Dublin Old Town: Famous Pubs Exploration Game and Tour

About

You play the role of a young man trying to uncover the truth about his mother’s mysterious Irish family line - and Dublin’s old town pubs are where the answers are hidden. Clues come through the Questo app on your phone, each one leading you to the next location and the next chapter of the story.

It’s part outdoor escape game, part pub crawl, part history tour. The stops are real places with genuine histories: the Brazen Head, Darkey Kelly’s, The Workman’s Club, The Clarence Hotel, The Palace Bar, Cassidy’s, Mary’s Bar, Peruke and Periwig, The Shelbourne, O’Donoghue’s, and Toners. Along the way you’ll discover the location of the first elephant autopsy on the British Isles and learn about Dublin’s Working Men’s Clubs. Stop for a drink at any of them, or keep the story moving - the pace is entirely up to you.

After booking, you’ll get an email with instructions to download the Questo app and get started. Each person can buy a ticket for their own phone, or several people can share one device.

What’s Included

• City exploration game on your phone via the Questo app
• 24/7 customer support

What’s Not Included

• A tour guide
• Entry tickets to attractions (none required to complete the game)

Itinerary

1. The Brazen Head - your starting point. You’ll receive your first clue and solve the challenge to unlock the story and directions to the next stop. (5 min)
2. Darkey Kelly’s - new clue, new challenge, and as much time as you like to explore. (5 min)
3. The Workman’s Club - next stop, next chapter. Stop for as long as you want. (5 min)
4. The Clarence Hotel - follow the directions and solve the next challenge. (5 min)
5. The Temple Bar - another clue awaits. (5 min)
6. The Palace Bar - a spot with real history woven into the storyline. (5 min)
7. Cassidy’s - keep following the thread. (5 min)
8. Mary’s Bar & Hardware - an unexpected one on the route. (5 min)
9. Peruke & Periwig - another challenge to solve. (5 min)
10. The Shelbourne, Autograph Collection - one of Dublin’s most iconic addresses, part of the game. (5 min)
11. O’Donoghue’s Bar - the penultimate stop. (5 min)
12. Toners - this is where the story ends and the game is complete. (5 min)

Meeting point: Go to The Brazen Head (the game’s starting point). Bring a charged phone, download the Questo app in advance, and create an account using the same email address you used for your purchase.

Good to Know

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all fitness levels
• Private experience - just your group, at your own pace
• Available in English

Local Tips

Download the Questo app before you leave your accommodation. It’s free to download and takes a couple of minutes to set up. You’ll also need an account using the same email you booked with. Doing this over WiFi before you head out to the Brazen Head saves faff on the street.

The Brazen Head is worth arriving at early. It’s widely claimed to be Dublin’s oldest pub, dating to 1198, and it’s genuinely interesting in its own right. Get there a few minutes before you start the game and have a look around the courtyard.

You don’t need to drink at every stop to enjoy this. The game works perfectly well as a walking tour of great old Dublin addresses. That said, if you do want to stop for a pint, the Palace Bar and O’Donoghue’s in particular are worth the detour. Both have long associations with Dublin’s literary and musical scenes.

Each person can use the app on their own phone or you can share one. If you’re a couple or a small group, sharing one ticket on one phone works fine for navigating together. If you’d rather each have the clues in front of you independently, buy one ticket per phone.

The route is self-paced, which means it works at night too. The Questo app is available 24/7. If you’d rather do the pub crawl version of this in the evening rather than the afternoon, nothing stops you starting after dark - just make sure your phone is charged.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• The Brazen Head - Said to be Ireland’s oldest pub, tucked down a cobbled lane off Bridge Street with a courtyard that hasn’t changed much in centuries.
• Temple Bar - Dublin’s cultural quarter sits right on this route, packed with pubs, street music, and the city’s most photographed signs.
• Christ Church Cathedral - A short walk from the Brazen Head, this 11th-century cathedral sits above a Viking-era crypt you can actually walk through.