Ramble through the heart of Dublin while learning about the fascinating history of its River Liffey bridges, who built them, when they were built, and why. Pass many other landmark sites from the Guinness Brewery to Christchurch Cathedral to the Custom House, and lots more!
Destination
Dublin, Ireland
Category
City Highlight Tours
Duration
3 hours
Transport mode
Walking tour
Available languages
English
Included
Private guide
4 reasons to book this tour
Pass the Dublin Guinness Brewery established in 1759
Enjoy a pint in Dublin's oldest pub
Sip a coffee on the Liffey Boardwalk
Visit the Daniel O'Connell Statue and the Famine Memorial
What you can expect
This is a walking tour of Dublin City like no other. Starting from Heuston Station, Dublin's main railway gateway to Ireland's South, Southwest and West, we will saunter, at your pace, along Dublin's City Quays and relive the rich history, innovative engineering and construction of all eighteen bridges that span Dublin's famous river all the way to the eastern most bridge at the mouth of Dublin Bay.
Discover when the bridges were built, how they were built, who built them and why. Hear the fascinating stories, tragic and comic, ancient and recent, associated with these bridges and the areas around them. Learn about how and why the bridges were named, and the three phases of naming conventions that span over a thousand years of engineering. Discover the lives of pioneering engineers, architects, developers and patrons, from the Vikings to King John, James Butler to Bindon Blood Stoney and Santiago Calatrava!
Become immersed in this historic world while you traipse through its present, in the heart of Dublin. Stop and linger at a time of your choosing, and savour a snack, a drink, or something more substantial at any of the delicious cafes and eateries along the quays.
This is the plan
Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Ben.
Meeting point
Meet at Heuston Luas Stop - Dublin to start your journey
Itinerary
This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.
All 18 Bridges
Commentary on the history and construction of each bridge as they are passed
Pint in Dublin's Oldest Pub
Stop for a pint in the Brazen Head
Photos
Lots of opportunities for photos of many famous landmarks passing through the heart of the city
Make it yours
Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.
Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.
Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.
I can personalize this tour for you
I can personalize this tour for you
Tell me your preferred date and group size
Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!
Flexible cancellation policy
Feel confident booking
Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.
Change of plans?
Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.
Loved by travelers worldwide
Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.
Reviews from guests
Hannah
5 January 2025
Ben was absolutely amazing, he is super knowledgeable about the area and a really nice guy. We learnt so much on our tour and would definitely recommend going on a tour with Ben 😊Amazing Experience
Lynne🇫🇷 France
1 June 2024
Ben was a super guide, full of great stories and information, willing to answer our questions, and adapt to our interests. He made our rather short visit to Dublin a fabulous experience. We highly him and his bridge tour. Fabulous expeience
Kieran🇮🇪 Ireland
26 September 2021
This was a brilliant tour with Ben of the 18 bridges of the River Liffey. It lasted over three hours and was packed full of interesting information and anecdotes. Ben is a very hospitable and well-informed host and guide. There was a very welcome coffee-break about half-way through the tour and, since it was my birthday, he arranged a small birthday cake for the occasion. This was and is a great way to feel the life and history of Dublin and, for me, a great birthday present from my two brothers.Withlocals Tour of Liffey Bridges with Ben
Helmut🇩🇪 Germany
8 September 2021
Die Brückentour mit Ben war einfach grandios. Sehr informativ mit wenig Schnickschnack an überflüssigen historischen Daten. Ben konnte sich gut auf die persönlichen Interessen einstellen. Hat sich Zeit genommen und diese verging wie im Flug.Einmaliges Erlebnis
Beth
28 December 2024
Vanessa🇦🇺 Australia
24 December 2024
Our group of 3 had a great tour with Ben in the afternoon. Lots of great stories and interesting history. Lots of suggestions and recommendations shared by Ben which were much appreciated. Loved the video Ben emailed after our tour of us toting around Dublin and information sheet was also great! Would thoroughly recommend touring Dublin with Ben! Thank you so much Dublin with Ben
Joe
29 March 2024
Ben was friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend taking this tour. Great way to learn the city especially if it’s your first time Wonderful tour
ruth.sachsalber🇨🇦 Canada
21 June 2023
Ben was our guide on a 3-hour “Highlights & Hidden Gems of Dublin” tour. Our group of 6 had varying interests and we went over the allotted time. Ben was gracious and patient and answered all our questions and never made us feel rushed.
Ben has a unique point of differentiation as a guide. After the tour, he sent us digital “souvenirs” of our time together. We received: (1) music video map, (2) fun video, and (3) picture album. Throughout the tour, at each of the stops, Ben took photos of the group. Afterwards, he compiled these pictures into 2 videos and a photo album. I received the “souvenirs” the same day as the tour. The pictures and the videos are AWESOME and they are a wonderful and fun way to remember the trip.
