Five of the fourteen are free, including both National Museum sites and the Botanic Gardens. Children under 5 travel free on every Dublin service. Ages 5 to 18 pay 0.65 euro a journey on a Leap Card, capped at 1.95 a day, but the card a 16 to 18 year old needs can only be bought online and arrives by post in five working days, so a visiting teenager pays the adult 2.00 fare all week.
In Brief
What should we actually do in Dublin with kids?
Start with the free things, because in Dublin they are the good ones rather than the consolation prizes. The National Museum at Kildare Street and Collins Barracks both cost nothing, and Collins Barracks is where the Dead Zoo animals now live. Dublin Zoo is the big day out and it needs a morning, not an afternoon, because the half children most want closes early. Skip Viking Splash unless the roaring is genuinely the point, at 118 euro for a family of four for 75 minutes.
Key takeaways
- The Natural History Museum on Merrion Street has been closed since 2024. Its animals are at Collins Barracks
- Five of the fourteen are free: both National Museum sites, the Botanic Gardens, Phoenix Park Visitor Centre and Chester Beatty
- Viking Splash is 37 euro an adult and 31 a child, not the 27 and 13 that search results return
- The GAA Museum at 24 euro for a family of four is the cheapest wet-afternoon ticket in the city
The 14 things worth doing, easiest first
Easiest first. Stamina here means what the thing costs a child rather than what it costs you: how far they walk, how long they queue, and how much of it is standing still being told to look at something. Dublin's particular problem is that its two biggest outdoor days, the zoo and Emerald Park, are both at the far end of a journey, so a tired child is a long way from the hotel.
Kildare Street, Dublin 2
National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology
The national archaeology collection, including the bog bodies and the Iron Age and Viking gold. Free, indoors and in the middle of the city.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- 1 to 1.5 hours with children
- Ages
- Best 8 and up for the bog bodies, 6 to 10 for the gold and the weapons
- Cost
- Free. The National Museum charges nothing at any of its four sites.
- Booking ahead
- None needed.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself one of Dublin's best rain answers, with the National Library and the National Gallery both a few minutes away.
Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks
The replacement display for the closed Natural History Museum, alongside the decorative arts and military galleries. This is where the Dead Zoo animals are now, and the barracks courtyard gives children somewhere to run between galleries.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- 1 to 2 hours
- Ages
- The animals work from about 3 up. The decorative arts galleries do not.
- Cost
- Free.
- Booking ahead
- None needed, but know what you are getting: this is a lab-style holding display, not the Victorian hall with whale skeletons overhead.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself the answer, and it is the closest free indoor option to Dublin Zoo, about 2 km east along the quays.
Dublin Castle grounds, Dublin 2
Chester Beatty
Rated 4.7 out of 5 on Google Maps from 4,156 reviews, as of October 2026A free museum of manuscripts, books and religious art inside the Dublin Castle grounds, with a rooftop garden.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- 45 minutes to 1 hour with children
- Ages
- Best 10 and up, and a hard sell below that
- Cost
- Free, with a suggested donation of 10 euro.
- Booking ahead
- None, but telephone for hours. The opening times could not be read from the museum's own website, which renders them by script.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself a free indoor option in the middle of the city.
Croke Park, Dublin 3
GAA Museum at Croke Park
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 1,108 reviews, as of October 2026The museum of Gaelic games inside the stadium, with an interactive games zone where children can try hurling and football. Sold separately from the stadium tour and the rooftop Skyline.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- 1.5 hours for the museum and games zone
- Ages
- Best 6 to 14, and much better if the child already knows what hurling is
- Cost
- 10 euro adult, 8 euro for children 3 to 12, free under 3. A family of four is 24 euro and a family of five 26.
- Booking ahead
- Ring first. Neither the opening hours nor the booking policy could be read from the operator's own site, and the stadium also hosts matches.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself indoors, and at 24 euro for four it is the cheapest wet-afternoon ticket in Dublin.
CHQ, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Google Maps from 11,938 reviews, as of October 2026A fully indoor, self-guided digital museum about Irish emigration, in the vaults of the CHQ building. The museum claims an eight-minute walk from O'Connell Street.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- 1.5 to 2 hours
- Ages
- Strong from about 9 up, genuinely good for teenagers, and thin below 8
- Cost
- 22 euro adult and 11 euro child online. Family tickets are 57 euro for two adults and two children, or 39 euro for one adult and two children.
- Booking ahead
- Book online. Last entry is 5pm, and it opens at 9am in June, July and August.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself the fallback, and the CHQ building around it holds cafes under the same roof.
St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
The Little Museum of Dublin
Rated 4.7 out of 5 on Google Maps from 5,814 reviews, as of October 2026A small Georgian townhouse museum of twentieth-century Dublin, entered only on a guided tour.
A solid half day- Time needed
- About an hour, set by the tour rather than by you
- Ages
- Works from about 9, and genuinely funny for teenagers and adults
- Cost
- 18 euro, 16 for seniors and students, and 45 euro for a family of two adults and up to three children.
