Dublin Itinerary: 3 Days, Day by Day

Three days work because the main sights fall into three groups: the old centre, the west side, and a day trip or the north side. Two days cover the best-known sights, and four days add Howth.

The 2026 Dublin Travel Cost Study puts a typical four-night Dublin trip for two, in a 4-star room with two paid activities, at €1,330, or about €166 per person per day.

Step 1: Spend day one in the old centre

Day one covers the old centre: Trinity College, St Patrick's Cathedral and the Little Museum of Dublin. Dublin Castle is the usual fourth stop, but the castle's own site says it is closed to the public until January 2027. It gives no exact reopening day. Leave it for a later trip, and read the Dublin Castle guide when it opens again.

Start with an overview of the city. The big bus tour Dublin guide compares the hop-on hop-off options. The Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour is run by Big Bus Tours Dublin and starts at 13 Upper O'Connell Street. Tickets are from €32 per person, rated 4.4 from 1,081 reviews, with free cancellation. The listing shows 24, 48 or 72 hour tickets, and hotel pickup is not included.

If you would rather walk with a guide, the Highlights and Hidden Gems walking tour lasts 2 hours. Original Dublin runs it, and it starts at 3 Crown Alley in Temple Bar. The price is from €24 per person, rated 4.8 from 4,085 reviews, and hotel pickup is not included. If you plan to stay in the centre all day, take the walking tour and skip the bus. The centre is compact and you can walk it on your own, so a tour is only worth it if you want a guide's stories. Kilmainham Gaol and the Little Museum are guided by design, so they need no extra tour.

Next, book the Book of Kells. Trinity's page says entry is timed, online booking is strongly recommended and tickets are non-refundable. The experience with an audio guide is from €25 per person. Allow about 90 minutes. The page shows opening at 08:30 Monday to Saturday and at 09:00 on Sunday.

Pro Tip Book the Book of Kells for the morning, because entry is timed, tickets are non-refundable and the visit takes about 90 minutes.

In the afternoon, go to St Patrick's Cathedral. The cathedral charges €11.50 for an adult ticket. It lists free guided tours Monday to Saturday at 10:30 and 14:30, and none on Sunday. Tours can be cancelled at short notice.

End at the Little Museum of Dublin at 15 St Stephen's Green. You enter by guided tour only, so book ahead. A ticket is €18, and the museum is open daily from 09:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30.

Step 2: Spend day two on Kilmainham Gaol and Guinness

Day two takes you to the west side for two sights that both need a booking. Do Kilmainham Gaol in the morning and the Guinness Storehouse after lunch.

Kilmainham Gaol is open by guided tour only. The gaol's plan a visit page lists an adult ticket at €8 and says to allow about 90 minutes. The Luas Red Line stop is Suir Road, and there is no car park. Children under 6 are not recommended, buggies and wheelie bags are not allowed on the tour, and the building is very cold in winter.

Tickets are sold only by the OPW (Office of Public Works), the state body that runs the gaol. The gaol says third-party tickets are not valid and holders are refused entry. A select number of tours are released 28 days ahead from midnight Irish time, and extra tickets for the day are released from 09:15.

The Guinness Storehouse comes next. The Storehouse FAQ says to allow at least 90 minutes for the self-guided tour. Slots run in 15-minute blocks, and you should arrive five minutes early. Opening hours are 10:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 18:00 on Saturday and 09:30 to 17:00 on Sunday. Tuesday to Thursday from 10:00 to 12:00 is the quieter time. The ticket includes one drink in the Gravity Bar. Read more in the Guinness Storehouse guide.

On price, the Storehouse says adult tickets start from €26 and that online is €2 cheaper than on the door. The official Guinness Storehouse entry ticket on GetYourGuide is from €37 per person, rated 4.6 from 27,015 reviews, and the listing shows free cancellation. The Storehouse itself names GetYourGuide as a recognised seller. It also says its own tickets are non-refundable, with a free date or time change up to 24 hours before. Compare the price for your slot on both sites before you pay.

Key Takeaway Book Kilmainham Gaol 28 days ahead on the OPW site, and pick your Guinness slot before you fly.

A first visit goes better when the booked sights come early and the free time comes last.

Step 3: Spend day three on a day trip or the north side

Day three is your free day, and it suits either the Cliffs of Moher or the north side of the city. Pick the day trip if you have energy for a long day, and the north side if you want a slow one. No official page names a best weekday for a day trip, so choose the day your other bookings leave free.

The Cliffs of Moher, Burren and Galway day tour is run by Finn McCools Tours and lasts 13 hours. The price is from €78 per person, rated 4.7 from 28,191 reviews. The listing includes Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience entry, 2 hours at the cliffs and time in Galway. It meets at Parnell Square North, hotel pickup is not included, and it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Other options, including ireland private tours from Dublin, leave the city too.

You can also go on your own. The train from Heuston to Galway takes about 2 hours 20 to 2 hours 40 in Irish Rail's timetable. Bus Éireann route 350 then runs from Galway to the Cliffs, as the Cliffs of Moher site lists. That is a long day, so a tour is the easier choice if you want one ticket and one pickup point. Go on your own if you like to set your own pace and do not mind two connections.

For the north side, start at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in the Docklands. The museum is open seven days from 10:00 to 18:45, with last entry at 17:00. An adult ticket is €22 online or €24 on the day, and it includes a free return visit within 10 days. Then walk or ride to Phoenix Park, which the OPW says is open 24 hours a day. Finish in Temple Bar in the evening.

The days also change with your trip length. With two days, do steps 1 and 2 and skip day three. With four days, add Howth, which is about 25 to 26 minutes by DART from Connolly station in the Irish Rail timetable.

Step 4: Book the timed tickets for your Dublin itinerary

Book the timed tickets first, because they decide which day each sight falls on. Use the table to see how far ahead each one needs a booking.

In Things to Do in Dublin's count of GetYourGuide listings on 25 October 2026, 211 of the 216 listings for Dublin and day trips from it offer free cancellation. Terms differ by tour, so read the cancellation line on the booking page before you pay.

Step 5: Choose a base and a travel card

For a first visit, sleep in the centre so you can walk to day one. The where to stay in Dublin guide compares the areas. Drury Court Hotel is on Stephen Street Lower, 200 metres from Grafton Street and a 5-minute walk from Temple Bar. NYX Hotel Dublin Christchurch is on Exchange Street Upper, 100 metres from Dublin Castle, with a restaurant and a bar.

You cannot tap a bank card on Dublin Bus, Luas or DART today. Use a Leap card, cash on the bus, or a ticket machine at stations. The Leap Visitor Card costs €18 for 72 hours. It works on Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and commuter rail in Zone 1, but not on hop-on hop-off buses or Bus Éireann.

A standard Leap card caps adult fares at €6 a day. So three days of riding cost at most €18, the same as the 72 hour Visitor Card. For more routes and fares, see getting around Dublin.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026.