Dublin's Best Parks and Gardens for a Day Out

Dublin is unusually well supplied with parks and gardens, many of them free to enter and cared for by the Office of Public Works or Dublin City Council. Together they offer a range of green escapes, from formal Victorian gardens to lively city-centre squares.

National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin

The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin are among the city's horticultural highlights. Established in the eighteenth century, they are known for their restored Victorian glasshouses, including the elegant curvilinear range, and for extensive plant collections arranged across the grounds beside the River Tolka. Admission is free, and guided tours are offered at times through the year.

St Stephen's Green

At the top of Grafton Street, St Stephen's Green is Dublin's best-known city-centre park. A Victorian public garden with ornamental lakes, flowerbeds and memorials, it is a favourite lunchtime spot for office workers and shoppers. Its central location makes it an easy stop on any city walk.

Iveagh Gardens

Tucked behind the buildings near the National Concert Hall, the Iveagh Gardens are often described as one of Dublin's hidden gems. Quieter than St Stephen's Green, they feature a cascade, a rustic grotto and formal lawns, and they host outdoor concerts and events in summer.

Planning a green day out

Because these spaces are spread across the city, they combine well with other outings: the Botanic Gardens sit beside Glasnevin Cemetery, while St Stephen's Green and the Iveagh Gardens are within walking distance of the main museums. Most parks are free and open daily, though closing times shift with the seasons and daylight. For a low-cost day in Dublin, a loop of its parks and gardens is hard to beat.