Museum

Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

#1of 10 places to visit in DublinDublin, Leinster, Ireland

Also known as Book of Kells Experience · Trinity College Old Library · The Long Room

Quick answer

Opening hours: 08:30–18:30, Friday 08:30–19:00; Saturday 08:30–19:00; Sunday 09:00–18:30. Entry: €26. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: 08:30-09:30.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

Get directionsOfficial site

Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Opening hours: 08:30–18:30; Hours as listed on visittrinity.ie in 2026: Monday-Thursday 08:30-18:30, Friday-Saturday 08:30-19:00, Sunday 09:00-18:30. Hours and slot availability change around Christmas, Easter and university events. Entry is by timed slot only.
Entry fee: €26; Ticket from
Time needed: 1.5 hrs
Best time of day: 08:30-09:30
Best months: May – Sep
Address: Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland

About Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

Trinity College Dublin sells the Book of Kells Experience from EUR 26 for a timed self-guided ticket as of 2026, covering the Book of Kells, the 65-metre Long Room of the Old Library and a digital exhibition. The Book of Kells is a Latin manuscript of the four Gospels made on vellum around AD 800, and only one opening of it is shown at a time, currently the Gospel of Matthew, folios 7v-8r. The visit runs across two buildings less than a minute apart: the Old Library holds the manuscript and the Long Room, while the modern Red Pavilion holds the digital exhibition on the library's collections.

Best time of day: 08:30-09:30. On a weekday, when the first timed slots run and the Treasury room holding the manuscript is least crowded.

Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells timings

Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells opens at 08:30 and closes at 18:30. On Saturday it is open 08:30–19:00, and on Sunday 09:00–18:30.

Opening hours: 08:30–18:30; Mon–Thu 08:30–18:30
Fri–Sat 08:30–19:00
Sunday 09:00–18:30; Hours as listed on visittrinity.ie in 2026: Monday-Thursday 08:30-18:30, Friday-Saturday 08:30-19:00, Sunday 09:00-18:30. Hours and slot availability change around Christmas, Easter and university events. Entry is by timed slot only.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Thu	08:30–18:30
Fri–Sat	08:30–19:00
Sunday	09:00–18:30

Good to know: Hours and slot availability change around Christmas, Easter and university events; entry is by timed slot only.

Opening hours compiled from visittrinity.ie and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells ticket price

Entry fees for Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	€26
Concession (student / senior)	€22
Children	€12

The official Book of Kells Experience page lists the standard self-guided ticket from EUR 26 as of 2026, with a Book of Kells and Old Library ticket from EUR 19, a guided ticket from EUR 65 and a Trinity Trails campus-tour bundle from EUR 39. Concession tickets exist for seniors and students with valid ID, but the official page does not publish the figure; third-party listings put concession at roughly EUR 20-22 and child tickets at roughly EUR 12-13.50, with some listings showing under-12s free. These sources disagree, so verify at visittrinity.ie before booking. Tickets are timed and non-refundable.

Prices compiled from visittrinity.ie and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

08:30 - 10:00
First slotsBest time to go
Early weekday slots see the fewest visitors, and the Treasury is usually walkable without waiting for a sightline.
Quiet
10:00 - 14:00
Tour-group window
Coach parties and city-tour bundles arrive together, and the queue for the Long Room stairs builds.
Very busy
14:00 - 16:30
Afternoon plateau
Crowds stay steady through the afternoon, especially in summer and on rainy days.
Busy
16:30 - 19:00
Late slots
Numbers thin after 16:30, and the Friday and Saturday 19:00 closing gives the calmest final hour.
Moderate

History of Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

Trinity College Dublin was founded in 1592 by charter of Elizabeth I, and its Old Library was built between 1712 and 1732 to designs by the military engineer Thomas Burgh. The Long Room, the library's main reading hall, was raised around 1860 from a flat plaster ceiling to the present barrel-vaulted oak roof so that a second gallery of shelves could be added.

The Book of Kells is dated by scholars to about AD 800 and is linked to the monastic community of Iona in Scotland and later Kells in County Meath, though exactly where it was written is debated. The manuscript reached Trinity in the 17th century and was rebound in four volumes in 1953, which lets the library display two facing pages of one volume while the others rest in storage.

Trinity's official page states that, as of 2026, all books have been removed from the Long Room except those in the first four bays. Check the site before booking to confirm what the shelves currently show, because the change alters the room's appearance considerably.

Rules & etiquette at Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

Trinity College Dublin permits non-flash photography for personal, non-commercial use throughout the visit, except in the Treasury, the low-lit room where the Book of Kells is displayed, where photography is forbidden. Staff stand in the room, and flash near the manuscripts is not permitted.

The Book of Kells Experience offers no bag or luggage storage, so large rucksacks and suitcases cause problems at the entrance. Leave heavy luggage at the hotel and carry a small day bag. There are no toilets inside the Old Library, though facilities appear later in the route.

Book of Kells Experience entry is by timed slot, and the ticket is non-refundable, so arrive at the start of the booked window. Booking sites report that summer slots sell out days ahead, and walk-up availability is not guaranteed.

Tips for visiting Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

1
Trinity College Dublin opens its Old Library at 08:30 from Monday to Saturday, and the first slot of a weekday is the calmest time to see the manuscript before tour groups fill the Treasury from about 10:30. Book online several days ahead in June-August and around St Patrick's Day on 17 March.
2
Trinity's official audio guide is free in 13 languages, and the whole route takes roughly 90 minutes. The Trinity Trails bundle, from EUR 39 as of 2026, adds a guided walk of the cobbled campus and is worth considering for the Campanile and the Front Square, but the plain ticket is enough for most visitors.
3
Trinity College Dublin sits beside the pickpocket-prone stretch of College Green and Grafton Street, so keep phones and wallets in front pockets in the crowd. Pearse Street station is a five-minute walk, and Temple Bar begins about five minutes' walk west along Dame Street.

How to reach Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

The red star is Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells; the numbered pins are the 9 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, IrelandDirections in Google Maps

From Dublin Airport (DUB)
10 km · 35-50 min
About EUR 8 one-way for Airlink Express (as of 2026, verify at airlinkexpress.ie)
From Dublin Connolly or Tara Street station
1.5 km · 10-15 min
EUR 2.00 with a Leap Card on the TFI 90 Minute fare for bus or Luas; walking is free
From Temple Bar or O'Connell Bridge
0.5 km · 5-8 min
Free (walking distance)

Nearest airport

From Dublin Airport (DUB)

about 10 km north, 30-45 minutes by Airlink 747 bus or taxi.

Nearest station

From Pearse Street station (DART and Irish Rail)

about 5 minutes on foot; Luas Green Line Trinity stop is adjacent to College Green.

Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells FAQs

How much does the Book of Kells cost?

The standard Book of Kells Experience starts from EUR 26 as of 2026, with concession tickets for students and seniors at a lower price. The exact concession and child prices vary by source, so verify at visittrinity.ie, and note that tickets are timed and non-refundable.

Do you need to book the Book of Kells in advance?

Yes, booking online is strongly recommended because entry is by timed slot. Summer slots sell out days ahead, and there is no guarantee of a walk-up ticket at the door.

Can you take photos of the Book of Kells?

No. Photography is forbidden in the Treasury where the Book of Kells is displayed. Non-flash photography for personal use is allowed elsewhere in the Old Library, including the Long Room.

Can you leave a bag at Trinity College?

No. The Book of Kells Experience offers no bag or luggage storage as of 2026, so leave large bags at your accommodation and carry a small day bag.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places