Should I buy Go City’s Dublin pass or get individual tickets?

If you’re eager to visit more than just one museum before sinking a pint of Guinness then heading home, the pass is likely to be your best bet. Read on for the lowdown!

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: January 22, 2026
Guinness drinkers in a bar

World-famous breweries, whiskey distilleries, grand gothic cathedrals and cracking good craic: your Dublin to-do list is full to capacity and you haven’t even touched down yet! With all this (and more) to see and do, a Go City Dublin pass – multiple bundled attractions for one fixed price – seems like a pretty safe bet. We’ll crunch the numbers and weigh it up against buying individual tickets on the hop to find out which leaves more cash in your wallet for all those essential pints and Tayto crisps.

Firstly, what is a sightseeing pass?

Think of it as a single ticket that covers entry to stacks of Dublin attractions for one upfront price. So, instead of buying separate tickets for the Guinness Storehouse, Jameson Distillery and Big Bus, you just flash your Go City Dublin pass and head on in. Nice.

Dublin attractions

Get access to 35+ top Dublin attractions!

The pros of using a pass

One price = simpler budgeting

Trip costs have a nasty habit of adding up fast. With a pass, you lock in your attraction spend upfront. So no costly shockers at the ticket booth and no mental arithmetic while queueing for a tour.

Genuine savings on big hitters

Got a couple of Dublin bucket-listers – say the Guinness Storehouse and a Big Bus tour – on your list? If so, you’ll quickly see the benefit of a pass vs buying tickets individually. Add an extra museum, cathedral or food tour to your itinerary and you’ll be into the black in no time.

Not just the usual suspects

Beyond the headline names, the pass line‑up includes plenty of smaller museums, historic houses, tours and experiences you might not have found otherwise. We’re talking Temple Bar murder mysteries, model railway museums, and the splendid architectural folly that is Casino Marino. So, if mixing big hitters with hidden gems sounds like your kind of vibe, the pass has your back.

One app is all you need

Your pass, attraction info, maps, booking links and opening hours all sit together in the Go City app. No paper printouts, no email digging, fewer open tabs, fewer headaches.

Total flexibility 

No need to plan way in advance. Just wake up and see which way the wind is blowing. A pass makes it easy to pivot from walking tour or zoo to museum or brewery should the legendary Dublin rains put in an unscheduled appearance.

Handy perks at select spots

Some attractions require advance reservations or offer timed entry. The app makes that simple, and in some cases you’ll find special upgrades or other extras baked into the pass experience. Just check the app for the latest details.

Dublin Castle

Add colorful Dublin Castle to your sightseeing agenda.

The pros of individual tickets 

Ok, we admit it: the Dublin pass won’t be for everyone. In the unlikely event your Fair City plans only include a museum and a single pint of black gold, you might be better off going the individual tickets route.

No commitment up front

If you’re only planning one or two paid attractions, paying as you go can be simpler and cheaper than buying a multi‑attraction product. Sounds like you’re going to spend a lot of time strolling the Liffey and stalking the deer in Phoenix Park…

Spontaneity rules!

If you prefer to decide what you’re doing on a whim, buying on the hop gives you maximum freedom. You only pay for what you actually do.

Let's compare...
 

Feature 

Go City Dublin passes

Individual tickets 

Upfront cost 

✔ Paid in advance, easier to budget 

✖ Pay per attraction, adds up fast 

Total savings 

✔ The more you see, the more you save 

✖ No guaranteed savings 

Convenience 

✔ One app, one QR code, done 

✖ Booking and managing multiple tickets separately 

Extra perks 

✔ Skip-the-line access, shop discounts, food offers, free guides 

✖ None – you get what you pay for 

Food & drink deals 

✔ Includes some options and offers 

✖ Not included 

Hidden gems 

✔ Curated line-up by local experts 

✔They’re out there, you’ll just need to do some more research 

Flexibility 

✔ Visit what you want, when you want 

✔ Freedom to pick day-by-day 

Risk of overspending 

✔ No nasty surprises 

✖ Hard to track daily spend 

How much are you actually saving? 

Here’s an example of what a standard 2-day Dublin itinerary might cost with individual tickets: 

Day 1

  • Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour: €37
  • Guiness Storehouse: €30
  • Saint Patrick’s Cathedral: €11
  • Food/drink walking tour of Dublin: €25
  •  

Day 2

  • Big Bus Dublin coastal tour: €40
  • Dublin Zoo: €24
  • Jameson Distillery tour: €31

That’s a total cost of €198. Now compare that to a 2‑day Dublin All-Inclusive Pass, priced at €109. In this example, you’d save €89 or around 45%*, and you might still have room to squeeze in another attraction or two along the way, potentially boosting your savings even further.

