5 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland with a Baby

In Spring 2024, we spent 4 full days in Dublin, Ireland before traveling to Bordeaux, France. We stayed in an Air BNB in the town of Malahide. One of the big reasons we went to Dublin was to see the Cliffs of Moher. We heavily debated spending the night close to the Cliffs of Moher because it is a few hours drive from Dublin city, but with 6 adults and 1 infant, it ended up being cheaper and easier to have one “home base” and take day trips from there.

Ultimately, we chose Malahide because this is where we found the best place to stay for such a large group of people. Here is everything we did in Dublin and the surrounding areas with a baby.

Malahide Castle & Gardens

We visited Malahide Castle & Gardens on our arrival day. It was about a 10-20 minute drive from the airport and across the street from our Air BNB. There was plenty of parking, and we purchased our tickets when we arrived from the visitor’s center. However, we did not travel during the summer, so I would recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time if you will be traveling during the summer.

Our ticket purchase included a tour of Malahide Castle and access to the gardens and the Butterfly House. We had a few minutes before the tour started, so we went through the Butterfly House first. We left our stroller outside and carried our baby through the small house.

After we visited the Butterfly House, we made our way to Malahide Castle for the tour. The tour lasted about one hour. We had to leave our stroller at the front of the castle, so we carried our baby through the castle for this activity. The tour was very informative and fun. We got to see many different rooms throughout the castle and hear about the Talbot family who have inhabited the castle.

Overall, the castle was very fun to visit. I’m not sure that we would have gone out of our way for this activity, but it was very doable with a baby and it’s proximity to the airport and our lodging couldn’t be beat.

Guinness Storehouse

This is a must-do activity if there are any beer drinkers in your party. Our group had taken an overnight flight and visited Malahide Castle prior to arriving at the Guinness Storehouse, so we were very tired. There is a parking lot located across the street from the main building. However, they will only let you park in the lot if it is “close” to your ticket time (i.e. we were about 2 hours early and they weren’t having that).

We bought tickets ahead of time for the STOUTie experience. There seemed to be plenty of tickets available for the general addmission, but there did not seem to be a lot of tickets left for the STOUTie Experience. Even though we did not travel here during the peak season, the entire storehouse was extremely packed the afternoon that we visited. However, the staff was very friendly and accommodating with our baby and stroller. We were able to take the stroller throughout the building.

There are a few short self-guided exhibits to walk through to learn how the Guinness is made. After we walked through the exhibits, we made our way to the STOUTie experience. First, we took a photo. You have the option to take the photo by yourself or with a friend, but you sadly cannot have your baby or child in the photo with you. Next, we walked up to the bar where the bartenders used a machine to print our photo on the beer foam. You can also request a nonalcoholic beer at the bar if you wish! There was plenty of seating next to the bar for guests to enjoy their beer before continuing on with the experience.

After we left this part of experience, we found a restaurant where we were able to redeem an additional beer per guest (1 beer with the standard admission ticket + 1 beer with the STOUTie experience). We tried to go to the rooftop bar first, but it was extremely crowded and overwhelming, especially with a baby in our party. Thankfully, we found another restaurant that was a bit quieter and less crowded to enjoy our final beer. For those who may not enjoy beer, we were able to swap a soft drink or water for the beer.

Overall, I am glad that we visited the Guinness Storehouse. Personally, I don’t enjoy the taste of beer, so this experience wasn’t as exciting for me, but I always enjoy visiting new places and trying new things. Despite the high crowds, this activity is very baby-friendly.

Cliffs of Moher

If you are planning to visit Dublin, you have to make time for the Cliffs of Moher. It took us about 3 hours to get to the Cliffs from Dublin. If you are planning to drive, be prepared for extremely narrow roads. Keep in mind you also have to drive on the opposite side of the car and street! There are also companies you can book through that will take day trips from Dublin and include transportation.

We safely made it to the Cliffs of Moher, and there is plenty of parking available. We did purchase tickets ahead of time online. They were very busy on the day that we visited. We had perfect weather for viewing the cliffs, so I’m sure this contributed to the crowds.

On the property, there is an interactive exhibit, two cafes, gift stores, and plenty of bathrooms. There are options to walk to the left and to the right to view the cliffs. We did not have a lot of time with trying to make it back to Dublin for dinner, so we took our baby in the stroller and walked to the left. We took our time on the walk, getting the baby out of the stroller for the many photo opportunities. You are walking on the side of natural cliffs, so it is uneven terrain. While it was definitely doable with our stroller, it might have been easier to baby wear for this activity.

After we viewed the cliffs, we ate lunch at one of the cafes. The cafe functioned similarly to a food court where you grab your food from a small selection of items and have a seat in the large sitting area to eat your lunch. This was perfect because it was quick and there was something for everyone. After lunch, we made our way back to the car to to head back to Dublin.

If we had had more time, I would have walked through the exhibit. However, we still thoroughly enjoyed our trips to the Cliffs of Moher.

Trinity College & Book of Kells Experience

If you Google “top things to do in Dublin, Ireland,” Trinity College & Book of Kells are at the top of any list. We drove to Trinity College on a Saturday morning for our experience. The campus was very lively and busy.

