Covers London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Central Europe, where the ghost walks are old and the summer nights are short.
Updated
This page carries dated prices, start times or seasonal openings checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Dublin's best night tour isn't a ghost tour. It's two actors and four pubs.
The Literary Pub Crawl tops our list on value and reviews, and that tells you something about the city. A Dublin evening happens in pubs, and the tours that lean into that do better than the ones pretending the city is Edinburgh.
Still, the dark-history walks are good, and they're cheap. Four of them made the list, all two hours, all between $19 (€17) and $28 (€25), and most of them leave from somewhere around Temple Bar, Dame Street or the Spire on O'Connell Street. Look for the umbrella. Three of the walk operators use coloured ones: green, purple and yellow.
Watch the age limits. Dublin's walks are stricter than most cities': 12+, 13+, even 18+ for the bloodiest one. Only one dark walk here has no minimum age.
At a glance
Best overall
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, 7.3
Best dark walk
Dark Walking Tour of Haunted Dublin (Original Dublin), 7.2
Cheapest good one
Macabre, Ghostly and Bloody walk at $19 (€17), adults only
Best for families
Dublin After Dark Haunted History, no minimum age
Skip
Booking both ghost buses: pick one
When it gets dark
4:49 p.m. in December, 10:46 p.m. in June
On this page
The 10 best night tours in Dublin, ranked
Every tour we scored in Dublin that cleared our bar (rated 4.4 or more from 50+ reviews), in Night Score order. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
Two actors performing Irish literature, four pubs, and a quiz at the end. It starts upstairs at The Duke on Duke Street and finishes at Davy Byrnes. Rated 4.8 from 1,777 reviews, and at $26 (€23) for 2 hours 15 minutes it gets a perfect value score, which is how a pub night beats the ghost walks. Two things the listing doesn't make clear: drinks aren't included, despite a 'food and drinks' line, and you can only book four people at a time. Minimum age 16.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.8
Review countData · 10%8.4
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 2 hour 15 minute walk between four pubs with actors and a literary quiz, from upstairs at The Duke on Duke Street to Davy Byrnes.
Good to know: Minimum age 16. Drinks are not provided despite a 'food and drinks' line on the page. Maximum four people per booking.
After dark: Actors perform Irish literature between four pubs; the evening setting suits it but the dark is not the draw.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The best of the dark walks. Original Dublin starts outside the Old Storehouse bar in Temple Bar, guide holding a green umbrella, and goes through the medieval lanes of the old city to St Stephen's Green, telling it as ghost and murder stories. Rated 4.8 from 498 reviews and $27 (€24) for two hours. It ranks just above the Unearthed walk below on its bigger review count. Not for under-12s, pregnant women or people with heart problems. The themes are murder and torture, and they don't soften it.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.0
Review countData · 10%6.5
Price per hourData · 20%9.5
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour ghost and dark-history walk by Original Dublin from Temple Bar through the medieval city to St Stephen's Green.
Good to know: Meet outside the Old Storehouse bar; the guide carries a green umbrella. Not suitable for children under 12, pregnant women or people with heart problems; themes of murder and torture.
After dark: Medieval lanes and alleyways of the old city told as ghost and murder stories once Temple Bar is lit up.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Tied on score with the walk above and rated higher, 4.9, but on fewer reviews: 260. Unearthed Tours meets at Barnardo Square on Dame Street, next to City Hall, guides with purple umbrellas. It goes through Dublin Castle's yard and past Christ Church and the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral, and the stories include murder and cannibalism. At $25 (€22) it's a touch cheaper. Minimum age 13, and not for anyone with heart problems. If the Original Dublin walk is full, book this; it's barely a step down.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.4
Review countData · 10%5.5
Price per hourData · 20%9.8
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour dark-history walk by Unearthed Tours Dublin from Dublin Castle past Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedral grounds.
Good to know: Meet at Barnardo Square on Dame Street next to City Hall; guides carry purple umbrellas. Not suitable for children under 13 or people with heart problems.
After dark: Dublin Castle's yard and the cathedral precincts carry the murder and cannibalism stories better after dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The cheapest guided ghost walk we found in Dublin, at $19 (€17), and adults only. Yellow Umbrella Tours meets at the Spire on O'Connell Street and covers both banks of the Liffey: executions, quarantines, the old city mortuary. Rated 4.8 from 309 reviews. It sits fourth because its rating counts for a little less on a smaller review base. Strictly 18+. It's the one to pick if you're staying north of the river and don't want to cross to Temple Bar first.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.5
Review countData · 10%5.8
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour adults-only dark-history walk by Yellow Umbrella Tours from the Spire on O'Connell Street.
