Dublinia: our review of one of the best family attractions in Dublin

Our review of Dublinia, the Dublin’s Viking and Medieval History Museum. Find out what to expect and why we think this is one of the best things to do in Dublin with kids, whether you are local or visitor to Dublin Fair City.

If you are looking for things to do in Dublin with kids or even just for Dublin attractions, chances are you have come across Dublinia, Dublin’s Viking Museum.

Located in the city center, this is an interactive museum promising an immersive, educational experience for kids and adults.

Here, you can walk through a reconstruction of Dublin as it used to be, learn how the city began and have a taste of what life must have been like back then.

But is Dublinia as good as they say? We believe it is even better! We visited the first time when our kids had just started primary school and, since then, we have been recommending it consistently to friends form the city and abroad.

This is our Dublinia review and what to expect when visiting.

What is Dublinia?

Dublin is an interactive museum about the history of Dublin in Viking and Medieval time.

The museum develops over several floors and has reconstructions of Dublin as it used to be.

As you enter, you find yourself walking along the narrow streets of ancient Dublin and have the chance to enter old homes, play ancient games and learn about the history of the city.

The museum is excellent for kids but it is more than just a children’s attraction: we adults also got a lot from it and learn a surprising amount, thanks to the good info panels throughout the museum.

This is an excellent place for a mounting or an afternoon, especially on a rainy day: the museum is entirely indoor.

Where is Dublinia?

Dublinia is in Dublin City center, in the same complex as Christchurch cathedral.

Attractions nearby are: St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Trinity College

Where to get tickets for Dublinia?

You can buy your tickets at Dublinia directly, on the day or online in advance. Their official website is here

If you are visiting Dublin over a couple of days or more, it is good to know that Dublinia is included in the Dublin Pass, which offers skip the line entry and discounted access to 33 Dublin attractions.

What to expect in Dublinia, Dublin

Dublinia develops over 3 floors, each of them devoted to a different aspect of the history of Dublin and the work behind its uncovering.

The first floor you encounter is about Viking Dublin: here, you have information on the origins of the city and several interactive exhibitions for kids to engage form artifacts and events form this time.

Our two loved the dress-up chest and got a great time trying to decipher the Viking alphabet – something I highly recommend adults to try and do too, it is so interesting!

This part of the museum also has a reconstruction of Dublin in Viking times and you find yourself walking down Viking street: our kids thought the life-size figures of the old Dublin inhabitants were hilarious and had a great time entering the old houses and imagining how it would have been like to be born at that time.

The second floor is all about medieval Dublin and it also is interactive in nature.

Here, you also have a reconstruction of Dublin but also a lot of interacting exhibits and artifacts: the most enjoyable area of all for our kids was that with the medieval games, which you can have a go at yourself!

This is also where you can admire a truly impressive 3D map of Dublin. If the kids were hooked to the dames, we adults got hooked to the map: this is a stop not to miss.

The third floor is different from the others as it shows how archaeological and digging work happens.

Our kids were a little too young to appreciate this section but it is absolutely brilliant for school-age kids and may spark a real interest in the hob of historians and archaeologists.

From the last floor, you are able to go onto the shop (fun for souvenirs) and then on to St Michal’s Towers and Christchurch.

On this occasion, we didn’t enter the church however, we did climb up the tower which has a nice view of the city (it is a short climb, easy with kids).

We had a good afternoon in Dublinia and are happy to recommend it as one of the best things to do in Dublin with school-age kids.

Happy exploring!