tour of kilmainham gaol

Plan a Visit

Opening hours.

Kilmainham Gaol Museum is open all year round, except 24th- 27th December (inclusive);

January – December 2024  9:30 – 17:15 (Last tour 16:15)

Kilmainham Gaol is a very busy site and tickets must be pre-booked online . Access is by guided tour only.

Tickets for the public tours are only available on https://www.kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/ and https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/kilmainham-gaol/

Tickets purchased from third parties or other websites are not valid.

Groups with 10 or more people must be booked in advance by contacting [email protected]   Please note that group bookings are allocated on a first come first served basis.

Please allow approximately 90 minutes for your visit. Guided tours of the building take one hour, and visitors will also have access to our museum.

Visitors should be arrive 15 minutes before their tour is due to start. To allow time to visit the museum/exhibitions, ticket holders for the final 2 tours of the day should arrive 30-40 minutes before their scheduled tour.

Due to the nature and duration of the guided tour, Kilmainham Goal is not recommended for children under the age of 6. Children’s buggies/strollers are not permitted on the tour. During the winter months the Gaol building is very cold so please dress appropriately.

All facilities are located in the Courthouse Visitor Centre. No ticket required to use the café or to visit the gift shop.

Brambles café is situated on the first floor of the Courthouse. For group bookings please contact +353 (0)1 4685000.

Kilmainham Gaol Book and Gift Shop is located on the ground floor, or shop online https://kilmainhamgaolbooks.ie/

The Visitor Centre currently has no secure lockers for luggage. However, there is a designated space in the entrance hall where visitors are welcome to leave large personal belongings. The area is covered by CCTV camera but Kilmainham Gaol accepts no responsibility for any lost or stolen items. Visitors should also note that children’s buggies/strollers, wheelie bags and large items of luggage are not permitted on the tour.

Location and Transport

Kilmainham Gaol Museum is located 3.5km from Dublin City Centre.

Dublin Bus routes: no. 60 from Wellington Quay or Heuston Station, G1/G2 from Spencer Dock or Wellington Quay. Check the Dublin Bus website for further information.

Luas Tram: red line – nearest stop is Suir Road. Check the Luas website for further information.

Car Parking: Kilmainham Gaol has no car parking facilities. Parking is available at the nearby Irish Museum of Modern Art/Royal Hospital Kilmainham – access via East Gate, Military Road. The car park is a 5 minute walk to the Gaol via West Avenue and Richmond Gate.

Coach Parking: There is limited coach parking available on Inchicore Road.

Filming and Photography

For Filming and Photography queries please see  https://heritageireland.ie/visit/venue-hire/filming-and-photography/

Admission costs

Adults   €8.00

Senior   €6.00

Student  €4.00

Family   €20 (2 adults and 2-3 children under the age of 18)

Children under 12 are free of charge but still require a ticket. Please book the under 12 complimentary ticket.

Book Tickets

A guide to the Gaol in English , Gaeilge , Español , Italiano , Deutsche , or Français .

Visita Guidata Alla Prigione Di Kilmainham

Visita Guiada a la Prisión de Kilmainham

Guide De Visiteur

Find Out More...

… about the Free Educational Visits for Schools Scheme.

Also in the Area

Royal hospital kilmainham.

Distance: 110m to nearest gate.

See especially Bully’s Acre, a graveyard with thousand-year-old history on the grounds.

Phoenix Park

Distance: 1.6km to nearest gate.

One of the largest walled city parks in Europe, with a number of heritage attractions within.

The Irish National War Memorial Gardens

Distance: 850m.

Dedicated to the memory of Irish soldiers lost in the Great War, this is one of the most famous war memorials in Europe.

Richmond Barracks

Distance: 1.3km.

From barracks to prison to school to museum, this historic landmark influenced Ireland’s Independence. Opens to the public on the 2nd of May, 2016.

Save time and buy tickets online before your visit.

The Kilmainham Gaol Tour: One Of The Best Tours In Dublin (All You Need To Know)

By Author James March

Posted on Last updated: December 31, 2023

A visit to Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) is arguably one of the best things to do in Dublin .

Built back in 1796 and initially known as the ‘new gaol’ in order to differentiate it from the dungeon it was replacing, the Kilmainham Gaol Museum is a fascinating place to explore.

Over the course of its life as a working prison, it housed many a notable name while also playing witness to the executions of several leaders of the 1916 Rising.

Below, you’ll get the lowdown on the Kilmainham Gaol tour, where to grab parking, how to get there via public transport and more handy info.

Table of Contents

Some quick need-to-knows about Kilmainham Gaol 

Although a visit to the Kilmainham Gaol Museum is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.

1. Location

As you might have guessed by its name, Kilmainham Gaol is located in Kilmainham… It’s a 15-minute walk from the Irish Museum of Modern Art and a 25-minute walk from both the Phoenix Park and the Guinness Storehouse .

2. Opening hours

The Kilmainham Gaol opening hours differ slightly, depending on what time of year you visit (though the time differences are so small that they shouldn’t affect your itinerary too much).

• September to June: 9:30 – 17:15
• July & August: 9:30 – 17:30 

3. Admission

Not only is Kilmainham Gaol one of the best museums in Dublin – it’s one of the most fairly priced, too (especially as the tour is guided). Kilmainham Gaol tickets will set you back:

• Adult: €8
• Senior 60+): €6
• Student: €4
• Child (12-17): €4
• Family (Two adults & 2-3 children 12-17): €20

Though there are no car parking facilities at Kilmainham Gaol, parking is available at the nearby Irish Museum of Modern Art/Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Access is via East Gate on Military Road. The car park is just a 5-minute walk to the Gaol.

5. Getting there by public transport

There are four Dublin buses that drop you close to the Kilmainham Gaol museum so consider jumping on any of these:

• No. 69, 79 from Aston Quay, Dublin 2
• No. 13 & 40 from O’Connell Street , Dublin 1, or College Green Dublin 2
• If you’d prefer to go by the Luas Tram, then take the red line. Your nearest stop will be Suir Road

Kilmainham Gaol history

Photos via Shutterstock

Dublin’s infamous prison was built back in 1796 and was initially known as the ‘new gaol’ in order to differentiate it from the dungeon it was replacing.

