I turned 25 while we were in Dublin and figured the best way to celebrate was to have a pint of the best black stuff at the Guinness Storehouse. It’s a must do attraction while in Dublin and even if you have no interest in beer, you will enjoy this self-guided tour!



The building that hosts the exhibit is massive and is broken up into 7 floors full of interactive displays and Guinness history. The first floor has a giant lobby and gift shop that has any Guinness merchandise you could ever imagine. It also houses the 9,000 year lease that Guinness has on the factory land. Don’t stay too long here because the next part is where it starts to get interesting!
The first floor takes you through how they make Guinness from beginning to end. It shows you everything from the hops and how they’re grown, to the giant distilleries where the beer is brewed. Much of this section is interactive and is great for kids or those of us who are kids at heart! I thought this part was one of the most interesting parts of the experience and I learned a lot about the whole beer making process.
The coolest part about the Guinness Storehouse was learning all the steps to make the perfect pint of Guinness!
The second floor of the Guinness Storehouse allows you to experience Guinness with all of your senses!
Next, you head to the second floor for the Taste Test experience. You will probably need to wait in line for this part of the exhibit but it is worth it! This experience will show you how to enjoy Guinness with all of your senses. They escort you into an all white room with pillars that each have a vapor pouring out of them. These four pillars are the four main ingredients in Guinness and you can experience the smell of each of them.
You will then be brought into a second room where you can learn how to properly taste Guinness. The guide will show you how to identify each of the four main ingredients by moving the Guinness around to different parts of your tongue.
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Coming from a PR & Advertising background, the third floor of the experience was my favorite. The team at Guinness picked their most iconic advertisements and made them into an interactive and fun exhibit for visitors to learn about the evolution of their advertising message.
It was really fun to take silly photos with the displays and very interesting to compare the ads of today with those from the past.
If you need a break there is also a small theater on this floor where you can sit and watch some of the most famous Guinness TV commercials.
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Every visitor over the legal drinking age gets a coupon for one free pint, which you can choose to use on the 4th floor, where you can learn to pour the perfect Guinness, or at the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor with amazing views of Dublin. If you opt for the pouring experience, you will be taught how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness and receive a certificate and photo to brag about to all your friends back home!
We opted for the Gravity bar and enjoyed our Guinness while watching the sunset over the city. It can get a bit crowded at times but seating can be found with patience. The views of the city are absolutely stunning and it can be fun to try and find all the sites you’ve visited over the past few days while enjoying your pint.
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Visiting the Guinness Storehouse was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and such a fun way to spend an afternoon in the city. If you’re ever in Dublin, there is no better place to try the black stuff than the Guinness Storehouse. Sláinte!
Practical Info for visiting the Guinness Storehouse:
- The Guinness Storehouse is open 7 days a week from 9:30am- 7pm. Last admission is 5pm.
- The Storehouse is located on the west side of Dublin and is a bit far from many of the city’s other attractions. Directions by foot, tram, bus or car can be found here.
- Tickets are €20 at the door but discounts are possible if booked early via the Guinness Storehouse website. If you book early, you must come at your allotted time slot or you will have to wait until the next available time.
- If you are a student be sure to bring your student ID for a €2 discount!
Have you been to the Guinness Storehouse? What was your favorite part of the tour? Let me know in the comments or connect with me on Facebook or Twitter!
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Love your photos! Looks like you had a lot of fun! I passed on the Guiness tour when I was in Dublin last year since I’m not a fan of the beer, but I did have one at a pub for good measure 🙂
I didn’t think I would like the Storehouse as much as I did but it was really cool and interactive! It was good fun and you should definitely check it out if you go back to Dublin 🙂
So cool! Definitely a place I want to visit when I make it to Ireland!
That looks awesome! I’ve always wanted to go to Dublin. Happy Birthday!
Dublin is an amazing city! Definitely worth a spot on the bucket list. Thank you 🙂
Glad to hear you had fun on your birthday in Dublin! To be honest, I was not a fan of the Guinness Storehouse – I found it overcrowded, commercialized and overhyped. Ireland and Scotland can offer so many smaller brewery tours with way more authenticity than Guinness, and thus I would not really recommend it, to be honest. But at least you enjoyed it, and your photos look lovely xx
It was a bit touristy but I found the whole experience really fun and informative. I went in the off season so there weren’t too many people.
My boyfriend and I love to visit breweries on our travels! I’m planning a Scotland trip in the near future. Any suggestions?
Hi Kassie!
Nice blog! That is definitely the best way to celebrate a birthday.I have not been to Dublin, but I plan to visit sometime this year. I also like to experience a guiness storehouse tour, it seems enjoyable and fun. You also have some bit of info about how they make beer. Hey! what was your favorite part of the tour?
Thanks for sharing
My favorite part was definitely when you go on the sensory tour and you use your sense of smell and taste to distinguish the different elements that make up Guinness. Hope you have a wonderful time when you visit Dublin! It’s a beautiful city!