The Dublin Pass: Is it Worth the Money?

This post refers to the Dublin Pass 2023. Please ensure that you check their website for current costs and list of included attractions as these may be subject to change.

I’ve always looked at city passes with some trepidation: are we REALLY going to get our money’s worth? Are we going to be interested in the available attractions? Is it going to be a hassle? But the more and more I researched our Dublin trip – and realised there are very few free tourist attractions in the city – €69 per person on a 1-day All-Inclusive Dublin Pass started to seem like a very good idea. Just flicking through the huge list of included attractions and it was clear that we would definitely be saving money, whilst still having the freedom to pick and choose an itinerary to suit us.

What is the Dublin Pass?

The Dublin Pass is an all-inclusive pass which gives free admission to over 35 of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. This includes the Guinness Storehouse, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Zoo and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. There are two kinds of passes available, the All-Inclusive Pass and the Explorer. All-Inclusive passes are available from one to five consecutive calendar days, activated on the first use. The Explorer Pass is limited to a specific number of attractions (3, 4, 5 or 7) but can be used any time within a 60 day period.

We managed 5 attractions in one day, which would have cost €85 for an Explorer Pass, so the All-Inclusive definitely worked out best for us. Once activated at the first attraction, you can visit as many included attractions as you like, up to a specified limit of €169 for a one day pass. You’d have to cram your day chockful to hit that amount!

The Dublin Pass doesn’t include public transport, but it does include a Hop on Hop off bus ticket, which drops off near almost every major attraction included. In January, when weather fine enough to walk around the city isn’t guaranteed, this was a plus point for us. Especially with a stop right outside our hotel on Merrion Square. It’s not the quickest way of travelling around the city but was perfect for our needs.

How do you use the Dublin Pass?

The Dublin Pass was easy to order online, and digital passes were accessible via an app on my phone. The passes were scanned at the ticket office at each attraction and in some cases then exchanged for physical tickets. At the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus, the driver scanned the pass and swapped this for a ticket, valid until the end of the day’s service. The app also lists all of the attractions with the option to plan your itinerary by selecting favourites. There’s also a handy map, perfect for grouping attractions together geographically.

Some of the attractions do require prebooking with a special Go City promo code, namely the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Distillery Tour. The Jameson tour was fully booked during our stay, but that gave us the chance to experience Teeling’s Distillery instead!

So, How Much Can You Save?

Below is a list of the attractions that we visited in one day in Dublin using our Dublin Pass, and the current admission costs (walk-in, not online booking) without pass:

EPIC Irish Emigration Museum – €18,50

Big Bus Dublin Hop On Hop Off Tour – €30,00

Teelings Whiskey Distillery Tasting Tour – €18,00

St Patrick’s Cathedral – €8,00

Christ Church Cathedral – €10,50

Admission to these attractions would have cost €85, so our €69 Dublin Pass saved us a whopping €16. We could have saved more if I hadn’t already booked our Guinness Storehouse tour. I like to think that €16 “saved” paid for our Stout Selfies. We could have also fit in the Irish Rock n Roll Museum (€20) if I hadn’t been so intent on visiting the oldest pub in Dublin instead.

Is the Dublin Pass Worth The Money?

As a first time visitor to the city, it’s likely that a Guinness tour, a distillery tour, a museum or two, a cathedral (Dublin has two) and some kind of bus or bike tour will be on the itinerary. Even for a one day itinerary such as this, it’s likely that the Dublin Pass will save you money. And naturally, the more attractions you visit, the more you save.

If you’re visiting Dublin soon, and you’re undecided about whether to purchase a Dublin Pass or not, I hope this helps!