Despite the new premises, conditions inside Kilmainham weren’t a whole lot better. With no segregation of prisoners, men, women and children were incarcerated together, with up to 5 in each cell and only a single candle for light and heat.

The poor conditions meant that most of the prisoners’ time was spent in the cold and dark, while each candle had to last for up to two weeks.

Things would eventually get a little warmer for certain adult prisoners who would be transported to Australia as convicts.

Irish Nationalism and 1916

From the beginning, the prison had powerful ties to Irish Nationalism and actually housed its first political prisoner in the same year that it opened!

Seven years later, the leader of the 1803 Irish rebellion, Robert Emmet, was incarcerated at Kilmainham before being hanged for high treason.

But Kilmainham is probably most famous for its role in the imprisonment and executions of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising . Of the 90 people sentenced to death, fifteen were executed at Kilmainham, including Proclamation of the Republic signatories Patrick Pearse, Thomas Clarke and James Connolly.

Restoration and life as a museum

Following the end of the Irish Civil War, the prison closed due to it being seen as the symbol of oppression and a difficult past.

While interest in re-opening the prison as a museum to Irish Nationalism was strong, over 40 years passed before Kilmainham was able to be restored, and it finally opened to the public in April 1966.

These days, Kilmainham Gaol is one of the biggest unoccupied prisons in Europe and it’s one of the most evocative symbols of Dublin and Ireland’s turbulent history.

Things you’ll discover on the Kilmainham Gaol tour

One of the reasons the Kilmainham Gaol tour is one of the most popular places to visit in Dublin is due to the sheer number of things there is to see and do.

Below, you’ll find info on the various corners of the building you’ll explore and the stories you’ll hear on the Kilmainham Gaol tour.

1. The building

Taking 10 years to build, construction began on the new gaol in 1786 and would cost the Grand Jury of the County of Dublin £22,000 by the time it was finished (a hefty sum of money in those days!).

The gaolers lived in the central front block, while the two wings contained cells for the prisoners. The interior buildings and yards are surrounded by a thick wall which measures between 30′ and 50′ depending on its location, while the main entrance was the formidable doorway (with the five snakes above it).

Just outside this entrance was where public hangings took place until the late nineteenth century and remains of the fixtures for the gallows can still be seen.

2. Prison life

Photo by matthi (Shutterstock)

As we touched on earlier, conditions at the prison were pretty squalid despite being billed as a higher quality replacement for the old gaol (not to mention the cost!).

The same problems that dogged the old gaol raised their ugly head again at Kilmainham, mainly thanks to the overcrowding, which led to disease and poor hygiene.

The famine years were particularly bad, and food rations during this period were particularly low. Yet amazingly, people were committing crimes to be allowed entry into the prison due to the small amount of regular food available.

Prisoners also worked within the Gaol. A sentence of hard labour for a man consisted of manually breaking stones in the Stonebreakers’ Yard, and for women meant working in the laundry.

3. The transportation of convicts

Ironically, the main reason the gaol suffered from overcrowding was due to people waiting to leave. From the time it opened until the early 1850s, Kilmainham Gaol was used as a depot for convicts from the northeast of Ireland who had been sentenced to transportation to Australia.

Here they would wait before being transferred to a port in either Dublin or Cork, where they would board great convict ships bound for Australian penal colonies.

Over 4,000 prisoners were processed through Kilmainham during this period, and most of them were either petty criminals or political prisoners.

4. The turbulent 1910 – 1924 period

The 14 years between 1910 and 1924 represented what Kilmainham would eventually become most famous for. From the height of overcrowding in the mid-19th century, the last two decades of the century actually saw a decline in the prison population, and Kilmainham was closed as a money-saving exercise by the government.

In 1910, those in Kilmainham were transferred to Mountjoy Prison, and a year later, Kilmainham Gaol was handed over to the military (the British Army) for their use from then on.

From the outbreak of World War I in 1914, they used it as living quarters for new recruits and as a military detention centre for soldiers.

5. The executions

Taking advantage of Great Britain’s resources being ploughed into the war, the Easter Rising of 1916 took place when the enemy was at its most distracted.

After six days of fighting, the Irish rebels eventually surrendered, and many were incarcerated in Kilmainham.

Between the 3rd and 12th of May 1916, fourteen men were executed by firing squad in the Stonebreakers’ Yard of Kilmainham Gaol.

Seven of them had been the signatories of the Proclamation and their names are all still significant today. They were Thomas Clarke, Seán Mac Diarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, Patrick Pearse, Éamonn Ceannt, James Connolly, and Joseph Plunkett.

Things to do near the Kilmainham Gaol Museum

One of the beauties of the Kilmainham Gaol tour is that, when you finish up, you’re a short walk from some of the best places to visit in Dublin .

Below, you’ll find a handful of things to see and do a stone’s throw from the Kilmainham Gaol Museum (plus places to eat and where to grab a post-adventure pint!).

1. Irish National War Memorial Gardens (12-minute walk)

Photo by Patrycja St (Shutterstock)

To learn about some more people (many more, in fact) who gave up their lives in the name of freedom and their country, make the short 12-minute walk over to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens. Designed by Sir Edwin Luytens, it’s a peaceful handsome spot featuring a domed temple and sunken gardens.

2. Irish Museum of Modern Art (15-minute walk)

Located in a renovated 17th-century hospital just 15 minutes from the Kilmainham Gaol tour, the Irish Museum of Modern Art is home to the National Collection of Modern and contemporary art, with over 3,500 artworks by Irish and International artists. The mix of vivid modern art within the historic walls of the old hospital is a clash of the senses and makes for a really interesting visit.

3. Phoenix Park (23-minute walk)

If you want some fresh air after the tour or if your head needs a little clearing, there’s no better place to do that than Phoenix Park . One of the largest city parks in Europe, it’s a pleasant 23-minute walk away just across the Liffey and there are a bunch of interesting sights inside, such as the Wellington Monument and Dublin Zoo .

4. Guinness Storehouse (22-minute walk)

Courtesy Diageo Ireland Brand Homes via Ireland’s Content Pool

If you’d like to raise a glass to Pearse and Connolly at Ireland’s most iconic brewery, then make the 22-minute walk east over to the Guinness Storehouse . While learning about the history, the brewing process and the legendary adverts is great. It’s the rooftop bar that really makes the Storehouse a cracking visit.

