This post provides information about several different free walking tours you can take in Dublin, including the history of the city, fables, folklore, and even pub crawls.
There are several great free walking tours you can take in Dublin which are led by locals and cover multiple different subjects and locations throughout the city.
The most popular free tours focus on the history of the city and some sightseeing of the most notable landmarks you can see in Dublin.
Visitors can expect to hear the story of Dublin while walking through the city streets with an expert guide.
Additional Tour Options
Alternatively, you might also want to consider a tour covering the mythological history of this city as told through folklore and fables.
Dublin pub crawls are another popular choice due to all the great, historic pubs you’ll find in the city and of course the popularity of Guinness.
Taking a pub tour is a great way to figure out the best places to grab a pint.
If all else fails, you may also want to consider taking a self-guided tour of Dublin, and these services include interactive maps you can use to find your way from one stop to the next.
Most of these outings are technically pay-what-you-want walking tours, which means it is essentially tip-based and you get to decide how much the tour was worth once it is complete.
There are more south-side tours than there are on the north side of the river, but you can explore and see the highlights and top attractions of both areas while being led by local guides throughout the Irish capital.
If you’re looking for an alternative that covers other subjects or locations in this city, there are several paid Dublin tours you might want to consider.
You can also save money on some of the best-paid tours by using a Dublin Tourist Pass.
These services typically include hop-on hop-off bus tours and individual tours of popular attractions like the Jameson Distillery.
INTRO TO DUBLIN TOURS
These tours focus on the most notable sites in Dublin, making stops at several popular locations while providing information about the history of the city.
In addition to learning about the foundations of the city, your tour guides may also include details about famous artists such as the author James Joyce and the rock band U2.
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1742048.jpg "By Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14473268")
You can expect to see the following landmarks on a free intro to Dublin tour:
- Town Hall
- Dublin Castle
- Trinity College
- Christ Church Cathedral
- Chester Beatty Library
- And more!
Consider taking one of the following tours to see and learn more about these historic locations.
GPS-Enabled Dublin Audio Tour
We also offer an audio tour of historic Dublin, researched, written, and recorded by one of our own tour guides.
Here are a few of the more notable attractions included on this tour:
- City Hall
- Trinity College
- The Book of Kells
- Christchurch Cathedral
- Irish Whiskey Museum
- National Museum of Ireland
Click the map to enlarge it or to download it to a smartphone.
Here’s a sample.
Dublin Northside Tour | Irish Independence
This free tour of Dublin takes place in the northern area of the Irish capital, and it covers the subject of the independence movement and the 1916 rebellion known as the Easter Rising.
If you're interested in learning about the political history of Dublin, this is an excellent tour to take, and it's pay-what-you-wish!
The tour is available every day at 3:30 pm. You can book this tour here.
Self-Guided and Audio Tours
We also offer a self-guided Dublin tour you can use for free if you don’t mind guiding yourself around the city.
You may also want to consider a self-guided exploration game that covers the 7 Wonders of Dublin.
This service isn't free, but at only €15, it costs about as much as you might tip a guide for one of the pay-what-you-wish walking tours listed above.
With a history that dates back to medieval times, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Dublin has an interesting history filled with folk tales, fables, secrets, myths, legends and more.
There is currently at least one free walking tour that covers this subject.
Tour participants can expect to learn about a wide range of mythological stories from Dublin’s past on this outing.
Dublin folklore tours typically include the following topics:
- Irish Gods and Heroes
- Witches & Heresy
- Ancient Beliefs
- The Faerie World
- Gaelic Revival
- Pagan Ireland
- And more!
If you’re interested in learning about these mythical stories and the history behind them, consider taking the walking tour listed below.
Although there aren’t any pay-what-you-wish pub crawls in Dublin, we actually offer a self-guided pub crawl you can use to find some of the best bars in the city.
This outing includes 9 different stops at traditional pubs and provides information about the history of each location on the tour.
The only problem with this option is that it doesn’t include any free drinks and you won’t have a tour guide to show you around town.
If you’d prefer to have the help of a guide, meet fellow travelers, and potentially enjoy some free or discounted drinks, there are several paid pub crawls you can enjoy which start at around €10-€15 per person.
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
This pub crawl focuses more on the literary heritage of Dublin, covering locations that inspired some of the most famous writers in the history of the city.
Drinks are not included on this pub crawl, but you will have several opportunities to grab a drink at multiple historic pubs.
At the end of the tour, you'll be given a literary quiz, and there will be prizes for the winners!
Tickets are €15.25 and the outing lasts for approximately 2 hours.
This is available Thursday - Sunday at 7:15 pm.
Purchase tickets for their pub crawl.
If you’d rather be in complete control of your walkthrough Dublin, a self-guided or audio tour is a great option for you.
Free Tours by Foot Self-Guided Dublin
This self-guided tour of Dublin will take you past the main sites and attractions of the city, from St. Patrick’s Cathedral and peaceful St. Stephens Green to the boozy Temple Bar district.
This written guide also comes with an interactive map.