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Dublin Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
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From €34 per person
When your cruise ship docks in Dublin and you’ve got the day to yourself, you want to cover as much ground as possible without being herded around on someone else’s timetable. The hop-on hop-off bus lets you do exactly that. Pick a 24-hour or 48-hour ticket, jump on at any stop, and stay as long as you like at the places that grab you.
The open-top deck is the best way to actually see Dublin as you move through it, and on-board commentary is available in eight languages - live in English, or audio in your own language - so you’re getting the story of each place you pass through. The route takes in the Guinness Storehouse, Ha’penny Bridge, Dublin Zoo, Christ Church Cathedral, the Irish Whiskey Museum, City Hall, and a good spread of the city beyond those.
With a 48-hour ticket you also get entry to either the Irish Whiskey Museum or the World of Illusions Museum, which is solid value on top of the bus pass itself. The ticket also includes a free walking tour, meal deals, a complimentary drink at Thunder Road Cafe in Temple Bar, 15% off at The Gravedigger pub, and 10% off Irish Day Tours. One child aged 4-12 travels free with every two paying adults.
If you’re working with a single cruise day, prioritise the stops you actually want to go inside rather than trying to cover everything from the top deck. The Guinness Storehouse alone can take two hours if you include the Gravity Bar at the top - plan accordingly.
The Gravedigger pub (officially John Kavanagh’s) on Prospect Square is one of Dublin’s most atmospheric old pubs, sitting right alongside Glasnevin Cemetery. It’s been in the same family since 1833, serves a famous pint, and is the kind of place most tourists never make it to - the 15% discount included with your ticket is a good reason to go.
Christ Church Cathedral is often overlooked in favour of the more heavily marketed attractions, but it’s one of the oldest buildings in the city and genuinely worth stopping at. The Viking origins of the site go back to around 1028, and the medieval crypt beneath it is one of the largest in Britain or Ireland.
Temple Bar is worth a walk-through even if you’re not planning to eat or drink there. The cobblestone laneways around Meeting House Square host food markets at weekends, and the Irish Film Institute on Eustace Street has a good cafe and bookshop that’s almost always quieter than the surrounding streets.
On the way back to your ship, give yourself more time than you think you need. Dublin’s port is just north of the city centre, but traffic through the quays can be slow in the afternoon, and cruise departure times tend not to be flexible.