Dublin

I've been to the Guinness Storehouse 15 times. Here's my review.

Item: Guinness Storehouse
Rating: 8
Author: Ireland By Locals

Being a Dubliner, all my visitors want to go to Guinness. And I'm absolutely fine with that! I was just there again yesterday and here's my review of the Guinness Storehouse.

Is the Guinness Storehouse Worth It?

Yes, it is. What I noticed yesterday was that absolutely everyone in the building had a smile on their face. As soon as you walk in, you feel the energy in a good way, an "I'll always remember this day" way.

The Storehouse Experience itself is designed with Disney Imagineers level of creativity. Sounds, smells, and splashes tell you the story of Guinness.

You tap along to the traditional Irish musicians and dancers scattered throughout the Storehouse. You can learn to pour your own pint or get your face printed on the creamy head of a pint or have a private tasting.

It ends in the glass surrounds of the Gravity Bar, where you claim your free Guinness and drink in the 360 degrees views of Dublin.

Is it a tourist trap?

While Guinness is the most visited tourist attraction in Ireland, it's not a tourist trap. It is an excellent experience, bring all my visiting friends to Guinness and not one has regretted it.

Now, I wouldn't argue with you if spent the admission money on an afternoon in Mulligans or some of my other favourite Dublin pubs.

But I cannot imagine coming to Dublin and not going to the Guinness Storehouse.

Score 8/10

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The Storehouse Tour Options

Be sure and book your tickets a few weeks before your visit.

Guinness Storehouse Experience

This is the basic entry and is a self-guided walk through the Storehouse as described on this page.

🎟️ Get Your Guinness Storehouse Tickets

Guinness Storehouse Connoisseur Experience

This is the premium tour. Think of it as the Business Class of Guinness.

You do a 90 minute tasting in a private luxury bar with a Guinness expert. Afterwards, you do the rest of the Storehouse Experience.

Read my Connoisseur experience review here.

🎟️Book Your Guinness Connoisseur Experience

Getting to the Guinness Storehouse

🚶It's a 30 minute walk or 10 minute taxi from central Dublin

🚌 Get the combo Dublin Hop on Hop Off Bus & Guinness Storehouse ticket

🎩 Go in style in a Mercedes on a Private Guinness and Whiskey Tour

🥃 If you want to go to Jameson as well, do this Skip The Line Guinness & Jameson Half Day Guided Tour

What You'll See In The Storehouse

The 9000 Year Lease

When you walk in, you won't even notice that you are standing directly over the 9000 year lease that Arthur Guinness shrewdly signed. The rent is €45/year or about the price of a round of drinks in Temple Bar today.

The Tasting Room

You get to taste some varieties of Guinness, there's a lot more than just one. They come in small glasses, like a liquid amuse-bouche.

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There can be queues for the tasting room. When you arrive, take the elevator up to level 2 and do this first. Then go back down to the ground level and start the tour.

Brewing Guinness

You’ll learn about the four ingredients that go into the complex simplicity of a pint of Guinness.

Guinness Advertising

As a kid growing up three miles from the Guinness Brewery, I still remember their ads. They portrayed health and virility, "Guinness is good for you", they had animals, seals, toucans, full of colour in a country that is often grey. They became nearly as well known for their posters as their pints. Level 3 is dedicated to these ads. This is where I spend most of my time when I'm visiting.

Guinness Barrels

Dublin in the Rare Auld Times, Dublin's most famous song, has this line

My trade I was a cooper, lost out to redundancy
Like my house that fell to progress my trade's a memory

I always think of that when I pass the barrels on display. It's one of the best photos spots too. There's lots of "Dublin" and "Guinness" on the barrels to capture in one snap.

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I find it hard to take good photos in the storehouse because there are so many lights. Take advantage of the darker areas. Photos drain your phone battery so I always travel with my INIU Portable charger.

The Stoutie

Selfie on a stout. Get your face printed on the head of a pint of Guinness. Then drink yourself.

The Academy

You can learn how to pour a pint of Guinness here.

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The Stoutie & Academy cost extra. You can prebook them, but there can be queues to do them. If it's not that busy, they'll let you buy these add-ons on site. I don't do them when I go with my friends tbh.

Restaurants in the Storehouse

You didn't know that Guinness could be incorporated into so many dishes as you'll see on the menus at the 1837 Bar & Brasserie, Arthur's Bar and Brewer's Dining Hall.

