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Drinks on Foot: Dublin Traditional Pub Tour
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From €27 per person
This is the pub tour for people who want the real Dublin, not the tourist strip. Over three hours, your guide takes you to four traditional pubs that locals actually use - the kind of places that don’t come up on anyone’s standard itinerary.
Along the way you’ll get the story behind Irish ale, cider, whiskey and stout, and sample your way through them. Your guide makes suggestions, but what you drink is entirely your call.
There’s history woven through it too. As you move between stops, your guide shares Dublin stories that give the evening a bit more depth - you’re drinking it all in on a few levels at once.
Worth knowing upfront: the tour price covers the guiding, not the drinks. You pay for your own at each pub. Most people spend around €25 in total across the four stops.
The tour is for adults aged 18 and over.
Meeting point: The Giant Teapot Sculpture at the tram side of Smithfield Square - a 1-minute walk from the Smithfield tram stop.
Fully wheelchair accessible - all areas, surfaces and transport options. Infants and small children can travel in a pram or stroller (though the tour is for over-18s only). Public transport is available nearby. Maximum group size is 16 people. Conducted in English.
If you want to set the scene before you go, read a little about the area around Smithfield Square. It used to be a horse market, and the neighbourhood has had more lives than most parts of Dublin - you’ll understand the pubs better for knowing a bit of the geography they grew up in.
On the night itself, eat something first. That sounds obvious but it makes a real difference. You’re tasting across four stops over three hours, and going in on an empty stomach tends to catch people out. Grab something simple nearby before the 7pm start.
Don’t try to keep up with the guide on pace. The best thing about this kind of tour is being able to linger. If a conversation starts up at the bar, let it run. Your guide knows how to keep things moving without making it feel like a march.
Ask the guide about the pubs themselves, not just the drinks. Each one has its own story - how long it’s been there, who used to drink in it, what the neighbourhood was like. That context is what separates this from just a night out.
The Smithfield area is worth a walk around after, if the evening’s young enough. The square has changed a lot in recent years and there are a few good spots within a short walk if you want to keep going on your own terms.