Dublin Tourist Guide: Trinity College - the Long Room. If you're traveling to Dublin you must make a few hours to walk Trinity College. I'll share more about the college itself on that yelp page but this review is strictly for the library at Trinity college with an emphasis on the Long Room (one of the most famous views on the campus). Built in the 1700s this library has been used in reference in so many movies and many people will recognize these photos from social media, as it's a highly photographed spot from the college. I was extremely lucky that despite coming in the summer we came on a weekday and it wasn't as packed as most people's own pictures seem to reflect. So my pro tip of course would be to come off season, but if you can't - even us coming in peak tourist season a weekday mid afternoon was a great time to come. The library is literally stunning. I'll honestly never forget it and for as simple as a library may seem, it was one of my favorite historical spots (indoors) that I had seen. The library is roped off on the sides so you don't have full access which makes sense as they don't want people touching the books. Being in the center though you still got great views and I was also lucky to come when they weren't doing maintenance on the library. Something to keep in mind as I've seen they sometimes remove the books for cleaning and maintenance, so something to look up before coming. 5/5 would recommend coming to the long room at the library, a great spot to check out. read more

The Long Room - Museums Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

Must-visit part of Trinity College in Dublin - we stopped by after The Book of Kells. The long room is a library with tens of thousands of books and busts of famous men and women (like Socrates and Shakespeare) lining both sides. It also houses the Brian Boru Harp, which is the oldest surviving Irish harp and a symbol of Ireland. Other notable artifacts include The Irish Proclamation of 1916, and various books and letters of scientific and cultural significance - from botanical drawings to world maps to metal coins. Wish I had taken more time to browse - will be back! read more

See all

Bountiful history with a large volume of books dating back many years. It's in the midst of being upgraded to have more assurance of many more years of safekeeping. It was interesting to watch the books being pristinely taken off the shelves to be cleaned, measured and catalogued for reassembly when the efforts are completed. read more

The Long Room - Guiuyfy5trd - Museums Near Me - Dublin, D

If you love history, architecture, or books, you'll love the Long Room at Trinity College. The Book of Kells tour includes an audio tour (which you download to your phone), entrance to a museum about the Book of Kells and other ancient manuscripts, and access to the Long Room of the Library. Learning about the Book of Kells is interesting, and you can see the actual book in a display case. It's in spectacular shape for a volume that is 1200 years old. For me, the best part of the experience was the Long Room. First built in 1732 as a one-story library with a flat ceiling, the second floor and gorgeous vaulted ceiling were added in 1861. You do not, of course, get to touch the centuries-old books, but you can wander the Long Room and enjoy the many busts, displays and a medieval Irish harp dating back to the 14th or 15th Century. read more

See all

One of the most amazing things I've ever seen! I knew we were going to the Trinity College Library in Dublin that was built in the early 1700's but I was unprepared for the absolute awe I felt as I entered. Photos do not begin to do justice to the the gigantic arched hall filled with alcoves of books and the beautiful marble busts of ancient philosophers, scholars & authors that line the walls on pedestals. There are library ladders in nearly every alcove and some have spiral staircases. There is a significant amount of light in here but all the windows are covered with filtered shades to prevent damage to the old books housed here. And you can't miss the unmistakable aroma of the old books, which seemed to increase as we walked farther down the giant hall. There are over 200,000 volumes stored in The Long Room and it's nothing short of spectacular to behold. read more

See all

Ignore the reviews that claim this is nothing, boring, a waste. Ridiculous. Anyone who appreciates culture, history, architecture, and the sense of awe one gets when surrounded by such an impressive display and the commitment to preserving these historic artifacts will love this place. I sure did. The room is long - over 2/3 of a football field with a barrel roof and two floors made up of book stalls complete with rolling ladders. The marble busts along both sides of the massive hall showcase notable men of science, industry, arts, philosophy ranging from Socrates to Cicero to Jonathan Swift, Boyle, Newton and many more. The room is lit by ambient light from the opaque full length windows and the smell is another sense that is stimulated by the old books. Ah, such a fine place. Come, take it in, enjoy. You will remember this place. read more

See all

The Long Room is such a gorgeous library that it seems a shame you get less than five minutes to peruse it before being herded downstairs to the gift shop. It's part of the € 9 admission you pay to see the Book of Kells, which if you're lucky, is what you see just before the Long Room. So many people were huddled around it that you had to squeeze yourself in an acrobatic position to catch a glimpse of it. But at least the Long Room can be enjoyed by all who enter it if you don't mind feeling a bit like a wildebeest during the Great Migration. At nearly 65 meters in length with 200,000 antiquarian books, it has a tall, barrel-vaulted ceiling with multiple galleries filled with completely stocked bookcases. The marble busts line the main hallway and represent the great philosophers and writers of the western world and also of lesser known figures associated with Trinity College. Of course, you're not allowed to touch any of the books or busts, but you can admire the craftsmanship in the room, which definitely has a mystical Harry Potter feeling about it. read more

See all

The ticket price is a little high for the amount of stuff to see, but it is a truly impressive sight nonetheless. You've made it all the way over there. You might as well see it. read more

