Dublin Pass

Sometimes "overlooked" in favor of a broader tour of Ireland, Dublin is a fascinating city that deserves a thorough sightseeing tour.

From quaint cathedrals to ancient castles, via the bustling Temple Bar district, the iconic Guinness Storehouse, the historic Jameson distillery, and the prestigious Trinity College-the Irish capital, while having a close-knit historic center, offers a wide range of worthy tourist attractions.

If you want to visit major attractions while saving money on tickets and tours, it is worth considering the purchase of a Dublin Pass.
Several tourist cards are available for Dublin, each with its own operation and benefits.
By choosing the right formula for your trip, you can visit a variety of attractions in and around Dublin and participate in guided excursions and tours, saving time and money.

Is the Dublin Pass worthwhile for a vacation in Dublin? What alternatives exist?
In this comprehensive guide to Dublin Passes, we take a detailed look at how each card works, the pros and cons of each, what benefits they offer, and whether they are really worthwhile for your trip.

Dublin passes: which one to choose?

Currently, the best Dublin passes available are:

• Dublin Pass All Inclusive
• Dublin Explorer Pass

Both are distributed by Go City, but they work differently and cater to different travel needs.
Each pass offersaccess to Dublin's main attractions, along with exclusive benefits and additional services designed for visitors.

But which one to choose?
There is no absolute best pass, because it all depends on your travel style, the number of attractions you wish to visit, and the length of your stay.

In this guide we will look in detail at the features, advantages and disadvantages of each pass, helping you to understand which is the most convenient solution for you.

The Dublin All-Inclusive Pass is the classic All-Inclusive tourist pass, ideal for those who want to explore the best of Dublin with no worries.

• Access to more than 40 attractions, museums and guided tours
• Valid for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 consecutive days
• Ideal for those who want a complete experience, visiting the most sites of interest in the city

Great solution for a "real tourist" vacation, culturally rich, visiting as much of Dublin as possible.
In fact, it allows you to have access to the main things to do and see in the Irish capital, while also saving a lot of money if you have a good travel pace.

The Dublin Pass is distributed by Go City, a leading city card company that offers comprehensive and reliable passes to numerous tourist destinations around the world.

What does All-inclusive pass include?

The All-Inclusive Dublin Pass allows free admission to more than 40 attractions in the Irish capital.
All of Dublin's major tourist destinations are included, plus some tours, museums and other attractions, even a few on the outskirts of the city.

The main ones, which I recommend you include in your city travel itinerary, include:

• St. Patrick's Cathedral
• Guinness Storehouse (the Guinness factory)
• Visit to the Jameson whiskey distillery
• Christ Church Cathedral - Christ Cathedral
• Hop-on hop-off bus tour Dublin
• Dublin Castle

Don't miss the tour of the Guinness Storehouse, the brewery of the iconic Irish stout

Other attractions and experiences included

In addition to the main tourist destinations listed a moment ago, with the All-Inclusive Dublin Pass you can visit many other things.
Perhaps "secondary" in terms of tourist relevance to the above, but all capable of completing and enriching the experience in a culturally relevant city such as Dublin.

To name a few we have EPIC-the Museum of Irish Emigration, Dublinia-the Medieval-Viking Museum, the museum on the history of Irish Rock 'n Roll , the Dublin Zoo, the Teeling Distillery, and several other opportunities.

Also included in the pass are guided food tours, discovering local delicacies or sampling beers, whiskey and cider in authentic pubs.
You can also explore out-of-town attractions, such as the Game of Thrones studios, or the nearby Irish coast with a bus tour.

Other famous Dublin attractions missing from the list are the Trinity College Library and the former Kilmainham Gaol. For these you will have to purchase a single ticket.

Definitely a very rich offer to take full advantage of to experience a great vacation in Dublin!
Find the complete and updated list of attractions included in the Dublin Pass All Inclusive on the official website.
By clicking on each individual attraction, you can find out details and how to visit.

Is public transportation included?

As mentioned above, public transportation is not included, only the hop-on hop-off tourist bus.

