1916 Tour Dublin
Costumed guides ready to take visitors on a walking tour of Dublin. Photo: Pat Redmond for Tourism Ireland.

Dublin’s Top 10 Guided Tours: Discover the Best of the City

Updated May 2025--If you want to get to know the real Dublin, in my opinion, it's best to take a walking tour with an experienced guide.

Below you'll find a list of the city's top 10 guided walking tours, bus tours and bike tours to get you started.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the article for information on free walking tours and other additional tours that I have added.

This post contains affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.



1. AB Tours

The best walking tours of any city are the ones where you are completely immersed in the history of the place and you can imagine that time period vividly based on the guide's retelling of it.

That's what you'll get on a walking tour of Dublin with native Alan Byrne of AB Tours, who has been leading groups of locals and international visitors for several years and getting them acquainted with his hometown.

Byrne holds a master's degree in history and is also an archive research assistant.

His tours are customized to suit the traveler, including tours that feature both historical and cultural elements.

man talking to people Dublin tour guide
Tour guide Alan Byrne, center, takes tourists on a tour of Dublin. Photo courtesy of Alan Byrne.

2. Historical Walking Tours of Dublin

If you're eager to hear the history of Dublin, there's no better tour to take than the Historical Walking Tours of Dublin.

Linenhall Barracks 1916
Dublin during the Easter Rising of 1916.

Led by Trinity College and National University of Ireland graduates, the 2-hour tour includes information on Ireland's Potato Famine and how it affected Dublin and its residents; the 1916 Easter Rising, which took place in 1916 in the heart of Dublin; the influence of the French and American revolutions on Dublin life and society; the Irish Civil War and partition from the Six Counties in Northern Ireland, and much more.

The company also offers other, more themed tours that you can take either privately or as part of a group.

Trinity College, Dublin. Photo: Brian Morrison, Tourism Ireland.

Tours depart from the Trinity's College Green entrance.

Visit Many of Dublin's Must-See Attractions with the Go City Pass

3. Pat Liddy's Walking Tours of Dublin

This tour promises to help the visitor “experience Dublin in its own unique way, from the famous highlights to the hidden gems.”

Designed by Pat Liddy, a Dublin writer, illustrator, and historian, this is one of Dublin's most popular tours.

Guides use a combination of humor and expertise to tell the story of Dublin, taking tourists to both the well-known and hidden treasures of the city.

Scheduled tours include “The Best of Dublin – Highlights & Hidden Corners,” which is also available in German.

Celebrating Bloomsday in Dublin. Photo: Tourism Ireland.

Others include a “Special Bloomsday Walk” in honor of the annual Bloomsday Festival which takes place every year in Dublin from June 15-16, Le Meilleur de Dublin – Les Incontournables et Recoins Insolites/Best of Dublin – Must-sees and Quirky Corners, an introduction to Dublin and its history entirely in French, as well as The Dublin Literary Tour.

Other tours are also available with themes that coincide with Halloween and Christmas in Ireland.

Private tours are also available and cover a range of topics related to Dublin city and its history. You can find several reviews of his tours on TripAdvisor.

4. Dublin City Tours

On a Dublin City walking tour with Alan Swaine of Dublin City Tours, you'll get a bit of everything, from an in-depth look into the lives of the wealthy in 18th-century Dublin to unraveling the weird and wonderful stories about Dublin's history.

A group of happy tourists all together for Alan Swaine's tour of the city, one of Dublin's Top 10 tours. Photo courtesy of Alan Swaine.
A group of happy tourists all together for Alan Swaine's tour of the city, one of Dublin's Top 10 tours. Photo courtesy of Alan Swaine.

Swaine is a teacher at heart, regularly leading school groups through his native hometown, but his love of guiding is evident in the enthusiasm that he shows both local guests and international visitors who are interested in finding out more about Dublin.

5. Dublin's Literary Pub Crawl

This company is a 2018 TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Awardee and another popular tour for visitors to Ireland's capital.

Led by two actors, this 2 1/2-hour tour/performance is well worth the money and will bring you to the pubs associated with Dublin's most celebrated writers.

people talking on a street Dublin's Top 10 tours
Tourists on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, one of Dublin's Top 10 tours. Photo courtesy Tourism Ireland.

