Leinster House
Leinster House
4.5
About
Built in 1745, this beautiful building inspired the making of the White House and now serves as the Irish Parliament.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: South City Centre
How to get there
- St. Stephen's Green • 7 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
2,391 within 5 kms
Attractions
660 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
88 reviews
Excellent
43
Very good
33
Average
10
Poor
1
Terrible
1
sb01Ireland
ireland32 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
Tour includes Dail and Seanad. Can only see Dail from viewing area but still very impressive. Tour guide takes you around house and explains the history very well. Would highly recommend this tour.
Written September 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christy_Luv2
Gorey, Ireland1,874 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
Had the chance to book a (free) tour of Leinster House Parliament Building and was it worth the visit! Such an historical building and so much work keeping it the beautiful state it is in. A lovely gentleman gave us a very interesting talk on the Seanad and Dail rooms and all the photos in the building. Everyone was really friendly. Bring some ID with you. It gives a little more insight into what our Leaders do when 'sitting'. See the flag presented to the Dail by JFK. See one of the original 1916 Proclamations. Well worth a visit. Makes you proud to be Irish! Thanks to everyone.
Written August 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
afootandahalf
Miami, FL511 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
A good place to visit and I was lucky enough to get to go inside. Inside it is a really beautiful building, a great piece of Irish living history. See if you can get in a tour to visit Leinster House.
Written November 24, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
creativity2001
Monterey, CA259 contributions
Apr 2017 • Solo
This is where the Dáil Éireann is located, the upper and lower house of Parliament. They run two tour at 10:30 and 2:30 on Monday and Friday. The tour lasts about 30 minutes. You can either try to sign up in advance or show up 15 minutes before the tour begins. Make sure you bring your passport as ID if you are not from Ireland. The Museum of Archeology is next door on one side and the National Library of Ireland on the other side, both worth seeing.
Written April 7, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
George
London, UK63 contributions
Aug 2016 • Solo
Leinster House was the residence of the Duke of Leinster and currently houses the lower and upper houses of the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas). It is located next to the National Museum of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland.
Leinster House conducts free "walk-up guided tours" on Mondays and Fridays if the house is not sitting. Reservation is not required but Leinster House website says that places are limited, so I would recommend reserving a place in advance (reservation is also free). I emailed to reserve a place in advance and received a polite reply confirming my reservation quite promptly.
I visited Leinster House on 5 August 2016 and joined the 2.30pm tour - the tour took about 40 minutes. The tour guide was actually a staff of the house, so it was interesting to hear stories from her perspective. I would have appreciated the tour more if the guide gave more explanation about Irish history (which I should really have read up on) and the voting system in Ireland. I suppose the tour was more about the building itself, which was fine.
We saw the chambers for both the lower house (previously a lecture theatre) and the upper house (previously a ballroom). The house also had on display:
* the Civil War Flag used by the Irish Brigade and presented by JFK to the Irish Parliament in 1963;
* an original of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, signed by Sean T O'Kelly, a former president of the Irish Republic; and
* a painting of Countess Markievicz (not in military uniform),
as well as other paintings.
The building does not have escalators or lifts. One of the tour members was an elderly man who had a walking stick. He found it difficult to walk up the stairs to the viewing gallery of the lower house. Perhaps this is something that could be improved when renovations are finished.
Photos are not permitted inside Leinster House.
Leinster House conducts free "walk-up guided tours" on Mondays and Fridays if the house is not sitting. Reservation is not required but Leinster House website says that places are limited, so I would recommend reserving a place in advance (reservation is also free). I emailed to reserve a place in advance and received a polite reply confirming my reservation quite promptly.
I visited Leinster House on 5 August 2016 and joined the 2.30pm tour - the tour took about 40 minutes. The tour guide was actually a staff of the house, so it was interesting to hear stories from her perspective. I would have appreciated the tour more if the guide gave more explanation about Irish history (which I should really have read up on) and the voting system in Ireland. I suppose the tour was more about the building itself, which was fine.
We saw the chambers for both the lower house (previously a lecture theatre) and the upper house (previously a ballroom). The house also had on display:
* the Civil War Flag used by the Irish Brigade and presented by JFK to the Irish Parliament in 1963;
* an original of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, signed by Sean T O'Kelly, a former president of the Irish Republic; and
* a painting of Countess Markievicz (not in military uniform),
as well as other paintings.
The building does not have escalators or lifts. One of the tour members was an elderly man who had a walking stick. He found it difficult to walk up the stairs to the viewing gallery of the lower house. Perhaps this is something that could be improved when renovations are finished.
Photos are not permitted inside Leinster House.
Written August 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Byrne A
Dublin, Ireland115 contributions
Jun 2015 • Solo
People usually complain about politicians being rude and arrogant but it was the stewards in Leinster House that are the worst. I went on a tour and the way I was spoken to was completely disgraceful! I was shouted at and spoken to in a sarcastic manor- I will never go back!
Written August 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DAVE H
Liverpool, UK60 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
I was lucky enough to get a tour arranged for me and I must say that it was excellent. The building is imposing whilst not as big as some parliamentary building. I was allowed to watch a debate before being given a tour of the building by a very informative and friendly guide. The only down side was no photographs being allowed but other than that ir was fine.
Written May 27, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
empressoftheuniverse
Corydon, IA648 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
If you're in Dublin, be sure to visit Leinster House. Parliament was not in session when we visited, but the guided tour was excellent. We learned a lot of history, even if it was spun a bit by our guide's own political leanings.The tour is free, but it's a good idea to call ahead and reserve a time, especially during the peak tourist season. Photography is not allowed inside. Outside, there's plenty of beautiful architecture to enjoy. The National Museum is right there, so plan enough time to see both.
Written May 31, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Séamas O
84 contributions
Leinster House comprises a Lower House - Dáil Eireann and an Upper House - Seanad Eireann. It began life as a Town House for the Fitzgerald Family before becoming the seat of the Irish Parliament. It is a very interesting building historically and architecturally.
Written April 23, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lily C
Bucharest, Romania39 contributions
Apr 2013 • Family
It is really nice to go and see the Irish House of Parliament (called Houses of the Oireachtas), it's a guided tour that takes about 45 minutes, with plenty of history and interesting things to see. If you go there in certain days in the morning (around 10 o'clock) you can actually see the Parliament in session. No pictures allowed, but you can take some materials from the lobby that can substitute the pictures.
Written April 21, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quisiera reservar el tour para el parlamento en DublÃn, pero en la página no encuentro dónde realizarla. Únicamente un correo, que ya hemos enviado.
Gracias por tu tiempo.
Written June 25, 2018
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing