Guinness Storehouse Dublin Family Guide
The Guinness Storehouse is one of those places that sits on every Dublin list and then makes parents hesitate. It is a beer experience in a city where you are travelling with children. The good news is that the Storehouse is built first as a storytelling, sensory museum of Dublin’s most famous drink, not as a bar that just happens to let kids in. This guide walks through how the building actually feels with a family, what kids tend to latch on to, how to handle the alcohol part calmly and how to fold the visit into a wider Dublin trip that still feels grounded in parks, museums and sea air.
Quick Links
Dublin Cluster
Treat the Guinness Storehouse as one chapter inside your full Dublin family story:
• Ultimate Dublin Family Travel Guide
• Ultimate Dublin Attractions Guide for Families
• Ultimate Dublin Neighborhoods Guide for Families
• Ultimate Dublin Logistics & Planning Guide
• Dublin City Centre Neighborhood Guide
• Temple Bar (Family Edition) Guide
• Phoenix Park Family Guide
Official Info & Tours
Always double check opening hours, ticket types and current exhibits on:
• The official Guinness Storehouse site
• City context on Visit Dublin
• Wider planning via Tourism Ireland
• Skip-the-line and combo options on Guinness Storehouse tours on Viator
Use the Storehouse site or a trusted tour provider to confirm any updates on age policies, tasting rules and accessibility before you go.
How The Guinness Storehouse Actually Feels With Kids
From the outside, the Guinness Storehouse looks like a serious brick industrial building. From the inside, it feels more like a science museum, a design museum and a Dublin history lesson stitched together, all wrapped around the story of one drink. You step into a soaring atrium shaped like a giant glass pint, ride an escalator past beams and steel and suddenly you are inside a space that feels much more like a family attraction than a bar.
For kids, the first impression tends to be about scale, light and sound. Big brewing equipment stretches overhead. Old adverts flash in bright colors. Projections and interactive displays pull small hands in. The smell shifts as you move between floors, from grain and roasting to yeast and bubbles. Children who do not care about beer at all still notice that everything is built with them in mind too. There are buttons to press, screens to touch, short films to stand inside and rooms that change color while you are still crossing them.
For parents, the first few minutes are often a quiet exhale of relief. The vibe is not that of a pub that has reluctantly made space for strollers. It feels more like a visitor experience that understands families, couples and adult friend groups will all be moving through together. There is a clear flow up through the building, and if you follow it at your own pace you are never very far from somewhere to sit, somewhere to read or somewhere for kids to stare at a wall that suddenly moves.
The key emotional shift is this. What might have felt like a questionable call on paper, bringing kids to a beer brand’s home, turns out in reality to be a way to talk about craft, patience, design and Irish identity. Alcohol is present, of course, but it is not the only story, and it does not have to be the loudest one.
What You See Floor By Floor
The Storehouse is designed as a vertical journey. You move up level by level, with each floor unpacking a different part of the Guinness story. Knowing the shape of that journey helps you keep energy and expectations smooth for kids.
Ingredients, Brewing And Sensory Rooms
Early floors focus on ingredients and process. Big displays introduce barley, hops, water and yeast. Children peer into grains behind glass, watch water pour on loop, listen to the sound of barrels and machinery. It feels closer to a science center than a factory.
Some spaces lean heavily on light and sound. There may be rooms where animations wrap around you, where bubbles seem to float through darkness, where an audio track rises and falls. Sensitive kids may want a hand to hold in louder sections, but there are usually quieter corners to step into if someone needs thirty seconds away from the speakers.
As you move through brewing explanations, you can talk about the idea of recipes and patience. Kids who like cooking or baking at home often connect quickly with the notion that it takes time to make something worth sharing, that measuring and waiting are part of the magic.
Advertising, Iconic Imagery And Views
One of the most child friendly sections is the advertising and branding floor. Old posters, 3D installations and playful slogans fill the space. Kids spot toucans, harp logos and slogans that sound strange to modern ears. It is a clean way to talk about how images travel through time and how people once learned about things without phones.
