What would a visit to Dublin be without a trip round the Guinness Brewery? Being a fan of the dark liquid I was keen to see it firsthand and check out the rumour that it tastes even better in Ireland. I did, and it does!

The museum is housed in a 19th-century hop store but has been impressively adapted to tell the 200-year-old story of Guinness. You’re guided through all the brewing processes, and the explanation and visual displays are really informative. These include a chronology of Arthur Guinness’s life, the canny Irishman who signed a 9,000-year-lease in 1759 to secure the rent of the St James’ Gate Brewery at £45 a year. Now that was a bargain!

Guinness was based on "porter", a black London ale, and by 1769 it was being exported across to England. Now it will be exported once again, as I understand that the manufacturing plant in London is about to close. The museum has a continuous audio-visual show on the history of Guinness in Ireland.

A transport museum on the ground floor has in pride of place the narrow-gauge steam train that transported materials around the factory site and there are countless models of other "Guinness-owned" modes of transport.

There’s a static display showing the skills of the cooper, and on show, there’s the full range of containers used to store the ale over the generations. Sadly, now all Guinness is stored in standard metal containers.

It’s easy to get lost as you progress up the floors, and the upper floors are a maze of exhibitions, artwork, and posters. Indeed, there’s a superb display of all the advertising that’s been used since 1929. Everyone remembers the "Guinness is good for you" slogan, but we were just amazed at how influential the advertising has been over the decades. The Guinness Toucan was there in all its finery, and you could access videos of all the television and filmed adverts. They were and certainly still are works of art.

At the end of your self-guided tour, you’ll finish at the top of the building in the bar. Here you can get your "free" pint, and if you’re fortunate enough to be with a non-Guinness drinking spouse, there’s a second pint! From the top, there are some great, uninterrupted views over Dublin from the circular bar. As you handed in your voucher for the free pint, you were issued with a souvenir of your visit – a drop of the real thing encased in Perspex. There is no rush up here, but getting your freebie is a bit of a tussle and securing seats requires sheer luck. We found seats near the window and discussed our visit and the finer things of life.

When you’re ready to move on, make sure you call in on the souvenir shop, because even if you don’t intend to buy, there are plenty of quality ideas for that original birthday present!

This is a must for all students, Dublin lovers, and most of all, beer lovers. This is mainly associated with the city and not the creator–we all have our own images of Guinness. This completely changed for me by making a trip to the storehouse, found in the city centre; everyone takes in all the extravagant exhibitions differently, from the indoor waterfalls to the history of the advertisements. Around every corner is a surprise, and there is definitely not a shortage of interactive things to do. You manage to wind up going through the building and covering 4 acres of land, or so I’m told, but there are so many sights that you forget where you are until you reach the Gravity Bar.

This is where I was instantly nauseated by the combination of height and Guinness aromas. Using your entry ticket, in the shape of a light paperweight containing a small amount of Guinness itself, you can receive your complimentary pint and grab a seat to soak in the sights and atmosphere of Dublin from a height. Personally, I would try and do this at sunset, a truly awesome beauty in my experience.

An alternative is to have lunch in the restaurant (try the soup!) or nosy around the gift store, which has some very entertaining souvenirs!

I can only say that the Guinness Storehouse is great fun. Some may prefer just to grab a pint with the locals in the city, but the museum has something to interest everyone.

Opening times:

July and August 9:30am to 10pm
Rest of the year 9:30am to 5pm
Open all bank holidays
Closed: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, St. Stephens Day, and Good Friday

Admission:
Adults: 13.50€
Students: (over 18) 9€, includes "free" pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar
(under 18) 6.50€
Children: (6 to 12) 3€
Children: (Under 6) Free

The Guinness Storehouse is one of the most incredible things to see/do in Dublin. It is huge! You get a great overview of the beer-making process and the life of Arthur Guinness. The best feature, of course, is the free sample. At the very top of the storehouse, you are able to sample Guinness with a view of the city. It is an incredible view. I also skipped the line for buying tickets with the Dublin Pass www.dublinpass.com.

If you had to guess at what the number one tourist attraction was in Ireland, would you guess that it is... a brewery?

