Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
4
Historic SitesArchitectural BuildingsCastlesGovernment Buildings
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Monday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Tuesday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Wednesday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Thursday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Friday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Saturday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
Sunday
9:45 AM - 5:15 PM
About
Dublin Castle was for 700 years the seat of British power in Ireland. Today you can still view the remains of the 13th century structure as part of the guided tour. The present Dublin Castle dates from the mid 1700's and today is used by the Irish Governemnt for state events such as the inauguration of the Irish President and state banquets for visiting dignatories. Amongst the highlights are the Ladies Drawing Room, the Throne Room and St. Patricks Hall.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighborhood: South City Centre
How to get there
  • Jervis • 7 min walk
  • St. Stephen's Green • 8 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travelers are saying
  • Stephanie & Anthony
    Newark-on-Trent, United Kingdom627 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice visit
    Firstly if you expect to see a castle know it was transformed into a palace for the old viceroy. Lovely building with lots of information on it's history. Plenty of fantastic rooms to look through, really insightful. One of the museums we would recommend going along to
    Hello. We're delighted that you discovered some fantastic rooms in the 18th century State Apartments, and that you found the experience insightful. Thanks for your feedback on your visit to Dublin Castle!
    Written May 3, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 20, 2023
  • Barry H
    Swords, Ireland76 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very enjoyable
    Although only one tower is left from the original Castle which wasn't available to tour, the state apartments and St. Patrick's Hall were beautiful. Also the room where Irish patriot James Connolly was treated is open. The guide also took us underground where the foundations of the original Castle can be seen.
    Hello. Two of the four towers from the original medieval castle can be seen, specifically the Record Tower (visible from the lower courtyard) and the foundations of the Powder Tower (visible on the guided tour of the medieval undercroft). We're delighted that you were able to avail of the guided tour and hope that you got lots of historical value from your Tour Guide and the site itself. Thanks again for the feedback.
    Written May 3, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 22, 2023
  • Thanks For The Memories
    19 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dublin Castle and more recent renovated building
    If you go to the booking desk in person they can offer you a guided tour ( only 20 places per hour) with a castle guide telling about the medieval history and outlining things to see once in the castle . It’s just 4 euros more and well worth it . It helped a lot to better understand the history and relevance of the building. The free printed guides are also good support on the day.
    Hello thanksfortravel, and thank you for your feedback. We're delighted that you found value in the guided tour. Our tours often sell out, but we try to encourage people to take the guided tour if they have time. Thanks again.
    Written May 3, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 25, 2023
  • Luce
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great guided tour and a good site to visit with limited time to explore
    A great, well-maintained and historical building with a modern twist. The self guided tour was easy to follow with the information booklet and tickets were fairly priced. I opted for the additional guided tour of the medieval remains and chapel and would highly recommend if you are short on time during your visit. Our guide Darragh was very informative and engaging, and provided lots of historical facts about the medieval engineering of the ruins. The chapel was also stunning. The tour was well timed to an hour and all staff were very friendly and helpful.
    Hi Lucy. Thanks for your positive feedback. We'll be sure to pass on your lovely comments to our Tour Guide Darragh and the rest of our wonderful guiding team. Thanks again.
    Written May 3, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written April 6, 2023
  • GAR
    243 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must see
    Anyone giving this low reviews clearly hasn’t done their research! This is still a working castle used by the Irish government, so yes it doesn’t have many furnishings and you can’t see all of it. But it is still a beautiful building with a lot of history and very much worth seeing. Only €8 ticket, the booklet they give you for free has a lot of interesting information. There are also guided tours
    Hello Gioia. We're delighted that you enjoyed our written leaflets which guide visitors through the artwork of the 18th century State Apartments. Thanks for your positive feedback.
    Written May 3, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 7, 2023
  • 390bredah
    Carlow, Ireland4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visit to Dublin Castle as part of a group
    I visited Dublin Castle with Myshall Drumphea Social History Group on Saturday 6th May. We had a really enjoyable visit. The staff were courteous and friendly. Our tour guide was Marie who was both friendly and informative,and had no problem answering our questions. I highly recommend a visit to Dublin Castle.
    Hello. We're delighted that you enjoyed your tour with our fabulous Tour Guide Marie! Thank you for your feedback!
    Written May 7, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written May 6, 2023
  • Kelly B
    20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An hour well spent
    Not your typical castle. However, was cheap to enter and was pleasantly surprised. Was great we could pop our bags in a locker so didn't need to treck them round. The booklet we were handed as we entered bought the place the life. It was in perfect order of how you explore the castle and gives you history on each room and helps you find out things you would otherwise miss.
    Hi Kelly and thanks for your feedback! We're delighted that you found the information booklet helpful and that it brought the collection to life!
    Written May 21, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 15, 2023
  • Bryant S
    258 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dublin Castle
    Dublin Castle is currently in use by the Irish Govt so you won’t be touring midieval ruins. Make sure you do the guided tour. You won’t see much on the self guided tour. We did go underground where we saw a portion of an original tower and wall and this was very interesting. The chapel was also interesting but the reception hall portion was underwhelming. The information on the tour was more interesting than what we actually saw, but I’d still recommend it if you have a spare hour or so. You buy tickets at the castle, not online.
    Hi Bryant. We're delighted that you found the guided tour interesting. Thanks for your feedback!
    Written May 21, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 15, 2023
  • CarolDeland
    514 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Historic beautiful.
    Lush inside. More like a state government house versus old castle. It has been renovated over the past two to three hundred years. Room lovely. Not that large. Historic location visited by world leaders over the 1700 and 1800s. We paid 6 euro to enter.
    Hi Carol and thanks for your feedback!
    Written May 21, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 20, 2023
  • Meghan
    Green Lane, Pennsylvania3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great place to learn about English control of Ireland and with the tour you can learn even more!
    Dublin castle has a wide range of Irish history for you to learn about. The State Apartments are free to enter and offer a great way to learn about English control of Ireland. They provide free booklets that go through the different rooms and give descriptions about the importance of each room and about some of the art on the walls. But if you want to learn even more about Irish history going back all the way to the Vikings, book the Dublin Castle tour that takes you to more on the property. We had Pat as our tour guide, who was absolutely wonderful. Definitely somewhere to visit to learn about hundreds of years of Irish history.
    Hello and thanks for your feedback. We're glad that you had a wonderful experience with our great Tour Guide Pat! I'll be sure to pass on the feedback to him.
    Written May 21, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written May 20, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles5,406 reviews
Excellent
1,867
Very good
2,002
Average
1,200
Poor
254
Terrible
83

