The Phoenix Park is the largest urban enclosed park in Europe and one of the largest city parks in the world. Covering a total area of 712 hectares, it’s bigger than both Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London.

It’s an area of stunning natural beauty right in the heart of a city. The park has numerous ornamental gardens along with nature trails, broad expanses of grassland with avenues of trees, including oak, beech, pine, chestnut, and lime. You’ll see deer, horses and other livestock graze peacefully on the pasturelands here. ?

The Phoenix Park has a wide variety of activities. Dublin Zoo is the parks main attraction and attracts hundreds of visitors each year, especially during the summer months. It’s actually the third oldest Zoo in the world; it was opened in the year 1830. You’ll find all the locals here; hippos, rhinos, orangutans and lizards as well as lions, polar bears etc….

Áras an Uachtaráin is also in the Phoenix Park. This is where the President of Ireland (Mary McAleese) as well as the American ambassador to Ireland lives. British Representatives used to stay here too, before the free state was established. The Police headquarters, also in the park, contains the small but interesting police museum.

It was built back in 1751. It’s a massive whitewashed building, with endless extensions; an architect named Francis Johnston in 1816 designed the largest one.

In 1882, the brutal murder of the Chief Secretary, Lord Cavendish and his understudy took place just outside the building. An extreme group of nationalist group called the Invincibles.

The Office of Public Works looks it after. Over the past 10 years or so they have taken on the task of mass tree replanting. Over 10,000 trees have been planted since the program began.

The Phoenix Park is an excellent resource and is used by both young an old all year round.