FAQs about Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘Why is Kilmainham Gaol famous?’ (for its historical significance) to ‘Is the Kilmainham Jail tour worth doing?’ (it is!).

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

How long is the Kilmainham jail tour?

You’ll want to allow around 1.5 hours to get through the entire Kilmainham Gaol museum tour. This includes checking in time.

How much does it cost to visit Kilmainham Gaol?

Kilmainham Gaol tickets are €8 for adults, € for seniors (60+), €4 for students and kids aged 12 to 17. There’s also a family ticket for €20.

Is the Kilmainham Gaol Museum really worth going to?

Yes – the Kilmainham Gaol tour is absolutely fantastic and it’ll grip you from start to end. Expect many tales, legends and Kilmainham Gaol facts.

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Monday 6th of May 2019

OMG YES!! I can't stress enough how absolutely AMAZING this tour was, perhaps even the best of my entire trip which included other wonderful places in Ireland, as well as Scotland and France. It was a sort of last minute decision and I was the only one in my group who knew any of the history surrounding the Kilmanhaim Gaol but every single person in my group LOVED the tour and learned so much from the extremely knowledgeable tour guides. At the end there is a small museum, don't miss the letter from a 17 yr old young man to his mother before he is executed. It haunts me to this day and I have such enormous respect and admiration for every brave soul that fought tirelessly for their beloved free Ireland.

Tuesday 7th of May 2019

Glad you enjoyed it Karen. It's been a couple of years since I last did it. Thinking about visiting the weekend after next! Great spot!

Heritage Ireland

Kilmainham Gaol Museum

BOOK ONLINE

See all opening times

Please note that no third-party organisations have authorisation to sell tickets to Kilmainham Gaol

Tickets bought from other sites- including ticketing resale platforms -will not be valid and such ticket-holders will be refused entry.

ADULT: €8 SENIOR (60+): €6 CHILD (12-17): €4 CHILD (under 12): FREE but require a ticket STUDENT (valid student ID required): €4 FAMILY (Two adults & 2/3 children 12-17): €20

Pre-booking tickets online is essential.Please note that no third-party organisations have authorisation to sell tickets to Kilmainham Gaol. Tickets bought from other sites- including ticketing resale platforms -will not be valid and such ticket-holders will be refused entry.           

For wheelchair users or visitors who require special assistance please email [email protected] in advance of booking. Group bookings (10 tickets+) please email [email protected]

Getting here

Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 D08 T2X5

Get Directions

Kilmainham Gaol is one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe. It opened in 1796 as the new county gaol for Dublin and finally shut its doors as such in 1924. During that period it witnessed some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland’s emergence as a modern nation.

Among those detained – and in some cases executed – here were leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916, as well as members of the Irish republican movement during the War of Independence and Civil War.

Names like Henry Joy McCracken, Robert Emmet, Anne Devlin and Charles Stewart Parnell will always be associated with the building. Not to be forgotten, however, are the thousands of men, women and children that Kilmainham held in its capacity as county gaol.

Kilmainham Gaol is now a major museum. The tour of the prison includes an audio-visual presentation.

Opening Times

Open All year .

Closed 24, 25,26 and 27 December

Daily access by guided tour only. Pre-booking is essential. Please allow 90 minutes for your visit. As part of the tour is outdoors, visitors should dress appropriately for the weather.

Please note that this is a very busy site all year round and visitors may experience delays at certain times. During winter months the interior of the Gaol is very cold — please dress appropriately.

01 453 5984

[email protected]

By Car – Public car park close to site.

By Bus – Take the X8 to Cashel and walk 500m from the centre of Cashel town off the Dublin Road.

By Train – The nearest train station is Thurles.

Click the relevant icon below to open Maps directions

Getting Here

3.5km from centre of Dublin.

Open location in Google Maps

Facilities Restrictions

• Baby Changing
• Bicycle Parking
• Card Accepted
• Guided tours

Restrictions

• Access by Guided Tour Only
• Assistance dogs only
• Hold hand rail
• Uneven walkways

Social Guide

Download, print and read our social guide (PDF) about visiting Kilmainham Gaol. This will help first-time visitors, families and people with developmental and learning disabilities to prepare for a visit to Kilmainham Gaol.

Download the Social Guide (Covid-19)

Nearby sites to visit

Irish national war memorial gardens.

Relax and reflect in this beautiful garden monument

Approx. 0.5 km from Kilmainham Gaol Museum

Royal Hospital Kilmainham

One of Dublin's most iconic buildings and Ireland’s foremost example of fine 17th century architecture

Approx. 0.7 km from Kilmainham Gaol Museum

Phoenix Park – People’s Flower Gardens

Enjoy Victorian floriculture at its best

Approx. 1.1 km from Kilmainham Gaol Museum

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Ionad Cultúrtha an Phiarsaigh Conamara- Pearse’s Cottage and Visitor Centre

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Kilmainham Gaol

• Family friendly
• Pre-booking essential

Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol held some of the most famous political and military leaders in Irish history such as Robert Emmet, Charles Stewart Parnell, the 1916 Rising leaders and Eamon de Valera.

If for no other reason, Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin would be remarkable for being the biggest unoccupied gaol in these islands. As such, it gives the visitor a dramatic and realistic insight into what is was like to have been confined in one of these forbidding bastions of punishment and correction between 1796 when it opened and 1924 when it closed. It offers a panoramic insight into some of the most profound, disturbing and inspirational themes of modern Irish history. Leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were detained and sometimes executed here. The Gaol also played a role during the harsh Famine times.

The visit includes a 1 hour guided tour and exhibition. It is a very busy site. Pre booking online is essential. You don't need to print out tickets, just retain your order number.

Only the ground floor is wheelchair accessible and a ground floor tour can be organised if needed; please email (don't book online in this case).

Buggies are not permitted on the tour and it is not really appropriate for younger children under 6 years.

Information leaflets are available online in English, Gaeilge, Español, Italiano, Deutsche, and Français.

Please see the website for information on temporary exhibitions.

Paid parking is available at the nearby IMMA for a small fee.

If you are unable to do a tour, you are free to visit the museum section and to enjoy the café on site.

