Dublin Zoo

Always popular with children, the zoo has the advantage of being just 3km outside the city centre in the Phoenix Park. It contains more than 700 animals and tropical birds.

The zoo operates a "meet-the-keeper" programme where visitors can learn about each animal and their feeding habits and behaviour. Two of the most popular sections of the zoo are the new World of Primates and the World of Cats. Among the other facilities are a train ride around the zoo grounds, a new children's play area, the pet-care area, discovery centre, restaurants and gift shop.

Opening hours are 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Adults are charged £5.90 for admission, children and senior citizens £3.20. A family ticket, which consists of two adults and two children costs £15.90 or £18 for two adults and four children.

Guinness Hopstore

This tour of one of the most renowned breweries in the world is particularly popular with overseas visitors. The hopstore is a converted 19th century building and its four storeys house the World of Guinness Exhibition an audiovisual show on the history of Guinness in Ireland which goes back to 1759.

Also housed in the building is a model cooperage and transport museum, a souvenir shop and a bar where a pint of Guinness can be sampled by visitors. Recently an exhibition displaying Guinness advertising over the decades has been added to the hopstore. During the summer the hopstore is open from 9.30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday. During Sundays and bank holidays, it is open from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Admission for adults is £4, £3 for students and senior citizens and £1 for children. For groups of more than 20 the charge is £3 each.

Kilmainham Gaol

This gives visitors a chance to see one of the most important sites in modern Irish history, where Parnell, Emmet, de Valera, Pearse and Connolly were detained.

One of the largest unoccupied jails in Europe, visitors are given a guided tour through all phases of its history, from its establishment in 1796 to its final closure in 1924. People are allowed walk into individual cells and can read the signatures of famous prisoners on the wall. A detailed audio-visual presentation is included as part of the guided tour.

Between April and September the opening hours are 9.30 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. daily. During October to March it is open between 9.30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. on Sundays (it is closed on Saturdays).

Admission is £3 for adults, £1.25 for children and students and £2 for senior citizens. A family rate of £7.50 is also available. Kilmainham Gaol is situated close to the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham so combining a visit to the two of them might be good idea.

Trinity College Dublin

Founded in 1592, the oldest university in Ireland continues to be a popular tourist attraction. The campus contains many unique buildings, some dating from the 17th century.

The main draw for many visitors is the Book of Kells which contains a Latin text of the four gospels decorated by Irish monks in the year 800 AD. The book is included in an exhibition called The Book of Kells, Picturing the Word which places the work in its historical context.

After seeing the book in the specially designed Treasury room, visitors can look at the Long Room which at 65 metres long contains 200,000 of the library's oldest books.

The Book of Kells exhibition is open during the summer from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday and on Sundays from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Admission for adults is £3.50, with students and under 18s charged £3. A family ticket for two adults and two children, costs £7.

The National Wax Museum

Situated at Granby Row near Parnell Square the wax museum has expanded significantly over the last five years. The museum is broken into separate sections, including sport, politics, literature and the Chamber of Horrors.

Figures such as Robert Emmet, W.B. Yeats, Sean Kelly and Mary Robinson are featured and each display is accompanied by a narrative which can be heard by pressing a button. The museum contains the Pope Mobile used by Pope John Paul II on his visit to Ireland in 1979.

For children, there is the World of Fairytale and Fantasy which contains figures like Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Robin Hood and Cinderalla. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 5.30 p.m. Adults are charged £3.50, students £2.50 and children £2.

No Charge

Dublin Civic Museum houses a collection of materials connected with the streets, buildings, industry and transport of Dublin.

Hugh Lane Gallery houses a large collection of works by Irish and continental artists, including the Impressionists.

Royal Hospital Kilmainham site for the Irish Museum of Modern Art which houses a collection of international and Irish art from the 20th century.

National Botanic Gardens on almost 20 hectares of ground the gardens contain up to 20,000 species of fauna.

The National Gallery has a major collection of Irish and international paintings, the majority of which are on permanent display.

The National Museum has artifacts and masterpieces dating from 2000 BC to the 20th century.

Collins Barracks displaying artifacts ranging from weaponry, furniture, folklife and costume to silver, ceramics and glassware.

National History Museum a zoological museum containing collections of wild life of Ireland.