Overview
Laid out in 1662, this 707-hectare park (about 1,750 acres) is Europe's largest enclosed urban park — five times the size of London's Hyde Park. About 600 wild fallow deer roam freely, and the grounds contain Áras an Uachtaráin (the Irish President's residence), Dublin Zoo, the 30-meter Wellington Monument (1747), and the Papal Cross where Pope John Paul II said Mass for a million people in 1979. Renting a bike to loop the park is the best way to see it, and each July the Bloom Festival — Europe's largest garden show — takes place here. Free entry. 10-minute walk from Luas Red Line Heuston.
Opening Hours
Open 24 hours (individual attractions keep their own hours)
Travel Tips
Bike rentals are available near the park entrance (about EUR 15-20/day). The deer aren't shy — great for photos, but please don't touch them.
Hotels near Phoenix Park
Hotels and guesthouses in Dublin, Phoenix Park, Dublin
Other attractions in Dublin
Trinity College Dublin
Ireland's top university, founded in 1592 and home to the famous Book of Kells.
Guinness Storehouse
Discover Guinness history and toast Dublin from the rooftop bar with a city panorama.
Temple Bar
Dublin's lively cultural quarter packed with pubs and live music.
Dublin Castle
The seat of British rule for 800 years from the 13th century — now the venue for Irish presidential inaugurations.
St Patrick's Cathedral
Ireland's largest cathedral — the resting place of Jonathan Swift.
Kilmainham Gaol
A pilgrimage site of Irish independence — where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed.
Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green
Dublin's bustling pedestrian shopping street and the Victorian garden at the city's heart.