Unusual Things to Do in Dublin: Seven Hidden Gems

Dublin has plenty of quiet corners away from the main sights. Here are seven of them, from a cemetery to a park full of wild deer.

1. Glasnevin Cemetery: the best offbeat history tour

Glasnevin Cemetery is Ireland's national cemetery, and it is open to the public all year. The operator, the Dublin Cemeteries Trust, runs guided tours daily and also lets you walk the grounds on your own. Its visitor page says booking is essential for the Irish History Tour and that tickets are bought online. The main gates open daily from 9am to 5pm.

The Extra-Ordinary Lives exhibition sits in the Visitor Centre, and a pedestrian gateway leads to the National Botanic Gardens. The operator's page shows conflicting opening hours and phone numbers, so confirm the details when you book. It also shows no clear ticket price, so use the price on the booking page.

For a guided visit, see the tours Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin page. The Glasnevin Cemetery guided history tour lasts 2 hours and costs from €17 per person. It is run by Experience Glasnevin and rated 4.7 from 159 reviews on GetYourGuide, with free cancellation. The listing names no group size and no extras left out, so the price covers the tour as described. The listing names the Daniel O'Connell crypt, 20th-century Irish history and the O'Connell Tower climb. You meet at the cemetery on Finglas Road. Walking the grounds alone is enough if you just want to see them, but the tour adds the guide, the crypt and the tower climb. No official page compares Dublin's cemeteries, so this guide covers only Glasnevin. Mount Jerome Cemetery at 158 Harold's Cross Road is the other Dublin cemetery this guide names. It is open to visitors, and its site says it gets 200,000 visitors a year, but it lists no tours or hours on its home page. A pint afterwards is part of many plans, so the drink prices Dublin figures are worth a look before you set a budget.

Pro Tip Book the Glasnevin tour online before you go, as the operator says booking is essential, and allow two hours for the tour alone.

2. Jeanie Johnston tall ship: a famine voyage on the docks

The Jeanie Johnston is a tall ship in the Docklands that tells the story of Irish emigration during the Famine. The guided tour takes about 50 minutes, according to the ship's own site. The ship is open seven days a week, and tours run on set times from 10am to 4.30pm between March and October. The site gives no winter times, so check before a winter visit.

The operator lists adult tickets at €16, a child at €10.50 and a senior at €13. It advises booking ahead, because tours run at scheduled times and can sell out. The ship sits at Custom House Quay, a short walk from the Luas Red Line stop at George's Dock and from Connolly Station.

The Jeanie Johnston tall ship tour is run by the Jeanie Johnston Famine Museum. Prices start at €16 per person, with free cancellation. It is rated 4.7 from 630 reviews, and groups are up to 30 people. Entry to the guided tour is included, and hotel pickup is not included. You meet at Custom House Quay. GetYourGuide marks it not suitable for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility, because you climb on a ship.

3. The Little Museum of Dublin: a city story in one house

The Little Museum of Dublin is a small museum at No. 15 St Stephen's Green, and you see it only by guided tour. The museum's visit page says it opens seven days a week from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.30pm. Tours are strictly limited, so book ahead.

The "Famous Dublin Welcome" tour costs €18, with €16 for seniors and students. A family ticket for two adults and up to three children costs €45. The museum is wheelchair accessible. A DoDublin hop-on hop-off ticket includes entry, but you swap it at reception for the next free tour and cannot book it ahead.

GetYourGuide has no listing for this museum in our count. Book it on the museum's own site. Its visit page lists no group size and no pickup, and the visit is a guided tour in the house, so a tour is the only way in. The Rock 'N' Roll Museum is also guided, so the same holds there. No official page names other odd or small museums that this guide covers.

4. Irish Rock 'N' Roll Museum Experience: a studio tour in Temple Bar

The Irish Rock 'N' Roll Museum Experience is a 60 minute guided tour of the Irish music industry over the last 30 years. The museum's site says the first tour starts at 10.30am and the last at 5pm, seven days a week. Its exhibits include a jam room, a recording studio and a Thin Lizzy exhibition.

Reception is at the entrance to the Button Factory on Curved Street. This is in Temple Bar, so you can pair it with a walk through the Temple Bar streets. The site shows no ticket prices, and it says tickets are included with the Go City Dublin Pass. Book through the link on the museum's site.

Key Takeaway Four of these picks (Glasnevin, the Jeanie Johnston, the Little Museum and the rock museum) run at set times, so book each one ahead.

5. A folklore and mythology walk: the centre without the crowds

A folklore walk shows you the same streets as the usual tours, but with stories of the banshee, the púca and old Irish myths. The mythology, folklore and legends walking tour lasts 2 hours and is run by Original Dublin. Prices start at €24 per person, rated 4.8 from 1,226 reviews, with free cancellation.

Per the listing, the walk visits lesser-known corners as well as spots such as Temple Bar and O'Connell Street. It does not name the other stops, so expect the guide to choose them. The only named sites are Temple Bar and O'Connell Street, and no official page lists Dublin folklore sites, so the stories and the banshee and púca come from the guide. A guide and the walk are included. The meeting point is 3 Crown Alley in Temple Bar, and the walk is a good pick over going alone because the stories come from the guide, not from signs. Groups can be up to 100 people, hotel pickup and tips are not included, and you walk the whole way.

6. Whiskey blending: make your own miniature bottle

A blending class lets you mix your own Irish whiskey and take a small bottle home. Things to Do in Dublin's count of GetYourGuide listings on 25 October 2026 found 13 workshop, class and blending listings, from €26 to €140 per person, all with free cancellation.

The whiskey blending class at the Irish Whiskey Museum lasts 75 minutes. It costs from €37 per person, rated 4.6 from 417 reviews, with free cancellation. You taste four types of Irish whiskey, then blend your own. Groups are up to 20 people. This is the only hands-on class this guide describes, so it is the one to book if you want to make something. The other listings in the count are not covered here, so this is the only workshop this guide prices. The tasting and your 70ml bottle are included. The class is for adults only, as the listing marks it not suitable for children under 18. The blending is in English, and the audio tour needs your own phone and headphones. The meeting point is 119 Grafton Street, and food is not included.

7. Phoenix Park: wild deer in the city

Phoenix Park is one of the largest enclosed public parks of any European capital, and fallow deer live there wild. The park's site says it is open 24 hours a day, every day, and that you should not feed or approach the deer. The main gates at Parkgate Street and Castleknock stay open all day, and the side gates open from about 7am to 10.45pm.

Dublin Zoo is inside the park but has its own tickets. The park page does not say that entry to the park is free, so this guide does not claim it.

How to choose unusual things to do in Dublin

Pick by the time you have and the mood you are in. The table compares the seven picks.

The best corners of a city are the ones a map hardly mentions.

Offbeat picks suit people who have seen the big sights, such as the Guinness Storehouse. They are the wrong choice if you have one day and no sightseeing yet. For a first visit, the big sights come first.