We learned so much about Dublin from Ben on subjects such as potato crisps (also received samples of Taytos to try), and politics, and architecture, and spicy local characters.
It was a great tour and our entire group gives it (and Ben) two thumbs-up.
Highlights of Dublin - tour with Ben
Udit🇺🇸 United States
23 September 2022
Excellent host with knowledge, patience, courteousness and more.
Highly recommend Ben.
You will not be disappointed Walking with Ben in Dublin
Brooks🇫🇷 France
22 September 2022
Ben was our tour guide and he did a fantastic job. He even made us a video of our tour which we were able to share with friends. We only had 4 hours in Dublin, but we made the most of it by going on this tour with Ben.A fantastic tour
Nancy🇺🇸 United States
8 September 2022
Ben was a perfect guide for our hike in Howth. He met us at our hotel and managed the public transport with us out to a magnificent hike in Howth. We had sun, wind, rain, and lots of fresh air.
Ben adjusted to our desires and we couldn't have had a better guide. He is very friendly and we would book with him again.
Beautiful hike in Howth with Ben
Larraine🇺🇸 United States
6 September 2022
We had the pleasure of having Ben as our guide in Dublin. He showed us around his beautiful city sharing his knowledge and taking pictures for us. He made sure that we were getting the most out of our experience with a local. Highlights included the story of the potato famine, St. Michans church, and then a stop at the Great Potato Factory for a snack. When the tour finished, he made sure we had a cab to our next tour at Kilmainham Gaol. It was a very pleasurable and informative tour.
Janine🇩🇪 Germany
8 August 2022
Wir hatten eine tolle, spannende und sehr informative Tour mit Ben! Danke nochmals dafür und auch für den tollen Kuchen!
100% Weiterempfehlung Tolle und informative Tour!
Marcia🇺🇸 United States
14 July 2022
We booked the Kickstart tour because it was our first time visiting Dublin. We hoped to learn a little of the history and maybe find a place or two to eat/drink. Ben delivered so much more!! Ben has such a passion and extensive knowledge of Ireland history and lore. Our party of 3 stayed entertained throughout. Ben not only delivered an enjoyable tour he took photos throughout allowing us time to just enjoy the tour. He not only sent these photos to us he included a list of possibilities that included sights to see and restaurants to eat/drink in. We are so happy we booked with Ben, he enhanced our Dublin visit. Pick Ben!!
James🇺🇸 United States
9 July 2022
We had a private walking tour of Dublin. Ben was a wonderful guide. He's quite personable, engaging, and knowledgeable. We'd recommend him to anyone interested in a great tour!Great walking tour of Dublin
Stephanie🇺🇸 United States
10 June 2022
Ben's 1916 Easter Rising Tour was the perfect guided walking tour of Dublin. Ben's knowledge of all things Dublin was outstanding. He catered our tour to our personal interests and was able to answer every question we had, including where to eat at the end of the tour. I highly recommend Ben's tour.History of Dublin: 1916 Easter Uprising
Karrie🇨🇦 Canada
31 May 2022
We did, "The History of Dublin: 1916 Easter Rising Tour" with Ben. What a great afternoon! Ben started by asking us a few questions to determine what our expectations were out of the tour so he could make it as memorable as possible for us. The next 3 hours flew by as we meandered through the streets & sidestreets as Ben engaged us with new insights to the history of Dublin. His knowledge base is very broad, it was a pleasure spending time with him. As an added bonus he documented the walk on his phone with some pictures added then sent it to me later that day as a wonderful keepsake of the tour. This is a wonderful tour to take, you get history and wonderful sites to explore as well as enjoying the outdoors of Dublin. Ben made it a great day!1916 with Ben!
Anke🇩🇪 Germany
30 May 2022
We had a great and very informing tour and got a lot of interesting especially historic informations about Dublin. Ben ist a very friendly guide and knows a lot about his hometown. We can recommend him without any limitations. Great walk with Ben
Rebekah 🇺🇸 United States
28 May 2022
By far the best tour guide! Ben was flexible to what we wanted to see, extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and took lots if pictures so we could have memories for a lifetime. He went out of his way to provide us with all kinds of information for our visit and future trips.
