Iveagh Gardens

Often called Dublin's secret garden, this quiet green space lies hidden behind buildings near St Stephen's Green and is less known than its famous neighbour. Designed in the 1860s by Ninian Niven, it combines formal and informal styles with a rustic grotto, a cascade fed by the city water supply, a maze, fountains and a sunken lawn. The gardens were originally attached to a townhouse of the Guinness family before passing into public and university care. Their sheltered layout gives them a calm, tucked-away atmosphere.