Bus Tours

The city bus company, Dublin Bus (tel. 01/873-4222), operates several tours of Dublin, all of which depart from the Dublin Bus office at 59 Upper O'Connell St., Dublin 1. You can buy your ticket from the bus driver or book in advance at the Dublin Bus office or at the Dublin Tourism ticket desk on Suffolk Street. The following are the best options:

The 75-minute guided Dublin City Tour operates on a hop-on, hop-off basis, connecting 10 major points of interest, including museums, art galleries, churches and cathedrals, libraries, and historic sites. Rates are €14 ($18) for adults, €13 ($16) seniors and students, €6 ($7.80) for children under 16. Tours operate daily from 9:30am to 6:30pm.

The 2 1/4-hour Dublin Ghost Bus is a spooky evening tour run by Dublin Bus, departing Monday to Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 8 and 8:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 7 and 9:30pm. The tour addresses Dublin's history of felons, fiends, and phantoms. You'll see haunted houses, learn of Dracula's Dublin origins, and even get a crash course in body snatching. It's properly scary, though, and not recommended for children who do not have "teen" in their age. Fares are €25 ($32) for adults only (not recommended for those under age 14).

The 3-hour Coast and Castle Tour departs daily at 10am and 2pm traveling up the north coast to Malahide and Howth. Fares are €22 ($28) for adults, €12 ($15) for children under 14. Visiting Malahide Castle will require an additional charge.

The 3 3/4-hour South Coast Tour departs daily at 11am and 2pm, traveling south through the seaside town of Dún Laoghaire, through the upscale "Irish Riviera" villages of Dalkey and Killiney, and farther south to visit the vast Powerscourt Estate. Fares are €25 ($32) for adults, €12 ($15) for children under 14.

Gray Line (tel. 01/605-7705) operates its own hop-on, hop-off city tour, covering all the same major sights as the Dublin Bus's Dublin City Tour. The first tours leave at 10am from 14 Upper O'Connell St., and run every 10 to 15 minutes thereafter. The last departures are at 4:30pm. You can also join the tour at any of a number of pickup points along the route and buy your ticket from the driver. Gray Line's Dublin city tour costs €16 ($21) for adults, €13 ($17) for seniors and students, €7 ($9) for children, €38 ($49) families.

Gray Line also offers a range of full-day excursions from Dublin to such nearby sights as Glendalough, Newgrange, and Powerscourt. Adult fares for their other tours range from €20 to €40 ($26-$52).

Horse-Drawn-Carriage Tours

You can tour Dublin in style in a handsomely outfitted horse-drawn carriage with a driver who will comment on the sights as you travel the city's streets and squares. To arrange a ride, consult one of the drivers stationed with carriages at the Grafton Street side of St. Stephen's Green. Rides range from a short swing around the green to an extensive half-hour Georgian tour or an hour-long Old City tour. It's slightly touristy, but kids (and romantics) love it.

Rides are available on a first-come, first-served basis from approximately April to October (weather permitting) and will run you between €15 and €50 ($20-$65) for one to four passengers.

Land & Water Tours

The immensely popular Viking Splash Tour (tel. 01/707-6000) is an especially fun way to see Dublin. Aboard a reconditioned World War II amphibious landing craft, or "duck," this tour starts on land (from Bull Alley St. beside St. Patrick's Cathedral) and eventually splashes into the Grand Canal. Passengers wear horned Viking helmets (a reference to the original settlers of the Dublin area) and are encouraged to issue war cries at appropriate moments. One of the ducks even has bullet holes as evidence of its military service. Tours depart roughly on the half-hour every day 9:30am to 5pm and last an hour and 15 minutes. It costs €20 ($26) for adults, €10 ($13) for children under 13, €18 ($23) seniors and students, and €60 ($78) for a family of five.

Walking Tours

Small and compact, Dublin was made for walking. If you prefer to set off on your own, the Dublin Tourism Office, St. Andrew's Church, Suffolk Street, Dublin 2, has maps for four tourist trails signposted throughout the city: Old City, Georgian Heritage, Cultural Heritage, and the "Rock 'n Stroll" music tour.

However, if you'd like more guidance, historical background, or just some company, you might want to consider one of the following.