We purchased the Books of Kells Experience & Trinity Trails Campus Tour. This tour included a 45 minute tour of the Trinity College campus followed by entry to the Book of Kells and Old Library. We pre-booked tickets online. I would highly advise that you prebook if this activity interests you!

We took our baby in the stroller for this activity. The stroller was very easy to maneuver on a college campus. We did go into one or two buildings, and the tour guide was very helpful in getting the stroller in and out. The tour was very informative, and the tour guide was friendly and professional.

After the tour, our tour guide dropped us off at the entrance to the Book of Kells Experience. This building was extremely busy. It was almost shoulder to shoulder getting through this part of the experience. We kept our stroller the entire time. In this building, we saw the Old Library and the Book of Kells. If you aren’t familiar, the Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript of the four gospels in the New Testament. We were not allowed to take pictures of the Book of Kells, but we were allowed to take pictures of the Old Library and the Gaia (detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface). Personally, I love reading and books, so this room was really fun to see.

After experiencing the Old Library, there is a second building that described as an “immersive voyage.” Think 360 degree screens, interactive exhibits, music, digital projections, and more.

Overall, this was another fun and easy to navigate activity with a baby. It was really hard to fully our experience with so many other visitors. I would recommend booking this tour on a weekday if possible.

Titanic Belfast

If there are any Titanic fans in your group, I would highly recommend visiting the Titanic Belfast. The Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We took our rental car and drove about 2 hours to Belfast for a day trip to visit this attraction. This trip does involve crossing a country border as Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom). However, there were no checkpoints in crossing. It was very similar to crossing through a state line in the United States.

For this experience, we purchased the White Star Premium Pass online prior to our trip. This included the Discovery Tour (guided), the Titanic Experience (self-guided), and the SS Nomadic (self-guided). It also included a souvenir and a 10 pound voucher to spend in the cafe, restaurant, or gift shop.

We started our day with the Discovery Tour. This was done with a tour guide and a small group of people. We were given headsets in order to hear the guide, but it was a very windy day and overall hard to hear the tour guide. Part of the tour is outside and a small part is inside. The tour guide was very knowledge and helpful in using the elevator for our stroller. It was also very cold outside. If I were to do it again, I would skip the Discovery Tour or schedule for a much warmer day!

After the tour, we made our way back inside and ate at the restaurant for lunch. Here, we were able to use our vouchers. After lunch, we went through the Titanic Experience. We moved at our own pace for this portion of the activity, and we had no issues with using our stroller. There is a Shipyard Ride during the experience where we left our stroller in the stroller parking area while we completed the ride. It was a very smooth ride, and our baby did great with it!

After the ride, it was time to continue the self-guided tour. You truly could spend hours in this portion of the museum. My favorite part was the Never Again exhibit. This exhibit walks you through the many factors that may have contributed to the Titanic’s sinking and reasons why/how it won’t happen again. Additionally, there is an exhibit that pays tribute to those who lost their lives during this tragic event in history. It was truly moving and powerful. It was very well-done and worth a visit from Dublin, even with a baby!

After we finished the Titanic Experience, we grabbed a coffee at the cafe before heading to the SS Nomadic. The SS Nomadic served as a tender for the White Star Line. including the Titanic and Olympic. We were able to walk onboard the ship and see it for ourselves. This was a much faster experience compared to the Titanic Experience.

Simply put, this is a must-do for anyone who loves the Titanic. Added bonus – it was very baby and child friendly!

Bonus: Molly Malone statue

I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this statue, but the Molly Malone statue is quite famous! It is a 3 minute walk from Trinity College, so we visited the statue and took a few pictures after our tour at Trinity College. The statue is a tribute to Molly who sold fish on the streets of Dublin.

Additional Resources

Dublin, Ireland is a fantastic city to visit with a baby and with a large group of people. If you are looking for other places to visit, check out our guide to visiting Sydney, Australia with a baby!

Additional Activities & Experiences

There is never enough time in a city, but we love to research more activities and experiences than we will have time for. Here are some suggestions if you have additional time to explore Dublin with a baby:

• Kilmainham Goal Museum
  • This is a former prison turned national monument that does tours.
  • Tickets sell out FAST for this which is why we did not get to visit during this trip.
• The Little Museum of Dublin
  • Located next to the Viking Splash Tour starting point
  • All reviews said this was a must do & hilarious!
  • Option to buy an all day ticket (join any tour at any point during the day)
  • Guided tours (9:00-4:00 on the hour)
• Viking Splash Tour
  • We did a similiar tour in Boston, Massachusetts and LOVED it.
  • Children under 3 are NOT permitted.
• National Gallery of Ireland
  • This is an 8 minute walk from Trinity College.
• National Museum of Ireland (Decorative Arts & History / Country Life / Natural History / Archaeology – all free)
  • This is a 14 minute walk from Trinity College to Natural History Museum.  
• The Temple Bar
  • Features live Irish music 24/7
  • This is a 10 minute walk from Trinity College. 
• Dublin Castle / Chester Beatty Museum
  • This is a 13 minute walk from Trinity College.  
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
  • Marsh’s Library (Located next to St. Patrick’s Cathedral)
• National Botanical Gardens
  • This is a 20-30 minute drive from Trinity College.
• Ireland’s National Cemetery
  • This is a 20-30 minute drive from Trinity College.