Unless you love old books, or things you can't touch there is no point to this long room. You can't touch the books, everything is under glass. I was living in Dublin, but if I were on a two week vacation I wouldn't waste my time here. read more

After you finish your Book of Kells tour, end up in the Long Room. The space is visually impressive. Tons of dark wood throughout, many leather-bound books (cue the Anchorman reference), and busts of famous thinkers. During my visit, it was relatively crowded so it's not likely a space that you'll get to yourself. A fair amount of the space is off limits so you'll be confined to the center of the room. There's a remarkable number of old books, but you will have to look at them from afar. You'll perhaps feel like you've been transported to the set of a Harry Potter film, I know I did. I'd soak it all in and move on. As you head downstairs you'll be dumped into the gift shop (surprise, surprise) which is stocked with plenty of things to buy. read more

The Long Room - Museums Near Me - Dublin, D

What a cool library! You have to buy a ticket to see the book of kells & you get access to the long room as well. I've never seen such an ancient, huge library. & it is still a working library. Very impressive. read more

Is this what heaven looks like? The long room is magnificent! After viewing the Book of Kells, you enter the old library at Trinity College. It smells like old books, has the busts of famous philosophers / authors / scientists adorning the rows, and looks like a place you could get lost in for hours at a time if given the chance. They keep the crowds contained to the center of the room and have the far end blocked off which allows you to get pictures without people's heads obstructing the view. My husband practically had to drag me out after a couple of slow laps around the perimeter of the viewing area. 4.5 stars. read more

See all

The Long Room located at Trinity College, is apart of the Book of Kells exhibit and was a fantastic ending to an already spiritually enlightening self guided tour. The 213ft Long Room is covered wall to wall with 200,000 of the Library's oldest books. The decor of the Long Room continues its literary and national theme with marble busts of great philosophers, and writers who contributed to Trinity College. The Long Room also houses Brian Boru harp, the oldest harp in Ireland dating back to the 15th century. I highly recommend Long Room and Book of Kells exhibit for any religious historian, or bibliophile. read more

See all

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing! One of the best things i've seen in Dublin, and a great source of inspiration for aspiring writers, I imagine. A friend and I availed of a free visit to the Book of Kells and The Long Room during the recent 'Culture Night' in Dublin. We happened to have visited a couple of galleries beforehand and didn't make it into Trinity until the late hours, so needless to say, we were quite dosed up on wine and cheese... which in my opinion made the experience even more magnificent. With our inhibitions cast aside and our tipsy hats on we gazed unashamedly at the spectacle of The Long Room. It is an indescribably astounding, impressive, beautiful, and majestic masterpiece of a library, and something every bookworm and wannabe famous novelist NEEDS to see. I am not kidding you - my friend and I spent around half an hour in the room, heads turned upwards, jaws wide open, and (surprisingly for our wine-meddled brains), mute with that sense of wonder that is lost somewhere in the nasty chasm between childhood and adolescence. It was a very memorable experience for me, and it is a place I will visit again. I even bought a poster of The Long Room, which I admire every day. If you have even the slightest literary bone in your body, this is a must see. read more

Trinity College has to be one of my favourite places in the whole of Dublin. It is so lovely to stroll around. So peaceful and tranquil. Full of interesting design features and hidden areas and rooms and places to see and things to look at. It is also steeped in Irish history and tradition. You could spend, and I easily do, a whole day here! The Long Room is one of my favourite places and things to visit out of everything the campus has to offer. The Long Room is indeed a very long room lined floor to ceiling with shelves that are bursting with books! The room is so grand in scale and setting that it is like walking into some great old movie! There are around 200,000 antiquarian tomes that decorate the double story open shelves which stretch nearly 65 meters in length. The room was built between 1712 and 1763 and features a stunning 12.6 meter high wooden barrel vaulted ceiling. I cannot really explain what this looks like or what it is as it truly is something you have to see for yourself. The room contains rows or marble busts including one of the writer and Dean of Trinity Jonathan Swift. It also has Ireland's oldest harp, in instrument not pint of larger! read more

The perfect ending to a viewing of the Book of Kells. To start with a painstakingly hand written copy of the bible and to end in the innumerable numbers of books contained within the Long Room is amazing. This may be one of the most inspiring physical manifestations of the depth of knowledge of mankind on the face of the planet. Fantastic historical items like the Brian Boru harp, the Irish Declaration of Independence and texts that figure in to the circumstances that led to the Irish Republic. read more

This is a very neat place to visit. If you're even remotely interested in books/libraries it is well worth it. Be warned it will be crowded and a bit chaotic getting in. But once inside, it is easy to appreciate and be in awe of it all. read more

You might love the Book of Kells, but I loved The Long Room. This room has some serious wow factor as you enter it - a very, very long room packed to the brim with books and absolutely gorgeous. When we visited (October 2014) there was an exhibition on about the Irish King, Brian Boru. Accompanying this was graphic art posters by Cartoon Salon which were some of the most amazing pieces of art I've seen - the are hung so that the sun shines through them giving them an almost leadlight effect which was great to see on a sunny day. I really loved just wandering down the room and taking in the atmosphere. If you look up, you'll see there's a second level of books with are abutted on one side by a railing, and the windows on the far side. It was really baffling to me how to ueven get to those sections but thankfully the security guards are happy to let you in on the secret. (Check out the photo and see if you can work it out!). It's well worth the admission fee for the Book of Kells (€10 pp) to get into the Long Room. read more