- Booking ahead
- Entry is by guided tour only, so times are fixed. No child age and no tour length are published.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is indoors and directly on the Green, with the shopping centre opposite.
Phoenix Park, Dublin 8
Phoenix Park Visitor Centre and Ashtown Castle
The park's visitor centre in a restored medieval tower house, with a Victorian walled kitchen garden beside it and wild deer in the park around it. Dublin Bus route 99 runs to the door.
A solid half day- Time needed
- The operator publishes an average visit of 1 hour. Add as much again for the garden and the deer.
- Ages
- The castle and garden work from about 5. The deer work at any age.
- Cost
- Free.
- Booking ahead
- None. Open 09:30 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:00, but the walled garden and biodiversity centre keep shorter hours than the centre.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The centre and the castle are themselves the indoor answer for the whole of Phoenix Park, and they cost nothing.
Glasnevin, Dublin 9, about 3 km north of the centre
National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google Maps from 18,883 reviews, as of October 2026The national botanic gardens, free to enter, with restored Victorian glasshouses including the Curvilinear Range and the Great Palm House.
A solid half day- Time needed
- The operator publishes an average visit of 1.5 hours, the only stated duration on this list
- Ages
- Works at any age as space to move. The glasshouses hold attention from about 4.
- Cost
- Free. A guided tour is 5 euro and runs daily at 11:30 and 15:00.
- Booking ahead
- None. But know the rules before you promise a run-around: there is no playground, no climbing is a published rule, and the operator's own facilities list flags challenging access.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The glasshouses are on site and under glass, which is the whole point of them.
Christ Church, Dublin 8
Dublinia
Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Google Maps from 7,436 reviews, as of October 2026A hands-on Viking and medieval Dublin exhibition with a climbable tower at the top. The most physical history on this list. Luas red line to Four Courts, then a seven-minute walk.
A solid half day- Time needed
- 1.5 to 2 hours, plus about 40 minutes if you take the public tour
- Ages
- Very good from 5 to 12
- Cost
- 18 euro adult and 11.50 child at the door, 16 euro adult online. A family of two adults and two children is 50.50 euro at the door.
- Booking ahead
- Book online to save. Check the hours by telephone: the site publishes a sitewide banner giving 10:00 to 18:00 daily and a separate page giving seasonal hours that close at 17:00 from October to March, and the two do not agree.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself the fallback, with Christ Church Cathedral across the linking bridge.
Dundrum, Dublin 14
Airfield Estate
Rated 4.4 out of 5 on Google Maps from 2,690 reviews, as of October 2026A working urban farm and gardens in the suburbs, with Jersey cows, a walled garden and a restaurant. The best entry here for a genuinely small child.
A solid half day- Time needed
- 2 to 3 hours
- Ages
- Excellent from 2 to 9
- Cost
- 15 euro adult, 8 euro for children 3 to 17, 10 euro for 18 to 25.
- Booking ahead
- Check the day. It is closed on Mondays for ten months of the year, opening seven days only in July and August, and the under-3 policy could not be read from its own site.
- If it rains
- If it rains: Weak. The covered options are the restaurant and the animal housing, and the estate publishes no wet-weather plan.
Malahide, north County Dublin, on the DART
Malahide Castle and Gardens
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 17,756 reviews, as of October 2026An 800-year-old castle with gardens, a butterfly house and a Fairy Trail through the woodland. Dublin Bus routes 32 and 42 serve Malahide village, and the DART runs there.
A solid half day- Time needed
- The operator recommends a minimum of two hours. With the Fairy Trail, half a day.
- Ages
- The Fairy Trail and grounds work from 2 to 8. The castle tour works from about 9.
- Cost
- Not published. The operator's ticket page renders no price table at all, and it sells the castle, the gardens and the Fairy Trail as separate products, so a family cannot budget the day before travelling.
- Booking ahead
- Book online, and expect to price the components separately on the booking page.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The castle interior and the butterfly house are covered, and the DART back into town is a ten-minute walk.
Departs St Stephen's Green North, opposite the Shelbourne
Viking Splash Tours
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 2,730 reviews, as of October 2026An amphibious wartime DUKW that drives the city, roars at pedestrians and then enters the water at Grand Canal Dock.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- 75 minutes for the tour, plus the 15 minutes early arrival they require
- Ages
- Best 5 to 11, where the roaring and the water entry are the entire point. Easy on the legs, harder on the patience of anyone older
- Cost
- 37 euro adult and 31 euro for children 3 to 14. A family of two adults and two children is 118 euro, and 145 euro with three children. Search results widely quote 27 and 13, which are not the operator's prices.
- Booking ahead
- Book ahead in summer, when it runs roughly every half hour. Under-3s are not permitted at all, because every passenger must have their own seat.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The tour runs in rain and sells ponchos, so it is weatherproof rather than needing a fallback.
Phoenix Park, Dublin 8
Dublin Zoo
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 29,986 reviews, as of October 2026The national zoo, inside Phoenix Park, with the African Plains section as a separate far end of the site. Dublin Bus route 99 stops at the gate.