Fri, 31 May - Sun, 2 Jun

Richmond Barracks

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Even though it has been closed to prisoners for nearly 100 years, approaching the grey bulk of Kilmainham Gaol still sends a shiver down the spine.

It opened in 1796 as the County Gaol for Dublin,  but it was also used to hold political prisoners during Ireland’s struggle for independence. It closed in 1924, but by then had witnessed many key political events, and housed some icons of Irish history.

In fact, Kilmainham almost didn’t survive at all; the memories were just too painful. Luckily, some far-sighted historians argued its case and Kilmainham Gaol was saved. Now this powerful and absorbing place is one of the most popular sights in Dublin – so popular that you should book your tour in advance.

Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin city

The history of modern Ireland is soaked into the walls of Kilmainham. Political prisoners were kept here (and sometimes executed, too) from the rebellion of 1798 to the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. Beside them were thousands of ordinary people from all over Ireland, jailed for all sorts of crimes and waiting to be transported to Australia.

These poor souls were held in one of two wings. The older one, the West Wing, survives in its original state, and it still has the power to chill to the bone. This was home to political prisoners and the poorest criminals – often jailed for stealing food during the Famine – and life was hard.

Kilmainham was also a debtors’ prison, and stuffed full to bursting after the Great Famine. National Geographic

The East Wing is light-filled and airy by comparison – but by no means luxurious. Its metal walkways and clanging cell doors are a classic jail set-up where guards can watch inmates at all time. Perhaps it looks familiar? That’s because you’ll have seen it in many films – In the Name of the Father, Michael Collins, even Paddington 2.

You’d think that going outside would come as a relief, but the Stonebreakers’ Yard gave little respite. Here the male prisoners sentenced to hard labour would toil, breaking stones. Bleaker still, it was here that the leaders of the Easter Rising were executed in 1916.

The enthusiastic guides provide a thought-provoking tour of the eerie prison, the largest unoccupied building of its kind in Europe. Lonely Planet

For the prisoners’ spiritual refreshment there were two chapels, one Catholic and one Protestant, but even here tragedy lurks. It was in the Catholic chapel that Joseph Plunkett, a leader of the Easter Rising, married his fiancée Grace Gifford just hours before execution.

L-R: The East Wing; exterior of Kilmainham Gaol; outside the gaol with the gates of the Royal Hospital (Irish Museum of Modern Art) in the background; the courtyard of the gaol

Nowadays, the Gaol has a more hopeful air – and not just because you’re allowed to leave! On the top floor you’ll find exhibitions linked to the world’s political prisoners; recent examples include a display on Nelson Mandela, and another about the struggles of the suffragette movement.

Step out into the fresh air again, overlooking Phoenix Park  and Dublin, and take a deep breath. Nearby, you’ll find the Royal Hospital , home to the Irish Museum of Modern Art , or you can remember the spirits of the past while enjoying coffee in the more contemporary surrounds of the Loaf Café Kilmainham or Storyboard in Islandbridge.

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The 1916 Rising was the most dramatic event in the history of Ireland's struggle for independence. Authors and historians will walk you to the sites of the Rising explaining the events of the revolutionary period.

Kilmainham Gaol Museum

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Kilmainham Gaol

For a hauntingly vivid look back through key events in Ireland’s history, a trip to Kilmainham Gaol is a must. Kilmainham Gaol has played an important part in Irish history, as many leaders of Irish rebellions were imprisoned and some executed in the jail. It is now an award-winning museum, and one of Dublin's most popular attractions.

History of Kilmainham Gaol

When it was first built in 1796, Kilmainham Gaol was called the 'New Gaol' to distinguish it from the old jail it was intended to replace - a building not too different to a dungeon, just a few hundred metres from the present site. Over the 140 years it served as a prison, its cells held many of the most famous people involved in the campaign for Irish independence. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held and executed here, and the last prisoner held in the jail was Eamon de Valera.

Kilmainham Gaol was abandoned as a jail in 1924, it now houses a museum on the history of Irish nationalism and offers guided tours of the building.

Who was imprisioned at Kilmainham Gaol?

The history of modern Ireland is soaked into the walls of Kilmainham. Political prisoners were kept here (and sometimes executed) from the rebellion of 1798 to the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. Beside them were thousands of ordinary people from all over Ireland, jailed for all sorts of crimes and waiting to be transported to Australia. Children were sometimes arrested for petty theft, the youngest said to be a seven year-old boy.

Kilmainham Gaol Tours

The guided tours at Kilmainham Gaol offer an insight into some of the most defining and inspirational events of modern Irish history. Leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were detained and sometimes executed here. The Gaol also played a role during the harsh Famine times.

Guided tours last approximately 1-hour, and this includes the exhibition.

Exhibitions and Displays

Now this powerful and absorbing place is one of the most popular sights in Dublin – so popular that you should book your tour in advance. On the top floor you’ll find exhibitions linked to the world’s political prisoners; recent examples include a display on Nelson Mandela, and another about the struggles of the suffragette movement.

Step out into the fresh air again, overlooking Phoenix Park and Dublin, and take a deep breath. Nearby, you’ll find the Royal Hospital, home to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, or you can remember the spirits of the past while enjoying coffee in the more contemporary surrounds of the Lime Tree Café or Storyboard in Islandbridge.

Kilmainham Gaol Tickets

Tickets are limited and during busier times it can be hard for guests to gain access on selected dates. For that reason, pre-booking online from Kilmainham Gaol is highly recommened.

Kilmainham Gaol in the Movies

The prison is a popular location for many films. Movies filmed at Kilmainham Gaol include The Quare Fellow (1962), The Italian Job (1969), and The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977) In the Name of the Father (1993), Michael Collins (1996), The Escapist (2008), and the Rebellion drama by RTÉ was shot within the prison too. It is also the scene for this haunting rendition of Grace by Dubliners Róisín O, Aoife Scott, Danny O'Reilly

Getting to Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol Museum is located 3.5km from Dublin City. Other attractions close to Kilmainham Gaol include Dublin Zoo and Guinness Storehouse .

By Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

The DoDublin Hop-On Hop-Off Tour  no longer stops outside Kilmainham Gaol but it is a short walk away from the stop at the Irish Museum of Morern Art (IMMA)

Dublin Bus Routes 69 & 79 from Aston Quay, or Routes 13 & 40 from O’Connell St or Dame St. Visit the Dublin Bus website to plan your trip.