Don’t forget – the pass also includes the handy app, extra perks and peace of mind that you won’t need to buy expensive tickets on the fly. 

*prices accurate as of January 2026 

Whisky glass

Dublin's whiskey distilleries are the stuff of legend!

Final verdict: should you go for the pass?

If Dublin is a once‑in‑a‑while trip and you’re keen to see headline attractions plus a few surprises, the Go City Dublin pass is almost certainly the easiest and best‑value route for you. It front‑loads your budget, trims time spent queuing at ticket desks, and encourages you to discover more while you’re in town. 

Looking for more Dublin inspiration? Find things to do in the (top of the) morning and get yourself fully acquainted with the different types of Go City Dublin pass. 

Step up your sightseeing with Go City®

We make it easy to explore the best a city has to offer. We’re talking top attractions, hidden gems and local tours, all for one low price. Plus, you'll enjoy guaranteed savings, compared to buying individual attraction tickets. 

See more, do more, and experience more with Go City® - just choose a pass to get started!

Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Assisted by AI
Freelance travel writer
Assisted by AI

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.This article was authored with the support of AI technology. The Go City team has reviewed this piece to ensure it meets our high standards for quality, accuracy and relevance.

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New year fireworks in Dublin.
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Things to Do on New Year's Eve in Dublin

Dublin is one of those cities that was born to party. St Paddy’s Day, pay day, your nan’s birthday: every one of them a valid excuse for a good time. And New Year’s Eve is no exception, as the city erupts with parties, concerts and fireworks galore. But that’s not all: there’s also plenty to keep you occupied before you make a beeline for Temple Bar in the evening, from Grafton Street’s Boxing Day sales to medieval literary artifacts and bracing walks in the chill winter air. Indeed, Dublin has so many great attractions that there’s absolutely no way you can see them all in one day. With that in mind, here’s our guide to some of the best things you can do on New Year’s Eve in Dublin. In the Morning...Trinity College If you’re only going to tick off one or two of Dublin’s bucket-list landmarks today, make Trinity College one of them – trust us when we say your IG feed will thank you for it. We’re talking atmospheric cobbled quadrangles that once rang with the footsteps of such illustrious alumni as Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Aisling Bea, Jack Gleeson and, um, Chris De Burgh. Hum The Lady in Red to yourself as you admire the ultra-photogenic neoclassical architecture of the buildings that flank the courtyards and dot the grounds. Buildings like the Campanile, said to portend exam failure for any student who happens to be passing beneath its arches when the bell tolls. And the ornate Museum Building, packed to its rafters with soaring marble columns and eye-popping carvings. A guided tour of the Old Library is pretty much essential while you’re here. Step into a Hogwarts-esque world of towering bookshelves and imposing marble busts of writers, philosophers and scholars that include Jonathan Swift, Ada Lovelace and Mary Wollstonecraft. It’s here you can view the Trinity College harp, an oak-and-willow beauty that dates back to the 15th Century and, of course the extraordinary Book of Kells, surely the most astonishing preserved medieval manuscript on the planet. Grafton Street Stop by to say hi to Molly Malone of ‘Cockles and Mussels’ balladry fame, who presides over Suffolk Street (in bronze statue form), then it’s onwards to Grafton Street. This shoppers’ paradise of big brands and iconic Dublin department stores like Brown Thomas and Weir & Sons will be in full Boxing Day sales mode on New Year’s Eve, so it's a great time to pick up that designer handbag or leprechaun fridge magnet you’ve always dreamt of. There are plenty of good lunch spots here, too. Or grab a takeout and