Ireland is one of the most autism-friendly countries in the world, and had been on my travel short list for a long time. When I opened an email offering a great deal on round trip tickets to Dublin during spring vacation week, I immediately chose Ireland for our next big family trip.

Dublin was originally founded by the Vikings in 841, conquered by the Normans in 1170, and remained the center of British colonial power in Ireland for over 750 years, when Dublin became the capital of the free Republic of Ireland. Today, Dublin is a modern city and economic powerhouse with a metropolitan population of over 1 million people.

Dublin is a very walkable city with a relatively low level of street noise and excellent public transportation. As you walk through the city, you will see the ruins of old Viking settlements, portions of medieval walls and gates, Georgian architecture, modern museums, and not surprisingly, a few Irish pubs and a stone church on almost every street.

We LOVED the former brewery turned Museum. Tickets are sold by timed entrance only to ensure that it never gets overcrowded, and with new groups being pulsed through every 15 minutes. Stop at the registration desk if you’d like a sensory kit that includes headphones, sunglasses, fidget toys, and a map of the brewery indicating potential sensory triggers.

The mostly self-guided tour begins on the ground floor and ends at the rooftop Gravity Bar. The exhibits teach about everything Guinness in a really fun way. There were colored fountains, light shows, things you can touch, things you can climb on and things that make you laugh. The sound level wasn’t loud, and the lights tended to be more shimmery than strobe-like.

The floor dedicated to Guinness marketing campaigns really showed off the Irish sense of humor and was a big hit with G, who always enjoys slapstick comedy and absurd situations. She talked about the Fish Riding the Bicycle for days!

At the top, you complete the experience with Guinness beer for the grownups and a soft drink for kids. The Gravity Bar has phenomenal views of Dublin city and the surrounding countryside. Slainte, cheers!

Over 4 million people have had the same lightbulb moment.

Morning Brew is a free daily newsletter that breaks down what's happening in business, finance, and tech — clearly, quickly, and with enough personality to make it the best email in your inbox.

No yelling. No filler. Just the news, finally making sense.

Try it for free

These are our impressions of a few places that families commonly visit in Dublin.

The Book of Kells Experience at Trinity University. Admission is timed and tightly controlled to protect the artifacts, so crowds and waiting are never a problem. Your visit begins in the quiet and dimly lit Long Room, which is reminiscent of a Harry Potter movie set. Your next stop is a separate, very modern building where the 1200 year old illuminated manuscript is now preserved. After you finish seeing the Book of Kells manuscript, you enter a multimedia exhibit, which was very interesting but sometimes a little bit loud, with moving graphics and occasional flashing lights.

Dublin Castle. Originally built in 1204 by King John of England, this was the seat of British power in Ireland for 700 years. It’s still used today for presidential inaugurations, state dinners, and other important ceremonies. If you want to visit the State Apartments and the Royal Chapel, you need to register for a guided tour. We didn’t have any sensory issues here at all.

Dublinia Museum and walking tour of Viking Dublin. Dublinia is an AsIAm autism-certified museum featuring interactive exhibits about life in Viking and Medieval Dublin. We arrived at the museum when it opened at 10, picked up a sensory guide at the desk, and put our names on the list for the 11 AM walking tour. One hour was plenty of time to see the museum and climb St. Michael’s tower. The walking tour brought us to several spots within a few blocks radius of the museum to point out Viking ruins that we otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. After our tour ended, we used the medieval covered walkway to cross over the street from the museum into Christchurch Cathedral.

Malahide Castle, about 30 minutes north of Dublin, was originally built in the 12th century as a Norman fortress and remained in use as a private family home until 1975. We enjoyed learning about the Norman settlement of Ireland during a morning tour of the castle and explored the magnificent gardens on our own afterwards. It was generally extremely sensory friendly, except that G was disoriented and upset when butterflies flew too close to her face in the butterfly house.

(Nearby, many people combine Malahide Castle with a visit to the picturesque seaside village of Howth. The of our visit was cold and windy, so we chose to return to Dublin for indoor sightseeing instead.)

Epic Emigration Museum. This interactive museum on the north side of the river has a series of 20 digital exhibits acknowledging the struggles and celebrating the achievements of the Irish diaspora. This is interesting for adults and older kids who already have at least some understanding of world history. Kids who have trouble quickly absorbing new information in print or spoken language will enjoy stamping their passports in each room but might get bored with most of the exhibits. The Jeanie Johnston tall ship is moored right outside the museum.

Celtic Nights Dinner and Dance Show. We couldn’t go all the way to Dublin and without seeing some traditional Irish step dancers! Irish autism-friendly hospitality was on full display here. Our waitress was extremely patient while G struggled to choose her dinner, and kindly explained to us that if the music was too loud later on, we could simply leave the table and pick up our check at the entrance. Service was prompt, the food was tasty, and best of all, the show was not too loud for G. She loved every minute of it! Quick tip: the tables closest to the stage go to the people who make their reservations furthest in advance.

Enjoying a pint in Temple Bar is on every Dublin visitor’s must-do list. The Temple Bar neighborhood is made up of cobblestone streets lined with colorful buildings, hand carved signs, hanging plants and flowers. THE Temple Bar itself, painted bright red, stands out proudly from the rest. It’s the most famous pub in Dublin, with live music from the time they open at 9:30 until closing.

Like everyone else who goes to Dublin, we expected to have a pint and stay for lunch at The Temple Bar. Unfortunately for the bartender’s tip jar, the music was so loud when we walked in that we couldn’t stay. So instead —

Traveling with autism means always being ready to adjust your plans!

Every family like ours notices different things that matter to our children’s very specific sensory needs. Please leave a comment if you have any information that might be helpful to members of our community.