Kilmainham Gaol is on the outskirts of the city, and is 3km from Temple Bar. If you choose to walk, it's a great chance to see some lovely parts of Dublin, and some iconic buildings. If you walk along the Liffey, check out the Four Courts, Heuston Station, and Collins Barracks' Buildings. Take a stroll through Royal Hospital Kilmainham you'll be rewarded with some of the city's most beautiful gardens on the way. Exiting on the Kilmainham side of the Gardens will bring you to Kilmainham Gaol.

There is a Dublin Bike  station right outside the museum. If you are cycling in the area, it's a good opportunity to explore the vast Phoenix Park nearby!

Suir Road on the Luas Red Line is the closest Luas stop - this is 750 metres away.

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Visiting kilmainham gaol, dublin: birthplace of modern ireland.

Pat, our Kilmainham Gaol tour guide, pointed towards the damp tricolour, animated by gusts of bitter March wind whipping across the Stonebreakers’ Yard.

“Green is the colour of the Republic,” he explained. “Orange symbolises the Protestants and white represents the hope for a lasting peace between the two cultures in Ireland. This is the birthplace of modern Ireland”

Visiting Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin – Europe’s largest unoccupied prison – is a journey into Irish Republican history.

This national monument is the site of the incarceration and execution of some of those who fought for Irish freedom, most famously the key players of the 1916 Easter Rising. This is their story and the dominant narrative running through a tour of this Dublin jail.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Kilmainham Gaol Tour & its History

The great famine.

When Kilmainham first opened its doors in 1796 as the  county gaol for Dublin , it was conceived as a new reform prison, advocating and fostering reform through a harsh regime of discipline and fear.

Conditions were grim. Up to five prisoners were incarcerated in one cell, just 28 sq. meters in size, with a single candle as the only source of heat and lighting. The windows lining the narrow corridor had no glass, granting the cells’ inhabitants the benefits of  ‘therapeutic’ fresh air. 

These early prisoners included women, who were incarcerated at Kilmainham Gaol until it became an all-male prison in 1851. Children too. Arrested for petty theft, the youngest reported prisoner was seven years old. 

The Great Famine (1845 – 1849), which was caused by the blight of the potato crop, increased overcrowding at Kilmainham Gaol. The potato was the staple diet of the Irish people and, rather than die of starvation or an associated illness, some people resorted to deliberate incarceration in the quest for free food. Prison catering depended on the class of prisoner, but a typical meal comprised oatmeal, bread and milk.

Overcrowding was amplified by the  Vagrancy Act  of 1847. Intended to rid the streets of the unwashed poor, it resulted in swamping the gaol with those arrested for begging.  

Kilmainham Gaol & the fight for Irish independence

Kilmainham Gaol is better known for – and is symbolic of – the fight for  Irish independence . The leading figures in every rebellion against British rule since 1798 have been detained here. 

Henry Joy Mc Cracken , imprisoned in 1796, holds the distinction of being the first in a long list of political prisoners to have been incarcerated in Kilmainham Gaol. Seven years later, in 1803,  Robert Emmet ’s failed rebellion against British rule led to his incarceration and public hanging. His speech from the dock threw down the gauntlet to future generations of Irish nationalists:

When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then and not till then, let my epitaph be written Robert Emmett

Robert Emmet’s death mask can be seen in Kilmainham Gaol Museum.

The 1916 Easter Rising

The most significant rebellion against British rule, particularly in symbolic terms, was the 1916 Easter Rising, whose leaders were incarcerated in Kilmainham Gaol’s so-called  1916 corridor .

On 24 th  April 1916 (Easter Monday),  Patrick Pearse  read out a proclamation from the steps of the General Post Office (GPO), declaring Ireland to be an independent republic. Over the next six days, around 1550 men under the command of Pearse, and a further 220 led by  James Connolly  of the Irish Citizen Army, seized control of strategic buildings in central Dublin.

Hopelessly outnumbered by around 20,000 British soldiers and facing overwhelming odds, the rebels eventually surrendered. 97 rebels were condemned to death under martial law imposed by the British Army. Fourteen of these were executed by firing squad in the  Stonebreakers’ Yard  at Kilmainham Gaol. 

Poets and teachers and dreamers

The fighters of the 1916 Rising have been cast into the roles of romantic heroes, seeking Ireland’s freedom through self-sacrifice. In the words of Pat, our Kilmainham Gaol tour guide:

These were not military men. They were poets and teachers, men and women, dreaming of a new Ireland

Take  Countess Constance Markiewicz,  who hailed from an Anglo-Irish family in County Sligo and was married to a Polish Count. She became involved in the Irish Cultural Movement and took part in The Easter Rising as a member of the Irish Citizen Army.

Her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and she was transferred to Aylesbury Prison in England. On her release in 1917, as part of a late amnesty, she became the first woman to be elected to the House of Commons.

However, Countess Markiewicz never took up her seat. Instead, in 1919 she established an Irish political assembly, Dáil Éireann, with similarly elected compatriots.

Some of these rebel leaders left behind wives and children.

Countess Markiewicz’s commander,  Michael Mallin , was not spared the death sentence. Executed by firing squad, he left behind a pregnant wife and four children. 

Joseph Plunkett  was another leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Seven hours before his execution, he married his fiancée,  Grace Gifford , in the prison chapel. Two British soldiers acted as witnesses.

After the ceremony, he was taken back to his cell, leaving his new wife behind. Grace never remarried.  

East Wing of Kilmainham Gaol

Leaving the Easter Rising and the 1916 corridor, we reach the  East Wing  of Kilmainham Gaol.

The Victorian era was the golden age of prison building and their design was underpinned by two principles: separation and inspection. The separation of prisoners broke up communities of corruption and vice, leaving an isolated inmate exposed solely to the reforming influence of prison staff. Inspection allowed prison guards a greater level of oversight.

In 1861, Kilmainham Gaol was extended and modelled on these principles.

Echoing  Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon  – “the all-seeing eye” – prison guards could keep watch on all prisoners incarcerated in 96 single cells.  The narrow corridors were gone and in their place were catwalks in a vaulted space with an enormous skylight. 