How it works

The All-Inclusive Dublin Pass is a digital pass that you purchase online, choosing validity between 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days.
Within the chosen validity period, you can visit all included attractions and participate in the included guided tours and experiences.

After purchasing online, you will receive a QR Code to the e-mail address given during purchase.
That code is in fact your pass: at the entrance to the various attractions, all you need to do is present this QR Code, either directly from your smartphone or printed on paper (whichever you prefer), avoiding the queues at the ticket office.

Pay attention that in some cases advance reservations are required, or strongly recommended. This is the case, for example, with guided tours or a visit to the Guinness Factory.
The official website has afull list of attractions for which reservations are required.

All-Inclusive Dublin Pass Prices

Below are the all-inclusive Dublin Pass list prices for adults and children and youth (5-15 years old).

The prices shown in the table are the list prices for the Dublin All-Inclusive Pass.
On the official website, at the link below, you will always find them discounted on a basic basis, by about €10 - €15 depending on the pass denomination you choose.

Offers and discount codes

You can further discount prices by 5% by using the discount code AFFGOALL, to be entered when purchasing the Dublin All-Inclusive Pass.
The 5% discount applies to prices already discounted on the official website, further increasing the affordability of the pass.
If additional, more convenient promo codes become available, thanks to some commercial initiative, they will be highlighted on this page.

How much can you save with the All-Inclusive Pass?

To understand how much you save with the Dublin Pass All Inclusive, it is essential to do some calculations and compare the cost of individual tickets with the price of the pass.

The average cost of a Dublin attraction (among those included in the pass) is about €30 per person.
The most famous ones can cost even more, while others are more moderately priced.

Consider a 3-day pass for adults:

• In 3 days it is reasonable to expect to see at least 3 attractions per day, for a total of 9 attractions.
• Without passes, the 9 attractions would have an average ticket cost of €270.
• The 3-day All-Inclusive Dublin pass costs €139, providing a savings of about €130 per person.

For the other versions of the pass, the mechanism is also the same: the more attractions you visit, the greater the savings.

When is it worthwhile to Pass All Inclusive Dublin?

The all-inclusive Dublin Pass is at its best in my opinion when you have at least 3 to 4 days and plan to keep a good itinerary pace, visiting as much of Dublin and its environs as possible.

Also not to be underestimated is the convenience and comfort of having purchased an all-inclusive card, which includes you everything, without standing in line at the ticket office and convenience accounts while you are on the road.
You leave with an already defined budget, you don't have to shell out more money for attractions, you don't have to exchange euros for local currency (thus avoiding exchange rates and fees), and you can decide to even take a quick look at some attractions not directly of first interest, since they are included in the price anyway.

Where to buy it

The Dublin Pass All Inclusive is purchased exclusively online, on the official website of Go City, the company that distributes the pass.

Select the number of days you are interested in, enter your information and proceed to payment.
You can pay by credit card or PayPal.

The pass comes to you soon after via email, and you can use it directly from your smartphone or print a copy for security.
So be careful to enter a correct e-mail address when purchasing.

Validity and refunds

The all-inclusive Dublin Pass is valid for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 consecutive days depending on the option purchased, and is activated with the visit of the first attraction.

"Consecutive days" means calendar days, not 24-hour periods.
Therefore, avoid activating it in the evening or late afternoon if possible: you would be wasting 1 day of validity for the time of 1 attraction or so.
Rather, if perhaps you arrive in Dublin in the late afternoon or evening, purchase the pass for one less day and activate it the next day to make the most of it.

You have 1 year to use it (I recommend that you also purchase it well in advance, perhaps taking advantage of some special discounts).
If not used, you can request a full refund within 30 days of purchase.

If you prefer a more flexible solution, the Dublin Pass Explorer may be the right choice for you.
It allows you to choose a set number of attractions (3, 4, 5 or 7) from an extensive list of museums, tours, activities and attractions in and around the city.
The list of available attractions is almost the same as the All Inclusive pass (also distributed by Go City), with the difference that here you choose only those that interest you most.

