← All Dublin tours via Viator · From €45 · 2 hours 
Private Guided Tour of Dublin in English
Free cancellation 8 traveller reviews Booked securely via Viator
Check availability & prices →
From €45 per person
This is a private 2-hour walking tour of Dublin with a local guide who has a genuine personal connection to France - he lived there with his Norman companion for a period. That background gives the tour a distinct angle: you’ll discover the surprising cultural ties between Ireland and France that most visitors never hear about.
Along the way you’ll cover Dublin’s oldest streets, Christchurch Cathedral, the ancient city walls, Dubh Linn Gardens, Dublin Castle, the Ha’penny Bridge (which carries an interesting historical link to Napoleon), Trinity College, the old Irish Parliament, and the Molly Malone Statue at St Andrew’s Church.
One lucky participant wins the official Dublin T-shirt at the end.
Your guide will be waiting outside The Gutter Bookshop holding a blue, white, and red umbrella - you won’t miss him.
Meeting point: In front of The Gutter Bookshop - your guide will have a blue, white, and red umbrella.
The Gutter Bookshop is worth a few minutes before your guide arrives. It’s a genuinely good independent bookshop on Cow’s Lane in Temple Bar, with a solid Irish writing section and the kind of curated shelves that take time and care. If you’re early, it’s a nice spot to browse rather than standing outside.
Christchurch Cathedral was founded by the Vikings in the 11th century. The guide covers this in proper detail, but it’s worth having it in your head before you arrive - the idea that Dublin’s oldest cathedral has Norse roots rather than Norman ones tends to reframe what you’re looking at when you get there.
The French-Irish connection your guide talks about goes deeper than most people expect. The two countries have had close ties for centuries - through the Wild Geese (Irish soldiers who served in the French army), through shared opposition to English and British rule, and through cultural exchange that ran both ways. Your guide’s personal connection to France makes this thread feel lived-in rather than textbook.
The Ha’penny Bridge’s link to Napoleon is a small but satisfying detail. The bridge opened in 1816, shortly after Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo. The guide explains the connection - it’s the kind of local knowledge that makes a familiar Dublin landmark feel like it’s part of a bigger story.
The Molly Malone Statue at St Andrew’s Church is the official meeting point for the end of the tour. The statue was moved to this location in 2014 from its original position on Grafton Street. Your guide will have the full story on both the fictional fishmonger the statue depicts and the very real Dublin she represents.