We will absolutely use Ben on our next visit as he offers a variety of tours.Dublin quick start tour with Ben
Unknown
25 April 2022
Our family of 3 spent the day with Ben while on holiday in Ireland. We had hoped to do the berry picking hike because we thought our 10 year old daughter would love it, but Ben let us know that the berries weren't yet in season and he customized a whole day for us instead. We spent a couple of hours walking around Dublin learning about the history of the city and interesting places to check out. From there Ben led us to the train station for a quick ride to Howth where we did a hike that included a Castle, rhododendron trails, a portal tomb, Muck Rock and sea cliffs, while sharing all sorts of interesting information all along the way. It was rainy and chilly all day, but Ben led us at a great pace and was super patient when our daughter got tired (we ended up walking over 12 miles all together) or a little whiny. He also took tons of family photos and included them in a video map that takes us through our whole hike. Thanks, Ben, for a fantastic day! Dublin + Howth Family Hike
Deb🇺🇸 United States
24 April 2022
We had a magical day hiking Howth Cliff with Ben. It was our favorite tour that we did while visiting Ireland. Ben was a great tour guide. He showed us some amazing spots on the cliff and imparted a lot of interesting history about the area. This area is so picturesque and the views are breathtaking. Do yourself a favor and book a tour with Ben. The best forest bathing experience!!Magical day hiking Howth Cliff
Unknown
24 April 2022
If your feet can take it, this is a great way to see and learn a lot about Dublin's rich history. Ben was a font of information about the city, education, history, and so much more. The five hours of our tour flew by. The tour was well organized and I was impressed by how he tied various things together as we toured the city. He is a great guide and this was time well spent!Great insights into Dublin history!
Stephen🇬🇧 United Kingdom
8 April 2022
Ben was really excellent. We were a party of 3 and Ben gave us exactly what we were looking for. Exceeded our expectations. Ben is a great story teller and was very friendly, knowledgable and balanced in his views. We would highly recommend Ben and would love to engage with him on our next trip to Dublin to learn more about the sometimes turbulent but wonderful history of this beautiful city
1916 Rebellion and general over view of Dublin history through the war of independence
Chris🇺🇸 United States
4 April 2022
Ben is a fantastic guide. He shares his knowledge of his hometown through history and personal stories. Having just arrived in Ireland from our overnight flight from the US, it was a perfect pace for our family of three with our 18-year-old son and kept us awake to enjoy interesting facts about Dublin.Wonderful afternoon tour of Dublin
Anna🇺🇸 United States
4 November 2021
Ben tailored the experience to our group. We had a great time and saw things we wouldn't have otherwise. He had historical tidbits and made the ride interesting. Thanks Ben!!Ben was a great host!
Johanna🇺🇸 United States
17 October 2021
Ben was a fantastic tour guide! He was extremely engaging and tailored our tour based on our personal interests, sharing his knowledge of the history of Dublin through funny anecdotes and showing us parts of the city we would not have found on our own. He also shared great insights on other places in Ireland that we plan to see when we come back and is a fantastic photographer to boot - I loved the bonus photographic video map that he created and shared with us following the tour. 5 stars!Walking Tour of Dublin - 3 hrs
telerijones🇬🇧 United Kingdom
14 October 2021
We highly recommend Ben after he took us on a walking tour around Dublin City centre.
We also loved the video he sent us afterwards which showed the route we walked and the photos he took of us at each place of interest .. .. a special memory to keep.
Teleri and SarahHighly recomended
Greg🇬🇧 United Kingdom
11 September 2021
ben had a nice relaxed and calm delivery and was very knowledgeable, with answers to all the questions that we threw at him. Ben tailored the tour to suite us as a stag party and as well as showing us the history of Dublin in all its glory, he also took us to some of his favourite watering holes, where we could soak up the atmosphere and buzz of dublin with a cold pint of guinness. Ben also sent all that he talked about via watts app,which allowed us to refer to this and use his knowledge of where to go and when for the entire weekend. great value for money and well recommended.perfectly tailored tour with ben
olga🇪🇸 Spain
12 August 2020
It was a wonderfull experience, we got so much info and we all were so happy (kids and adults). Ben was caring and we understood everything he explained. He knows so much about history and makes it so atractive!! We would totally recommend the experienceSuuuuuuuper!!!!!
Melissa
18 February 2020
What a fantastic experience it was landing in a new place, Dublin, and having our very own friend, Ben, to show us the ropes. Ben met us at our hotel shortly after we checked in and took us on a very fun and informative tour of the city. He answered all of our questions and pointed out fun places for us to visit. He was extremely knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. After our tour, we all felt comfortable and excited to start our vacation. We referenced Ben many times on our vacation as we set out to explore. I will definitely do this every time I travel. I hope I will always have as good of an experience as I had with Ben. Rent a Friend
Lieke🇧🇪 Belgium
21 January 2020
We hebben met onze groep een tocht gemaakt met Ben. Ten eerste is alles op voorhand zeer soepel verlopen. Ben reageert snel op de berichten, het is goed om met hem afspraken te maken. Daarnaast is hij flexibel en heeft hij de tocht op het laatste moment nog aangepast op onze vraag.