Maja I
Osijek, Croatia246 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
This was also a location we visited with our Dublin Pass, so we got off cheap, otherwise the ticket price is too high for what they offer. With a self-guided tour you only get to see the State Apartments, which are a bit underwhelming, and you don't get to see the Medieval Section and Chapel Royal. Also, most of the "castle" actually consists of modern age buildings, and the Medieval Tower is closed off to public. When we were there in December 2019 there was an exhibit of Lady Betty Cobbe's porcelain which had some really beautiful pieces, but other than that we just wandered around the vast and almost empty space. This location for me was one of the most disappointing places in Dublin we saw.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bigwawao
New York City, NY10,208 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2019
Small castle- don't think it is huge. Not as big as Windsor in my opinion but still very stately.

I suggest you do the tour as it includes the basement excavation where they found viking artifacts that are currently on display at the National Museum Archeology. The guide also gave depth and meaning to the different rooms we visited and gave a short history of Dublin as it related to the castle. Also with a guide you get access to the Medieval section and to the Chapel Royal - something you cannot do on your own.

The castle now is less of a traditional historical castle but more of a place for state functions and has State apartments (which are the only places you can visit on your own).

There was question of whether to buy the tickets in advance or on the day. For some reason, I did not buy it in advance ( as a rule I do) as I did not want to be tied to a specific day and time. I was ready to skip the castle but was thankful I did not. Anyway, I was able to buy the ticket right there and then and was able to get a guided tour slot. The slots do go a bit fast though. I was not able to get the first available slot to me but the next after it. I guess those slots were sold out online.

Highly suggested to visit the Castle.

They have free lockers to use. Restrooms also available.

As a tip, the Chester Beatty museum is within spitting distance. You can visit it before or after the Castle.
Written February 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting and leaving us a review! We are so glad you enjoyed your guided tour!
Written February 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tim C
Milborne Port, UK174 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
This is the free bit of Dublin Castle and it is very good within the confines of what is accessible.

All clean, with proper security on Covid - people actively check whether you have a mask and you are shepherded around a fixed route with limited stuff to touch.

Great that everyone can see, for free, the location where the ceremonial components of Irish national life take place. That said, they could do with putting a bit more information onto what the various paintings/sculptures/furniture were, and where they had actually put some explanatory note, this was very short and uninformative. There was limited opportunity to slide off into an alcove and be more informed.

