Chester Beatty
Chester Beatty
4.5
09:45 - 17:30
Monday
09:45 - 17:30
Tuesday
09:45 - 17:30
Wednesday
09:45 - 20:00
Thursday
09:45 - 17:30
Friday
09:45 - 17:30
Saturday
09:45 - 17:30
Sunday
12:00 - 17:30
About
FREE Admission. Described by Lonely Planet as ‘not just the best museum in Ireland but one of the best in Europe’ - and the only Irish museum to ever win European Museum of the Year - the Chester Beatty’s extraordinary collections from countries across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe span centuries, continents and cultures and offer visitors a fascinating view of global artistic heritage. Donated to the Irish nation, American mining magnate and philanthropist Sir Alfred Chester Beatty's bequest is considered one of Ireland's greatest gifts. Open late on Wednesdays until 8pm. Download the Chester Beatty app, for audio tours in 13 languages, virtual walk-throughs, online collections and more!
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Top ways to experience Chester Beatty and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Neighbourhood: South City Centre
How to get there
  • St. Stephen's Green • 7 min walk
  • Jervis • 8 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Victoria
    168 contributions
    Wonderful free museum
    Fascinating museum near Dublin Castle. Chester Beatty collected manuscripts from around the world and left them to the Irish state when he died. This museum showcases his collection. It was a wonderful selection of sacred texts - all very rate - from all over the world, spanning millennia. I would recommend watching the informational video near the entrance for added context. Added bonus - it's FREE! A can't miss museum for fans of rare and sacred texts. There's also a quaint little cafe attached to it, which was a relaxing place to have a coffee and relax.
    Visited January 2023
    Written 31 January 2023
  • Dan Hyams
    Manchester, United Kingdom30 contributions
    Amazing for a FREE Museum! Packed with Unique Ancient Arabic Artefacts - Largest anywhere in the world!
    This Museum is a real gem with some unique artefacts from Ancient cultures and some of the earliest texts from Arabia and the Far East. Chester Beatty is a shrine to all things literature; from the first ever forms of text, scripture and the most basic steps to present day writing. The history from the first marks on walls/blocks from across the world is represented in some form in this museum. The museum holds the largest collection of such artefacts anywhere in the world so a truly exceptional collection! The 2nd floor is dedicated to world faiths with origin stories and artefacts from throughout the world again. There is a tranquil roof garden with views out to the castle. On the ground floor is a lovely Lebanese cafe with drinks, fresh salads, international cakes and snacks. Well worth a visit and a truly fascinating museum - worth paying good money for so it's a real gift that entry is free!
    Visited February 2023
    Written 21 February 2023
  • Danica_smile
    Portland, Oregon12 contributions
    Hole in the Wall
    Thank you JESSE My fiance and I went to visit Dublin Castle. We were wandering around trying to kill time until our dinner reservation when we saw the Chester Beatty exhibit outside Dublin Castle. We had never heard of it and this place never even came up when we were researching the top places to visit in Ireland. We went inside and was going through the exhibit and Jesse stopped us. He went through explaining the whole 1st exhibit with us and we learned A LOT. He was so knowledgeable and we were so grateful we ran into him. The only disappointment we have was that by the time we got done with the 1st exhibit, we didn't have time to go through the other 2. It was also our last night in Ireland :( We hope to visit again and maybe run into Jesse again. 10/10 deserves a raise
    Visited March 2023
    Written 10 March 2023
  • Bernie K
    Galway, Ireland8 contributions
    Amazing Place!
    The permanent exhibition is simply eye opening - so many unbelievable interesting and beautiful artefacts. And if that wouldnt be enough, it is free, they have events and courses that are mostly free. Staff is just wonderful and really friendly - particularly to kids! And finally: the cafe has the most amazing food, wonderful staff and great coffee! I will go as often as I can
    Visited March 2023
    Written 15 March 2023
  • Quill2005
    Ocala, Florida188 contributions
    See the One of the Earliest Surviving Copies of the Gospels
    Very near Dublin Castle, itself worth a visit, the Chester Beatty Museum (free entrance) houses a very interesting collection of objects from around the world. Not to be missed are the some of the oldest surviving copies of the Gospels and some of the letters of St. Paul, truly awesome. It's worth a visit to this museum just to see those!
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 April 2023
  • Evelyn K
    Graz, Austria32 contributions
    This museum belongs to the people of Ireland - not the state!
    Unique thing: Chester Beatty gave his collections to the people of Ireland instead of givin them to the national bodies. So it is still a kind of self lead institution, with a deep will to give people an opportunity to learn and to grow. Wonderful place with sensational objects from various cultures. Highly awarded.
    Visited September 2022
    Written 11 April 2023
  • Caity F
    9 contributions
    Great and free!
    So nice to see a free museum, this place was a great stop on our trip. They had lots of nice exhibits and are surrounded by the most lovely gardens. Right next to Dublin Castle, we stumbled onto it. Definitely worth checking out. I imagine artists and writers just hang out there in the gardens all day to work - that's what I would do if I lived nearby!
    Visited April 2023
    Written 13 April 2023
  • Stefan S
    24 contributions
    free entrance and excellent presentation of exhibits
    pleasant surprise! The presentation of the exibits is fantastic. Great variety and all is nicely arranged. There is no entrance fee and it's so much better than many other museums. The book of Kells was disappointing and this was a nice surprise.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 7 May 2023
  • Skier9175
    Pembroke, Massachusetts467 contributions
    A nice museum off the beaten path
    The Chester Beatty Museum is a nice museum that is a bit off the beaten path as it is next to Dublin Castle but appears to be often over looked. It is free but accepts donations. The collection is nice and a visit to the museum is worth a couple of hours. Lastly, there is a nice cafe on site if you want a quick bite to eat.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 May 2023
  • snoozermoose
    Boston, Massachusetts163 contributions
    A real gem of a museum
    What a wonderful museum! So many treasures are inside, and the exhibitions are beautifully done. We couldn't believe it was all free. The museum staff were also very passionate about their jobs and very helpful in directing us to areas we wanted to see. The cafeteria inside is also top-notch as far as museum cafeterias go. While it might not be top of the list in terms of must-see museums in Dublin for most people, I'd definitely recommend it.
    Visited September 2022
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 May 2023
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4.5
4,147 reviews
Excellent
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Very good
901
Average
158
Poor
26
Terrible
7

