Things to do in Dublin 2
Attractions, heritage sites and walks around Dublin 2, drawn from open data. Distances are straight-line from the town centre.
In brief
Dublin 2 is a town in County Dublin about 1 km from Dublin city centre. Open datasets list 575 Fáilte Ireland visitor attractions within 10 km, eight national monuments open to visitors within 20 km, 74 nationally rated heritage buildings in the town. Everything below comes from published sources, refreshed regularly.
Attractions near Dublin 2
Visitor attractions listed by Fáilte Ireland within 10 km (top 12 of 575).
- The National Library of Ireland has the largest collection of W.B. Yeats manuscripts in the world, donated by the Yeats family. Located in Dublin, the library is home…
- Walk into the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street and you are magically transported back in time to see famous Celtic artefacts. St Patrick's Bell, the Tara…
- The Molesworth Gallery in Dublin City, is one of Ireland's contemporary art galleries, representing some of the most acclaimed artists exhibiting in the country today.
- The seat of Dáil Éireann, the House of Representatives, and Seanad Éireann, the Senate, which constitute the Oireachtas, the National Parliament, was erected in 1745…
- The National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin City displays work by many artists including Johannes Vermeer, Lavinia Fontana, Jack B Yeats, Alice Neel, Caravaggio, Mainie…
- The National Museum of Ireland, Merrion Street in Dublin City is currently closed to the public for a full refurbishment project. However, some of the collections are…
- The Doorway Gallery on South Frederick St. in Dublin City exhibits fine art paintings, amongst other works, from a selection of both Irish born and international…
- Gormleys Fine Art is one of Ireland’s leading art galleries specialising in contemporary painting and sculpture.
- The Oriel Gallery on Clare Street in Dublin City is the oldest independent gallery in Ireland. It specialises in 18th to 21st century paintings, drawings and…
- St Ann’s Church was founded in Dublin City in 1707, and in 1868 a neo Romanesque façade was added. The church has memorials dedicated to those lost in World War I and…
- Take a guided tour of Oscar Wilde House, Merrion Square, Dublin City, the childhood home of the famous playwright and wit. Hear the incredible story of the Wilde family.
- The Zoological Museum, located in the heart of Trinity College, Dublin City, is home to some 25,000 specimens and also live animal displays. It is one of Dublin's…
Heritage and monuments
National monuments open to visitors within 20 km, plus nationally rated buildings in Dublin 2 from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
- St. Mary's Abbey is one of Dublin's best kept secrets. It was once the wealthiest Cistercian Abbey in Ireland. Today only two rooms remain - the Chapter House and the Slype.
- Sited in the heart of the walled medieval city, St Audoen's Church is the only remaining medieval parish church in Dublin. It is dedicated to St Ouen the 7th century bishop of Rouen and patron saint of Normandy.
- One of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe, covering some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland's emergence as a modern nation from 1780s to the 1920s.
- The Casino was designed by Sir William Chambers as a pleasure house for James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont.
- The original castle at Rathfarnham dates back to the Elizabethan period and was built for Archbishop Adam Loftus, an ambitious Yorkshire clergyman, who came to Ireland as chaplain to the Lord Deputy and quickly rose to…
- Today Monkstown Castle is situated in the suburbs of Dublin. In medieval times the castle here was the centre of a large farm owned by the Cistercian monks of St.
- Today the wedge tomb at Kilmashogue is located in forestry, but originally it would have been situated on an open mountain side overlooking the lowlands now occupied by Dublin city.
- The old church of Tully near Cabinteely is situated on a low hill overlooking much of south county Dublin and has fine views of the Dublin Mountains.
Walks and nature
Waymarked trails from Sport Ireland's National Trails Register and NPWS parks and nature reserves, starting near Dublin 2 and across Co. Dublin.
- Ireland's largest national park and the only one in the east, almost 23,000 hectares of blanket bog, heath, oak woodland and upland lakes south of Dublin.
- North Bull Island Nature ReserveA UNESCO biosphere on a sandy island in Dublin Bay, internationally important for wintering wildfowl and waders.
- Rogerstown Estuary Nature ReserveA tidal estuary near Rush that is a key roost for Brent geese and other wintering birds.
- Baldoyle Estuary Nature ReserveA sheltered north Dublin estuary and saltmarsh, important for wintering waterfowl.
Plan around Dublin 2
- What's on across Leinster this week, refreshed every Monday.
- Thinking of moving here? Living in Dublin 2 covers prices, rents and schools. Median sale price €490,000.
- See every nationally rated heritage building and monument in our heritage guide to Co. Dublin.
Attraction data from Fáilte Ireland Open Data (CC BY 4.0), last refreshed 13 July 2026. Monuments from the National Monuments Service and heritage buildings from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (both data.gov.ie, CC BY 4.0). Trails from Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. Parks and reserves from the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Opening hours and admission can change; check the linked site before travelling.