A whole day, and they will be finished- Time needed
- 3 to 4 hours for the full loop, or 2 if you skip African Plains
- Ages
- Works from about 2 upward, and nothing here is dull under 6, which is rare on this list
- Cost
- 26.50 euro adult and 20 euro for children 3 to 15 at the gate, free under 3. Online is cheaper at 22.50 and 17. A 16 year old pays the adult rate.
- Booking ahead
- Go in the morning. African Plains closes at 17:30 and last admission is 17:00, so an afternoon arrival buys a materially smaller zoo than the ticket suggests.
- If it rains
- If it rains: Zoorasic World and the Reptile House are the covered options on site. Off site, Collins Barracks is free and about 2 km east.
Ashbourne, County Meath, about 30 km north-west of Dublin
Emerald Park
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 17,927 reviews, as of October 2026A theme park and zoo split between an All Access zone with the big coasters and a Junior Zone for smaller children. It traded as Tayto Park until the rebrand and the old name appears nowhere on the current site. Bus Eireann route 105 runs from Blanchardstown when the park is open.
A whole day, and they will be finished- Time needed
- A full day, six hours or more once travel is counted
- Ages
- Best from about 6, when 1.1 to 1.2 metres unlocks the real rides. Genuinely good from 8 to 14.
- Height limits
- Rides are gated at 90, 95, 110, 120 and 130 cm bands published on the operator's attractions index
- Cost
- All Access is 44 euro early bird and 54 on the day. Junior Zone is 40 and 49. There is no adult or child price: an accompanying parent buys a ticket at the same rate whichever zone you choose.
- Booking ahead
- Book early bird online and check the calendar, because hours change constantly. Last entry is two hours before closing, children under 16 must be with an adult over 18, and there are no refunds for rain or for closed rides.
- If it rains
- If it rains: There is none, and the park says so.
What parents ask about Dublin
Where is the Dead Zoo in Dublin?
Not on Merrion Street any more. The National Museum of Ireland states plainly on its own site that the Natural History Museum is closed for refurbishment, and it has been since 2024. The animals people go to see are now at the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks in Dublin 7, which is free, indoors and open alongside the decorative arts galleries. Set expectations before you go: it is a lab-style holding display rather than the Victorian hall with whale skeletons hanging overhead, and a family that has seen photographs of the old galleries will otherwise arrive disappointed.
How much is Viking Splash really?
Thirty-seven euro an adult and 31 for a child aged 3 to 14, which makes a family of four 118 euro for 75 minutes. Search results and aggregator listings widely quote 27 for adults and 13 for children, and even invent a 2 to 12 band on a tour that does not admit under-3s at all. Those figures are not the operator's and a family budgeting on them will arrive expecting to pay 80 euro. Every price on this page comes from the operator's own site for exactly this reason.
Do children pay for transport in Dublin?
Under 5s travel free on the bus, the Luas, the DART and commuter rail, and Transport for Ireland states it separately for each mode. From 5 to 18 the Leap Card fare is 0.65 euro a journey against an adult 2.00, capped at 1.95 a day. The catch is which card the child holds. A Child 5-15 card costs a 3 euro deposit plus a 5 euro top-up and is sold at over 2,000 agents including some DART stations, so a visiting family can get one. The Child 16-18 card can only be bought online, needs a passport or driving licence, a live selfie to match the applicant to the document, and arrives by post within about five working days. A visiting sixteen-year-old therefore pays the adult fare all week.
Getting around with children
One fare table covers Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead, the Luas, the DART and commuter rail inside Zone 1, so a child pays the same whichever you use. On a Leap Card the 90-minute fare is 2.00 euro adult, 1.00 young adult or student and 0.65 child, and the daily cap is 6.00, 3.00 and 1.95 per person. Without a card, cash is 2.60 adult for a long journey and 0.90 for a child, so the card saves an adult far more than it saves a child. One caution: the TFI bus fares page publishes two different adult short cash fares on the same page on the same day, 2.00 in one table and 1.70 in another, and we have not been able to resolve which applies. The child cash fare is 0.90 in both. Most of this list is walkable or one bus; the exceptions are the zoo and Phoenix Park in the west, Glasnevin and Croke Park in the north, Airfield in the southern suburbs, Malahide on the DART, and Emerald Park, which is in another county.
Where to base yourself in Dublin
Stay inside the canals if the museums are the trip, because Kildare Street, Dublinia, Chester Beatty and the Little Museum are all walkable from each other and four of them are free. Stay near the Luas red line or Parkgate Street if the zoo and Phoenix Park matter most. The suburbs and the airport hotels are where the pools are, which is a different trade entirely.
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What to skip
Three things to get right before you book. The Natural History Museum on Merrion Street is shut and has been since 2024, so ignore any list that sends you there. Emerald Park is not in Dublin, prices by height rather than age, and refunds nothing for rain or for closed rides, all three of which are published on its own site and none of which appear in the listings that recommend it: a wet Tuesday there can cost a family over 170 euro for very little. And do not plan the zoo for the afternoon, because African Plains closes at 17:30 with last admission at 17:00, and it is the half of the zoo children actually want. On the museums, the free ones are the good ones here, which is not true of most cities.
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