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Book of Kells, Dublin Castle Tour
4.6
66 Ratings
42 Wellington Quay
Explore Dublin’s iconic landmarks with a local guide. Skip the line at the Book of Kells, visit Dublin Castle, and Christ Church Cathedral.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- 42 Wellington Quay - Meet your guide on the corner of Wellington Quay and Fownes St Lower, on the left side of The Ha’penny Bridge Inn, 42 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 Y103, Ireland (53.345912163687515, -6.263398765956021). Please wait on street and do not approach the entrance, as the staff is not informed about the tour.
- River Liffey - This 3-hour walking tour is an essential experience of Dublin. We begin our exciting adventure on the bank of River Liffey in the Temple Bar neighborhood, known as Dublin’s ‘cultural quarter’ and nightlife district where you’ll find the city’s most important cultural institutions and historic pubs. This will give us a chance to learn about Irish whiskey, Irish beer, Irish rock’n’roll, Irish film, and so much more.
- Christ Church Cathedral - We’ll dig through centuries of Dublin’s history and culture as we explore the historic city center, discovering traces of the Vikings, stories about Anglo-Saxon kings, and monuments commemorating historical events such as the Great Irish Famine. We’ll see highlights such as the majestic Christ Church Cathedral, the Georgian City Hall, and the inner courtyards of Dublin Castle - the nerve center of historical power in Ireland (admission tickets are not included). We’ll also discover some hidden gems, such as St. Andrew’s Church, and the Statue of Molly Malone, which has an interesting legend behind it.
- Trinity College Library - The main attraction of this tour will be a visit to the Old Library in Trinity College, one of the 7 ancient universities of Great Britain and Ireland. The Old Library dates to 1712 and houses a collection of over 200,000 books, including the famous Book of Kells - a rare medieval manuscript renowned for its intricate illustrations and calligraphy. We provide skip-the-line tickets to this popular attraction, so our 25-people group won’t be delayed by long queues. Come and see a cultural treasure of Ireland!
What's Included
- 5-Star Licensed Guide
- Small group of 1-25 people
- Historical facts, cultural anecdotes and legends about Dublin
- Skip-the-line tickets to the Book of Kells (Trinity College’s Old Library)
- Walking Tour of Dublin’s top attractions: Dublin Castle, the Book of Kells, & Christ Church Cathedral
What's Not Included
- Tickets to Dublin Castle
- Tickets to Christ Church Cathedral
Additional Information
Visit the Book of Keels at the Old Library with skip-the-line tickets and discover the history, cultural heritage and legends of Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and Trinity College - Dublin’s 3 iconic landmarks and top-rated attractions in 1 day!
Highlights:
• Explore the history, legends and attractions of Dublin with a 5-Star Local Guide
• Enjoy skip-the-line access to the Book of Kells in the Old Library at Trinity College
• See Dublin Castle, City Hall, the Christ Church Cathedral and other iconic landmarks
• Discover the best things to do in the Historic Center and Temple Bar neighborhood
• Enjoy a well-organized walking tour for a maximum of 25 people
Join our Licensed Local Guide on a captivating journey through Dublin, a city steeped in rich history and vibrant culture. Our group walking tour covers the most iconic landmarks and attractions, and includes skip-the-line tickets to the Book of Kells exhibition at the Old Library in Trinity College!
- You should arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes early, as latecomers won’t be able to join the tour or receive a refund
- The guide will provide commentary in 1 language. Select your preferred language when booking.
- We will have a maximum of 25 participants.
- This tour is not suitable for people with disabilities.
- There is no luggage storage so please do not bring extra clothing, umbrellas, large bags, scooters, etc. Pets are not allowed.
- The Books of Kells at the Old Library is best enjoyed in silence, so the guide will keep the commentary to a minimum. Skip-the-line tickets include a reserved time slot for entry. You will skip the line at the ticket office but not at the entrance and security checks.
- Tickets to Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral are not included.
- We’re not afraid of the sun and rain, so the tour will take place as planned, regardless of weather, so please check the forecast and dress appropriately.
- It is a walking tour, so we recommend wearing comfortable shoes.