eat on the go, catching some of the many buskers along the street on your way – Bono and Damien Rice kicked off their careers right here on Grafton Street dontcha know. In the Afternoon...St Stephen’s Green Exit the festival atmosphere of Grafton Street and make a beeline for the relative peace and tranquility of St Stephen’s Green, one of Dublin’s most celebrated open spaces. This lush Victorian idyll is all manicured lawns, formal gardens and cute duck ponds. Hug a cup of hot chocolate on a bench or wander the park’s 27 acres, spotting statues of Dublin’s great and good along the way: an abstract memorial to W.B. Yeats by sculptor Henry Moore, an imposing bust of James Joyce, and a fittingly grand monument to Sir Arthur Guinness, who bought, drained, redeveloped and landscaped the marshland that became St Stephen’s Green, before bequeathing it to the public. What a guy. The Guinness Storehouse Speaking of Guinness, no trip to Dublin would be complete without sampling a drop of the black stuff on its home turf. Of course, every single bar in Dublin serves Guinness, each accompanied by the bravado claim that theirs is the most perfectly poured pint in town. If you want to cast aside all doubt on that front, hit up the Guinness Storehouse on the site of the original St James’s Gate Brewery for a potted history of Ireland’s most famous export and a tipple or two in the space-age 7th-floor Gravity Bar, with its stunning 360-degree city views. But, as you consider that third pint, remember: New Year’s Eve is a marathon, not a sprint. And you haven’t even set foot in Temple Bar yet... In the Evening...Temple Bar Temple Bar is one of Dublin’s most iconic areas, a dense network of cobbled lanes lined with independent boutiques, cool galleries and rabble-rousing traditional Irish pubs. In terms of how hectic those pubs will be, New Year’s Eve is probably rivaled only by St Patrick’s Day as this neighborhood’s busiest night of the year. The most iconic pub here is the Temple Bar itself, with its colorful hanging baskets and distinctive red facade, but there are dozens of (probably marginally less busy) Irish bars to choose from. Expect welcoming craic, fine indie and folk music shindigs, and lots of hugging come midnight. And try to remain good-humored about the long queues to get a drink. As for getting a table: you’ve got no chance. National Concert Hall For a calmer kind of celebration, Dublin’s magnificent National Concert Hall hosts its annual performance from the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on New year's Eve, usually a rousing mix of well-loved pop hits, jazz standards, movie themes, and favorites from the musicals. There will be singing, laughing, hugging and, critically, a complimentary glass of bubbles and Auld Lang Syne sing-along as the clock strikes midnight. Advance booking for this musical extravaganza is, of course, essential. New Year’s Festival Dublin’s New Year Festival seems to grow bigger and better by the year. At time of writing it’s up to four days across three venues, with around 40 acts expected to perform. But you’ll probably want to be at Dublin Castle in the evening on New Year’s Eve, where you can expect live music from some of the biggest names involved, plus food trucks for much-needed sustenance and, of course, bars serving up more of the near-mandatory black stuff (other beverages may be available). It all rounds off with a spectacular countdown to midnight complete with epic firework display. Save on things to do in Dublin Of course the activities and attractions we’ve suggested are a mere snapshot of the myriad things you can do in Dublin on New Year’s Eve. There’s also a medieval castle, two picture-perfect cathedrals, umpteen world-class museums and a glut of whiskey distilleries to explore, as well as literary tours, botanic gardens and much more. Sticking around for a few days? A Dublin pass from Go City can save you money when visiting multiple attractions, including many of those mentioned above.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Guinness drinkers toasting in Dublin.
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Things to do in Dublin in Winter

