Walking tours and pub crawls of Dublin

They say that the only way to really discover a city is to get out and walk amongst the people. Every city has a myriad of hidden gems not always visible by bus and Dublin is most certainly no different.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Grafton Street, there's a world of delightful sights and scenes that will give you a far better insight into everyday life in Dublin. A walking tour is the perfect way to get to know the city, and you'll be shown quirky little local businesses, historical sites, and of course our old traditional pubs, that many visitors might not be that familiar with.

Here we list some of the best walking tours that Dublin has to offer.

Dublin Tasting Trail
Sampling the range of local cuisine is a must for any holiday, and Dublin is no different. The Dublin Tasting Trail (run by real Irish foodies), takes in local bread shops, food halls, street markets, cheesemongers, fishmongers, butchers, bakers and lots more depending on the day. Lasting around 2 hours, the tour is conducted on foot with a small group, so you'll be guaranteed a personal experience. Irish celeb chef, Donal Skehan, is a big fan and you're afforded the chance to soak up the history and culture of the city and enjoy delicious food in historic neighbourhoods, off the beaten track, but all within a stone's throw of the city centre. All trails begin in a city centre location, and venture to areas like Portobello, Rathmines, Christchurch, Capel Street or further depending on the group's wishes. The cost is €45 per person, but turn up hungry and you'll certainly get value for money! This company also runs tasting tours in Howth and Cork, as well as delicious cooking days with local restaurants. Perfect for tourists, but also a big hit with locals who want to rediscover their city. The Dublin Tasting Trail is a highly recommended way of whiling away a morning in the capital.

Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
If there are two things that Dublin is inextricably linked with, it's literature and pubs. We're big fans of both, and the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl tour brings the two together for a two-hour, half-mile guided tour of city centre pubs, peppered with interesting literary and local knowledge. Great Irish writers such as Joyce, Beckett, Kavanagh and Wilde were all regulars in various Dublin pubs, and penned many famous verses on a bar stool. This tour aims to explain why Dublin's pub culture and literature are so closely linked, and also incorporates a big helping of street theatre, as your guides will act out some of the famous lines too! Described by the Sunday Times in London as "one of the best in the world", the crawl (priced at €12 for adults) begins at The Duke Pub and winds its way around the Trinity College area, stopping at 8 watering holes along the way. It's perfect for those who want to hear some local stories that you won't find in any guide book, and it certainly scores 10/10 for entertainment value. Tours start at 7.30pm, so be sure to eat before you begin. We would also advise not to have a drink in every pub along the way, no matter how hard that may seem!

Le Cool Experience
Le Cool, a local weekly ezine dedicated to interesting events and initiatives happening around the city, has recently taken the interesting step of organising guide-led experiences, each of which has a different route and purpose. With the aim of sharing "at the moment" cultural experiences, stops on the Le Cool Experience may include DIY culture, street art, fashion, emerging music and literature, artists, hidden historical gems and the latest trends, among other things. Recent tours have taken in delightful tea and cake shops, pop-up stores, cult restaurants and obscure art galleries, and each tour is guaranteed to enthral and excite. If you're the type of person that prefers to get out and about and down and dirty with the cool locals, rather than sticking to the regular touristy spots, or if you're looking to be guided around Dublin's youth culture underbelly, then it's a great experience. Tours are generally held weekly, and are well worth the €15 fee. One for the twenty-something crowd perhaps?

1916 Rebellion Walking Tour
A year of revolution and rebirth for the Irish nation, 1916, and the Easter Rising of the same year, literally changed the face of the country. A small band of rebels hatched a plan to take over certain important sites in Dublin, and to declare the country a republic. The 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour will take you through each of these historical sites, and give a thorough and incredibly interesting insight into this important occasion. It will also give you some information the history books may not, such as the reasons why the crusade was not supported by the public originally, but gained a wave of support subsequently, and the real significance of the buildings the rebels attacked.

Tours are held every day, last about two hours, and cost €12. Lorcan Collins, a bubbling individual who is co-author of The Easter Rising - A Guide to Dublin in 1916, conducts the tour, and the lively pub discussion that follows is another real highlight. The 1916 tour is a truly fascinating experience of a central event in Irish republican history, and one you really should sample.

Pat Liddy's Walking Tours of Dublin
Ever been on a tour and asked a question that the guide couldn't answer? We can guarantee you that won't happen on any of Pat Liddy's Walking Tours of Dublin! An oracle on all things Dublin, Liddy guides tours across the whole city, with subjects as varied as Viking Dublin, "Highlights and Hidden Corners", "Greet the Mummies", and the Georgian Quarter. Choose which you want to follow, and you can visit sites as obvious as Trinity College, or as obscure as a small church in Dublin 7. Private walks are also available, for those who want to customise what they see, while all tours are available in several different languages. Prices range from an incredible €6 to €12, with private tours costing a little bit more, and departure points are dotted around the city. We'll let Pat tell you himself why you should take a tour with him:

"All my life I have been an enthusiast of Dublin and now I would love to share with you the stories, the architecture, the history, the winding back streets, the beautiful parks, the hidden gems, the peals of medieval bells and so much more in this unique city".