Do Dublin, Like a Dubliner a Half Day Walking Tour

About This Tour

Four hours, a professional local guide, and a version of Dublin that doesn’t get softened for the brochures. This private walking tour moves at a relaxed pace through some of the city’s most interesting corners, mixing history and culture with the option to stop for food and drink at traditional Irish places along the way.

You start at Bewley’s Café Theatre on Grafton Street - the oldest café in Ireland, known for its cherry buns and scones, and home to lunchtime theatre. From there the tour takes in 13 stops across central Dublin, from Viking foundations to the 1916 Rising, from the Book of Kells to Temple Bar’s cobbled streets.

The tour is fully private - just your group and your guide - and conducted in English.

What’s Included

• Professional guiding services for the full 4 hours

What’s Not Included

• Snacks and food stops along the way (optional, at your own cost)

Itinerary

1. Bewley’s Café Theatre (15 min) - The oldest café in Ireland, famous for its cherry buns and scones, and home to live lunchtime theatre.
2. Grafton Street (15 min) - Dublin’s main upmarket shopping street, packed with high-end brands and street musicians.
3. St. Stephen’s Green (15 min) - A beautiful 22-acre park in the city centre, with a famous shopping centre on its edge and plenty of weekend family life around the duck ponds.
4. The Shelbourne Hotel (10 min) - One of Dublin’s most iconic 5-star hotels; Michael Collins used it as a base in 1918, and the film “Michael Collins” with Julia Roberts and Liam Neeson was shot here.
5. Leinster House (5 min) - Home to the Irish national government (Dáil and Seanad); originally the home of the Earl of Kildare, set in a leafy part of the city.
6. National Gallery of Ireland (10 min) - The largest public art gallery in Dublin, housing some of the world’s most important works; free entry 7 days a week.
7. Trinity College (20 min) - The oldest university in Dublin; home to the famous Book of Kells and the historic Long Library.
8. Dublin Castle (15 min) - The site where Vikings, Normans and the British held power in Ireland before independence in 1922.
9. Christ Church Cathedral (5 min) - The oldest building in Dublin; the site of the first Viking church over 1,000 years ago, and home to the famous Bells of Dublin which ring out twice a day.
10. St. Patrick’s Cathedral (10 min) - The famous cathedral associated with Jonathan Swift; open to the public for self-guided interior tours, and known for its stunning choral services and masses.
11. GPO on O’Connell Street (10 min) - The site of the 1916 Rising; home to Ireland’s largest post office still in use, and the annual stop for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
12. The Spire (5 min) - At 120 metres, the world’s tallest freestanding art sculpture; installed in 2003 and now the central meeting point for visitors and locals alike.
13. Temple Bar (25 min) - Dublin’s cultural quarter, full of shops, pubs, restaurants and arts activity; a lively end point to the tour.

Meeting point: Outside Bewley’s Café Theatre, Grafton Street.

Good to Know

Wheelchair accessible. Infants and small children can travel in a pram or stroller. Service animals are welcome. Public transport is available nearby. Travellers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness. This is a private tour, conducted in English.

Local Tips

Bewley’s is worth arriving at five minutes early so you can have a proper look around before the tour kicks off. The building itself - Oriental cafés, stained glass by Harry Clarke, the smell of coffee that’s been in the walls for decades - tells you something about how Dubliners relate to their city. Cherry bun optional but recommended.

At the National Gallery, your guide will point it out rather than going in on this tour, but it’s worth coming back to on your own if you have a free afternoon. Entry is free, the collection is genuinely world-class, and it’s rarely as crowded as you’d expect for what it holds.

Christ Church is easy to walk past if you’re not looking up. Ask your guide to point out the arch that bridges over the road to the Synod Hall - it’s one of those bits of Victorian Dublin that most people miss entirely.

Temple Bar at the end of the tour is a good place to linger if the mood’s right. The area has a reputation that sometimes puts people off, but the daytime version - food stalls, the Irish Film Institute, the weekend market in Meeting House Square - is genuinely worth your time. The evening version is livelier and louder, which suits some people perfectly.

If you’re planning to come back to Trinity College for the Book of Kells, book your ticket in advance online. The queues without a pre-booked slot can be long, particularly in summer, and the experience is much better when you’re not rushed through it.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Drinks on Foot: Dublin Traditional Pub Tour
• Discover Dublin Full-Day City Tour
• Discover Dublin: A Private Tour