Thus, unlike the All Inclusive Dublin Pass that allows you to visit everything without daily limits, the Explorer Pass is designed for those who want to select only a few attractions, without the need to see as much as possible in a few days.

What it includes

The Dublin Explorer Pass includes the same attractions as the Dublin All Inclusive Pass (which I outlined above), with a few minor differences.

There are all the city's top attractions, such as St. Patrick's and Christ Cathedrals, the Castle, a visit to the Guinness factory and Jameson distillery, and a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour.
We find tasting tours, admissions to various museums in the capital, out-of-town visits to the studios of the TV series The Iron Throne and to the enchanting Irish coast.

Only some non-main experiences are featured as exclusive to one or the other pass.
Always refer to the official website for the complete and updated list of attractions included in the Dublin Pass Explorer.
By clicking on each individual attraction, you can find out details and how to visit.

Transportation is also not included in the Dublin Explorer Pass.

How it works

The Dublin Pass Explorer is a practical and flexible solution, ideal for those who want to visit only a few well-chosen attractions without time constraints. At the time of purchase, you choose only the number of attractions included in the pass (3, 4, 5 or 7), without having to decide in advance which ones to visit.

Once in Dublin, simply show up at the entrance of your chosen attractions and have the QR Code you received via e-mail scanned. The pass automatically activates on your first visit, and from then on, each admission will be scaled down from your total. This means you have the freedom to choose what to see as you go, based on your preferences and time available.

Since you activate it, you have as many as 30 days to visit the included attractions. So you can freely arrange the itinerary, without the knot of consecutive days. Visit the attractions whenever you want.

Some particularly popular experiences, such as guided tours, may require advance reservations.
An updated list of attractions that require reservations can be found on the official website.

The Dublin Pass Explorer is recommended for those who prefer a more relaxed itinerary, with fewer attractions, but without sacrificing the city's main sights.

Dublin Explorer Pass Prices

In the table you will find the list prices of the Dublin Pass Explorer, for adults and children.
The list price is practically always discounted on the official website and may change throughout the year.

Therefore, the amounts I have included below may not be up to date. Always refer to the official website.

On the official website, at the following link, you will always find them discounted on a basic basis, by about €10 to €15 depending on the pass denomination you choose.

Offers and discount codes

By using the discount code AFFGOALL, to be entered when purchasing the Dublin Pass Explorer, you can further discount prices by 5%.
The 5% discount applies to prices already discounted on the official website, further increasing the convenience of the pass.
If additional cheaper promo codes become available, thanks to some commercial initiative, they will be highlighted on this page.

How much can you save with Explorer Pass?

If you already have an idea of the attractions you want to visit in Dublin, calculating the affordability of the Dublin Pass Explorer is simple.
Just add up the prices of individual tickets and compare the total with the cost of the pass for that number of attractions.

Let's take a practical example by considering 3 main attractions that are usually included in itineraries to Dublin:

• Guinness Storehouse: 30€
• Visit to the Jameson distillery.: €33
• Big Bus Tour Hop-On Hop-Off: 35€.

Total tickets without pass: 98€
Cost Dublin Explorer Pass (3 attractions, discounted price): about 65€
✅ Savings: about 33€ per person

In the multi-attraction variants, proportionally the savings increase.
If you also vary the 3 attractions to see, roughly the convenience remains of this order of magnitude.
Clearly by choosing the more expensive experiences, the savings become even more significant.
You can repeat this calculation with the attractions you actually chose (if you are already clear) and calculate your actual savings.

When is Explorer Pass worthwhile?

The Dublin Explorer Pass is suitable for vacations with a more relaxed pace, with fewer attractions on the itinerary, perhaps for a weekend touch-and-go.
At your leisure, you can combine this pass with some other tours or sightseeing points, purchased individually.

The Dublin Pass Explorer is also an attractive option for those taking a touring trip of Ireland, spending a few days in Dublin at the beginning and end of their vacation.
The all-inclusive pass is not suitable in this particular case, as you can only use it for consecutive days, while the Explorer remains valid for 30 days and you can divide up your visits as you wish.

