Ireland turns Guinness fame into new tourism tours

Ireland is leaning into the renewed attention around the Guinness family with a set of tours that trace the brewer’s roots from Dublin to County Kildare, as interest grows in a possible second season of Netflix’s “The House of Guinness.” The streaming series, created by Steven Knight, entered the Top 10 in 87 countries during its first week and had reached 15 million complete views by the end of 2025, according to figures cited in the tourism promotion. While Netflix has not confirmed a new season, Irish tourism officials are using the moment to steer visitors toward the places tied to Arthur Guinness, who founded his brewing business with 100 pounds and helped shape parts of Dublin’s civic landscape.

One of the main offerings is Arthur’s Legacy Tour, a Friday excursion that begins at The Liberty Belle Pub in central Dublin and combines city landmarks with stops in Kildare. The route includes properties once linked to the Guinness family, among them Iveagh House and Stephens Green, which were used for scenes in “The House of Guinness,” as well as Phoenix Park and Farmleigh House. It also passes sites associated with the family’s philanthropy and civic influence, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Iveagh Market and the Iveagh Trust Buildings, housing built for lower-income residents in Dublin.

The tour also includes the Guinness Storehouse, one of Ireland’s most visited attractions, with about 1.4 million visitors a year. The site marks the location where Arthur Guinness opened his brewery in 1759. From there, the route moves to Celbridge, about 20 kilometers from Dublin, where visitors can see places tied to Arthur Guinness’s early life and family history, including Castletown House and the brewery once managed by his father, Richard Guinness. The itinerary continues to Leixlip, where Arthur Guinness opened his first brewery with money inherited from his godfather, Arthur Price. It then goes on to Ardclough, where the Arthur Guinness Museum is located, and Oughterard, where Arthur Guinness and his wife Olivia are buried.

For travelers who prefer to stay in the capital, Pat Liddy’s Walking Tours offers Houses of Guinness, a walk of just under three hours through central Dublin. The tour focuses on buildings, parks and neighborhoods connected to the family through ownership, donation or restoration. It ends with a pint at a location kept secret until the end of the route but described by organizers as closely tied to the family’s history.

A third option is Arthur’s Way, a 16-kilometer route in Kildare that can be done on foot in about three hours or by bike in about an hour and a half. The path follows places associated with Arthur Guinness while also passing Leixlip Castle, The Wonderful Barn in Celbridge, Hazelhatch and Lyons Estate. Tourism Ireland says My Bike or Hike offers guided versions of that route for visitors who want to move at their own pace through the countryside where Guinness began before becoming one of Ireland’s best-known global brands.