Dark Dublin Guided Walking Tour

Dublin, Ireland

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Dublin, Ireland

Alien Invasion Outdoor Escape Game in Dublin

from $7.19

Price varies by group size

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Guided Walking Small-Group Tour

from $33.23

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Ghost Hunt Quest Experience

from $8.30

Price varies by group size

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Explore Dublin’s gruesome stories of murder, torture, cannibalism, grave robbing, brothels, proposals to eat young children, unearthly worship and much more! We start our journey at Dublin Castle, where we will explore the torture of the past, speak of priest hunters and unearth why the upper courtyard was nicknamed the Devil’s Half Acre but behind the beautiful architecture is a brutal past. From here we’ll take the side streets to hear stories of cannibalism and of proposals to eat babies. As we delve further into Dublin’s dark past, we’ll enter an area once known as Hell. Uncover stories of brothels, witches, and the infamous Hellfire Club. Passing by the old city walls we’ll learn of grave robbing, The Black Pig, and finish with the very unusual case of a strangler and killer with no legs. Join us on this 2-hour walking tour as we weave our way through the city streets and back alleys to uncover Dublin’s Dark past.

Explore Dublin on foot with a small-group tour
Learn about dark history including murder and grave robbery
Sightsee beyond the city center in neighborhoods like Smithfield

What's Included

In-person guide
Small groups
Eco-friendly

Private transportation
Dinner

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Barnardo Square, Dublin 8, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Barnardo Square is the small square next to Dublin City Hall on DAME STREET DUBLIN 2.

Start time

05:30 PM

End point

Smithfield Square
Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland
We will finish the tour in Smithfield Square.

What To Expect

Hear all about the dark side of Dublin on this group tour, where your guide will tell you gruesome stories about grave robbing, torture, cannibalism, and more unsavory tales. These are stories you can’t find in a regular guidebook, and some of the places you’ll visit would be difficult to find without your trusty guide.

Besides hearing dark stories of Dublin, you’ll also get to see some of the city’s most famous sites as you walk through town. Walk by Dublin Castle’s upper and lower courtyards, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and more, until you finally finish at Smithfield Square. Note that you don’t enter the churches and cathedrals, but you will hear stories about their dark pasts.

Dublin Castle

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The 40 Steps

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Christ Church Cathedral

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

St. Audoen's Church

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. Michan's Church

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Smithfield Square

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

1,589 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 1,589 reviews

Fun Evening

Carol_S, May 2024

Fun walk tour with storytelling. Not scary at all. Our guide was very good at spinning a yarn and keeping everyone engaged.

A very fun and quick way to see some parts of Dublin and learn some of its (dark) past

Jeroen_J, May 2024

A very fun and quick way to see some parts of Dublin and learn some of its (dark) past. We were very glad we filled up our free hours before the dinner with this fun tour. This was the second time we did it because it was so fun the first time we did it (it was also already dark in November, so it helped to bring some dark atmosphere :-)). Our guide, Cillian, was really fun and knowledgeable. His storyteling talent was remarkable: he was able to captive our attention and did not forget to spice up the stories with some fun jokes!

Gruesome and funny!

Richard_C, May 2024

The dark Dublin walking tour was one of the highlights of our visit to Dublin! The guide was very knowledgable and funny at the same time. If you find the time, take this tour.

Good tour with interesting stories, even for a local

Marina_B, May 2024

We enjoyed this tour and even as a local I learned a lot! Cillian was funny and interesting throughout. I felt it was more of a collection of tales rather than an educational history tour but that was not necessarily a bad thing. I’d recommend this to others!

The tour guide was...

Carley_F, May 2024

The tour guide was friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable. We highly enjoyed this tour and would recommend it to any Dublin visitors that love true crime and can stomach a little gore.

Great fun!

karenlong2, May 2024

It was a fun walk with lots of gruesome tales. As the only English people on the tour we did keep a low profile given the content of some of the stories but we would like to say we’ve mellowed in the last 300 years! 😀

Pain and suffering with a hilarious twist.

Brent_H, May 2024

This tour was a highlight of our time in Dublin. Steven was a great tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and I loved his ability to find humor in the macabre. Very well done!

Informative walk with an Irish wit..!!

Gary_W, May 2024

Kilian was our guide and was very informative, engaging and interacted with all of the tour participants while sharing stories of “Dark Dublin”!! (Kilian Did NOT Pay me to say this)

Worth it

lisa_e, May 2024

Fun, informative and interesting. James was really nuce and had lots of knowledge. Also, meeting point is very easy to find.

Dublin's dark side, worth the walk

Tommy_C, May 2024

Steven was a terrific guide and a perfect personality for the job! We enjoyed the tour quite a bit. The only wish, is that the tour was a little more spooky and dark. The stories were great and well delivered otherwise!

Excellent Experience

Megan_M, May 2024

Excellent tour! We had a great time learning about Dublin City and it’s dark past. James was a great storyteller that kept us hanging on every word. He was also very knowledgeable about where to go and what to see in the area. I highly recommend if you’re looking for something a little different.

Worth it

Craig_R, Apr 2024

Tour was very interesting, funny and engaging. Really glad I found this tour and had great weather for it too!

Great Evening Walk.

Heather_W, Apr 2024

Great tour. Enjoyed the stories and the sites. I enjoyed listening to the Dark History throughout the ages. It was about a 2km walk but not all at the same time. I would not recommend for young children as it is about uncomfortable past events. The only thing I didn't like is that it ended in a different location than it started. I have no sense of direction and needed to google my way back. I was probably two blocks away but I got lost. Glad Dublin is a walkable city or I might have been another Dark History story.

Very interesting

Julia_N, Apr 2024

Killiian has been a very great guide and it has been a very good experience. We definitely recommend the Dark tour

Stephen was the perfect tour guide!

Daniel_B, Apr 2024

Stephen was a brilliant tour guide! He made the facts and tales interesting and the group didn't stop laughing! I would highly recommend this to anyone, you get a good 2hours tour and well worth the experience.

Well Worth It!

Theresa_S, Apr 2024

This was one of the most enjoyable tours I did on my trip. The guide Makayla was so personable and knowledgeable. I learned so much and the time just flew!

Wonderful tour!

Haley_P, Apr 2024

We enjoyed our guide! He did a great job the entire time and he was so funny! My husband and I enjoyed this experience for our honeymoon!

Loved the spooky tour and Killien was a great!

Nazareth_V, Apr 2024

Killien (hope i spelled his name correctly) was a great story teller and guide through the city. He was able to keep his audience engaged and although the stories were devastating he also somehow managed to keep it light and knew how to make us laugh. Overall, Killien was great and I recommend the experience if you are ready to learn depressing history facts about Dublins past.

Ghost tour

Adam_N, Apr 2024

This was really fun. We had Regan as our tour guide and she made the experience extremely enjoyable and personable. Hopefully you get Regan for your tour and night of surprises.

Definitely worth it, very interesting

Alex_H, Apr 2024

Really interesting tour and definitely dark! Killian was a great tour guide and answered any questions we had 👌

...