Guinness Storehouse (www.guinness-storehouse.com) opened in November 2000, in what was originally one of the factory buildings. In March 2004, Guinness welcomed their 2 millionth customer - an annual draw of 750,000+ visitors/year! The Storehouse won the prestigious Themed Entertainment Association Award (THEA) for 'Outstanding Achievement' by an International Visitor Center in 2003 - it really is quite a handsome exhibit, 4 acres over several floors, with a central atrium shaped like a giant ale glass. They are located a short walk or bus ride from the city center, and have free parking.

Guinness was founded in the mid-1700s by Arthur Guinness, using a £150 legacy left to him by his godfather, the Archbishop of Cashel. It was run by the Guinness family for 227 years. Guinness treated his employees well, with wages 10-20% above local average, guaranteed widow's pensions, paid vacations (unheard of at the time), and provided free benefits like medical care, homes, education etc, plus free beer - truly a man ahead of his time.

We only had to wait in line twice: 1) for tickets (€13.50 adult/€30 family/€9 students + seniors), and 2) to get our free drink at the Gravity bar afterwards. They're open 9:30am-5pm daily (till 9pm July/August), and only closed 4 days per year.

The tour is entirely self-guided with a beautifully designed brochure that guides you through the museum. While there is a fairly logical progression to the tour, starting at the lowest levels and how Guinness is made, working up through different aspects of the Guinness experience, you are not forced to take them in a particular order. Stairs, elevators and escalators connect the various levels.

If you follow the layout, however, you start out by learning about the main ingredients in Guinness: barley, water, hops, and yeast. The first two floors of the exhibit are rather deafening due to the waterfall, but this is a trendy museum and quite unique among brewery tours.

On the higher floors, learn about the history of Guinness, see some of their advertising (both print and televised). One of the highlights for me was seeing the gorgeous antique harp which has lent itself to the trademark of Guinness: a golden harp on a dark background.

Once you have had your fill of Guinness history, head up to the top floor to the Gravity bar, where floor-to-ceiling windows provide a 360-degree view of Dublin and beyond. The acrylic token they give you back also has a dime-sized sample of Guinness embedded in it; it's a cute souvenir.

If this hasn't been enough Guinness for you, stop downstairs on the way out and stock up on Guinness-branded things ranging from T-shirts to jewelry to pure kitsch, or even the Guinness-infused chocolates. (They're quite tasty.)

The Archbishop would be proud.

One of the most popular sights within Dublin city these days it the Guinness Storehouse. With its central location in town and being a drop off point on the Dublin City tour bus route, it is easily accessible to everyone.

We went to the storehouse on St Patrick’s Day eve in 2002 and thankfully we got there early. Our ferry had just come in from Hollyhead in Wales docking about 7am. We walked from the bus station to O’Connell street for breaky and through the Temple Bar area and out to St James gate by 9.30 when it opened. By the time we finished the line up for entry was around the corner – very ugly. One tip is to buy your tickets online and go straight to the front of the queue. This is definitely recommended for peak times like summer, weekends and especially St Patrick’s Day weekend when tourists flock in.

Once inside (adults are €13.50) there are a series of levels to explore behind the history of Guinness and the man who started it all in 1759 – Arthur Guinness. Here was a bloke who started the company from a £100 inheritance and grew it into one of the most popular brands throughout the world today. The levels inside the Storehouse take the visitor through the brewing process where you can smell and feel the ingredients. Also as you progress further you will learn about the making of barrels, the distribution process (which probably explains why the taste of Guinness decreases the further away from Ireland you get) and my favourite level – level 9 - the advertising section of the Guinness brand. This area documents all the previous advertising campaigns from the beginning of the Toucan to the TV ads with dancing Irishman who can’t wait for his Guinness to settle.

After you have walked through the storehouse, there is a lovely surprise waiting for you at the top. It’s called the Gravity Bar and has the best panoramic view over Dublin. Your entry ticket entitles you to a free Guinness (by way of a take home paperweight token with a drop of Guinness inside). If you want to be clever, you can also "acquire" Guinness pints from fellow tourists who take one sip – to say they have tried it – and leave the rest. We. . . ahhh. . . heard of. . . ahh. . . other people doing this. At the bottom, there is also a cool gift shop with lots of branded merchandise to purchase.

Getting there is easy. You can walk there in about 15 minutes from the main street (O’Connell). Turn right when you pass over the Liffey and either walk along the river or through the Temple Bar area. Head past Christchurch and into High/Thomas street. This will lead into James Street and you can’t miss it. From the central bus station, you can also get Bus #123, which gets you there in about 10 minutes.

www.guinness-storehouse.com