Emerald Park (Tayto Park): Complete Family Day Trip Guide from Dublin

Emerald Park bills itself as Ireland’s only theme park and zoo, it is about 25 km north-west of Dublin in a field in County Meath, and for most of its life it was named after a brand of crisps. That is not a joke at its expense — Tayto Park was built by businessman Ray Coyle and themed on the crisp brand, it worked, and it grew into a genuine attraction with a rollercoaster and a zoo. It rebranded as Emerald Park and the crisps came off the sign, but the taxi drivers still call it Tayto Park and so, quietly, does everybody else.

This is a complete guide to a day at Emerald Park from Dublin: what the tickets actually cost and the difference between the two main types, how to get there on a bus if you have no car, what is there for a six-year-old as opposed to a sixteen-year-old, how the Halloween season works, and the honest question of whether it beats Dublin Zoo for a family day out. The one thing this guide will not do is tell you it is open on your date, because the opening calendar is seasonal and changes — always check the operator before you travel.

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Quick Answer: Is Emerald Park Worth a Day?

Yes, if you have children roughly between four and fourteen and a full day to give it. Emerald Park combines a theme park and a zoo on one site, which is unusual, and the All Access ticket at €44 booked in advance covers everything including the animals. For a family of four that is a serious outlay — around €176 — but it fills an entire day in a way that a museum or a castle will not, and there is no Irish equivalent.

It is the wrong day out if your children are under about four, if you have no car and limited patience for a bus connection, or if it is raining hard — this is an outdoor park in Meath and the weather matters. The Junior Zone ticket at €40 exists for younger families but excludes ten of the All Access rides plus Na Fianna Force and The Quest, so read what you are buying. Under-3s go free.

Ticket	Early bird	Regular	Covers
All Access	€44	€54	Everything — rides, zoo, shows
Junior Zone	€40	€49	Junior rides and playgrounds only
Senior Citizen	€32		As per zone
Additional Needs	€27		Carers enter free
Child 0–2	Free		Junior Zone, subject to height

The early bird rate applies when you book online before midnight the night before your visit — so it is not a months-ahead discount, it is simply a reward for not buying at the gate. That is a €10 a head difference, or €40 for a family of four, for about two minutes of planning. Tickets bought on the day are subject to availability and charged at full price.

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Yes, It Used to Be Tayto Park

The park opened in 2010 as Tayto Park, built by businessman Ray Coyle and themed on the Irish crisp brand whose mascot, Mr Tayto, was for years the face of the place. It was renamed Emerald Park in 2023, after the Tayto sponsorship was not renewed. Everything else stayed: the same location at Kilbrew near Ashbourne, the same rides, the same zoo.

Practically, this matters for one reason — search results, satnavs and older guidebooks still say Tayto Park, and locals still say it. If you ask a Dublin taxi driver for Emerald Park you may get a pause; say Tayto Park and you will be there in forty minutes. They are the same place.

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Getting There Without a Car

The most common practical question, and the answer is better than it used to be.

• Bus Éireann route 105 — Blanchardstown to Drogheda via Ashbourne — stops at the park entrance. This is the one to aim for.
• Bus Éireann route 103 — Dublin to Ashbourne and Ratoath — also serves the area.
• A common routing from the city centre is the 103 to Ashbourne and then the 105 to the park, with a total journey of about 45 minutes.
• By car it is roughly forty minutes from the city centre, north-west on the M2/N2 towards Ashbourne. Parking is on site.
• A taxi from Dublin is realistic but not cheap for the distance, and you will need to arrange the return. See the taxi guide.

Check current timetables before you commit, because bus frequencies to Meath are not the same as Dublin city frequencies and a missed connection on the way home is a long wait. Our day trips without a car guide covers the wider picture, and renting a car in Dublin explains when hiring for a day makes sense — for a family of four heading to Emerald Park, it often does.

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What Is Actually There

The big rides

The park’s headline attraction is its wooden rollercoaster, and it is a serious one by any standard — this is not a fairground ride bolted onto a petting zoo. Alongside it the All Access zone carries the rest of the thrill rides, including Na Fianna Force and The Quest, both of which are specifically excluded from the Junior Zone ticket.

Height restrictions apply across the thrill rides and they are the single biggest source of disappointment for families. If you have a child hovering around a height threshold, measure them at home and check the operator’s ride list before buying an All Access ticket you cannot fully use.

The zoo

The genuinely distinctive part, and the reason Emerald Park is not simply a theme park. The zoo is included in the All Access ticket rather than charged separately, and it holds a collection well beyond what you would expect at an amusement park. For a certain kind of visitor the animals are the better half of the day, and they are also the wet-weather fallback when the outdoor rides get uncomfortable.

