Private Dublin Sights and Pints (Walking Tour)

About This Tour

Got a group where half the people want to explore the city and the other half just want to sit in a good pub with a cold pint? This tour was built for exactly that situation.

Over four hours you’ll mix proper Dublin sightseeing with two stops in genuine local pubs - not tourist traps, actual places locals go. Your guide is experienced, qualified, and Irish, which matters more than it sounds when you’re getting into the stories behind these streets. They’ll cover the city’s history and culture, point out the things worth knowing, and keep things moving at a pace that actually lets you take it in.

This is genuinely private and genuinely tailored. Once you’ve booked, let the guide know how you want the experience shaped - more history, more pubs, more time at a particular spot - and they’ll work with it.

What’s Included

• Experienced, qualified, and Irish guide
• Hotel meet-up at a central location
• Private tour tailored to your group

What’s Not Included

• Drinks - expect to spend around €6-8 per drink at the pub stops
• Snacks and lunch
• Entry tickets
• Gratuities

Itinerary

1. Trinity College - The guide will walk you through what’s accessible on campus. If you’d like to visit the Old Library and Book of Kells, book the 5-hour tour instead - groups of more than eight need pre-purchased Old Library tickets to enter (that’s Trinity’s rule). (15 min)
2. Temple Bar - You’ll pass through Dublin’s most famous cultural quarter. Your guide will point you towards the real local spots - street art, independent shops, hidden corners - and steer you away from the tourist noise. (15 min)
3. Dublin Castle - A walk through the upper and lower courtyards, the Chapel Royal and the Dubh Linn Gardens. Interior tours of Dublin Castle require a separate official booking, but the grounds themselves are worth the stop. (20 min)
4. Christ Church Cathedral - One of Dublin’s finest examples of medieval religious architecture. You’ll visit the exterior. (15 min)
5. Ha’penny Bridge - Cross Dublin’s most iconic pedestrian bridge over the River Liffey. Look upriver towards the Guinness Brewery or downriver towards the Custom House and the modern Docklands. The lovers’ locks are always worth a look. (5 min)
6. O’Connell Street area - One of the key locations of the 1916 Easter Rising and a strong example of Dublin’s 18th century civic architecture. (10 min)

Meeting point: Olympia Theatre

Good to Know

• Wheelchair accessible
• Service animals welcome
• Public transport is available nearby
• Infants must sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all fitness levels
• Conducted in English
• This is a private tour - the itinerary can be adjusted to suit your group

Local Tips

The pub stops are the highlight for most groups. Your guide knows the difference between a pub that’s aimed at tourists and one that’s actually good, and they’ll take you to the latter. Dublin pubs have a particular atmosphere that’s hard to describe until you’re sitting in one - a genuine local bar mid-tour is a very different experience from ending the day at a place on the main strip.

Groups of eight or more who want to visit the Book of Kells need to pre-book. This is Trinity College’s own rule - the Old Library has a limited number of spaces and large groups can’t walk in on the day. If that’s something your group is keen on, let the guide know when you book so they can advise you on the timing and ticketing.

Ha’penny Bridge is named after a real toll. Until 1919, crossing it cost a half-penny, which is where the name has stuck ever since. Standing in the middle of it, looking west towards the Four Courts dome or east towards the Custom House, is one of those Dublin moments that photographs reasonably well but looks better in person.

The Olympia Theatre meeting point is a good landmark. It’s one of Dublin’s oldest and most recognisable venues, sitting on Dame Street just a short walk from most city centre hotels. If you’re not sure where it is, it’s worth looking it up the night before rather than navigating on the morning - Dame Street gets busy with traffic and it’s easier to arrive relaxed.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Private Dublin Highlights: Historical & Cultural Walk
• Private Family Strolling Historical Dublin Walking Tour
• Private Dublin Highlights and Coastal Villages Tour