Somewhere around the middle floors, you begin to feel the building tilt toward the final payoff: high views and tasting opportunities for adults. Bars, cafes and restaurant spaces begin to appear. Kids might not care about the tasting side, but they do care about being able to see out over the city, to watch buses and trains trace lines far below.
The final step is usually the Gravity Bar or rooftop level where you can exchange your ticket for a pint of Guinness if you are over 18, or a soft drink if you prefer. The room is wrapped in glass. On a clear day you can walk the whole circle and show kids different slices of Dublin, then later match those view lines to parks, rivers and towers on the ground.
Altogether, many families spend around two to three hours inside the Storehouse. That allows time to read, play, pause for snacks and enjoy the rooftop view without rushing children from floor to floor.
Talking About Alcohol In A Calm Way
The part that often ties parents in knots is not the building itself but the conversation around alcohol. You are taking your children to the home of a famous beer. For some families, that feels straightforward. For others, there are personal histories, health decisions or cultural context that make this more complicated.
A simple framing helps. You can describe the Guinness Storehouse as a museum about a drink that is part of Ireland’s story. People in Ireland have strong feelings about this drink because it has been made here for a very long time. It is mostly for adults, and drinking it comes with rules and responsibilities. Today, you are going to learn about the craft and history behind it rather than actually drinking it.
Irish law requires you to be eighteen to drink alcohol. If older teens ask why some adults in the building are being served pints while they are not, that is an easy answer. You can lean into the idea that it is something they may choose to explore when they are older, or they may choose not to, and either choice is their own.
For families who do not drink for personal, cultural or religious reasons, the Storehouse can still work if you focus on the industrial heritage, design and views. Adults can skip tastings entirely and instead use their included drink ticket for a soft drink. Nobody forces you to hold a pint for a photo. You are allowed to experience the building on your own terms.
If you prefer to keep alcohol tourism as a very small slice of your overall trip, make sure the rest of your Dublin plan leans heavily into parks, museums, bookshops, sea air and kid focused attractions, guided by the Ultimate Dublin Attractions Guide and the full family guide.
Food Inside And Around The Storehouse
Food plays a quiet supporting role at the Guinness Storehouse. Families do not come here looking for a fine dining moment. They come needing steady, familiar fuel in between floors and a way to anchor younger kids who suddenly realise they are starving right in the middle of a display.
Eating Inside The Storehouse
The exact mix of cafes and restaurants inside can change over time, but expect casual options where you can find soups, stews, sandwiches, burgers and simple kids plates. That is often enough to keep everyone functional without leaving the building.
Because some of the food offerings lean into Guinness themed dishes, kids may enjoy the novelty of seeing the brand pop up on menus, even if what they order is something very familiar. The rhythm that works best for many families is a small snack stop halfway up, then a more substantial bite either before or after the Gravity Bar.
If you have children with allergies or specific dietary needs, bring some known safe snacks with you in a small bag. You do not need to rely entirely on whatever is on offer that day or that season.
Eating Before Or After The Visit
The Storehouse sits just outside the tight core of Dublin city centre. Many families choose to eat a more significant meal closer to their base either before or after visiting. Use the Where To Eat in Dublin With Kids guide to pick breakfast or early dinner spots in city centre, Temple Bar (Family Edition), or leafy neighbourhoods like Ranelagh and Rathmines.
A very smooth rhythm is to plan a late morning Storehouse visit after a solid breakfast, then drift back into the city core for a relaxed mid afternoon meal. Kids have space to process the experience on the walk, and you are not trying to decode menus when everyone is already tired.
On days when the Storehouse is paired with another west side stop like Phoenix Park or Dublin Zoo, treat food as part of the pacing plan. Small, steady stops beat one intense sit down meal squeezed between attractions.
Where To Stay To Make The Storehouse Easy
You do not need to stay right beside the Guinness Storehouse to make it work with kids. It is far more important to choose a base that keeps the rest of your Dublin days smooth and then layer the Storehouse in as a half day or two thirds day outing.