Younger children and the Junior Zone

The Junior Zone ticket at €40 early bird is aimed at families whose children are too small for the thrill rides. It covers designated attractions and playgrounds and excludes ten All Access rides plus Na Fianna Force and The Quest. Under-3s enter free with Junior Zone access, subject to height requirements.

The honest advice: if your children are five and up and reasonably tall, buy All Access, because Junior Zone is only €4 cheaper at the early bird rate and you will spend the day looking at rides you cannot go on. If they are three and four, Junior Zone is the right ticket and the day is still worth doing. If they are under three, wait a couple of years — Dublin Zoo or the city parks and playgrounds will serve you better and cost far less.

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Halloween: After Dark

Late October is one of the best times to go, because the park runs a Halloween season. After Dark is back for 2026, staged in the Thrill Zone and Tír na nÓg, and the park also runs a daytime Halloween programme. There is a Christmas Experience later in the year with a grotto and market.

Two things to know. First, check the park’s Halloween event page for ticket details and book early. Second, the Irish school mid-term falls in the week of the October bank holiday, which in 2026 is Monday 26 October, so expect crowds that week. If you want the Halloween atmosphere without the crowds, aim for a weekday earlier in the month. Our Halloween in Dublin guide covers what else is on, including the Bram Stoker Festival over the bank holiday weekend.

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Food, Facilities and Accessibility

Three things worth knowing before you commit a whole day to a site in a field.

• Food. There are outlets on site and they are priced as theme-park food generally is. A family that brings its own lunch saves a meaningful amount on a day that is already costing €176 for four. There are picnic areas; check the operator’s current policy on bringing food in before you pack a cool bag.
• Accessibility. The park sells an Additional Needs ticket at €27 and admits accompanying carers free, which is a genuinely good policy and better than most Irish attractions manage. Individual rides have their own access and height rules, so contact the park ahead if you need specifics rather than working it out at the gate.
• Facilities. Parking is on site and included. Expect the usual theme-park geography of long walks between zones — this is a large site and small children will be carried by mid-afternoon. A buggy is worth having for anyone under about five even if they normally walk.

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When to Go

The season shapes the day more than anything except the weather.

• July and August — fullest opening and longest hours, and longer queues in peak season. Weekdays beat weekends substantially.
• Late April to June — the sweet spot. Long evenings, decent weather odds, and schools still in session midweek.
• September and early October — quiet, and the ride queues are a fraction of summer. Reduced opening days.
• Late October — the Halloween season and After Dark, but also Irish school mid-term around the bank holiday on Monday 26 October 2026, so expect crowds.
• Winter — the Christmas Experience with its grotto and market, and otherwise substantially reduced.

Whatever the month, a dry weekday at opening time is worth more than any ticket discount. See the best time to visit Dublin for the wider seasonal picture.

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Emerald Park or Dublin Zoo?

The fair comparison, because most families visiting Dublin are choosing between them rather than doing both.

	Emerald Park	Dublin Zoo
Where	Ashbourne, Co. Meath, about 25 km	Phoenix Park, in the city
Getting there	Car, or a regional bus	City bus, or walk from Heuston
What it is	Theme park plus zoo	Zoo, inside Phoenix Park
Best age	About 5–14	Any age, including toddlers
Weather	Outdoor rides — weather matters a lot	Also outdoor, but easier to abandon
Time needed	A full day	Half a day, or a full one
Around it	Not much	Phoenix Park, deer, playgrounds, free

The verdict: for children under five, Dublin Zoo, comfortably — it is in the city, it is easier to leave early, and Phoenix Park around it is free and enormous. For children between about five and fourteen, Emerald Park gives you the bigger day and the thing they will talk about. For teenagers, Emerald Park or nothing. See Dublin for families, family attractions and day trips with kids for the rest of the options.

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Planning the Day

• Book online the night before at the latest for the early bird rate. €10 a head is worth two minutes.
• Check the opening calendar on the day you intend to go, not the week before. The park runs a seasonal timetable, closes at 17:00 rather than 18:00 on some days.
• Arrive at opening. Expect longer queues in peak season and around midday, so take the big rides first.
• Measure your children before you buy. Height restrictions decide which ticket is right.
• Bring waterproofs, not umbrellas. It is an exposed site in Meath and the local rule applies — a hooded waterproof beats an umbrella every time. See the weather guide.
• Plan the return journey before you go if you are on the bus.
• Allow a full day. This is not a half-day attraction and rushing it wastes the ticket.

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Is It Worth It From a Dublin City Break?

Worth asking plainly, because a day here costs a family of four about €176 plus transport and eats one of your days entirely.

If you are in Dublin for three or four days with children and the trip is for the children, yes — it is the biggest single day out available and it is the one they will remember. If you are in Dublin for a long weekend and trying to see the city, no: the same money spread across Dublin Zoo, the free national museums and an afternoon in Phoenix Park gives you more, costs less, and does not put forty minutes of road at each end of the day.

