Dublinia

Dublinia is a hands-on history museum that explains how Dublin began, and it is the best place in the city to bring children who are not yet ready for serious galleries. It occupies the old Synod Hall on the hill beside Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest part of the city, and is joined to the cathedral by an elegant covered stone bridge across the street, which you can walk through if you buy the combined ticket. The visit is laid out over three floors. The first is Viking Dublin, telling the story of the Norse settlers who founded a trading town here in the ninth century, with a reconstructed Viking warship, a Viking house you can step into, displays on runes, weapons, trade and slavery, and costumes children can try on. The next is Medieval Dublin, which recreates the walled town after the Anglo-Normans arrived, with a busy market street, a merchant's kitchen, a medieval fair and gruesome sections on disease, the plague and crime and punishment, which are exactly what children remember. The third, History Hunters, turns visitors into archaeologists, explaining how the city's past was uncovered in the great excavations at Wood Quay and what skeletons, pottery and rubbish pits reveal about everyday life. The visit ends with a climb of ninety-six steps up St Michael's Tower, the tower of the old church of St Michael, the only part of that church to survive, with views across the rooftops of the old city toward the Dublin Mountains. Allow an hour and a half to two and a half hours. The atmosphere is lively and interactive rather than scholarly, which is the point.

Combining with Christ Church: the classic plan is a joint ticket for Dublinia and Christ Church Cathedral, which saves money over buying separately. Start at Dublinia for the big picture of Viking and medieval Dublin, then cross the bridge into the cathedral to see the real building that grew from the Viking church, the medieval crypt and its famous mummified cat and rat. Together they make a satisfying half day in the oldest corner of Dublin, and with Dublin Castle closed until January 2027, they are the best way to experience the medieval city during this period. Allow time for the shop, which has good Viking-themed books and toys for children.

Who it suits: families with children from about six to twelve get the most from it, but adults with an interest in the Vikings enjoy it too, especially History Hunters. It can be busy and noisy with school groups on weekday mornings during term, so afternoons are often calmer, and it gets crowded on wet days in summer. Accessibility is limited because of the historic building: the lower exhibition floor is accessible, but there is no lift to the upper floors or the tower, so visitors with mobility difficulties should contact the museum before going. Evening tours for adults have run in recent years, revealing the naughtier side of medieval Dublin; check what is scheduled.

Around it: from the tower you can see much of what to do next. Temple Bar and the Liffey are a few minutes downhill, St Patrick's Cathedral and Marsh's Library are a short walk south, and the Liberties, the Guinness Storehouse and the Teeling distillery lie to the west. For lunch, the cafés of the Liberties and the lanes behind Christ Church are good value. A Viking-themed day might start at the National Museum of Ireland's archaeology branch, where many of the real Viking finds from Wood Quay are displayed, and end at Dublinia for the reconstructed version.