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City Sightseeing Dublin Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
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From €34 per person
If you want to see all the major Dublin landmarks without spending half your trip working out bus routes or walking distances, this is the practical choice. You pick up a 24, 48, or 72-hour pass, hop on the open-top double-decker, and loop around 30+ stops covering every significant landmark in the city. Jump off wherever you want, take your time, and get back on when you’re ready.
The route covers the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, the Ha’penny Bridge, Phoenix Park, and Kilmainham Gaol, along with practically everywhere else you’d put on a Dublin list. Being up on the open top deck makes a real difference - you get a perspective on the city’s Georgian rooflines and riverside that you simply don’t get at street level, and it’s a much better angle for photography.
The audio guide runs in 8 languages, so you can follow Dublin’s history as the bus moves through it. What makes this particularly worth the price is what comes bundled in alongside the bus access. Depending on which ticket tier you choose, you get a free walking tour, entry to the Irish Whiskey Museum or World of Illusions, a sightseeing bike tour on the 72-hour ticket, and discounts at restaurants and pubs along the route. If you’re travelling with kids, one child aged 4 to 12 travels free with every two paying adults.
The best time to do the full loop without stopping is your first morning in Dublin. Staying on for the whole circuit gives you a brilliant overview of how the city is laid out - where the quays run, which neighbourhoods sit where, how far Phoenix Park actually is from the centre. After that loop, you’ll have a much clearer sense of where you want to go back and explore properly.
The stop at Kilmainham Gaol is worth more time than most people give it. The gaol tour runs separately and takes around an hour, but it’s one of the most historically significant sites in Ireland - the leaders of the 1916 Rising were imprisoned and executed here. Book your gaol tour slot in advance, as it fills up quickly, and use the hop-on hop-off to get there rather than trying to walk it from the city centre.
Phoenix Park is the size of a small town and deserves at least 90 minutes if the weather is decent. It’s home to the President of Ireland’s official residence, the Irish War Memorial, a herd of fallow deer, and the Dublin Zoo, all within one enormous green space. Most visitors underestimate it and only stay 20 minutes - don’t make that mistake.
If you’re doing the 72-hour ticket and picking up the bike tour, try to fit that in on day two rather than cramming everything into day one. The bike tour covers the city centre from a completely different angle and doubles as a good orientation for anything you want to revisit on foot.
For the open-top deck in Dublin, sit on the right-hand side heading away from the city centre and the left-hand side coming back toward it. You’ll catch the river views and the best angles on Christ Church and Dublin Castle from those positions.