Phoenix Park

Phoenix Park is Dublin's great green lung, a vast walled park on the western edge of the city centre covering more than seven hundred hectares — more than twice the size of New York's Central Park. It was laid out in the 1660s as a royal deer park for the Duke of Ormond, the king's viceroy, and opened to the public in the eighteenth century, and its descendants of the original herd of fallow deer still roam free, grazing in the open grassland and often gathering in large groups near the Papal Cross. Long, tree-lined avenues cross the park, and scattered across it are buildings and monuments that tell Ireland's story. Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the President of Ireland, is a white Palladian house you can glimpse from the main road, and free guided tours are run on some Saturdays, with tickets from the visitor centre. The residence of the United States ambassador stands nearby. The Wellington Testimonial, completed in 1861, is said to be the tallest obelisk in Europe. The Papal Cross marks the spot where Pope John Paul II said Mass to over a million people in 1979. Dublin Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the world, occupies a corner near the main gate, and the People's Flower Gardens offer formal Victorian beds, a pond and a playground. Near the centre, Ashtown Castle, a medieval tower house, sits beside the visitor centre, café and restored Victorian walled kitchen garden. Entry is free, every day of the year.

Getting around: the park is big — the main avenue alone, Chesterfield Avenue, runs for several kilometres — so walking it end to end takes most of a day. The best way to explore is by bike; bikes can be hired near the Parkgate Street entrance, and the park's long, flat avenues and paths are ideal for an easy ride. Buses run along the main avenue and to nearby gates, and the Luas red line stops at Heuston, a short walk from the Parkgate Street entrance on the city side. Start at the Wellington Testimonial, cycle or walk past the People's Flower Gardens and the Zoo to the visitor centre at Ashtown, then out across the grasslands toward the Papal Cross to find the deer.

About the deer: they are wild animals, and the park asks visitors to read its notices. Do not feed them, keep a respectful distance and keep dogs on leads near the herd; in autumn the males are in rut and can be unpredictable, and in early summer mothers protect their young fawns, which are often left hidden in long grass and must never be touched. Watching the herd quietly from a distance, especially in the early morning or evening light, is one of the loveliest experiences in Dublin.

Beyond the park: at its north-western edge is Farmleigh, a former Guinness family estate that is now the state guesthouse, with grounds and some house tours open to the public at certain times. Back toward the city, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and Kilmainham Gaol lie just south of the river, and Collins Barracks and Stoneybatter just east. A Phoenix Park morning followed by a Kilmainham afternoon, or a picnic after a zoo visit with children, makes a classic Dublin day. Bring a layer, as the open grassland is exposed to the wind, and allow time to simply wander: in a city of museums and pubs, the park is where Dubliners breathe. Two lesser-known corners reward explorers: the Hollow, a natural dip near the zoo with a Victorian bandstand that has hosted free summer concerts, and the Magazine Fort, an eighteenth-century powder store on a hill above the Liffey, best admired from outside. With Dublin Zoo now covered in this guide in its own right, a park-and-zoo family day is easy to plan.