I am constantly asked by families on tours, what are the best things to do in Dublin with kids?
I believe there are many great things to do with kids in Dublin and from my experience guiding and living here I’m well aware of what is good to visit with kids in Dublin and I’m very aware what is not so good to visit with kids in Dublin.
And in this post I am going to share with you 10 things I would recommend doing with your children if you are visiting Dublin or living here!
NUMBER 1 – VISIT THE ARK
The Ark is Dublin’s dedicated cultural centre for Children. Not only do they put on events for children like high quality arts, theatre and music experiences but they also offer interactive age-specific workshops too.
Most of what they offer is aimed at kids between 2 to 12 but they are centrally located on Eustace Street in Dublin’s Temple Bar area and a lot of their events are free. Just be aware that you may need to book some events in advance.
Click on this link for their website.
NUMBER 2 – VISIT PHOENIX PARK
Phoenix Park is one of the largest walled parks in the world. It equates to 7 kilometers in total and is full of green space for kids to enjoy themselves.
They also have kids playgrounds, places to buy coffee and you will get to see wildlife like Deers and Squirrels in the Park, though you are not supposed to feed the Deers!
You can get there by tram on the Red Luas line from Dublin City Centre and get off at the Museum stop near the entrance and also numerous buses go there from the City Centre too. Taxis from Temple Bar area should take no more than 15 minutes and cost no more than €20.
Bikes can be hired at the entrance for those who get to see as much of the park as possible and I would recommend half a day is ideal with your children.
NUMBER 3 – VISIT DUBLIN ZOO IN PHOENIX PARK
Dublin Zoo is consistently one of the highest ranked tourist attractions on Trip Advisor in Dublin and very popular with local families. It is also considered one of the better Zoos to visit in Europe!
At the time of writing it is 15% cheaper to book online than to pay at the gate and kids under the age of 3 go free!
Click on this link for their website.
NUMBER 4 – VISIT THE ILLUSION MUSEUM DUBLIN
There are two Illusion attractions recently opened in Dublin City which are very close to eachother so please don’t get confused but the one to book is definitely The Illusion Museum Dublin.
My sister went to both attraction recently with her 3 kids aged between 5 and 9 and was adamant that the Illusion Museum was the better of the two and more suitable for children. She also said there was more to see and do in the Illusion Museum and it was also way better value. I called in there recently myself and the staff are also super helpful which is a bonus!
Click on this link for their website.
NUMBER 5 – VISIT CROKE PARK MUSEUM & STADIUM TOUR
Croke Park is Ireland’s National Stadium which hosts our National Gaelic Sports being Gaelic Football & Hurling. It is also the 4th largest capacity stadium in Europe which accommodates just under 83,000 people.
They offer a fantastic tour starting with a great video of what it is like on big matchdays and you get a close up of the speed and skill of the sports.
The main stuff on the Tour that the younger boys and girls will enjoy is that you get to visit the players locker rooms, walk thru the tunnel entering the pitch with accompanying matchday noise and also get to lift the important trophies, where everybody gets their photo taken.
The Museum also has an interactive games area which will easily keep kids occupied for 30+ minutes. In that you can also get to try some of our Gaelic Games in a safe environment, which is great fun for the younger age-group.
Look up https://crokepark.ie/gaamuseum and https://crokepark.ie/stadiumtour for more details
NUMBER 6 – TAKE A DAY TRIP TO MALAHIDE VILLAGE
Malahide is a pretty village on the edge of Dublin.
They have a medieval Castle that you can visit on a Tour which is cool for kids.
The Castle is also located in a big Park that has lots of space for kids to play in with a kids playground, a pitch and putt short par three golf course where you can hire clubs and also close to the beautiful Malahide Village where there are lots of food and drink options.
The easiest way to get there from the City Centre is on the DART Train. You get off at the Malahide stop and a return ticket will cost less then €6 return per person. The train journey takes less than 40 minutes to get to Malahide from Connolly Station in the City.
NUMBER 7 – VISIT THE LEPRECHAUN MUSEUM
I would not advise the Leprechaun Museum for adults on their own but do think it is a suitable attraction for kids.
They specialise in fairytale and mythology storytelling and bring you into different rooms with different themes related to the stories they share with you. For example in one room it is full of super large tables and chairs and the idea is to give you a sense of what it would like to be a Leprechaun where everybody else is much bigger!
Look up www.leprechaunmuseum.ie for more details!
NUMBER 8 – DREAM POINT EXPERIENCE
Dream Point Experience is an immersive indoor family friendly attraction that has 7 themed rooms focusing on light, art and play. It includes a ball pit with 250,000 pearl balls, an inflatable forest, a balloon room, interactive projection walls, a glow corridor and a unique draw alive room!
Dream Point Experience is located in the 3 Arena which is in Dublin Docklands on the edge of Dublin City. It is accessible from Dublin City Centre on the Luas Red Line and you get off at The Point stop.
Visit www.dreampointexperience.ie for more details
NUMBER 9 – VISIT DUBLINIA
Dublinia is Dublin’s Viking Museum and is located next to Christchurch Cathedral.
They have three floors and on each floor there is a different theme. The ground floor is all about Viking History in Dublin, the first floor all about the Medieval History in Dublin and the top floor explains how Archaeologists work and research.
It has some interactive sections and would be of particular interest to kids interested in Viking and Medieval history and also kids who are interested in Archaeology.
Look up www.dublinia.ie for more details.
NUMBER 10 – BOOK A TOUR WITH DUBLIN PRIVATE TOUR
If you have kids are interested in history or studying history, Dublin Private Tour can organise a Tour that would be of interest and benefit to them.
I have dealt with numerous families on my Tours over the years so I know how to make the Tour interactive for them so they can not only learn but equally enjoy the Tour!
Dublin Private Tour can also arrange a discounted family Tour rate so for more details please email me at dublinprivatetour@gmail.com or simply send me a whatsapp message at (+353) 872859028.
I hope this gives you some ideas of things to do in Dublin with your children! If you have any further questions about things to do in Dublin with kids then feel free to email me at dublinprivatetour@gmail.com 🙂
DUBLIN PRIVATE TOUR 