The Dublin Horse Show returns to the RDS in Ballsbridge from Wednesday 5th to Sunday 9th August 2026 — five days of international showjumping, the Aga Khan Nations Cup on the Friday, and a full week of Horse Show social activity that has been part of the Dublin calendar for over 150 years. It is also, quietly, one of the hardest weeks of the entire year to find good accommodation in Dublin 4. If you are coming for the show — whether for a single day, the Aga Khan, or the full five days — this guide covers where to stay, how close you can realistically get, and why booking early is not the usual throwaway advice here.
The key dates
- Wednesday 5 – Sunday 9 August 2026 — the full Dublin Horse Show at the RDS, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
- Friday 7 August — the Longines FEI Aga Khan Nations Cup, the show's blue-riband team event. Friday seated tickets sell out months in advance.
- General admission from around €25 per day via the official channels; the Aga Khan requires a separate seated ticket.
The single best area to stay: Ballsbridge & Donnybrook (Dublin 4)
The RDS main entrance is on Merrion Road in the heart of Ballsbridge, and the surrounding Dublin 4 area — Ballsbridge itself and neighbouring Donnybrook — is the obvious place to base yourself. Staying here means you walk to the show in minutes, skip the Horse Show week traffic and parking entirely, and can come and go between sessions to drop bags, change or rest without crossing the city.
Our Ballsbridge serviced apartments and Donnybrook serviced apartments sit roughly a five-minute walk from the RDS main entrance — about as close as it is possible to stay without being inside the grounds. For a multi-day visit, or for the Aga Khan Friday when the area is at its busiest, there is no more convenient base in the city. Take a look at our Donnybrook apartment and the spacious two-bedroom Donnybrook home for a sense of the standard.
Why a serviced apartment makes sense for Horse Show week
Horse Show week is exactly the scenario where a serviced apartment beats a hotel. Dublin 4 hotel rates climb steeply for these five days, and availability evaporates — particularly around the Aga Khan Friday. A serviced apartment booked at a fixed rate sidesteps the surge pricing, gives you space for a group or family attending together, and provides a kitchen and living area to regroup between long days at the showgrounds. For anyone combining the show with the rest of the summer calendar, it is also a comfortable base for a longer stay.
If you are weaving the Horse Show into a wider trip, it falls right at the end of an exceptional summer in the city — our complete Dublin summer 2026 events guide maps out everything else worth timing a stay around, and our conference season accommodation guide explains why the August window puts the most pressure on Dublin 4 accommodation of any week in the year.
Getting to the RDS if you stay elsewhere
If Dublin 4 is fully booked by the time you plan, the next best options are areas with a quick, direct route in. Sandymount and the Sydney Parade DART are a short ride away; the Aircoach and city buses run along the N11 corridor; and the wider southside — Ranelagh in Dublin 6 — is ten to fifteen minutes by taxi. We would still strongly recommend staying within walking distance if you can, because the traffic and parking around Ballsbridge during Horse Show week are genuinely difficult.
Book early — and we mean it this time
"Book early" is advice every accommodation guide gives, but for Horse Show week in Ballsbridge it is the single most important thing on this page. Demand for the limited stock of quality apartments within walking distance of the RDS is exceptionally high for these specific five days, and it is the dates around the Aga Khan Friday that go first. If you know you are coming to the 2026 show, securing your accommodation now — rather than in July — is the difference between staying a five-minute walk from the ring and commuting across the city each morning.
Coming to the Dublin Horse Show 2026? Browse our Ballsbridge and Donnybrook serviced apartments — both a short walk from the RDS — or get in touch with your dates for availability and a fixed quote for Horse Show week. Apartments are available for stays from fourteen nights, so it is the ideal anchor for a longer August stay in Dublin.