St. Trinity's College

Trinity College, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, is Ireland's oldest university and one of Dublin's most visited landmarks. Set on a 47-acre campus in the heart of the city, just off College Green, its cobbled squares, Georgian terraces and grand 18th-century facades feel like a self-contained world apart from the bustle of Grafton Street and Dame Street outside.

The chief draw for visitors is the Old Library and its centrepiece, the breathtaking Long Room. Stretching nearly 65 metres, the barrel-vaulted chamber is lined with marble busts of philosophers and writers and houses around 200,000 of the library's oldest books. Within the Old Library is displayed the Book of Kells, a richly illuminated 9th-century gospel manuscript regarded as Ireland's greatest cultural treasure. The accompanying exhibition explains the manuscript's production, iconography and survival.

Beyond the library, the campus rewards a wander. Front Square, the Campanile, the Examination Hall and the Museum Building (with its colourful Venetian Gothic interior) are all worth seeing, and the Science Gallery near the Pearse Street entrance hosts free contemporary exhibitions. Trinity is a short walk from Tara Street and Pearse rail stations and is served by numerous Dublin Bus routes.