Izzy S
2 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Really fantastic collection with a heavy focus on woodprints, scripts and artworks of different civilisations. Plus free entry, added bonus!
Written 30 November 2023
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.

Barbara O
Rochester, IL36 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Wow! What an amazing museum! The collection was incredible. If you are in Dublin, you must make it to the ChesterBeatty. We were blown away and you will be too!
Written 22 November 2023
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.

Anuj_Mithani
Mumbai, India3,887 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Remarkable range of exhibits across time periods and geographies. Had an interesting and entertaining conversation with the very friendly and knowledgeable staff member Alan on the 2nd floor. It's free to enter, do donate to support this effort.
Written 16 November 2023
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.

mayccm2018
Hong Kong, China494 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Free entrance. There was collection of old manuscripts. The exhibits were interesting. The first floor included arts of the book gallery and the second floor was sacred traditions gallery. The top floor was roof garden. On the ground floor, there was a cafe there. Fascinating and informative museum!
Written 10 November 2023
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.

Colleen B
Seattle, WA35 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Originally the Chester Beatty was something we tacked on to the end of our day. It was a maybe on our list of things to do. I’m glad we stopped in! It was stunning! The exhibits were interesting and well curated! I was enthralled by the illuminated manuscripts from Asia- stunning!
The museum is free but they do have donation boxes throughout.
Written 5 November 2023
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.

Judas S
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Friends
a very well organized small little muzium built by the legendary businessman Chester beauty from USA that decide to retire in Ireland. the muzium is unique comprises mainly probably Chester personal hobby collecting world religions and some ancient China artifacts. I like the concept that the muzium also play along some mantra chanting in certain religions as you could hear tibetan lamas very soothing chanting sound as well. the security guards in second floor was very welcoming and accommodating too. too bad the roof garden was closed during my visits but the ground floor cafe was superb!
Written 24 October 2023
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.

fishamble
Yorkshire, UK64 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
A reason on its own to come to Dublin. An intimate and eye widening collection of smaller treasures of the last few thousand years. The cafe and museum shop are also lovely.
Written 17 October 2023
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.

Denis
Hanoi, Vietnam3 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Great little museum with unique articles on display including some beautifully preserved ancient manuscripts. We visited to shelter from inclement weather and enjoyed our visit
Written 12 October 2023
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.

V8405Z
Manchester, UK10 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Another free attraction in the centre of Dublin and could be combined with a visit to the State Rooms and old tower of nearby Dublin Castle. A very important collection of eastern and Islamic art and artefacts donated by renowned collector Chester Beatty. How lucky we are that he donated his collection to Ireland! Very informative and good accompanying exhibits. Nice cafe too.
Written 7 October 2023
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.

Travel 360
80 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
A treasure trove of religious writings, artifacts, etc! Absolutely stunning! This fellow didn’t just get a Guinness tee shirt on his travels! What a gift to have it here in Dublin!!
Written 27 September 2023
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.

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CHESTER BEATTY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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