Wat ik jammer vond is dat we eigenlijk weinig hebben gezien van de bezienswaardigheden in Dublin, we zijn voornamelijk rondom de stad gefietst. Dit terwijl ik bij andere tocht door Dublin eerder dit jaar, wel langs verschillende bezienswaardigheden ben gefietst. De tocht van Ben is een toch voor echte fietsers, mensen die er van houden om aan een behoorlijk tempo te fietsen en veel km's af te leggen. Een tocht voor echte fietsers!
Jutta🇦🇹 Austria
1 January 2020
Ben is a very friendly and helpful Dubliner who gave us a good impression of the city and also helped us out with extra information such as opening hours, availability of tickets, recommendations for eating and drinking. We had a great time, thanks!
Alice and JuttaGreat Tour With Ben
Kalynn🇺🇸 United States
10 December 2019
We booked an electric bike tour for 4 with Ben on our recent trip to Ireland. It was one of the highlights of our trip! We had so much fun! Ben’s communication from the time of booking to after our trip was top notch! We felt safe and confident riding the streets of Dublin with him. We gained a huge appreciation for how pretty the city was because we took this tour. We would have missed out on so much. Highlight of our trip....
Terri
5 December 2019
Ben guided us safely inside and outside of Dublin, while providing geographical and cultural information, during a full day of one of the best introductions to Ireland. Thank you, Ben!Adventure tourist enthusiasts rewarded!
Patti
15 October 2019
Thank you for the terrific tour which much to our surprise included pictures, relive and music. Thoroughly enjoying your thoughtful, detailed presentations, historical context and personal stories of the various sites, and neighborhoods we departed today w a richly textured appreciation of your lovely and vibrant Dublin.Best of Dublin Highlights and Hidden Gems
Aneska🇺🇸 United States
8 October 2019
I highly recommend this tour and Ben as your guide. He is friendly, easy to talk to, and very knowledgeable. I had a limited stay in Dublin and he got me up to speed on the history, culture, and lay of the land. Ben gave me great advice and ideas on things to do to maximize my visit. After our tour he followed up with additional information on interests I’d shared with him. I want to thank Ben for an outstanding afternoon and the photos he took along the way at to document our journey!
Tour date 10/3/2019. Wonderful host and tour!
Neil🇺🇸 United States
21 September 2019
Ben understood us right away, the two (2) foreigners who, for some reason, needed to know how a Dublin neighborhood looked and felt. We cycled safely through the city and learned a bit about how the city surrounds the harbor and was built at the mouth of a river and with the Grand Canal that once allowed access across the whole island country. Ben is a native Dubliner who knows some interesting facts about persons who should be more historically famous than they seem to be. He can explain why street names and place names are what they are, not to mention real stories of the "Luck of the Irish."
We had a thoroughly active, educational, and entertaining bike ride with a true Irish Sports Fan.
We did not expect to come away curious and wanting to learn more about Irish sports and how they are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Ben taught us more than enough to make us anxious to visit again, because now our interest is peaked due to his well-led peek into Dublin, Ireland.
BTW – Perhaps booking with Ben helped us with our luck; we had three (3) days in Dublin with cloudless skies and warm weather in late September. Lucky Cycling with Ben-the-Irishman who knows his Luck
Jake
29 July 2019
What an amazing day with Ben. His knowledge of Dublin and the surrounding area was fantastic. We learnt so much, had a beautiful day and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.Great Dublin tour
Withlocals experiences
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Private & personalizedNo strangers, just you. Fully customize your trip to your needs.
With a local expertFrom historical facts to the most up-to-date health regulations.
Without the crowdsExperiences designed to take you away from the crowds towards authentic local spots.
More about me
I was born and raised in Dublin where I have lived all of my life except for a soujourn in my young adult life building bridges and viaducts in Asia.
I cherish childhood memories of my native city, Dublin, whose social and cultural history resonate with me. I love to share these insights and stories with visiting guests. I am a lover of the outdoors, a qualified tour guide, bi-lingual in Irish and English. I have a variety of interests from sport to bridge building, from place names to hillwalking.
I've been guiding tours for more than five years, using various transport modes; buses, trains, walking, hiking, cycling: in a variety of off the beaten path locations; from the mountains to the sea, from the city to the countryside.
I'm an easy going "Jack of All Trades Master of None" type and I can tailor any tour to your own personal preferences.