Ireland · Self-guided walk
Dublin in one walk 8 sights, 75 minutes
A self-guided walking tour of the Dublin Old Town: 8 sights on one 5.1 km loop, about 75 minutes on foot, back where you started.
No two days to spare? Here is the short version: the big sights in one loop. I would take longer. I always take longer.
At a glance
The walk in numbers.
- Distance
- 5.1 km, a loop
- Time
- about 75 minutes of walking at 4 km/h, plus however long you stop
- Sights
- 8
- Start and finish
- Dublin Castle
- Steps
- on Dublin Castle, Ha'penny Bridge, Temple Bar
- Cost
- free: no guide, no booking, no tip
The route
Map of the Dublin walk: 8 stops, one loop.
The gold line is the walk. The numbers are the stops, in the order you reach them. The pale lines are every other street in the Old Town.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
The stops
8 sights in Dublin, in walking order.
Each stop says how far the next one is and which streets take you there.
1. Dublin Castle
the start · inside open Mon–Sat 09:45–16:45, Sun 12:00–16:45
Go in. The yards inside are open ground and the route runs through them: Upper Castle Yard, the Lower Yard, the steps at the side. Most visitors photograph it from outside and carry on. I would rather have the paving.
Next: Butt Bridge, 1,170 m, about 18 min, along Lower Yard, Sycamore Street, Wellington Quay, Crampton Quay, Aston Quay, Burgh Quay, George's Quay, Butt Bridge.
2. Butt Bridge
about 18 minutes of walking from the start
The plain one, hard up against the railway girders. Everybody grumbles that the ironwork beside it ruins the view east, and everybody uses it anyway. Flat, wide, quick. I have a lot of time for a thing that simply works.
Next: General Post Office, 540 m, about 8 min, along Eden Quay, Marlborough Street, Prince's Street North.
3. General Post Office
about 26 minutes of walking from the start · inside open Mon–Sat 08:30–18:00, Sun closed
Big pillars on O'Connell Street, and behind them a post office that is still working. Go through the doors: the public hall is open to anyone buying a stamp and to anyone who just wants a look. Before you go in, cross the street and look up at the top of it. I am not telling you at what.
Next: Saint Mary's Cathedral, 370 m, about 6 min, along Prince's Street North, Cathedral Street.
4. Saint Mary's Cathedral
about 31 minutes of walking from the start
It sits on Marlborough Street with barely room to step back and take it in. Cross to the far pavement and try anyway. The portico is asking for a much wider approach than the one it ended up with.
Next: Hugh Lane Gallery, 630 m, about 9 min, along Parnell Square North.
Lunch break
Lee's Charming Noodles, 105 Parnell Street, about 160 m off the route, open Mon–Sun 12:00–21:00.
Parnell Street, north of the river. More on what to eat in Dublin.
5. Hugh Lane Gallery
about 41 minutes of walking from the start
A grey Georgian front on the north side of Parnell Square that gives away nothing at all from the footpath. It costs nothing to walk in. Go up the stairs and look at the ceilings on your way past.
Next: Wolfe Tone Square, 980 m, about 15 min, along Parnell Square West, Parnell Street, Wolfe Tone Street.
6. Wolfe Tone Square
about 56 minutes of walking from the start
A flat rectangle of grass behind the shopping streets, with benches, shade and pigeons who have seen it all. Sit down for ten minutes. Then get up, because the lanes around it are the good part and they do not walk themselves.
Next: Ha'penny Bridge, 440 m, about 7 min, along Jervis Street, Swift's Row.
7. Ha'penny Bridge
about 62 minutes of walking from the start · inside open Mon–Sun 00:00–24:00
Cast iron, painted white, and about wide enough for two strangers to disagree politely. Stand in the middle for a moment: the quays run off in both directions, both banks of the river at once. Then move along, because standing about is not eating.
Next: George's Street Arcade, 490 m, about 7 min, along Temple Bar, Temple Lane South, South Great George's Street.
8. George's Street Arcade
about 69 minutes of walking from the start
One way in on each side of the block, and the quickest line between them goes indoors. Old books, records, a hat stall, and the smell of coffee about halfway along. I count the floor tiles every single time.
Back to the start: Dublin Castle, 430 m, about 6 min, along South Great George's Street, Dame Lane, Lower Yard.
Every stop counts from the street; the hours are for going inside. Opening hours from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors. Check before you go.
After the walk
The rest of Dublin.
This loop is 8 sights. The Old Town is 185 streets, and I have opinions about all of them. Every street of the Dublin Old Town, with what to eat and where.
Cobble Gobble is a walking game for iPhone: every street is a line of dots you collect by walking it, and the phone stays in your pocket. Your first city is free.