Where to buy it

The Dublin Pass Explorer is purchased online, I recommend on the official website of Go City, the company that owns the pass.

Pay attention because this is the same site where you also purchase the All-Inclusive Pass, so in the same purchase area you see both.
Choose the denomination you are interested in, from 3, 4, 5 or 7 options and proceed to purchase.

Double check the email you enter. In fact, it is to this address that the passes, which look like QR codes, will be sent.
To always have the pass at hand, save it on your smartphone. If you prefer, you can also print a hard copy to take with you on your trip.

Validity and refunds

The Dublin Pass Explorer is automatically activated when you first use it, that is, when you use it for admission to the first attraction.
From then on, you have 60 days to take advantage of it and visit your chosen attractions, with no constraint of consecutive days.

If unused, you can ask for a full refund within 30 days from the date of purchase.

If, after using all of the included attractions, you find that you did not get any financial savings, Go City offers a "money back" guarantee, refunding you the difference from tickets purchased individually.

Finally, remember that the pass is valid for up to 1 year from the date of purchase. After this period, you will no longer be able to use it.

Dublin card transportation

As anticipated, none of the Dublin passes reviewed includes public transportation.
If necessary, a separate public transportation pass is made.

Dublin is a city that is easy to get around on foot. The center is quite small, so there is no need to rely heavily on public transportation.
In any case, if your need is to travel frequently by transportation, perhaps because you are staying far from the center, the transportation card for Dubino to purchase is the Leap Visitor Card.

Leap Visitor Card: how does it work?

The Leap Visitor Card is a public transportation pass that allowsunlimited use of Dublin transportation for 1, 3 or 7 days.

Included are:

• Bus (both Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland)
• Streetcars (the 2 lines of the Luas network)
• DART trains, connecting Dublin with the coast
• Commuter Rail trains, connecting Connolly Station with Kilcock and Heuston Station with Sallins

The card is valid for travel to and from the airport, although in this case it may be more convenient to opt for a shuttle transfer, especially with children and luggage in tow.

The prices of the card are as follows:

• 24 hours (1 day) - €8.00
• 72 hours (3 days) - €16.00
• 168 hours (7 days) - €32.00

These are actual hours of use, so when you activate it, it will be valid until the same time the next day.
The Leap Visitor Card can be purchased directly in Dublin as soon as you arrive at the airport, or at one of the outlets downtown.

Find all the detailed info on the official Dublin transport website.

Passes to Dublin: summary

There is noone-size-fits-allanswer to the question "is the Dublin pass worth it?"
Convenience depends on your travel needs, personal interests and length of stay. However, if you plan to visit some of the city's most famous attractions, choosing the right pass can save you money.

The most classic formula is the All Inclusive / All inclusive Dublin Pass, which is a list of attractions that can all be visited in a limited number of days.
This is ideal for those who stay a while in the city and want to visit in depth what is best to do and see in Dublin.

The Dublin Pass Explorer, a more innovative formula, which allows you to choose a limited number of attractions, at a pre-determined fixed price.
In this case, the convenience is easy to calculate: we sketch out an itinerary, add up the cost of the tickets for the individual attractions we would like to do, and compare it with the price of the pass.

Usually the Explorer Pass is chosen by those who already have fairly clear ideas, and are sure to visit only a few selected things.

When is it not worthwhile to purchase a pass?

If you are staying in Dublin for a short time, or you prefer to walk between neighborhoods, visit parks and free attractions, a pass is probably not useful.
The Old Town is easy to visit on foot or by bike (to rent), but keep in mind that the weather is often rainy, especially from fall to spring. In this case, you might consider visiting a few indoor attractions anyway, choosing them individually.

Public transportation

Both passes reviewed do not include the use of buses and streetcars.
If you need to travel by public transportation, you can purchase the Leap Visitor Card directly in Dublin, which allows unlimited use of buses and streetcars for multiple days.

Dublin Card FAQ