The watching of sport in Dublin is bordering on a national pastime. If you want to get involved, you might struggle a little with the team sports (which tend to be more established in terms of teams, leagues, etc.), but you’ll have no issues at all finding plenty of lively action. Our personal favourites sit in swimming, climbing and kitesurfing, all of which are great in the city. If you want a true cultural experience, you might give GAA a go too. Explore your best options all around the city below…
Go big at the National Aquatic Centre and National Sports Complex
Sports Center
Experience Gaelic Games
Get an introduction to Ireland’s most unique sports offering, the GAA. You’ll dabble in the organization’s two main sports, the fiercely locally popular combo of Gaelic football and hurling. Gaelic football utilizes skills similar to those used in soccer, basketball and rugby, combining them in a fast-paced contest on a sizeable pitch.
Hurling is sometimes jokingly called a cross between hockey and murder. Games are played to a breathtaking level at the high end, but you can get taught the basics in an afternoon, via Experience Gaelic Games, featured at several local clubs.
Go Kitesurfing off North Bull Island
Shop
Swim off the Forty Foot
Swim off the Forty Foot
One of Ireland’s most iconic leisure spots, the Forty Foot, is a sea swimming location in the south of the city that’s traditionally the preserve of the nude. That particular tradition has subsided over the last few decades (perhaps because of the predominance of seals in the area, as much as the temperature), but the swimming in the cool waters of the Irish Sea is still astoundingly popular. At Christmas, it goes completely nuts, but you’ll probably have a nice time in the height of summer.
Gravity Climbing Centre
Gravity Climbing Centre
A climbing and bouldering facility in the west Dublin suburbs, this is the best spot to test your upper body strength in the city. Gravity Climbing Centre is particularly strong in bouldering and offers instructors to help beginners get to grips with the action. A great workout.
Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8, Ireland. +353 1707 8585
Run in Phoenix Park
Park, Zoo
Try Footgolf
Combining the world’s most popular sport with a few greens, fairways and flags, the new sport of Footgolf is a clever and enticing adaptation. There are already serious competitions, but to start off with you’ll probably want to play a round with friends, blasting soccer balls toward a flag before ‘putting’ home once you get a little closer. It’s hugely entertaining, and, amazingly, Dublin already has three courses.
Go kayaking
There are countless opportunities to hit the water aboard a buoyant little boat in the capital, from involved adventures exploring some of the offshore islands, to leisurely floating around the Grand Canal. You can find quite a few of the cross-city options here, but our favourite is a little more central. With City Kayaking, you can spend two hours paddling on the city’s heart, crossing the entire heart of Dublin on the River Liffey, from the Famine Ship at the port end of the capital to the Guinness factory a couple of kilometres upstream. It makes for a great unusual way to explore the city and grab a little exercise at the same time.
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!
Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.
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Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.