Central And Walkable Bases
Most families gravitate toward central neighbourhoods like Dublin City Centre and Temple Bar (Family Version). You are close to Grafton Street, the river, Trinity College and layers of transport options. From there, the Storehouse becomes a short taxi, bus or a manageable walk depending on the age of your kids and the weather.
Use a broad Dublin hotel and apartment search to sketch a shortlist, then read those options through the lens of the Neighborhoods Guide and the Family Safety Guide. Once you have a few favourites, check how easy it is to reach both the Storehouse and Phoenix Park or the zoo from each one.
If you would like to be slightly closer to the Guinness quarter without giving up central access, look at stays in the general Liberties and west city centre area using places near the Guinness Storehouse and then balance that with your other plans.
Leafy And Coastal Bases
If your family prefers evenings that are very quiet, neighbourhoods like Ballsbridge, Ranelagh and Rathmines keep you in reach of both the Storehouse and the city core without staying right in the middle of nightlife.
Coastal bases like Howth, Malahide or Dún Laoghaire work best on trips of five days or more, where you are happy to spend some days commuting in and out of the city for specific experiences like the Storehouse and others drifting along the sea.
Wherever you land, the How Many Days Families Need in Dublin article and the main family guide will help you hold the Storehouse as a single highlight rather than letting it take over the whole plan.
Logistics And Planning For The Guinness Storehouse
A calm Storehouse visit comes down to a few simple planning choices. Time of day, ticket type and how you get there matter more than memorising every floor in advance.
Start by checking times and ticket options on the official Guinness Storehouse site. Timed tickets keep the building from feeling packed to bursting, but popular times can sell out. Late morning and early afternoon visits tend to work best with kids, especially if you are still smoothing over jet lag.
If you prefer not to handle navigation or timing yourself, look at tours that include the Storehouse on Viator. Some combine the visit with a wider Dublin city overview. That can be a good way to orient older kids and teens, with someone else tracking timing and tickets while you focus on how everybody is doing.
For transport, use the Getting Around Dublin With Kids guide as your base. Buses and walking routes connect the Storehouse to city centre and Temple Bar, but taxis or ride shares are often the simplest choice with smaller children, especially in wet weather. Keep public transport for the parts of your trip that truly benefit from it.
Strollers are generally manageable, but be prepared for lifts, ramps and occasional bottlenecks near popular displays. If you are travelling with very little ones and a double stroller, build extra time into your mental schedule. The building is used to families, but moving large strollers through groups of adults takes a bit of patience.
As for clothing, the Storehouse is indoors so you are shielded from the damp, but there can still be drafts and temperature shifts between floors. Layers and comfortable shoes matter more here than style. You will be on your feet and on escalators for a good portion of the visit.
Family Tips To Keep The Experience Balanced
A calm family visit is less about controlling everything and more about setting a few gentle guardrails before you go in.
Talk before you arrive about what the Storehouse is and is not. It is a museum like experience about a drink, not a day where you will be sitting in a bar. Kids will see pints in people’s hands, but they will also see bright adverts, brewing equipment, sensory rooms and city views. Having that expectation in place before you walk through the doors lowers anxiety for everyone.
Set a clear plan around tastings. If both adults want to enjoy the included pint and your kids are still small, agree on who will carry the bag and who will have hands free in the Gravity Bar. Consider one adult drinking a half and the other a full pint rather than both going all in. That keeps the atmosphere relaxed and focused on the view rather than the drink.
With older kids and teens, invite questions. Ask them what they notice on the advertising floor. Which poster would work today, and which seems odd now. Would they design a drink museum differently. Let the visit be a springboard not just into Irish independence history but into conversations about branding, responsibility and how culture changes.
Afterward, leave space for decompression. Walk instead of rushing straight into another ticketed attraction. Drift toward the river, into a park or back to your base to rest. Even upbeat experiences take energy. Giving kids time to lie on a hotel bed scrolling through their photos of giant pints and glowing rooms is part of the memory too.
Where The Storehouse Sits In A 3 To 5 Day Dublin Itinerary
The Guinness Storehouse is at its best when it is not carrying the whole emotional weight of a day. Here is how it slots into different lengths of Dublin stays without crowding out other stories.