Location
42 Wellington Quay
Wellington Quay
Meet your guide on the corner of Wellington Quay and Fownes St Lower, on the left side of The Ha'penny Bridge Inn, 42 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 Y103, Ireland. Please wait on street and do not approach the entrance, as the staff is not informed about the tour.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(66 Ratings)
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Stephanieraye711
Jul 20, 2024
Great intro to Dublin highlights. - Great tour. Great information. Tour guide, Kirin, was excellent and funny. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Book of Kells is breathtaking.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laura_s
Jul 18, 2024
Dave was a great... - Dave was a great tourguide, telling us funny and great stories about the places we were walking around. I am happy we had him as a guide. Thank you!!
Review provided by Viator
Penni_w
Jul 12, 2024
amazing trip - Great. knowledgeable guide with great stories.
don't try to make me say more than I want to. This is not good , I loved the trip but this review is trying to get more than I want to say
Review provided by Viator
Janet_m
Jul 10, 2024
Great guide - Kieran was an excellent guide, knowledgeable about the history of Ireland. He also had a great sense of humour!
Review provided by Viator
Peter_f
Jul 8, 2024
Book of Kells according to St Luke - A knowledgeable engaging guide in Brian “Boru”, accompanied us. A well organised, fun experience. Book of Kells Experience was wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
Chip_b
Jul 11, 2024
Good Tour - Kieran was a very good host. It’s mostly a historic walking tour of Dublin, but it’s very enjoyable. Due to the peculiarities of Ireland, the guide cannot go into Christ Church and Dublin Castle, but that’s Ireland!
Review provided by Viator
Heidi_v
Jul 22, 2024
Library is worth a look. - Guide was gracias and informative. Would have liked the tour better if we had the opportunity to enter the cathedral.
Review provided by Viator
Marlo_r
Jul 14, 2024
Long Hall is worth it - Long hall and book of Kell was the highlight of the tour. Many of the books had removed for refurbishment. That was a disappointment. Dublin City tour was okay. Christ church is beautiful. Guide was pleasant and knowledgeable. The walking pace is moderate. A few people had difficulty keeping up.
Review provided by Viator
Cheryl4209
Jul 9, 2024
Ying and Yang - Wonderful tour guide, an added tidbit or two.... ( Handel's statue and story!) Having been to Dublin on a solo trip several years ago, we were reminded that the tour stops, with the exception of Trinity College, were exterior only. Highly recommend a return to Christs Church, especially, for their tour inside the building. Trinity College Library, unfortunately, was in a state of reformation during our tour, whereby all the books are being removed, vacuumed and refurbished by hand, one by one. The walls were nearly bare. Also, some committee had the obscene idea to suspend an enormous, brilliant and colorful ballon at the far end of the great hall, obscuring the elegant concave wooden ceiling and a good portion of the upper stacks. An interactive display on the lower floor has also been added, which displays much of the artwork inside the actual Book of Kells. An adjacent building of bright red, and only six months of age has been added to the campus to further illuminate the Book of Kells "experience." I prefer this separate entity to the "updates" taking place in the original Trinity College Library.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kellie_p
Jul 9, 2024
Would pick a more focused tour - This was not what we were expecting at all. Perhaps my fault for not understanding the nuances of the experience. Our guide was well informed. He stopped and spoke about several sites along our trip. Here is where our disappointment lies in this tour--
● 90% of the 3.5 hr tour is walking from location to location. Once we got to a location, the guide could only speak to us outside on the grounds. Our experience did not include tickets to inside, except for the Book of Kells.
● Finally when we arrived at the Book of Kells, our guide was not allowed to accompany us inside on the tour. A huge disappointment was the first portion of the Book is Kells- its an audio tour. They did not provide head sets for the tour, but rather everyone had to screen shot a QR code to go to a website where a narration played over your phone. Now imagine 50 people listening to the audio without ear buds, with everyone's narration being heard at different start points. Needless to say it was distracting, and we never got the full jist of the experience. Next time I would have just booked the book of Kells separately and gone first thing in the morning before the crowd starts, and also booked individually at the Christ Church, etc. through the respective facility tour and not this tour. Also, wasting 20 minutes on an unnecessary coffee break wasted precious time that could have been
spent in the Book of Kels. Sorry.
Review provided by Viator
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