Good to know: Not suitable for under-18s. Look for the yellow umbrella at the Spire. The cheapest guided ghost walk we found in Dublin.
After dark: Executions, quarantines and the city mortuary told on both banks of the Liffey in the dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Five hours, five venues, finishing at the late nightclub Copper Face Jacks, with VIP entry. At $16 (€14.30) it's the cheapest thing on this page, with one Guinness, free shots and skip-the-line entry thrown in. It ranks fifth because its 4.6 rating across 3,823 reviews is below the walks above. Meet at 4 Dame Lane. Minimum age 19, not 18, so bring ID that proves it. Busy nights get split into smaller groups, which is a good thing.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%9.6
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A five-hour guided crawl of five venues by Generation Pubcrawl, starting at 4 Dame Lane and ending at Copper Face Jacks.
Good to know: Includes one Guinness, free shots, skip-the-line entry and VIP entry to Coppers. Minimum age 19. Busy nights are split into smaller groups.
After dark: A guided night out across five venues ending in a late nightclub.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Dublin Ghostbus Tour: Gravediggers and Body Snatching
Ghost tours
6.2/10Night Score
From $39 (€35)
2 hours
Starts: Evening departures
Large group, 14+
4.6 (916 reviews)
DoDublin's two-hour evening bus stops at St Kevin's graveyard, the steps of St Audoen's and a 'Hellfire Clubroom' haunted museum. Rated 4.6 from 916 reviews. At $39 (€35) it costs more than any walk here, and that's the main drag on its score. Under-14s and wheelchair users can't go. The listing gives the boarding point only as a map pin in the O'Connell Street area, so read your confirmation properly. Of the two ghost buses, this is the better-rated one.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.4
Review countData · 10%7.4
Price per hourData · 20%8.1
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour narrated ghost bus by DoDublin with stops at St Kevin's graveyard, the steps of St Audoen's and a 'Hellfire Clubroom' haunted museum.
Good to know: Not suitable for under-14s or wheelchair users. The page gives the boarding point only as a map pin in the O'Connell Street area, so check the confirmation.
After dark: An evening bus that visits graveyards and a haunted museum room once the city is dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The only Dublin dark walk here with no minimum age, which makes it the family option by default. Ghost Tours Dublin runs it daily in the evening from Barnardo Square, beside City Hall, and it ends in a haunted pub. It's two hours for $28 (€25). The 4.5 rating from 422 reviews is the weakest of the walks, and that's why it trails the others. The page leaves age to the parents and doesn't say whether a drink at the end is included. Assume it isn't.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%6.3
Price per hourData · 20%9.4
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour haunted-history walk by Ghost Tours Dublin from Barnardo Square beside City Hall, finishing in a haunted pub.
Good to know: No minimum age; the page leaves it to parents. Drinks at the final pub are not mentioned as included.
After dark: Sold as a daily evening experience that ends in a haunted pub.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Two professional musicians play and explain Irish traditional music in reserved rooms in two pubs, starting upstairs at the Ha'penny Bridge Inn on Wellington Quay. It's a good evening if you want to understand what you're hearing rather than just hear it. Rated 4.5 from 1,916 reviews, which is what keeps it in the bottom three. At $30 (€27), drinks and food are extra. Up to 60 people. The early tour ends at Flanagan's on O'Connell Street Upper, the later one at Brannigan's.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%8.6
Price per hourData · 20%9.6
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 2 hour 15 minute guided music crawl led by two musicians, from upstairs at the Ha'penny Bridge Inn on Wellington Quay.
Good to know: Seating in the two pubs is reserved, but drinks and food are at your own expense. Up to 60 per tour. The earlier tour ends at Flanagan's on O'Connell Street Upper, the later one at Brannigan's.
After dark: Two professional musicians play and explain Irish traditional music in reserved pub rooms in the evening.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The other ghost bus, with live actor guides, and it ends at John Kavanagh's, the Gravediggers pub, with one 'ghoulish shot' included. Pints and food are on you. There are short walking stops at St Audoen's and Bully's Acre, and it pauses outside a cemetery but doesn't go in. Same $39 (€35) as the DoDublin bus, lower rating at 4.5, so it ranks below it. Boards at College Green. Under-14s can't go. If the actors and the old pub appeal more than a haunted museum room, this is still a fine choice.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%7.7
Price per hourData · 20%8.1
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour ghost bus tour with live actor guides by The Gravedigger Ghost Tour, from College Green, ending with a stop at John Kavanagh's Gravediggers pub.