The fate of Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol finally closed its doors in 1924.  Éamon de Valera , who would go on to be the president of Ireland, was one of its last prisoners.

For many years, the building was left to fall into ruin, shutting its doors on a painful period of Irish history. But time heals, and in 1960 a Board of Trustees was established to restore the gaol as a national monument.

Today, Kilmainham Gaol is also used extensively as a  filming location .  In The Name of The Father, Michael Collins, The Italian Job  (one of the best movies set in Italy ) and, more recently,  Paddington 2  are among the films that have been shot there.

And Dublin’s favourite sons, U2, shot their 1982 single  A Celebration  here.

The legacy of the Easter Rising

Visiting Kilmainham Gaol leaves you in no doubt of the self-sacrifice of the rebels, whose actions were a turning point in the birth of modern Ireland.  In particular, the 1916 Easter Rising had a profound effect on Irish history and is embedded into the national psyche of its people, amongst whom I count myself.

However, the Easter Rising has its critics.

It left a 10-month war of independence and a brutal civil war in its wake. And it is sobering that violence succeeded where politics had failed.

Although a political outlier, John Bruton, the former Irish Taoiseach, suggested the Easter Rising had “damaged the Irish psyche” and “led directly to the violence experienced subsequently”, arguing that the events of 1916 have been used to justify violence in later years. Some critics argue that the rebels had no democratic mandate.

However, equally, the British did not have a democratic mandate to govern Ireland, maintaining control by force.

For its part, the UK has never apologised for the actions of its army in quashing the uprising.

How to Get to Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol is located on Inchicore Rd, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, D08 RK28. The entrance is through the former Kilmainham Courthouse.

Kilmainham Gaol is a 15 – 20 minute walk from Dublin Heuston mainline station. The route is clearly signposted. It is served by the Luas Red Line. The nearest stop is Suir Road. Dublin Bus routes: no. 60 from Wellington Quay or Heuston Station, G1/G2 from Spencer Dock or Wellington Quay stop close by. Kilmainham Gaol does not have a car park . Parking is available at the nearby Irish Museum of Modern Art/Royal Hospital Kilmainham. From here, it is a five-minute walk to the Gaol via West Avenue and Richmond Gate.

Kilmainham Gaol Tours and Tickets

The gaol is open for visit by guided tour only. Your ticket includes admission to the museum.

You can visit Kilmainham Gaol throughout the year. Opening hours are seasonal which you can check here . As this is a popular attraction, I strongly recommend pre-booking online to avoid disappointment. Tickets can be booked  28 days in advance . Cancellation tickets for the day are released online every morning between 9:15 am-9:30 am.

Tips for Visiting Kilmainham Gaol

• The tour of Kilmainham Gaol takes around one hour. I highly recommend setting aside a further hour to visit the museum, which is adjacent to the gaol and is arranged on three levels.
• No food or drink, except still water, is permitted. Gum chewing is also prohibited.
• Photography is allowed throughout the tour but video and audio recordings are not permitted
• Dress warmly. Parts of the tour take place outdoors but it can also be cold inside the gaol.

Is Kilmainham Gaol Worth Visiting?

Visiting Kilmainham Gaol is a moving and evocative experience. Its tour is highly informative, and the stories told are haunting, from those of famous political leaders to those of ordinary citizens. As a journey through Irish history, a Kilmainham Gaol tour is hard to beat.

About Bridget

Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.

Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.

To get in touch, email her at [email protected] or follow her on social media.

Kilmainham Gaol – History And All The Things You Need To Know

Categories Dublin , Where To Go

A trip to the Kilmainham Gaol is probably one of the more sobering experiences should you decide to visit. It is located off the Dublin city center and accessible via public transport.

This place is far from being fun or relaxing tourist attraction, but it is an important part of Ireland’s history. In particular, the Gaol played a significant role in the country’s independence. 

This place is no fortress, not a pretty castle or museum . Kilmainham Gaol was a  working prison that housed men, women, and children.

Kilmainham Gaol – History And All The Things You Need To Know

It was in operation from 1787 until 1924. Records say that the youngest child sent here was only seven years old. 

The prison housed felons of all ages, sexes, and offenses. Those who had more serious charges were not kept in jail cells but hanged outside.

Thousands of prisoners were also kept here while they await transport to British penal colonies in Australia. 

During the time of the Great Potato Famine (1845 – 1852), it was said that many people intentionally broke the law so they’d be sent to the Gaol.

READ MORE: 10 BEST MUSEUMS IN DUBLIN, IRELAND

Irish people back then did this hoping they’d be fed while incarcerated. This situation eventually led to the overcrowding of the prison.

Women and children had to sleep on the floor or hallways without blankets or covering.

Men had to squeeze themselves in 28-square meter cells that are usually good for only five people. 

From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Kilmainham Gaol was infamously tied to its rebel prisoners. A great number of Irish Nationalists were sent here.

Meanwhile,  every Irish Republican leader stayed here for various offenses at one time or another.

Following 1916 Rising when the riots were quelled by the British Army, its leaders gave themselves up under the orders of Pádraig Pearse. 

A lot of those who were part of the Irish Revolution was kept in jail. At the same time, the controversial secret courts-martial also happened under British General John Maxwell.

READ MORE: 30 THINGS TO DO IN DUBLIN, IRELAND

Those tried did not even have access to lawyers, and fifteen of them were executed. Of those fifteen, seven were signatories of the 1916 Proclamation including Pearse.

These executions, instead of containing the nationalist uprising, had the opposite effect. The nationalist movement further gained momentum.

Word spread regarding these executions and it eventually resulted in independence for most of Ireland. Soon after, Kilmainham Gaol ceased its operations and closed in 1924. 

Kilmainham Gaol as a working prison may have been closed, but it is now a symbol of Ireland’s painful past.

In 1958, the Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Society was formed. In the 1960s, restorative work was done by a team of dedicated volunteers before the Irish government took over.

In 1971, Kilmainham Gaol reopened as a museum. During the centenary of the 1916 Uprising in 2016, Ireland’s  Office of Public Works invested €5 million in refurbishing the site.

Today, Kilmainham is one of the most visited places in Ireland.  It offers guided tours where guests get to see detailed exhibitions about the political and penal history of the prison.

All the restorative work done on Kilmainham are also featured in this exhibition.

