Republic of Ireland · Leinster · Dublin
Ballsbridge, Dublin — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Ballsbridge takes its name from a stone crossing of the River Dodder, and holds the ground north and west of it on Dublin's south side.
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Where to stay in Ballsbridge
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
The choice here sits between the Dodder bridge and Haddington Road. Ballsbridge takes the streets north and west of the three-arch crossing on Dublin's south side, near enough to Merrion Street and the National Museum of Ireland that a room works for the city without dropping a visitor into the middle of it. The Royal Hibernian Academy stands close.
Anyone set on the centre instead should look north of the Dodder, because Ballsbridge trades that walk for the quieter bank.
Few places to stay in Ballsbridge — most visitors book in Dublin nearby.
About Ballsbridge
What are the main landmarks in Ballsbridge?
Small museums, not grand ones. The record ties Ballsbridge to the Royal Hibernian Academy, the National Print Museum, the Irish Architectural Archive and Number Twenty Nine: Georgian House Museum, a set leaning toward architecture, printing and drawing rather than toward national collections. St Bartholomew's Church stands among them, with St Mary's Church on Haddington Road nearby.
Baggotrath Castle appears on the same list, and the National Museum of Ireland, Merrion Street sits at the centre-facing end of the walk out of Ballsbridge.
What is the history of Ballsbridge?
A merchant family put the first bridge here. The Ball family, sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Dublin merchants, built and owned the crossing of the River Dodder that handed the neighbourhood its name, and the sign on the parapet still reads Ball's Bridge in acknowledgement of that ownership. The present structure dates from 1791.
Baggotrath Castle belongs to an older layer of the same south-side ground, and Number Twenty Nine: Georgian House Museum keeps one Georgian house standing not far from the water.
Where is Ballsbridge?
The River Dodder runs through Ballsbridge, which holds the ground north and west of its three-arch stone bridge on Dublin's south side.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Ballsbridge?
Dublin: arrivals aiming straight at the National Museum of Ireland and Merrion Street.
Good for
More areas in Dublin
Updated September 2026