Good to know: Includes one 'ghoulish shot' at the Gravediggers pub; pints and food are extra. Short walking stops at St Audoen's and Bully's Acre; it pauses outside a cemetery but does not enter. Not suitable for under-14s. The Viator listing (5299GRAVE, 4.3) is below our bar.
After dark: A theatrical bus with actor guides that stops at a dark graveyard edge and a 19th-century pub after nightfall.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Not really Dublin and not really night, but a lovely end to a day. Howth Cliff Cruises takes you out from Howth's West Pier past Howth Cliffs to Ireland's Eye for about 50 minutes, timed to sunset over Dublin Bay. Meet at the black gate at the top of the West Pier pontoon. Rated 4.7 from 374 reviews, $28 (€25). It ranks tenth because it ends in dusk, not darkness. Howth is about 30 minutes from the city by DART, and the route can change in bad weather.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%4.4
Review countData · 10%6.1
Price per hourData · 20%6.7
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 50-minute boat trip by Howth Cliff Cruises from Howth's West Pier out to Dublin Bay and Ireland's Eye.
Good to know: Howth is about 30 minutes from central Dublin by DART train, not in the city itself. Meet at the black gate at the top of the West Pier pontoon. The route may change in bad weather.
After dark: Timed for sunset over Dublin Bay, Howth Cliffs and Ireland's Eye, ending in dusk.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Reserve links go to GetYourGuide or Viator. Booking through them can earn us a commission at no cost to you; it never changes a score or a rank. How we make money
What a Dublin night is actually like
Small. That's the first thing. Howth aside, every tour on this page starts within a short walk of the Ha'penny Bridge, and the old city the dark walks use (Dublin Castle, Christ Church, St Audoen's, St Patrick's) sits on the hill just south of the Liffey.
Temple Bar is loud and pricey, and you'll pass through it whatever you book. Most of the better pubs are a few streets away: Duke Street, Dame Lane, around Grafton Street.
The museums and the big sights mostly close by early evening, so a Dublin night is walking, listening and drinking. That's why the tours work. They give the pub crawl a story.
Late October brings the Bram Stoker Festival, the city's gothic festival named for the Dubliner who wrote Dracula. In 2026 it ran over the October bank holiday weekend, Friday 23 to Monday 26 October, with events for adults and families.
Dark walk, ghost bus or pub night: how to pick
Walk. Dublin's dark-history walks are cheaper than the buses, rated higher, and the old city is small enough that you don't need wheels.
Which walk comes down to age and where you're staying:
Any age: Dublin After Dark Haunted History, from Barnardo Square.
12 and up: Original Dublin's Haunted Dublin walk, from Temple Bar.
13 and up: Unearthed's Torture, Murder and Mystery walk, from Dame Street.
Adults, north side: Yellow Umbrella's Macabre walk, from the Spire.
The two ghost buses both cost $39 (€35) and both turn away under-14s. They're a theatrical night more than a history lesson, and the Gravedigger one ends with a shot at a 19th-century pub. If that's what you want, pick one. Not both.
The pub nights divide neatly. The Literary Pub Crawl is for people who like books and actors. The trad music crawl is for people who want to know what a session actually is. Generation is for people who want to end up dancing at Coppers and don't care about the history.
The free version: the Liffey and the old city on your own
Start on O'Connell Bridge after dark and walk west along the south quays. The Ha'penny Bridge is lit, and so is the river. Cut up through Temple Bar to Dame Street, past City Hall and the gates of Dublin Castle, and keep going uphill to Christ Church Cathedral, with the covered bridge over Winetavern Street.
From there it's a short walk down to St Audoen's, the church both ghost buses stop at.
You'll get the buildings. You won't get the stories, and in Dublin the stories are most of it. If money is tight, the $19 (€17) Macabre walk is the cheapest way to fix that.
Getting back late: 24-hour buses, Nitelink and the last DART
Dublin now has 15 bus routes that run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, under the BusConnects network, including the C1, C2, E1, E2, G1, G2 and routes 15, 41 and 80. Nitelink services add more on Friday and Saturday nights only, running from the city centre out to the suburbs, mostly from D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street or Aston Quay.
