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Tourist Office in Dublin

The main tourist information office of Dublin is located in 37 College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. It provides information on leisure activities, guided tours, public transportation, and other questions of interest in English, and any other main European languages. In addition, the tourist office offers the following services:

• Guides, books, maps etc.
• Accommodation booking
• Dublin Pass that offers free museum entrance and various discounts,
• Tickets for local public transport as well as international bus connections
• Tickets to various events from guided tours to concerts
• Postcards, stamps, and envelopes
• Free Wi-Fi

Sightseeing in Dublin

The main sights of Dublin can be easily explored on foot. The 6 most famous spots that you cannot miss when visiting the city are:

• Guinness Storehouse: Located in the heart of the Guinness brewery, this hi tech visitor centre takes you through the 250 year history of The Dark Stuff. See, hear and smell how Guinness is made and take a complimentary pint in the Gravity Bar, the highest bar in Ireland.
• Trinity College: Founded by Queen Elizabeth I, Trinity educated the elite of Anglo-Irish society for centuries. Trinity is literally a town within the town, complete with its own Cricket pitch. The renowned Celtic art masterpiece; the illustrated Book of Kells is on display at Trinity.
• Temple Bar Market: Slurp some fresh Irish Oysters, sample Irish charcuterie and farm cheeses or just drift along with the crowds at this ever-popular Saturday foodies market in the middle of Temple Bar. The market is held every Saturday from approximately 10:00-16:30 in Meeting House Square.
• Dublin Writers Museum: The Irish literary tradition is one of the most illustrious in the world, famous for four Nobel Prize winners and for any other writers of international renown. The Writers Museum was opened to house a history and celebration of literary Dublin.
• Dublin Castle: Dublin Castle stands right in the heart of historic Dublin. For more than 1,000 years it has been the symbolic stronghold for those who ruled Ireland, from the Vikings to the English. A sprawling complex of historic buildings as old as 934, it offers a unique crash course in Irish history.
• The National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland: The first ever visitor attraction dedicated to the world of Irish myth, opens up a world full of folklore and stories. A fairy-tale for adults and children alike, this interactive experience gives a deeper sense of Irish cultural identity and imagination.

A complete list of city landmarks can be found on the following VisitDublin.com "Museums and attractions" list.

Dublin Tours

There are several travel agencies and tour companies that offer quality city tours or around the country. The most popular ones are:

• Collins Day Tours: It organizes day tours from Dublin. Mostly to the east coast of the island; Glendalough & Wicklow Gap
• Irish Day Tours: Irish Day Tours is probably one of the biggest tour companies based in Ireland. They organize tours around the country and Northern Ireland from different cities
• Hop on - Hop off bus The famous double decker sightseeing city bus is also available in Dublin. It drives you to the most famous city landmarks in its different routes available.
• Sanderman's Europe: Probably the most famous "free city tour company" in Europe
• Viking Splash: A different way to discover the city on board of this boat that runs both on water and around the city streets.

Festivals in Dublin

There are quite a few annual events worth knowing about before you move to Ireland.

First, of course, there's St Patrick's Day, still by far the biggest entry in the Dublin calendar. It's now celebrated with plentiful pints of the black stuff over the world, but Dublin is the fun's epicentre. As long as you can cope with the crowds, the weather, and the queues, there's no better place to enjoy it.

Calmer heads prevail in the summer at the excellent International Literature Festival Dublin and the Bloomsday Festival, which celebrates the works of James Joyce, while the first pulls in some of the world's best writers.

Another main event is the Six Nations rugby tournament, which takes place every spring.

Other popular festivals are:

• Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
• Electric Picnic Music festival
• International Dance Festival Ireland
• Pride
• Adidas Dublin City Marathon
• Christmas Day & St Stephen's Day

Up to date information about upcoming events can always be found on the VisitDublin.com

For more on official holidays, refer to our section on "At Work/Work Usage".

Discounts in Dublin

The Dublin Pass: The Dublin Pass is your ticket into over 25 top attractions, sights, landmarks and museums, saving you both time and money and removing the hassle of carrying around spare change and queuing up to buy attraction tickets. Step straight inside with The Dublin Pass and enjoy the simplicity of your sightseeing experience.

With the Dublin Pass you don't have to queue to buy tickets, or stand in line to get into the attraction. The pass acts as your ticket into over 25 attractions, sights and museums included. You'll save the hassle of carrying around cash for tickets and allows you to easily budget for your sightseeing when in Dublin. You'll also be able to use the pass to enjoy over 20 exclusive and additional special offers, from restaurant discounts and food trails to pub-crawls and gift stores.