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Trinity Trails Literary Walking Tour – returns October 2026

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From €39 per person

Explore Trinity’s literary heritage on a guided walking tour through campus, tracing the landmarks and legacy of its renowned alumni. Returns October 2026.

From €39 per person

Explore Trinity’s literary heritage on a guided walking tour through campus, tracing the landmarks and legacy of its renowned alumni. Returns October 2026.

Trinity Trails Literary Walking Tour

 

Returning in October 2026, the Trinity Trails Literary Walking Tour will welcome visitors to follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest literary writers and world-famous Trinity alumni, from Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett to Bram Stoker, Eavan Boland and Sally Rooney.

Visitors will pass the historic buildings, squares, and hidden corners across the spectacular city centre ancient University that shaped and influenced the authors’ work as Trinity students.

The tour begins at the Campanile in Front Square and takes in highlights across the campus, including the Graduate Memorial Building, home to Trinity’s legendary debating societies whose members included Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, and Oscar Wilde, and the Eavan Boland Library, named after one of the foremost women in Irish literary history.

The meeting point is at the Bell Tower in Trinity’s Front Square.

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The tours follow accessible walkways across Trinity campus. For any queries, please contact trinitytrails@tcd.ie

  • Please wear comfortable shoes.
  • If the weather forecast is for rain, we advise to please wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella.
  • Please arrive 10 minutes before the tour departure. Late arrivals will not be able to join the tour once it has left the meeting point.

The meeting point is at the Bell Tower in Trinity’s Front Square.

Open in Google Maps >

The tours follow accessible walkways across Trinity campus. For any queries, please contact trinitytrails@tcd.ie

  • Please wear comfortable shoes.
  • If the weather forecast is for rain, we advise to please wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella.
  • Please arrive 10 minutes before the tour departure. Late arrivals will not be able to join the tour once it has left the meeting point.

Tour Details & Practical Information

Trinity Trails is an English language 45 minute guided outdoor walking tour of the Trinity campus grounds in English. The tour is led by expert Trinity student and alumni tour guides.

The Literary Walking Tour joins the established and highly popular Trinity Trails offerings, the official guided tours of Trinity College Dublin led by expert student tour guides. Visitors can choose from the original Trinity Trails Walking Tour, or the new Trinity Trails Literary Walking Tour. The new Literary focused tour will welcome visitors to follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest literary writers and world-famous Trinity alumni, from Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett to Bram Stoker, Eavan Boland and Sally Rooney.

Consistently rated among the best walking tours in Dublin on TripAdvisor, our guides are known for their warmth, insights, and engaging storytelling.

The Trinity Trails tour does not include access to the Old Library and Book of Kells.

For the best value, bundle your Trinity Trails ticket with the Book of Kells Experience and enjoy both at a discounted rate.

The Trinity Trails Literary Walking Tour returns in October 2026.

The tour takes a loop of Trinity campus in approximately 45 minutes.

The Trinity Trails Literary Walking Tour begins at the Campanile in Front Square and takes in highlights across the campus, including the Graduate Memorial Building, home to Trinity’s legendary debating societies, and whose members included Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, and Oscar Wilde.

Next up is the Rubrics, the College’s oldest surviving building and a filming location for the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. The beautiful red brick façade was the on screen location where Connell and Marianne, the two main characters, reunited when they came to study at Trinity.

The tour concludes at the Samuel Beckett Theatre. The Theatre is home to Trinity’s School of Creative Arts and is named after Beckett, one of Ireland’s best known playwrights, and a Trinity student in the late 1920s.

 

The Literary Walking Tour is fully guided and led by a Trinity student or graduate. Group sizes are a maximum of 25 participants, giving you the chance to chat with your guide and ask questions throughout the tour.

Guides are knowledgeable about the university’s 400 year history and famous past students, and are happy to share insights along the way.

Literary Alumni You’ll Discover

Black and white image of Oscar Wilde reclining on a couch

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde studied Classical Studies in Trinity College Dublin from 1871, where he developed the wit and intellectual curiosity that shaped his literary career. Today, he remains one of the university’s most celebrated alumni and one of Ireland’s best-known writers.
Two actors from Normal People walking through Trinity's Front Square

Sally Rooney

One of the highlights of the tour is the Rubrics, the College’s oldest surviving building and a filming location for the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. The beautiful red brick façade was the on screen location where Connell and Marianne, the two main characters, reunited when they came to study at Trinity.

Bram Stoker

The tour passes by the Graduate Memorial Building, home to Trinity’s legendary debating societies whose members included Bram Stoker. During his time at Trinity, Stoker developed his literary interests before becoming the author of Dracula.
A picture of the wooden Samuel Beckett Theatre at Trinity College

Samuel Beckett

The Theatre is home to Trinity’s School of Creative Arts and is named after Beckett, one of Ireland’s best-known playwrights, and a Trinity student in the late 1920s. Samuel Beckett graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1927 with a degree in French and Italian. He went on to become one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969 for his ground-breaking work.

Meet the guides

A male tour guide wearing a navy jacket with a light grey brick wall behind him.

Jack

A woman wearing a red Trinity College sweater

Sinead

Tour Guide in Trinity College

James

luca wearing a red trinity sweater

Luca

Tour guide in Trinity's Front Square

Eoin

A female tour guide in a navy jacket and blue scarf standing in the Front Square at Trinity

Anne

paul wearing a red trinity sweater and navy jacket

Paul

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