Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness Storehouse occupies part of the original brewery that Arthur Guinness set in motion in 1759 at St James's Gate, a site he secured at the time with a 9,000-year lease. Today the visitor centre is one of Dublin's most-visited attractions: a pint-glass-shaped atrium rising through seven floors, ending with a freshly poured pint and a panoramic view in the Gravity Bar.

What to expect

The tour is self-guided and follows the brewing process from the ground up. You start at the lease, preserved under glass in the ground-floor, and work your way up through the ingredients and the craft of brewing to the advertising and tasting sections above.

• Ingredients and brewing: Barley, hops, yeast and water from the Wicklow Mountains, the lower floors show how they come together to make stout.
• History and transport: The brewery's old logistics operation, with its own fleet, its own railway, and the famous beer pipeline that's tapped again and again in the exhibits.
• The advertising: A whole floor devoted to Guinness's iconic advertising, featuring the toucan, the seal and the slogan "Guinness is good for you".
• The tasting: In the tasting area you learn to taste the beer with all your senses before heading to the top floor.

The Gravity Bar

The visit ends at the circular Gravity Bar on the top floor, with a glazed 360-degree view over Dublin. Here you redeem the pint included in the standard ticket. Plan to save this part for last and take your time over the view, on a clear day it stretches as far as the mountains to the south. If you'd rather pour your own, you can learn how in one of the premium packages.

Tickets and packages

The Guinness Storehouse uses dynamic pricing: the price depends on the day and time, and is always cheaper online than at the door. Booking online early therefore pays off twice over, on price, and by skipping the queue.

• Storehouse Experience: The standard ticket, including a pint in the Gravity Bar, from €24 per person online.
• Guinness Academy: From €34. Learn to pour the perfect pint yourself and take home a certificate.
• Stoutie: From €30. Your own portrait, printed onto the foam of your pint.
• Home of Guinness Experience: From €48, the most comprehensive package.
• Experience & Paddle at Open Gate Brewery: From €39, combined with a tasting at the in-house experimental brewery.

The booking site doesn't list fixed discount tiers for students, seniors or children, and there's no officially listed separate fast-track category. Group and student tickets go through customer service. If you're planning several major attractions, it's worth a look at the Dublin Pass.

Getting there

The Storehouse sits on St James's Gate in Dublin 8, a good two kilometres west of the city centre.

• Bus: Route 123 runs from O'Connell Street and Dame Street to the James's Street stop. According to third-party sources, routes 13 and 40 also stop a few minutes' walk away.
• Luas: The Red Line stops at James's, about a 7-minute walk from there.
• Hop-on hop-off: The tourist buses have their own stop right at the entrance. More on this in the Hop-on Hop-off Dublin guide.

Visiting and practical tips

Open daily from 09:30, with standard closing at 17:00 and last admission at 17:00. In July and August, it stays open until 19:00. It closes only on Christmas Day and Good Friday. Allow around 90 minutes for the tour, or about 2 hours if you're having a pint in the Gravity Bar.

• Best time: Right after opening in the early morning, or late afternoon, is quietest. Across the year, the shoulder seasons of May/June and September/October are more pleasant than the height of summer.
• Tickets: Book online in advance, cheaper, and no queuing.
• Is it worth visiting? If you're a Guinness fan, you'll get a polished, well-staged experience with a view thrown in. Travellers with no particular interest in the beer and limited time may find it easier to skip, given the admission price.

Nearby, you can combine a few more stops: the moving Kilmainham Gaol is about a 20-minute walk away, right next to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. For more on the city's brewing and whiskey traditions, see the Guinness and Whiskey guide.