Nonetheless, free and interesting, well laid out and a hint at what the castle must have been like a century and a bit ago.
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

hanna718
NOVA565 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
Bought my ticket ahead of time online, but only option (maybe still due to COVID restrictions) was the self-guided tour. Was able to upgrade at check in, though had to wait about 1.5 hours until the next available. This was a weekend, so on a weekday you might be able to get in sooner to your time. I was glad I paid the extra 4(?) Euro to do so, The self-guided ticket only gets you into the state apartments, which are interesting and full of art, but pretty limited. With the guided tour we also got to see the viking excavation and the chapel. The Tower itself remains closed. Worth seeing, but do not go in expecting castle. It was blown up, and then renovated much through the years, it is now used for official government events.
Written July 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Scott B
Wantagh, NY708 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
We paid for the tour and that was two parts, a tour of the unground castle ruins and the nearby Abbey, and then the self guided tour that is in the other portions of the building which hosts large national events, dignitaries, swearing in of officials (and presidents). This is a very fancy decorated building with artwork throughout, and some extremely large rooms for official functions.

The tour of the undergrounds was interesting where you see the ruins of the old castle and even water seeping in from the nearby river. The tour of the church explains why it is no longer used, since they want to keep state and church separate. But it is still very decorative and they said over the holiday season in December they deck it out fully and admission is free to the church only.
Written September 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting and leaving us a review, we are glad you enjoyed your guided tour!
Written October 12, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Matthew J
Warrington, UK364 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023
We visited Dublin Castle whilst in the City Centre and I have to admit, this exceeded my expectations!

When we arrived, we bought tickets for four adults at the desk. The guy serving was friendly and helpful and worked through the short queue of customers nice and quickly.

This castle itself is very grand and it's lovely to walk around the various different rooms. When you look at it from the outside, it doesn't look like a castle in a traditional sense, but the interior is truly magnificent. You can also read about the castle's history and artefacts in each of the different rooms as there is information on the walls.

I also liked that some of the rooms have seating areas so you can take a seat if you have mobility problems.

The whole place is VERY well-kept and the gent's toilets were spotless.

The only thing I would raise is that the entrance fee is not the cheapest in the world. We paid 8€ per person, so for us that was 32€ spent before we entered, which was a bit steep considering there's not a lot to the inside. You can easily see the full place in an hour. Also, The Wedgwood Room features a couple of male sculptures that display parts of the human anatomy that you might not want to see, if you know what I mean! This is not a criticism - it's just something you might want to bear in mind!

Having said that, I would still recommend a visit here as it is still cheaper than some other attractions in the area. Would recommend!
Written August 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Matthew. We're delighted that you found our team of staff helpful and our toilets 'spotless'! Thanks for your review of the site.
Written September 11, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Luce
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Solo
A great, well-maintained and historical building with a modern twist. The self guided tour was easy to follow with the information booklet and tickets were fairly priced. I opted for the additional guided tour of the medieval remains and chapel and would highly recommend if you are short on time during your visit.

Our guide Darragh was very informative and engaging, and provided lots of historical facts about the medieval engineering of the ruins. The chapel was also stunning. The tour was well timed to an hour and all staff were very friendly and helpful.
Written April 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Lucy. Thanks for your positive feedback. We'll be sure to pass on your lovely comments to our Tour Guide Darragh and the rest of our wonderful guiding team. Thanks again.
Written May 3, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Minnie0108
Zagreb, Croatia113 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
Definitely worth a visit!
It might not take a long time for you to take a tour around the castle (30-45 minutes), but it is a very interesting and important building for Dublin and Ireland.

We saw some beautiful paintings and pieces of furniture and read some incredible stories about certain rooms in the castle.

The tickets are also quite inexpensive so if you are in Dublin, I think you should visit the castle.
Written April 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting and leaving us a review! We're glad you enjoyed your experience here in Dublin Castle.
Written May 29, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Gaetano A
Malton, UK709 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
This Castle was once the royal residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Until 1922 it was a seat of the British Government's administration in Ireland. Nowadays, it is a major Irish government complex, a conference centre and a tourist attraction. You can go around the Castle for free but to admire the marvelous and richly decorated buildings inside you have to join a guided tour at a price.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ju W
Fort Lauderdale, FL71 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
Might be worth shelling out the extra cash for a guided tour. We did the self guided. You can tell that the small castle is mostly used for diplomatic meetings and state visits. Very strong British presence with British portraits hung throughout and the English primrose displayed almost everywhere.
Written February 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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