Dublin is lively year-round, but rarely more so than in winter, when festive fairy lights illuminate the streets and cozy wood-paneled pubs become the focal point for traditional Irish sing-alongs and spirited Guinness-fueled banter. Sure, it’s a little on the chilly side, but that drop in temperature also (generally) keeps the usual tourist hordes at bay, meaning much shorter queues at attractions and more chance of nabbing a snug nook in even the most popular Temple Bar drinking holes. So wrap up warm and read on for our guide to the best things to do in Dublin in winter, including: Temple Bar pubs Whiskey distillery tours The Guinness Storehouse Christmas markets Dublin winter festivals Game of Thrones tours Winter walks in Phoenix Park Visiting Dublin in Winter With the exception of the ever-popular Christmas and New Year period, winter is the cheapest and least busy time to visit Dublin, as bars, restaurants, hotels and airlines slash prices and run competitive promotions to drum up business. As ever, booking well in advance is likely to win you the best bargains. Yes, even for breaks over the somewhat more expensive festive season. Temperatures in Dublin tend to stay on the, shall we say, cool side between December and February. But we’re talking mid 30s to mid 40s, so it’s hardly the Siberian tundra. Even snow and frost are also relatively rare compared to, say, nearby Scotland, but don’t let that fool you. Iit’s the wind chill you have to watch out for here: an icy blast that makes it feel waaaay colder than the thermometers suggest and will have even the hardiest holidaymaker scuttling for the nearest toasty pub or heated indoor attraction. It should go without saying, then, that winter in Dublin is no time for exposed necks and legs (though you may well run into Christmas revelers who appear to disagree). A good, long winter coat, ideally with some degree of waterproofing, should be considered essential. Layer up and accessorize with as many wooly hats, scarves, socks and gloves as you see fit, and bring a decent pair of walking shoes for strolling the ice-cold cobbles and wandering in (potentially snowy) city parks. The great news is that, due to the lack of winter tourists, you’ll find queues at even the most popular attractions to be almost non-existent, meaning less time standing around waiting in the cold. A pass from Go City can also save you money while giving you the flexibility to visit as many top Dublin attractions as you like, including bucket-listers like the Guinness Storehouse, Christ Church Cathedral and the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. Things to do in Dublin in Winter Get yourself out of that chill wind and into the (relatively) warm interiors of some of Dublin’s most famous attractions. You’ll of course want to experience a little of Ireland’s rich heritage, and there are a few ‘must-see’ places that will help you do this. Kilmainham Gaol Museum is essential for any understanding of the darker side of the Emerald Isle’s history, thanks to its role in the Easter Rising executions and Irish War of Independence. Meanwhile, the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum and Jeanie Johnston Tallship explore how the Great Famine forced thousands of desperate Irish citizens to flee in search of a better life in North America. Hit up Trinity College for a flavor of Dublin’s literary heritage (Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker all studied here) and to see the truly remarkable Book of Kells – a ninth century religious manuscript housed in the college’s Harry-Potteresque Old Library – up close. Connoisseurs of more contemporary cultural phenomena will find much to enjoy on a studio tour that takes in iconic sets and costumes from Game of Thrones. Want more? There are several day trips out of Dublin that visit classic Game of Thrones locations. Raven-eyed fans are bound to recognize Westeros in sites that include Tollymore Forest Park, Ward’s Castle and Inch Abbey. Phoenix Park, a 17th-century royal hunting ground, is now one of Europe’s largest enclosed urban parks. Perfect, in other words, for long winter strolls in its wild woodland, spotting fallow deer and impressive monuments along the way. Afterwards, shake off the chill in one of Temple Bar’s friendly pubs, where you’re all but guaranteed traditional live music and some of that legendary Irish craic you’ve heard so much about. It won’t be too long before you develop a taste for the country’s excellent whiskies and stouts. Which is where the local distilleries and Guinness Storehouse come in. Try the Jameson or Teeling whiskey distilleries to find out how the golden nectar is made and, of course, sample a drop or two yourself. And make a beeline for the space-age Gravity Bar atop the famous Guinness Storehouse for a perfect 119.5-second pour of the black stuff. What’s on: Dublin Winter Events Christmas is big business in Dublin. So, if you’re lucky enough to be here when the cobbled lanes and cathedrals are all aglitter with fairy lights, you’re in for a treat. The impressive grounds of medieval Dublin Castle are where it’s at for the biggest and best Christmas market in town. Expect twinkling tinsel-festooned trees, a carousel, an open-air bar serving up festive cheer by the bucketload, and all the usual trimmings (roast chestnuts, mulled wine, courtyard stalls brimming with Christmas knick-knacks). And there’s more castle-based Christmas market fun to be had just beyond the city limits, at the atmospheric medieval strongholds in Howth and Swords. Other festive events worthy of your attention in and around the capital include the age-old tradition of the Christmas Day swim. That’s right: every year hundreds of hardy souls don their smalls – and Santa costumes – for a bracing dip in the icy waters of Dublin Bay. The ‘Forty Foot’ at Sandycove is by far the most popular location for this annual folly, but you can also choose to freeze your bits off in the waters at Clontarf, Skerries, Portmarnock and more. Staying in town for New Year? Thaw yourself out and prepare for a three-day extravaganza of lively events, including a torchlit procession to Dublin Castle, light shows over the Liffey, live music, street entertainment and stacks more. And, if you thought things were about to let up in January, think again. Dublin’s busy winter roster blasts away any back-to-work blues with a Temple Bar-based festival par excellence. TradFest kicks off late in the month and runs well into February, bringing the bars and streets to life with traditional Irish folk music and more. We’re talking buskers galore, as well as live shows in several pubs and even performances in the hallowed halls of Trinity College and Christ Church Cathedral. In other words, it’s a great time for fans of fine music, world-class entertainment and, well, good times in general, to visit the Irish capital. Save on things to do in Dublin Save on admission to Dublin attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
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