The families who get most out of it are the ones staying north of the city or driving on to the Boyne Valley or Newgrange afterwards, for whom the geography works rather than fights them. Meath is a genuinely good county to spend a day in, and the park is not the only reason to be there.

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Gotchas

• The opening calendar is seasonal and changes. Check the operator’s own calendar for your date — do not assume it is open.
• Closing time varies — some days the park closes at 17:00 rather than 18:00.
• Early bird means before midnight the night before, not months ahead. Missing it costs €10 a head.
• Tickets bought on the day are subject to availability and charged at full price.
• Junior Zone excludes ten All Access rides plus Na Fianna Force and The Quest. It is only €4 cheaper at the early bird rate.
• Height restrictions apply on the thrill rides and are the commonest cause of a disappointing day.
• Check the event pages for Halloween and Christmas and book early.
• The October bank holiday week is Irish school mid-term — Monday 26 October 2026 — so expect crowds.
• It is an outdoor park. A wet day materially reduces what you get for €44.
• Satnavs and locals still say Tayto Park. Same place.

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FAQ: Emerald Park

Is Emerald Park the same as Tayto Park?

Yes. The park opened as Tayto Park, built by businessman Ray Coyle and themed on the Irish crisp brand, and was renamed Emerald Park in 2023 after the Tayto sponsorship was not renewed. Same site at Kilbrew near Ashbourne in County Meath, same rides, same zoo. Older guidebooks, satnav entries and most Dublin taxi drivers still call it Tayto Park, so use whichever name gets you understood.

How do you get to Emerald Park without a car?

Bus Éireann route 105, running Blanchardstown to Drogheda via Ashbourne, stops at the park entrance — that is the one to aim for. Route 103 from Dublin to Ashbourne and Ratoath also serves the area, and a common routing is the 103 to Ashbourne then the 105 to the gate, taking about 45 minutes in total. Check current timetables both ways, because Meath bus frequencies are thinner than Dublin’s and the return connection matters.

Is Emerald Park good for young kids?

For four to six-year-olds, yes, with the Junior Zone ticket at €40 early bird, which covers the junior rides and playgrounds. For under-threes it is poor value even though they enter free — they will be too small for most of it, and Dublin Zoo or the city playgrounds give a better day for far less. From about five upwards, buy All Access instead, because Junior Zone is only €4 cheaper and excludes twelve rides.

How much does Emerald Park cost?

All Access is €44 booked online before midnight the night before, or €54 on the day. Junior Zone is €40 early bird and €49 regular. Senior citizens pay €32, visitors with additional needs €27 with carers free, and children under three go free with Junior Zone access subject to height. A family of four on All Access early bird comes to about €176.

How long do you need at Emerald Park?

A full day. Between the rides, the zoo and the shows there is plenty to fill it, queues eat time in the middle of the day, and the ticket price only makes sense if you use the whole thing. Arrive at opening and take the big rides first while the queues are short.

Is Emerald Park open in winter?

Partly. The park runs a seasonal calendar rather than opening year-round in the same way, with a Halloween season including the After Dark event and a Christmas Experience with a grotto and market. Outside those, off-peak opening is reduced. The calendar is the single thing to check on the operator’s site before travelling.

What is After Dark at Emerald Park?

The park’s Halloween event, running again for 2026 in the Thrill Zone and Tír na nÓg. It is an evening programme distinct from ordinary daytime admission, so check the event page for tickets and book early. If you are visiting Dublin in late October it pairs naturally with the rest of the city’s Halloween programme — see Halloween in Dublin.

Emerald Park or Dublin Zoo — which is better?

Depends entirely on ages. Under five, Dublin Zoo: it is in the city, it is in Phoenix Park with free open space all around it, and you can leave when the children flag. Five to fourteen, Emerald Park: it is the bigger day and the one they will remember, and its own zoo is included in the ticket. Teenagers will want Emerald Park. See the Dublin Zoo guide.

Does the ticket include the zoo?

Yes on All Access, which covers all attractions, the zoo and the shows for the full day, and it is a significant part of what makes the €44 defensible. The Junior Zone ticket covers designated attractions and playgrounds; check what it includes for the zoo before you buy if the animals are the main draw.

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Keep Planning

• Dublin for Families — the parent guide, with everything ranked by age.
• Family Attractions in Dublin — what works in the city itself.
• Day Trips with Kids — the other options outside Dublin.
• Dublin Zoo — the city-centre alternative, in Phoenix Park.
• Renting a Car in Dublin — when hiring for a day makes sense.
• Halloween in Dublin — After Dark, Bram Stoker and the bank holiday week.
• Rainy-Day Options with Kids — for when Meath is under cloud.
• Day Trips Without a Car — the bus and rail options.

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Keep Reading

• Dublin for Families & Kids
• Day Trips with Kids from Dublin