It's a room. It's long. It has books in it. And if previously gazing upon the Book of Kells didn't thrill you enough, you get to walk the long room afterwards. I saw this as part of a pre-planned tour, so I am not sure how much it costs. But it's not that exciting. While it is a stunningly gorgeous room oozing with history, it is not at all interactive. You quite literally walk the length of the long room in between velvet ropes and look. You definitely don't touch anything or take pictures, lest the Trinity College enforcers rough you up. I guess it's one of those things you "have" to see if you are in Ireland. However I wouldn't go out of my way to see it, and if I ever go back to Ireland I wouldn't see it again. read more

It's only when someone comes to visit that you learn to truly appreciate your own city. That was never more true than a few weeks ago when an American friend of mine came to visit. I love playing tour guide around Dublin and the Book of Kells was high on his list. I saw the book and the exhibit which was a fantastic piece of Irish history but it was The Long Room that truly took my breath away. I had no idea such a beautiful space existed in Dublin. All we could manage to say for a couple of minutes was the word "Wow" several times over. I would recommend this characterful and inspiring place to those both visiting and living in Dublin alike. read more

My Ratings: Quantity: 4 - Lots to see Quality: 5 - Nice tour Price: 4 - Good for a short tour Location: 5 - Gorgeous place Service: 4 - Good Overall: One of the things to see in Dublin. My Opinion/Story: Located in Trinity College, the tour was educational, affordable, and good. It wasn't boring and there were lots to see during the tour. The place is packed with people but you still get to see the different things they laid out for people. Quiet, serene, and old, this library housed hundreds (if not thousands) of old leather-bound books. Contains old statues and literatures that depict Irish history. Too bad we can't take pictures of this amazing library. read more

My friend and I went to the Trinity College library shortly after it opened on a Sunday morning because we were told we HAD to see the Book of Kells... I'm glad we went early because there was no queue at the ticket desk when we arrived. There were plenty of people swarming the Book of Kells exhibit on the ground floor, but we were at least able to walk around without much difficulty. Perhaps I lack the proper level of appreciation, but I thought seeing a page from the Book of Kells was kind of anticlimatic. However, my attitude about the library totally changed when we went upstairs into the Long Room. It is a beautiful room that, in my opinion, looks *exactly* like an old library is supposed to look - leatherbound books, elaborate woodwork, busts of great thinkers. I particularly enjoyed seeing the oldest harp in Ireland (I'm still not sure why I thought that was so interesting). I do not think I would have enjoyed the Long Room as much had my friend and I waited in a long queue to get in (we saw a line that wrapped around the outside of the building the previous afternoon... yikes!), and I'm not sure if many people would find it's worth the 9 EUR admission. Just go in the morning :) read more

The Long Room of Trinity College located just upstairs from the Book of Kells was a beautiful site to see! The real treat is walking into the Library, the "Long Room" - and you see thousands & thousands of books over stories. The wooden floors with shelves stacked full of books centuries old to the arched high ceiling provide an awe-inspiring image. The architecture is just breath taking. When you first enter it feels like you are walking into a scene from Beauty and the Beast or a Harry Potter movie. Apparently the meeting hall in the Harry Potter movies is based on that room. The Long Room also has different types and styles of books for display along the middle of the library. It was very informative as well. You are allowed to take pictures in the library but without flash. read more

See all

You get to see the Long Room right after you see the Book of Kells. A great tourist activity - and a gorgeous, historic room. Beautiful. You can feel the history. Go in the early morning before there is a line. Do not bring small kids here (under 6 or 7 is too young for this quiet space). read more

Although the main attraction is The Book of Kells, I think The Long Room is worth every bit as much admiration. It reminds me a bit of the King's Library in the British Museum in London, albeit with more books and less artifacts. Plus, it's nice that the back third of the room is roped off, allowing you to take beautiful (and entirely tourist-free) photos of the library. read more

Everyone has an objective when they travel: partying, relaxing, culture, food. Mine is seeing gorgeous libraries. The Long Room looks amazing in pictures. Like an online date, the reality was not as amazing and the room was shorter than expected. Can we say wide-angle lens? Since this library is well-known, it felt more like an amusement park than a library. Lower your expectations, enjoy the history, and it should be okay. Enjoy. -Visited 2011 read more

Went to the Book of Kells and was surprised to find the Long Room. Absolutely fantastic. Book of Kells was disappointing. read more

I love old books and libraries, so this was an amazing place for me to visit. Just sitting there and imagining the history that is contained in those walls. I felt like I had been transported back in time. If books and/or old architecture is not your thing, this might not be something you will enjoy. It can be very crowded, but if you are patient, you will find a space to sit/stand and take it all in. read more

This is a fantastic space ! It is what you see after the Book of Kells and is a lot more interesting. It's not that the Book of Kells isn't impressive, but it is a lot money for one page of manuscript. read more