Trains stop earlier. The last DART from Howth leaves at 11:55 p.m., which matters if you do the sunset cruise in midsummer and linger over dinner. There's also a 31n Nitelink to Howth on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Luas trams finish around midnight. Transport for Ireland lists the last Red Line tram toward Tallaght at 12:30 a.m. and the last Green Line tram south at 12:15 a.m., an hour earlier on Sundays and public holidays.
Generation Pub Crawl ends late at a club, so check the 24-hour routes before you go.
When to go: darkness, rain and Halloween
October to February. In December it's dark by 4:49 p.m., and every walk on this page is a proper night walk. In June it isn't dark until 10:46 p.m., so the evening walks run in daylight and the 'dark' in the titles is aspirational.
Dublin is milder than you'd guess. Night lows are about 39°F (4°C) in January and 56°F (13°C) in July. Rain is steady all year, at 12 to 15 rainy days a month in our weather data, and the walks are outdoors either way. The ghost buses are the dry option.
Halloween is the obvious time to come. The Bram Stoker Festival runs over the October bank holiday weekend, and it's dark by 7:05 p.m. by mid-October. Book the walks ahead that week.
What to skip, and what we couldn't rank
The open-top night bus tours (rated 4.2 to 4.3) and the dinner shows with no tour in them didn't make the list. Neither did a Pubs and Ghosts walk with a single review.
The real gap is traditional pub tours. Three of them look excellent, one rated 4.9 on 129 reviews and another 4.9 on 157, but none of their pages says when they run, so we couldn't confirm they're evening tours. If one of them shows an evening slot when you check availability, it's worth a look.
When it gets dark in Dublin
Times are for the 15th of each month in 2027, local time with daylight saving, computed with NOAA’s solar equations for Dublin. Dark is the end of civil twilight, when streetlights and floodlights take over; fully dark is the end of nautical twilight. Night lows are 2016–2025 averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive. Every city side by side
Month
Sunset
Dark
Fully dark
Night low
January
4:35 p.m.
5:16 p.m.
5:59 p.m.
39°F (4°C)
February
5:34 p.m.
6:10 p.m.
6:51 p.m.
40°F (4°C)
March
6:28 p.m.
7:02 p.m.
7:43 p.m.
40°F (5°C)
April
8:23 p.m.
9:01 p.m.
9:47 p.m.
42°F (6°C)
May
9:16 p.m.
10:00 p.m.
11:03 p.m.
48°F (9°C)
June
9:54 p.m.
10:46 p.m.
12:18 a.m.
53°F (11°C)
July
9:46 p.m.
10:35 p.m.
11:50 p.m.
56°F (13°C)
August
8:55 p.m.
9:34 p.m.
10:26 p.m.
55°F (13°C)
September
7:42 p.m.
8:17 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
52°F (11°C)
October
6:30 p.m.
7:05 p.m.
7:45 p.m.
49°F (9°C)
November
4:30 p.m.
5:08 p.m.
5:51 p.m.
43°F (6°C)
December
4:06 p.m.
4:49 p.m.
5:34 p.m.
41°F (5°C)
Where Dublin ranks
The best place a Dublin tour reaches on each of our other pages.
By our Night Score, the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (7.3): actors, four pubs and a quiz, from The Duke on Duke Street. For a ghost walk, the Dark Walking Tour of Haunted Dublin from Temple Bar scores 7.2.
Are Dublin ghost tours suitable for children?
Most aren't. Original Dublin's walk is 12+, Unearthed's is 13+, both ghost buses are 14+ and Yellow Umbrella's Macabre walk is 18+. Dublin After Dark Haunted History, from Barnardo Square, has no minimum age and leaves the call to parents.
Are drinks included on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl?
No. The listing mentions food and drinks, but drinks aren't provided; you buy your own in each pub. You can book up to four people at a time, and the minimum age is 16.
Do buses run all night in Dublin?
Some do. Fifteen routes run 24 hours a day, every day, and Nitelink buses add more suburban routes on Friday and Saturday nights. The DART and Luas stop around midnight.
What time does it get dark in Dublin?
About 4:49 p.m. in mid-December and 10:46 p.m. in mid-June. The full month-by-month table is on this page, and every city is in the sunset and dusk guide.
Further reading
Official sources
Transport for Ireland: the TFI network works later– 15 routes running 24 hours a day, Nitelink routes on Friday and Saturday nights, last DART and Luas times; page updated October 19, 2026, checked October 26, 2026
