Trinity College

Trinity College and the famous Book of Kells are among the highlights of any visit to Dublin. Ireland's oldest university was founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I, and although none of the original buildings survive, a walk around the campus is well worth it — freely accessible and right in the centre on College Green. You only pay for admission to the Book of Kells Experience in the Old Library. Right next door are the National Library and the Bank of Ireland / Parliament House.

A walk around the campus

Coming from College Green, you enter the grounds through the main gate, flanked by statues of Edmund Burke and Oliver Goldsmith. Beyond it opens Parliament Square, one of Dublin's most recognisable sights. At its centre stands the Campanile, a bell tower around 30 metres tall built in 1853 by Sir Charles Lanyon, pictured in almost every guidebook.

Despite sitting in the heart of the busy city centre, the university grounds feel like a small oasis of calm. Take your time for a walk: in the passage between the chapel and the temple-like Dining Hall lies Dublin's smallest graveyard, students sit on the squares out front, and the sports grounds see plenty of training. The campus itself is free and needs no ticket.

The Old Library and the Long Room

Most visitors are here for the Old Library, in the building to the right of Parliament Square. Its centrepiece is the spectacular Long Room, a barrel-vaulted hall over 60 metres long that normally houses around 200,000 of the university's oldest books.

An important note for 2026: the Old Library is undergoing a multi-year renovation. Most of the books have been removed from the Long Room, and the room is partly cleared. In their place stands the Gaia light installation. The Long Room remains part of the Experience, but looks different from the classic postcard shots — if you're expecting shelves packed with books, plan for that.

The Book of Kells

The greatest treasure is the Book of Kells, an elaborately illuminated 8th-century manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. It's displayed behind glass in its own room (the Treasury), where two open pages are on view. Photography isn't allowed there; elsewhere, flash-free private photography without a tripod is permitted.

Today's Book of Kells Experience takes you from the Treasury through the digital exhibition in the Red Pavilion and on into the Long Room, and the standard variant takes about 90 minutes. If the admission price feels steep for two visible manuscript pages, you can still browse the shop for illustrated books and reproductions — and enjoy the freely accessible campus.

Tickets and prices

Book the Book of Kells Experience online with a fixed time slot via visittrinity.ie; in peak season from May to September and on weekends, slots are often sold out days to weeks in advance. There's no official skip-the-line option, since entry is timed by slot anyway.

• Book of Kells Experience (self-guided, includes Old Library, Long Room and digital exhibition, approx. 90 min): from €26 per person.
• Book of Kells & Old Library without the digital exhibition (approx. 45 min): from €19.
• Guided Experience (approx. 75 min, max. 16 people): from €65.
• Bundle with Trinity Trails (approx. 120 min): from €39; Low-Sensory Hour from €21.50.
• Discounts for seniors and students with valid ID. Trinity students, staff and alumni get in free with up to two guests. Exact concession, child and family prices appear only in the official booking widget.

For an overview of tickets and money-saving passes for Dublin's attractions, see the guide Tickets.

Visiting and practical tips

It's quietest early in the morning right after opening, or in the late afternoon. Allow around 90 minutes for the full Experience, or about two hours with a walk around the campus.

• Accessibility: the Old Library is wheelchair accessible with staff assistance via two lifts, though the second lift is very small (76 × 130 cm). The ground-floor Red Pavilion is fully accessible and has an accessible toilet with baby-changing facilities; a Changing Places toilet is located in the Arts Block. There are no visitor toilets in the Old Library itself. A limited number of wheelchairs are available to borrow.
• Photography: forbidden in the Treasury, otherwise flash-free and without a tripod elsewhere.
• Getting there: the College sits right in the city centre on College Green. The green Luas line stops nearby at Dawson Street and St Stephen's Green, numerous bus routes stop at College Green, and the DART is reachable at Pearse Station. More in the guide Public Transport.

The central location makes it easy to combine with other sights. Just a few minutes' walk away are the National Library, the Bank of Ireland / Parliament House, the Little Museum of Dublin, St Stephen's Green and the nightlife district of Temple Bar. For planning your day, see the overview Attractions.