Dublin Attractions: The Temple Bar and Guinness Storehouse Tour

Few people will be able to research things to do in Ireland without seeing The Temple Bar and Guinness Storehouse Tour. Both mainstays of one of Dublin’s favorite past-times (beer!), no Dublin bucket list is complete without the two. We wouldn’t consider ourselves beer connoisseurs but when in Dublin, why not do as Dubliners do?……or at least Dublin tourists.

The Temple Bar Pub, branded as The Temple Bar, is touted as Dublin’s oldest bar (active since 1840). Whether this can be proven without a fault we can’t be certain. However, we can confirm that it is an immensely popular establishment. The bar is named after the area of Dublin in which it is located, Temple Bar, which itself is named after a historic Dubliner William Temple. The area is just south of the River Liffey in downtown and has become known as a cultural hotspot. There are many bars located in the area but The Temple Bar stands out as the most popular due to history and word of mouth. It is easily recognized by its bright red walls and the amount of people coming and in out and snapping photos.

Once inside the bar be prepared for it to be packed. We visited twice, once for a walk-through, and a second time to stay and drink and it was crowded on both occasions. The bar is more sprawling in layout than it appears from the outside and actually has two main bar areas and an area for live music, in addition to an oyster bar. While we were there it was alive with the tunes of a 3 person band playing upbeat Irish jig music. A large crowd of what appeared to be tourists and rowdy college kids collected in front of the stage at a few tables and standing room on the open floor. It was definitely a fun experience to witness and enjoy while drinking some Dublin beer. We can’t really recall what brand of beer we had here but it wasn’t Guinness, which was the star of the next stop, the Guinness storehouse.

The Guinness Storehouse tour is Dublin’s most popular tourist attraction according to online sources. Located at the St. James’s Brewery west of downtown London, the Storehouse is a seven story tribute to the history of Guinness. Tickets cost 18.50 euros each and on-site parking is provided at an enclosed lot. Each level pays particular homage to a certain aspect of the brand’s history or brewing process. We chose a self-guided tour but there is an option for a more guided experience.

Typically the tour starts on the ground floor and visitors work their way up through sequential floors. Particular highlights include information on the process of brewing Guinness and what makes it unique, a history of advertising for the company, the tasting room located on floor 5 educating visitors on how to taste-test Guinness…

…as well as the Gravity Bar on the top floor where visitors can redeem their ticket for a glass of Guinness included in the ticket price (you can also redeem it on the level below the Gravity Bar and pour the beer yourself, but we were ushered to the Gravity Bar because it can be quicker). When we toured, you could choose the Guinness stout or another option. We both elected the stout.

The Gravity Bar at the top has windows overlooking all of the major tourist sites in Dublin, so we took in the view, but the room was becoming quite crowded. We completed our drinks by going inside and playing a trivia-themed drinking game as we people-watched. We ended up spending about 2 hours during our tour of the storehouse and appreciated the value received for the ticket. Some visitors say the ticket is too expensive, but compared to other attractions we experienced during our trip (see our London Eye post) we felt like it was more reasonable, especially with the inclusion of the drink (which would probably be 4 euros at least at a bar).

We enjoyed both experiences. The Guinness Bar was more of an educational experience, while the Temple Bar gave us a sense of the night life in Ireland. If you love your Irish Stouts, you must check these places out! But even if you are not big into the drinking scene, you can still enjoy the spirit of Dublin, as we did!