Plan a Dublin weekend: museums, Guinness, Kilmainham and Howth

First day: Trinity and a central museum

Visit the Book of Kells at Trinity when the illuminated manuscript and Old Library are the main reason for coming. Choose the full Experience or the shorter Old Library format. Most Long Room books are removed for redevelopment; the first four bays retain books, so older photographs show a different room from the current visit.

Continue toward Kildare Street for Archaeology. The Treasury follows Irish craftsmanship through early Christian and Viking influences, and the Faddan More Psalter adds another manuscript story. The collection is free. On Sunday and Monday it opens at 1 pm, which fits an afternoon visit after Trinity.

For painting, choose the National Gallery instead. Caravaggio, Vermeer and Jack B. Yeats give the visit several distinct interests without trying to see every room. The permanent collection is free. Finish around Merrion Square or St Stephen’s Green when the weather suits.

Second day: Kilmainham or Guinness

Kilmainham is a guided visit about prison and political history. A selection of tickets is released 28 days ahead at midnight Irish time, and the site does not accept third-party tickets. Book the available tour first if it is essential, then put the central-museum day on the other day. The building is very cold in winter, and buggies and large bags are not allowed on the tour.

Guinness standard entry is a self-guided brewing and brand exhibition ending at Gravity Bar. Academy adds a pouring lesson and another pint, with a longer average visit; STOUTie is separate. Choose the extra activity only if you want to spend time on it. Market Street is the visitor and accessible entrance; Crane Street is the car-park reference.

Both places can be visited in one day, but leave a meal and the journey between them in the schedule. Otherwise make one the main afternoon visit and return to the centre for dinner. A missing Kilmainham ticket need not be replaced with Guinness if brewing does not interest the group; the Gallery offers another worthwhile afternoon.

Third day: Howth or more time in Dublin

Take a Howth-bound DART from Pearse, Tara Street or Connolly for the coast. A northbound Malahide train is a different branch. From Howth station, walk along the harbour, have a village meal and return when you have had enough time outdoors.

The Cliff Path Loop is a separate 7.8 km walk with 130 metres of aggregate ascent and some rough ground. Its published walking estimate excludes the train, lunch and stops. Choose the harbour visit for a shorter day or leave enough time for the full walk. Howth station lists no toilets, and the cliff route should not be assumed suitable simply because station access is possible.

Where to stay

The Merrion on Upper Merrion Street and The Alex on Fenian Street suit visits to Trinity and the central museums. The Merrion has Georgian Main House and Garden Wing rooms; The Alex’s Classic King and Twin are both 30 m², so separate beds do not require an Executive upgrade.

Heuston and Parkgate Street are useful for a western-city rail arrival. Heuston is not a DART station, so a coast day needs another connection. Compare the arrival advantage with the journeys repeated to the central museums and Howth.

November 2026 changes

Dublin Castle’s campus and Chester Beatty are closed through December 2026. The Castle passage from Dame Street toward Ship Street is unavailable, so keep walks on public streets. Trinity and Archaeology are the manuscript alternatives; the Gallery is the painting choice.

The dated November guide also covers bus and eastern Red Line changes on 10–13 November, plus Gallery access restrictions on 12 November. Those notices affect specific dates and parts of the city, not the whole transport network for every visit. Airport coach tickets remain separate from Leap Visitor city transport passes.