Three Day Trips
On a three day stay, the Storehouse works well on Day 2 or Day 3.
Day 1 – City Centre And Parks
Follow the City Centre Guide to land gently. St Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street, Trinity courtyards and simple food help everyone adjust to Dublin before you add in big brand experiences.
Day 2 – Guinness And The River
Give the middle of the day to the Storehouse. Arrive late morning, ride the floors up slowly, enjoy the view, then walk or ride back toward the river. Finish with a calmer late afternoon wandering Temple Bar’s streets in their daytime family version and an early dinner, guided by the
Temple Bar (Family Edition) guide.
Day 3 – Big Green Or Big History
Choose between
Phoenix Park and the zoo
or a history focused day that threads
Trinity,
EPIC
and, if your kids are ready for it,
Kilmainham Gaol.
Five Day Trips
With five days, the Storehouse becomes a highlight that you can surround with slower bookends.
Day 1 – Neighbourhood Arrival
Use your chosen neighbourhood guide for an easy first day: playgrounds, groceries, local cafés.
Day 2 – Trinity, City Centre, River
Combine Trinity College and the Book of Kells with a city centre loop. Keep the mood light and exploratory.
Day 3 – Guinness Storehouse
Dedicate the heart of this day to the Storehouse. Take your time inside, then wander back slowly into town or let everyone rest afterward.
Day 4 – Phoenix Park Or Coast
Spend a full day with green space and animals at Phoenix Park and the zoo, or take the DART out to
Howth
or Malahide
for sea air and castle grounds.
Day 5 – Choose Your Final Thread
Return to whichever place your kids loved most, or add one last experience from the
Attractions Guide
guided by How Many Days Families Need in Dublin.
Flights, Stays, Cars And Travel Insurance Around Your Storehouse Day
The smoother your big travel logistics, the easier it is to enjoy a vertical, multi floor experience like the Guinness Storehouse without anyone falling apart halfway up.
Start with flights. Use this Dublin flight search to find arrival and departure times that match your kids natural rhythms. When flights land at humane hours, the first few days feel less like survival and more like discovery.
For where you sleep, combine a general Dublin accommodation search with the Dublin neighbourhood and safety guides. Look at family rooms, apartment options and places where you can walk to at least one playground or park without transport. Once you have your base, slot the Storehouse in as a short trip outward rather than centering the entire stay around it.
Rental cars are not necessary for reaching the Storehouse. If your wider Ireland plan includes countryside stays or road trips, keep car hire for those segments and compare options using this car rental tool. Let Dublin days stay mostly car free so you can focus on kids rather than traffic and parking.
For peace of mind around the whole trip, many families now treat family travel insurance as part of the packing list rather than an extra. If luggage goes missing with someone’s favourite comfort item inside, a flight shifts overnight or an illness hits right before your Storehouse slot, having support in the background lets you make calm choices in the moment.
Some of the links in this guide are affiliate links. Your price stays exactly the same. A small commission helps keep these long, detailed family guides online, pays for many mugs of late night tea while maps and timetables are checked and occasionally funds the celebratory dessert that appears when a child makes it all the way to the Gravity Bar without a single complaint.
More Dublin Guides To Wrap Around The Guinness Storehouse
Hold the Storehouse as one bright tile inside a larger Dublin pattern. Build your full plan with the Ultimate Dublin Family Travel Guide, the Ultimate Dublin Attractions Guide, the Neighborhoods Guide and the Logistics & Planning Guide.
Then thread in deep dives like Trinity College and the Book of Kells, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, National Museum of Ireland – Natural History, National Leprechaun Museum, Phoenix Park and the Dublin Zoo.
When you are ready to step beyond Dublin, your family travel map expands through London, New York City, Toronto, Tokyo, Bali, Singapore and Dubai.
Keep one eye on Visit Dublin and Tourism Ireland for event calendars and seasonal ideas that you can then plug into the itineraries and neighbourhoods mapped out in these guides.