This is an evening tour and includes some drinking.

The tour leaves from The Duke Pub located at 9 Duke Street at 7:30 p.m.

Discover Dublin's Dark History on the Dark Dublin Guided Walking Tour

6. 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour

If you have an interest in Ireland's turbulent history, specifically its fight to become an independent nation, you will thoroughly enjoy this tour, now in its 28th year and run by historian and author Lorcan Collins.

Collins brings to life the events of one fateful week in April when a group of Irish patriots tried to defeat the British forces in what would permanently shape Ireland's history.

The tour brings visitors to the relevant sites associated with the Rebellion.

It starts at the International Bar on Wicklow Street and runs for two hours.

The tour is available at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and at 1 p.m. on Sundays.

7. Taste of Dublin Bike Tour

There are no hills on this bike tour, just a leisurely jaunt through the city's streets where you'll avoid tour buses and other heavy traffic.

See Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, the Guinness Brewery, and much more on this enjoyable tour.

bicycle parked on a street Dublin's Top 10 tours
Bikes parked outside a shop in Dublin's city center. Photo: Tourism Ireland.

Tours last for close to three hours and are available only on weekends from October through April, and seven days a week after that.

Helmets and hi-visibility bibs must be worn by all participants.

The tour starts at the multi-story car park at Drury Street in the city center, a short walk from Stephen's Green.

A Dublin City e-Bike tour is also available.

8. James Joyce Walking Tours

The James Joyce Centre offers a number of walking tours based on Joyce's life.

They include “Introducing Joyce's Dublin Tour,” a stroll through Dublin's north inner city, where Joyce found real-life inspiration for his work.

The tour brings visitors to his alma mater, Belvedere College, the Gresham Hotel, the setting for the last scene in his short story, “The Dead,” as well as a stop at No. 7 Eccles Street, cited in his novel, “Ulysses.”

The James Joyce statue on North Earl Street in Dublin. See this and other attractions with Dublin's Top 10 tours. Photo courtesy of Tourism Ireland.

The tour is available on Thursdays and Saturdays at 11 a.m.

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You can also book the “The Footsteps of Leopold Bloom Walking Tour,” which follows a journey that Bloom takes in one of the chapters of “Ulysses

The tour is well suited for fans of the book and for those who want a truly immersive Joycean experience.

9. Do Dublin Sightseeing Tours

DoDublin Tours offers various bus tours, including a Hop-on, Hop-off tour, a Ghostbus Night Tour, a tour of the Guinness Storehouse, the Jameson Distillery, and much more.

The company's most popular one is the Dublin Freedom Pass Tour, which allows you to hop on and off and see the city's main attractions for up to 72 hours. All tour guides are Fáilte Ireland-trained.

There is no charge for children under 5 with a fare-paying adult on any of the DoDublin tours.

10. Mostly Medieval Walking Tour of Dublin

One of the surviving Medieval towers that is part of Dublin Castle, among the interesting things you'll see on one of Dublin's Top 10 tours. Photo: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=238688

Have you ever wondered what Medieval Dublin might have looked and felt like?

Tour guide Ruth Kelly, who has been guiding since 2010, is an expert in Dublin history, particularly the period during the 1300s when Dublin residents, like others across Europe, were victims of the Black Death.

On her walking tours, Kelly delves into the nitty-gritty of the period, when children worked around the clock, when the living quarters were confined to one room and when life spans were a lot shorter than they are today.

Dublin's Cow's Lane, which serves as the venue for a popular outdoor market. Photo: Fionn McCann, Fáilte Ireland.

Her 90-minute tours meet on Dublin's Cows Lane in the Temple Bar area (you'll find out more about that on the tour). Book her tour on the Airbnb Experiences website.

Free Walking Tours in Dublin

The Dublin Free Walking Tour company, also known as Yellow Umbrella, offers two free tours each day, one focused on the northside and another focused on the southside of the city, aka The Free Dublin Highlights tour.

Dublin Walking Tours offers the free Walking Tour of Dublin City Center, uncovering the hidden stories behind iconic places like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral and more.

St. Patricks Cathedral, Dublin. Photo: trabantos for Getty Images.

