you a story, a walk or a ride, and a reason to see the old streets after dark. You can walk the old streets on your own for free, but you will not get the stories or the pub stop, which is what the tour adds. The ghost bus tour Dublin page compares the main options. The Gravedigger Ghost Bus lasts 2 hours, with live actors and a stop at the Gravediggers pub that includes one themed shot. It is from €35 per person, rated 4.4 from 1,101 reviews, and groups are up to 45 people. It starts at Church Lane and is not suitable for children under 14 or wheelchair users.

If you prefer to walk, the dark walking tour of haunted Dublin lasts 2 hours and meets at the Old Storehouse bar on Crown Alley in Temple Bar. It is from €24 per person, rated 4.8 from 498 reviews. The listing says it is not suitable for children under 12, pregnant women or people with heart conditions. The walking tour does not state a group size, and the Gravedigger bus returns to the same meeting point and has no hotel pickup. The walking tour does not include food, drinks or tips. It runs rain or shine, so the listing advises comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. Neither listing states the start time in the data we checked, so look at the time slots when you book.

4. An open-top night bus tour: best for a first look

A night bus tour shows the lit-up sights in an hour without any walking. The Big Bus panoramic night tour is a one hour open-top tour with a live guide. It is from €26 per person, rated 4.2 from 462 reviews, with free cancellation. Groups are up to 15 people. The tour leaves from O'Connell Street Upper and is not a hop-on hop-off service.

The listing names Temple Bar, Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral as sights on the route. Dublin Castle is closed to visitors until January 2027, so you will see it from the bus only.

5. An Irish dance show with a lesson: best for a cheap evening

A dance show with a lesson is the lowest-cost show on this list, and you join in. The Irish music and dance show with a dance lesson lasts 2 hours and meets upstairs at the Merchants Arch bar on Wellington Quay in Temple Bar. It is from €25 per person, rated 4.6 from 1,455 reviews, with free cancellation. The listing says you get a reserved table, and food and drinks are not included. It is not suitable for wheelchair users. The listing does not state a group size and gives no fixed start time in the data we checked, so choose a slot when you book. The listing says the price does not include hotel pickup.

6. Late Thursday at the National Gallery: best for a quiet evening

The National Gallery of Ireland stays open until 8.30pm on Thursdays, which makes it the one big museum for an evening visit. The gallery's visit page lists Thursday as 9.15am to 8.30pm, and every other day closes at 5.30pm. Monday and Sunday open at 11am. The page does not say whether entry is free, so check the price before you go.

On a rainy night this is a calm choice. Arrive by 7pm to leave time for a full walk round.

7. A dinner show outside the centre: best for a full evening

A dinner show takes the whole evening and removes the need to choose a pub. The Irish dinner and dance show at Johnnie Fox's lasts 4 hours and includes a three-course meal, reserved seats and live music and dancing. It is from €75 per person, rated 4.7 from 394 reviews, with free cancellation. The pub is in Glencullen in the Dublin hills, so you need a taxi or a car. The listing says there is free parking and that drinks are not included.

The listing calls it the highest pub in Ireland, which we could not check on an official page. If you would rather stay in the centre, go back to the show in plan 1.

How to choose your night

Pick by budget and by how late you want to stay out. Going on your own is enough for a pub session or the gallery, and a show or tour helps when you want a fixed plan, a seat and a story or lesson. The table shows what each plan costs and where it ends.

Key Takeaway Pubs and the National Gallery need no ticket, while shows and tours sell out, so book those a day ahead.

A late night is easier when the way home is planned first.

Getting home from Dublin at night

Getting home late costs a little more than in the day. Nitelink, Dublin Bus's late service, costs €2.40 for an adult with a Leap card and €3.10 in cash, as Transport for Ireland's bus fares page shows. You cannot tap a bank card on Dublin Bus, Luas or DART, so top up a Leap card or carry cash. The page does not list Nitelink times, so check the timetable for your route before you go out. For other ways around the city, see getting around Dublin.

Taxis charge more in the evening and at night. The National Transport Authority sets a maximum fare, and its taxi fares page shows a start charge of €5.40 for the night and weekend rates, against €4.40 in the daytime. Weekends from midnight to 4am have the highest per-kilometre rate. These are maximums, so the meter may show less. For a hotel far from the centre, a taxi is the simpler way back, and the pages do not list Nitelink stops by hotel, so ask your hotel which stop is nearest.