There’s also a fascinating feature on the history of Irish Nationalism.  This part includes some of the last words and graffiti (written in prison walk) of the executed leaders of the 1916 rebellion.

Apart from the guided tour, today’s Kilmainham also has a tea shop and a museum that spans three floors. Meanwhile, access to the prison is limited and is only allowed during guided tours.

Visitors Information for Kilmainham Gaol

Opening times.

Kilmainham Gaol Museum is open all year round, except the 24th, 25th, and 26th of December

October – March   9:30 – 17:30 (last admission at 16:15)

April & May   9:00 – 18:00 (last admission at 16:45)

June, July & August   9:00 – 19:00 (last admission  at 17:45)

September   9:00 – 18:00 (last admission at 16:45)

Admission Fee

Online prices – Adult €8, Senior €6, Child/Student €4 and Family €20. Walk-up prices* – Adult €9, Senior €7, Child/Student €5 and Family €23

Contact Information

Address: Kilmainham Gaol Museum Visitor Centre, Kilmainham Courthouse, Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, Ireland. D08 RK28

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +353 1 4535984

Kilmainham Gaol Tours

If you want to join tours, below are our recommended hop-on hop-off bus tours to Kilmainham Gaol. 

Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries for the past 8 years. I also lived in 3 continents – from the Caribbean, South East Asia to Africa. But despite living in several countries, my love for Ireland remains the same. A country that had been a part of my life since I was 14 because of my love for Irish music and bands. Ireland Travel Guides was born because of this passion and hopefully, in some little ways, this website will be able to help you on your next trip to Ireland.

7 days Ireland Itinerary Tips And Guide - Ireland Travel Guides

Sunday 19th of September 2021

[…] Kilmainham Gaol is quite far from the airport but if you have more time before your flight, you can check this historic museum prison in Dublin.  There is a guided tour that starts at the prison’s chapel and ends in a museum that features items that once belonged to the prisoners. […]

3 Days in Dublin: Itinerary With Maps and Tips - Ireland Travel Guides

[…] Kilmainham Gaol or jail/prison is a huge symbol of the tradition of militant and constitutional nationalism of […]

Ireland Bucket List: 50+ Top Things To Do In Ireland For 2021 - Ireland Travel Guides

Friday 17th of September 2021

[…] years old building has a soul of its own and you can feel it in the chapels, cells, and grounds of Kilmainham Gaol. The museum gives a deep insight into the struggle that the country had to go through in the […]

30 Best Things To Do In Dublin, Ireland  - Ireland Travel Guides

[…] you think that visiting a mummy is not creepy enough? Then go ahead and add the Kilmainham Gaol in your things to do in Dublin. The Kilmainham Gaol used to be a place for executions and public […]

Tuesday 21st of April 2020

Hey!This is my first commeht here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your blog posts. Thanks for Kilmainham gaol write up.

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Kilmainham gaol.

Established in 1796, Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison in Dublin where numerous revolutionaries were locked up and executed.

Kilmainham Gaol continues to be an iconic symbol for most of the Irish population , as a symbol of their rebellion against British domination.

Life in Kilmainham Gaol

All types of prisoners were imprisoned at Kilmainham prison, including women, men and small children accused of robbery. The damp, cold and dark cells were only lit up and heated by a small candle.

When the Irish Potato Famine hit the country in 1845, thousands of people stole food to survive and this deteriorated the conditions in the jails, since the cells were packed with people. Nevertheless, many preferred to stay in prison than being free and starve to death .

The Irish Free State closed the Gaol in 1924, previously releasing Éamon de Valera, who years later would become President of Ireland.

Guided tour

The guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol starts off at the prison’s chapel, where Joseph Plunkett married Grace Gifford shortly before being executed for participating in the Easter Rising.

Next, follow your guide to visit the cells, still gloomy and dank and continue to the patio where the prisoners were executed . Once the guided tour comes to an end, you can visit the museum that features various objects that once belonged to the prisoners.

Indispensable 

Kilmainham Gaol remains a historic building, a symbol of years of brutality and suffering . In our opinion, visiting the Gaol is an interesting way to explore Ireland’s history.

The entrance ticket includes a 1-hour guided tour.

Inchicore road 8.

Every day from 9:30 am - 5 pm (depending on the month, the closing time may be slightly later).

Adults: € 8 ( US$ 8.60) Over 60s: € 6 ( US$ 6.50) Students and children 12 - 17: € 4 ( US$ 4.30) Children under 12: Free

Buses:  Old Kilmainham , lines 78A and 206;  Emmet Rd. (Kilmainham Cross) , lines 51B, 51C, 78A and 206. 

Nearby places

Irish Museum of Modern Art (657 m) Guinness Storehouse (1.5 km) Decorative Arts & History Museum (1.8 km) Phoenix Park (2.1 km) Jameson Distillery Bow St (2.3 km)

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Guinness Storehouse

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Take a few days to discover Ireland’s capital, famous for its Georgian architectural elements, its famous black lager available in its numerous pubs and bars, and explore its most-visited monuments such as Trinity College, Temple Bar, etc.

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General city information.

Tyumen is located on the Tura River 2,144 km east of Moscow. With the population of 511000 this is the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast in the Federal District of Urals.

Tyumen was the first Russian town in Siberia. Feodor I of Russia has founded it in 1586 on the site of the Siberian Tartar town of Chimgi-Tura. Yermak Timofeyevich annexed the region of Tyumen part of Siberia Khanate to Russia in 1585. The following year the town of Tyumen was founded as a Russian fort post. In the 17 th –18 th centuries, Tyumen became an important trade center on the routes to Central Asia, China and Persia as well as the place that produced leather and handcrafted goods. In 1836, the first steamboat of Siberia was built in Tyumen and in 1885 the Trans-Siberian railway has reached the town.

During the 1930s Tyumen became a major Siberian industrial city of the Soviet Union. Steamboats, cargo ships, furniture, fur and leather clothing—all were produced in Tyumen. During The World War II (aka the Great Patriotic War in Russia), Lenin’s body was moved from Moscow to a disguised tomb at the Tyumen Agriculture Institute. Also during the war numerous factories were evacuated to Tyumen from the European part of the Soviet Union. Many kinds of military equipment were produced in the city.