The Gravity Bar

The best part of the experience is the Gravity Bar. This has views over all of Dublin. Not just the city, but you can see all the icons of Dublin from one of the highest vantage points in the city. Howth, Poolbeg Chimneys, Dublin Spire, Christchurch Cathedral, Croke Park & Aviva Stadiums, and the Wicklow Mountains.

You get your free Guinness, Guinness 0.0 or soft drink here. I love this place, everyone is very social, you chat to people from all over the world.

There are some different areas within the Gravity Bar, so if one is too busy (or too hot), go to the other areas.

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You can use your free Guinness voucher in any of the other bars. They won't be as crowded, but won't have the views either.

The Guinness Store

If my family only ever bought my Christmas presents from this store, I would be a very happy person. You'll pass this on the way in and out, wait until the end to buy. You'll need your hands free to hold your drinks.

After Your Guinness Tour

After you leave the Storehouse, don't rush back to the city. Guinness is in the Liberties area of Dublin. Time Out called it one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.

Go For A Toastie

After your few hours in Guinness, you'll be hungry. Go across the road to see Stephen in Swift, a pub that serves the classic "Pint and Toastie", a ham & cheese sandwich you'll find in the old Irish bars around the country. Add in a packet of Tayto Crisps to make it a 3-course meal.

Do A Distillery Tour

The Liberties is the whiskey distilling district of Dublin, so take your pick of tours of Roe & Co, Pearse Lyons or Teeling distilleries.

I've been to every whiskey distillery in Dublin, here's my thoughts on them.

Have Dinner in the Liberties

Dine at Notions at Two Pups or the Michelin Variety Jones for some of Dublin's best food. My Eat Where Dubliners Eat post will tell you more.

Catch A Traditional Music Session

The trad music in the bars here is for locals, unlike the stuff you'll find in touristy Temple Bar.

Swift does a Sunday afternoon session. Dudley's has a Sunday evening session. The Liberty Belle has some too. There's other sessions around here too but I can't keep up with their schedules tbh.

☘️

Do my Dublin Jet Lag Walking Tour when you land too early to check-in to your hotel. It's a guided tour of Dublin City's best spots.

Stay Near Guinness

This is a great area to stay if you want to be close to things, but prefer being in a more local part of town.

🛏️ The Hyatt Centric Liberties or Staycity Aparthotels Tivoli are excellent choices.

Rent Your Car Near Guinness

This is a huge tip if you're traveling beyond Dublin. Don't rent your car at the airport when you land. You don't need it in Dublin, instead rent it around the corner from Guinness when you're ready to leave Dublin. Here's why.

Storehouse FAQs

I went onto Reddit and to see what questions people have about the Guinness Storehouse.

Do I Tour the Actual Brewery?

No. This is not an actual brewery tour. You can see part of the brewery from the Gravity Bar, but you don't see any Guinness being brewed.

For the best view of the brewery, you'll need to go down to the banks of the River Liffey, near the Heuston Train station for this view. Here's the spot on Google Maps.

Is the Connoisseur Tour Worth The Extra Money?

This is the tour I did yesterday. It was €95 v €30 for the basic admission. We went in the quiet group entrance, got a personal escort to the Connoisseur Bar, which was like a luxury five star hotel bar.

We tasted 4 different versions of Guinness, we learned the history from our guide and then we got to pour our own pints and got a certificate stating I had poured a perfect pint (even though I messed my pour up).

A 90 minute private tour, five drinks, a lesson in pouring a pint and a quiet bar in such a busy place was a bargain. So yes, it's worth the money.

How Do I Avoid The Massive Crowds?

Go early and during the week. It'll still be busy, but not as busy. Weekends are packed.

Your ticket is for a timed entry slot so you won't wait long to get in but there can be queues for the Tasting Room, Stoutie and Guinness Academy.

Is the pint in the Gravity Bar the best pint of Guinness in Dublin?

No. It's a good pint, but they are pouring out pints quickly to serve the crowds. The people pouring the pints tend to be younger staff. Go into the classic Dublin pubs and the barman has been pouring pints for 30 years. That's a better pint.

Can I trade my free Guinness voucher for something else?

Yes. If you don’t drink alcohol, you can exchange your ticket voucher for a Guinness 0.0 or soft drinks

Is It Good For Kids?

I've never gone with kids, but I did see this question asked on an Irish travel Facebook group and these were the answers

"Guinness storehouse was so fun. My kids loved it. It's very disneyfied"
"We just went with our 3.5 and 1.5 year old. Guinness storehouse is definitely doable with little ones since there are immersive visuals and you move through space to space fairly quickly."