Dublin, the compact capital city of the little island of Ireland, is mighty big when it comes to character, creativity, and culture. Literally, every corner you turn in Dublin can reveal another sight, attraction, or unexpected moment worthy of recording, remembering, and sharing - and that makes it the perfect place for snapping Instagram pics by the bucket-load! Here are just ten places to snap Instagram worthy pics in Dublin, some of which you'll encounter on our free walking tours and others you can easily find on your adventures.
The Guinness Storehouse
The home of the world renowned ‘black stuff’ is a must-see place to visit when in Dublin for many, sure it would be rude not to stop by, have a pint, and get a photo at the famous St. James’ Gate.
The whole Guinness storehouse experience has great spots for photos of Dublin. At the top of the brewery is the Gravity Bar, where you can enjoy your pint with a 360 view of Dublin City and you’ll also get a chance to pour your own pint. Don’t be afraid to get creative here for those Instagram pics, I mean, where else will you see a fish on a bicycle?!
Trinity College
Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland and is in the heart of the city centre. Because of its age and architecture, the College makes for a great place to take photos in Dublin. The most well-known building on campus is, of course, the Long Room Library. The library itself is often mistaken for the Harry Potter Library and it is also home to both the famous book of Kells and The Brian Boru Harp (Irelands National Symbol). Trinity College is of course one of the stops on our
free walking tour of Dublin so you’ll have the perfect opportunity to get some epic pics for Instagram here and explore the intriguing site with your lovely local guide.
Tivoli Theatre Carpark
You might be thinking a car park hardly offers many Instagram worthy pic opportunities, but this is no ordinary car park; it’s a hidden treasure if graffiti and urban street-art is your thing. The Tivoli theatre carpark is constantly changing its street art, so go on the first day of your trip and chances are there will be new photo opportunities later in the week. Dublin’s urban art scene is massive at the moment and heading to the Tivoli would be a great place to get some wonderful photographs of Dublin and the alternative nature of the city.
Love Lane
Looking for more places to get street art photographs of Dublin? Love Lane can be a great spot for it; the lane itself is just behind the Olympia theatre and features some work by acclaimed local street artist, Maser. Love lane is often a lesser seen place to visit, even though it is in the heart of Temple Bar, so a good place to get a unique photo that not everybody snaps.
Sculptures – Molly Malone/Oscar Wilde/Spire
Sculptures are always a good opportunity to get a pic for Instagram. Here are three of the most photographed, that also lend themselves to a bit of audience participation.
Molly Malone
The famous sculpture of Molly Malone who “wheeled her wheelbarrow through the streets broad and narrow” in the 1700’s, and who also plied the oldest trade in the book by night, attracts as much attention today as this infamous fishmonger character did in her lifetime - no doubt owing to her beautifully large…..eyes. Learn more about Molly Malone and other wonderful characters and stories, as well as our intriguing local and national mythology, legends and traditions on our
Fables and Folklore Free Tour in Dublin.
Oscar Wilde
The statue of one of the greatest writers ever to come out of this island lies facing his childhood home in Merrion Square. It is the only coloured sculptures in Dublin city, fitting for one of its most colourful characters. The Oscar Wilde statue is a great stop for a photograph in Dublin, and although we don’t encourage climbing monuments, we think Oscar wouldn’t be opposed to his likeness his statue getting a cuddle for a good photo
The Spire
The Millennium Spire of Light probably isn’t the most beautiful, or the most meaningful sculpture in all of Dublin, but let’s face it you can hardly miss it. It’s 120m high and stands over the entire city centre. This is one of the most photographed places in Dublin, so you may as well get creative with it and get a great photo.
Howth
Howth lies a 30min train ride to the north of Dublin Bay and is definitely one of the most beautiful places to visit in all of Dublin, not to mention one of the best places for photographs. Whether you venture along the 6km cliff walk around the peninsula or just want to stay close to the harbour, Howth is a must when visiting Dublin.
Greystones
If you want somewhere a little bit different, but still want all of the stunning views, head to Greystones. Although not really in Dublin, it is still accessed by the DART train service. The train journey alone is worth the trip as it is one of the most scenics in all of Europe and a worthy source of pics for Instagram, especially as you come out over the cliff at Killiney beach.
Greystones is a favourite spot for those on a health kick, offering a swim in the sea, a walk over Bray's head, or amazing food at the Happy Pear; but better yet, it’s a great place to visit for all you Instagrammers out there.
Street Performers
Dublin has always been known for its music, and what better place to experience this than on the streets of the city. The two most popular streets with performers are Grafton Street to the south and Henry Street to the north. Whether its musicians or magicians, these are great places to visit for photographs of Dublin’s creative side and for some street photography. If you’re visiting around Christmas time, while the lights alone are perfect for adding a bit of magic to your Instagram feed, some of the biggest names in Irish music have also been known to play on Grafton Street on Christmas eves such as Bono, Hozier, Glen Hansard, and Lisa Hannigan.
Poolbeg Lighthouse
The red and white towers at Poolbeg are iconic to the locals of Dublin and the walk to the Poolbeg lighthouse will bring you to the mid-way point between Howth, to the North, and Dun Laoghaire, to the south. With the ships coming into port and the red lighthouse at the end of the walk, it’s a beautiful place to take photos in Dublin.
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park is the biggest inner-city park in Europe, it’s home to the Wellington Monument (the largest obelisk in Europe), the home of the President of Ireland at Aras an Uachtarain and, of course, home to thousands of wild deer. If you want good selfies, don’t want to venture far from the city centre, and still want to be amongst nature, then the Phoenix Park is the best place to visit in Dublin. The deer are relatively tame and are great to get some pics for Instagram.
Source: galvuska Instagram
Also, if you’re lucky (as many people have been), you might even get a picture of our delightful President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, as he walks his dogs around the grounds of the Aras.
Source: the journal .ie
That’s your lot, Instagram enthusiasts, we look forward to seeing you snapping your way through Dublin’s fair city soon! You can also check our Instagram for some interesting pics taken on our free walking tours too and get in touch if you’d like us to feature some of your pics from your time with us or during your trip in Dublin, or indeed from your travels in any of the five cities we tour in.