In 1948, oil was discovered in Tyumen region, and in the 1960s and 1970s the oil industry became a vital component of the city’s economy. Today Tyumen is an important center for the gas and oil industries in Russia. The living standards of Tyumen residents are only second to those of Moscow in Russia. Companies such as Gazprom, LUKoil and Yukos have much of their activities centered in Tyumen.

The Museum of local history is one a very few in the world that boast a complete mammoth skeleton.

We are happy to offer you an  invitation letter free when you book your accommodation with us!

• Hotels in Tyumen Here you will find a list of hotels in Tyumen with a reservation option. You may book any of the listed hotels via our agency and get a reduced price. If you book your hotel with us, your visa support (letter of invitation for a Russian visa) will be free of charge. If you are interested in booking a different hotel in Tyumen, please, contact us .
• Sightseeing in Tyumen Tyumen is on of the richest cities of Russia so there are a lot of exciting things a tourist might do. Here you will find a list of excursions and day trips we recommend. On request, extra excursions can be organised. If you are interested in this option, please, contact us
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Tyumen: Bourgeois Siberian oil capital

The Lover’s Bridge in Tyumen. Source: RIA Novosti

There’s something different about Tyumen. This city of over half a million people was the first Russian settlement in Siberia. Today, it’s the capital of the vast Tyumen Oblast, or province, that stretches from the Kazakhstan border north to the Arctic Ocean. Tyumen Oblast is home to the majority of Russia’s seemingly limitless oil and natural gas reserves. Some of the world’s largest drilling companies have officers here, and Tyumen residents enjoy much higher incomes than elsewhere in Russia. The result is a cosmopolitan city with a bright outlook on the future.

A stop in Tyumen provides an interesting glimpse into how modern Russia’s oil revenue has influenced Siberia’s oldest Russian city. Tyumen is a great stopover point on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and a short ride from Yekaterinburg (five hours) or Tobolsk (four hours).

How to get there

Direct flights run each day between Tyumen and Moscow or St. Petersburg ($450 roundtrip). Tyumen is also located on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Trains leave Moscow in the afternoon and evening ($110-250, 32-38 hours).

In the 16th century, Russia started expanding eastward into parts of Central Asia ruled by the Tatars, an Islamic people who still live thoughout Russia. A band of Cossacks wrested control of Tyumen from the Tatars in 1580. Six years later, Russians established a fort in Tyumen on the Tura River.

For centuries, Tyumen vied with the nearby city of Tobolsk—once the official capital of Siberia—for the prestige of the region’s most important city. Tyumen won in the end, when the Trans-Siberian Railroad bypassed Tobolsk and was routed through this now oil-rich city.

Tyumen played an important role in Russian history during times of war. At the beginning of the Russian Civil War, the Bolshevik Red Army slowly pushed the White Army, commanded by Admiral Alexander Kolchak, into Siberia. Kolchak and his anti-Bolshevik forces holed up in Tyumen until the Red Army overtook them in January of 1918.

Tura River. Source: Lori / Legion Media

During the Second World War, many Russian industries were moved away from the front to Siberian cities. Tyumen had already become an industrial capital during the early Soviet era, and the city became an ideal spot to relocate Russia’s western factories. As Nazi forces approached Russia in 1941, the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin was sent from the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square by train to the Tyumen State Agricultural Academy for safekeeping. In 1945, Lenin’s body was shipped back to Moscow.

Where to stay

Located in a stunningly remodeled Soviet building, The Hotel Vostok offers modern rooms ($80-125). Far more luxurious—and twice as expensive—is The Hotel Tyumen .

Some of the factories relocated to Tyumen during wartime remained in the city. The discovery of oil in the region catapulted Siberia’s oldest Russian settlement to further prosperity. Modern Tyumen is a vibrant city with a number of universities and a revamped center well-suited for exploration by foot.

Start your walking tour around central Tyumen on Ulitsa Respubliki. The city’s main drag has fine pedestrian walkways and leads wanderers past an impressive collection of tsarist-era buildings that recall Tyumen’s importance in the beginning of Russia’s colonization of Siberia.

From the southeastern end of Ul. Respubliki, head north toward the Tura River and take a brief side trip onto Ul. Ordzhonikidze to visit the Fine Arts Museum (47 Ul. Ordzhonikidze) which houses exhibits of classical Russian and Soviet art as well as traditional bone carving and works produced by the native people who live in the far north of Tyumen Oblast.

Detail of wood carvings and windows on wooden house. Source: Getty Images

Back on Ul. Respubliki, you’ll soon see the city’s requisite Lenin statue by the local government buildings. A block away, opposite Lenin, is Tyumen’s city park, a delightful place to walk or hop on one of its amusement rides.

Most Siberian cities developed under the watchful eyes of the atheist Soviet regime and churches are usually not Siberia’s strongpoint. But this isn’t true in four-centuries-old Tyumen. Strolling up Ul. Respubliki, you’ll soon come to the Church of the Saviour (41 Ul. Lenina) and the Znamensky Cathedral (13 Ul. Semakova). Each of these stunning Baroque-influenced churches are located right off Ul. Respubliki and were built in the late 18th century.

Tyumen is also famous for its historic wooden houses. Heading further up Ul. Respubliki, stop to wander around some of the side streets and snap photos of these ornate wooden structures which provide a glimpse back in time. Near the Tura River, you’ll pass a civil war monument in remembrance of the Tyumen natives who died fighting the White Army and the Tyumen State Agricultural Academy (7 Ul. Respubliki) an impressive building in its own right where Lenin was stored during the Second World War.

Near the end of Ul. Respubliki, take a walk over the Tura River on the Lover’s Bridge, a suspension bridge open to foot traffic only that has become one of Tyumen’s iconic sights. The other side of the river is a great place to see more of Tyumen’s signature wooden houses as well as take in the churches scattered around the city center.

Save the best for last and visit the Trinity Monastery (10 Ul. Kommunisticheskaya) at the end of Ul. Respubliki. A white wall surrounds the monastery, giving it the appearance of a mini-kremlin, and the golden onion domes of the 18th century churches within should not be missed.

Although navigating Tyumen is straightforward enough, the St. Petersburg-based travel company OSTWEST can arrange a city tour in Tyumen and the surrounding countryside. 

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