Generation Tours Dublin offers an “unrivaled insight into city,” delving into a history in a free walking tour that spans from “turbulent times, revolutions, and rebellions to charming folktales, real-life legends, literary greats, and hidden secrets.” You'll stop at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, Trinity College, Viking sites of interest, and much more.

Original Dublin offers several fee-paying tours, but if you're really watching your wallet, its Free/Original Walking Tour of Dublin will give you a good introduction to the city.

Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin is one of the stops on several free tours of the city, which are favorites among tourists interested in Dublin's Top 10 tours. Photo: Tourism Ireland.

Included in the itinerary are many Dublin landmarks, including Trinity College, Viking Dublin sites, Christ Church CathedralDublin Castle, and much more.

Their Spanish-speaking tour is also free.

Unearthed Tours – while many of their tours are fee-based, the Free Walking Tour of Dublin provided by Unearthed Tours will give you an insight into 12,000 years of Dublin history while seeing  popular sites like St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College, the Molly Malone statue, Christ Church Cathedral, and much more.

The Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street, Dublin. Photo: Tristan Hutchinson, Fáilte Ireland.

Since first publishing this article, I have found additional resources for guided walking tours in Dublin. They include the following:

In Our Shoes Walking Toursaward-winning tours of the Liberties (the oldest part of Dublin) and Dublin 8;
Dublin City Walks with Liam Greene – private, bespoke and on a demand basis;
Dublin Walkabout Toursprivate tours only;
Dublin Decoded Walking Tourstours specializing in a mix of architecture and history;
Tailteann Irish ToursAntóin Ó Lochraigh, who speaks Irish, English and Dutch, brings Dublin to life for visitors, showing the attractions that make it rank among the world's great cities;

The River Liffey, Dublin. Photo: SAKhan Photography.

A Spasso A DublinoItalian Tours in Dublin. Signature tours include Our Dublin/La Vostra Dublino and The Life of U2/La Vita Degli U2;
Tours de Dublin en Français – offers a two-hour walking tour of Dublin city center, beginning south of the River Liffey and finishing in Temple Bar; and
Haunted History Tour of Dublinwalk through the eerie cobbled streets of Dublin and hear tales like the one about Darkey Kelly, the tragic tale of the Green Lady, and how Dublin’s “hell” got its name, among others.

Here are some additional bike tours if you are interested.

Bike tours are among Dublin's Top 10 tours that are popular with visitors to the city. Photo: Colin Ring, Fáilte Ireland.

Cycle Dublin – Bike and eBike Tourssee local landmarks ranging from the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the Oscar Wilde Memorial to Dublin Castle, and learn about Dublin's history through the ages from your guide’s commentary;
– E-Bike & Bike Tour with a Local Guide in Dublinexplore Dublin by bike with a small group and the help of a knowledgeable guide, who leads you to both major city sights and off-the-beaten-path locations. Choose from a standard or electric bike;
Private Dublin Historical and Heritage Tour by Bike – see Dublin's highlights as well as lesser-known hidden gems, get local recommendations and a souvenir video with captioned photos from your adventure;

Dubh Linn Garden
The Dubh Linn Garden is a stop on the Private Dublin Historical and Heritage Tour by Bike. Photo: Creative Commons.

Bike Tour Along The Historic Waterways Of Dublintour the city center and the outskirts of Dublin on this cool bike tour that covers Dublin's historic waterways as well as other local landmarks;
Dublin Highlights 3-Hour Private Tour by Foot or Bike – learn about the ancient and more contemporary history of Ireland's capital, from its Viking settlements to Irish independence. Perfect for first-time visitors to the city; and

a lighthouse Dublin's top 10 guided tours
See the Baily Lighthouse while taking the Howth Adventures tour on an e-bike. Photo: Paul Raferty, Tourism Ireland.

Dublin Panoramic e-Bike Tour with Howth Adventuresget out of the city center and see some popular landmarks such as the Summit, the Howth Cliffs, the Baily Lighthouse, Martello Towers, and others. This tour goes on off-road trails, so you must have prior cycling experience. To get to Howth from the city center, take the DART.

Have you taken any of Dublin's Top 10 tours mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below.

colette

Colette is a County Sligo native who created Ireland on a Budget to provide her readers with money-saving tips on how to get to Ireland and then save even more when they're there. She's a professional copywriter who lives in the New York area with her husband and two children.