Hidden Gems in Dublin

Dublin's big sights are well covered elsewhere. These are a few spots that come up less often, but are worth the detour.

The Chimney Viewing Tower, Smithfield

A former whiskey distillery chimney at Smithfield, converted into an enclosed glass observation platform roughly 60 metres up, with views out over the Spire, Phoenix Park, Croke Park and the Dublin Mountains. It's a quieter, cheaper alternative to the Guinness Storehouse's Gravity Bar for a rooftop view of the city. Details and current access via smithfield.ie.

Iveagh Gardens

Tucked behind the National Concert Hall and easy to walk straight past on Grafton Street, Iveagh Gardens is a formal Victorian garden with a rustic grotto, a maze and a sunken lawn — usually quiet even on a busy weekend, and free to enter.

Marsh's Library

Ireland's oldest public library, founded in 1707 by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh as the country's first library open to the general reading public rather than restricted to scholars or clergy. Tucked beside St Patrick's Cathedral, it's easy to walk straight past — the reading room, with its original 18th-century wired alcoves ("cages") where readers were once locked in with rare books, is largely unchanged. It holds over 25,000 books and 300 manuscripts. Ticketed, with a modest admission charge; closed Sundays, Mondays and bank holidays, so check marshlibrary.ie before making the trip.

Glasnevin Cemetery

Ireland's largest cemetery is the resting place of major figures in Irish history, including Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. The grounds are free to walk, and the Glasnevin Museum runs paid guided tours that are a genuinely good way into Irish history through the people buried there rather than a textbook. See glasnevintrust.ie for current tour times and prices.

Grand Canal Dock in the evening

The docklands area has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Walking the canal basin in the evening, past the glass office buildings and out toward the Poolbeg lighthouse chimneys, is a different side of Dublin to the historic centre — and it costs nothing.

National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin

A large, free botanic garden with Victorian glasshouses, a short bus ride from the city centre and considerably less crowded than Phoenix Park on a sunny weekend.

A note on "hidden"

None of these are secret — they're all publicly documented and easy to find online. What they have in common is that they're genuinely quieter than Dublin's headline attractions, which is usually what people mean when they ask for something off the beaten path.

Related reading

• Best Free Things to Do in Dublin
• Best Parks and Walks in Dublin
• Best Day Trips from Dublin