diff --git a/.changeset/large-eggs-help.md b/.changeset/large-eggs-help.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e310ad7645
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/large-eggs-help.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-explore': minor
+---
+
+Introduce external route for linking to the entity page from the explore plugin.
+
+To use the explore plugin you have to bind the external route in your app:
+
+```typescript
+const app = createApp({
+  ...
+  bindRoutes({ bind }) {
+    ...
+    bind(explorePlugin.externalRoutes, {
+      catalogEntity: catalogPlugin.routes.catalogEntity,
+    });
+  },
+});
+```
diff --git a/packages/app/src/App.tsx b/packages/app/src/App.tsx
index 5b6f7b95fe..7acde03953 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/App.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/App.tsx
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import {
   CostInsightsPage,
   CostInsightsProjectGrowthInstructionsPage,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-cost-insights';
-import { ExplorePage } from '@backstage/plugin-explore';
+import { ExplorePage, explorePlugin } from '@backstage/plugin-explore';
 import { GcpProjectsPage } from '@backstage/plugin-gcp-projects';
 import { GraphiQLPage } from '@backstage/plugin-graphiql';
 import { LighthousePage } from '@backstage/plugin-lighthouse';
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ const app = createApp({
     bind(apiDocsPlugin.externalRoutes, {
       createComponent: scaffolderPlugin.routes.root,
     });
+    bind(explorePlugin.externalRoutes, {
+      catalogEntity: catalogPlugin.routes.catalogEntity,
+    });
   },
 });
 
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.test.tsx b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.test.tsx
index 9d409051f6..56a02a3642 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.test.tsx
@@ -15,13 +15,13 @@
  */
 
 import { DomainEntity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
-import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { renderInTestApp } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import React from 'react';
-import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { catalogEntityRouteRef } from '../../routes';
 import { DomainCard } from './DomainCard';
 
 describe('<DomainCard />', () => {
-  it('renders a domain card', () => {
+  it('renders a domain card', async () => {
     const entity: DomainEntity = {
       apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1alpha1',
       kind: 'Domain',
@@ -34,9 +34,14 @@ describe('<DomainCard />', () => {
         owner: 'guest',
       },
     };
-    const { getByText } = render(<DomainCard entity={entity} />, {
-      wrapper: MemoryRouter,
-    });
+    const { getByText } = await renderInTestApp(
+      <DomainCard entity={entity} />,
+      {
+        mountedRoutes: {
+          '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name': catalogEntityRouteRef,
+        },
+      },
+    );
 
     expect(getByText('artists')).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(getByText('Everything about artists')).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.tsx b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.tsx
index e5efc543b2..67bee13696 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCard.tsx
@@ -14,15 +14,14 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 import { DomainEntity, RELATION_OWNED_BY } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
-import { ItemCard } from '@backstage/core';
+import { ItemCard, useRouteRef } from '@backstage/core';
 import {
   EntityRefLinks,
-  entityRoute,
   entityRouteParams,
   getEntityRelations,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-react';
 import React from 'react';
-import { generatePath } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { catalogEntityRouteRef } from '../../routes';
 
 type DomainCardProps = {
   entity: DomainEntity;
@@ -30,6 +29,7 @@ type DomainCardProps = {
 
 export const DomainCard = ({ entity }: DomainCardProps) => {
   const ownedByRelations = getEntityRelations(entity, RELATION_OWNED_BY);
+  const catalogEntityRoute = useRouteRef(catalogEntityRouteRef);
 
   return (
     <ItemCard
@@ -44,11 +44,7 @@ export const DomainCard = ({ entity }: DomainCardProps) => {
         />
       }
       label="Explore"
-      // TODO: Use useRouteRef here to generate the path
-      href={generatePath(
-        `/catalog/${entityRoute.path}`,
-        entityRouteParams(entity),
-      )}
+      href={catalogEntityRoute(entityRouteParams(entity))}
     />
   );
 };
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCardGrid.test.tsx b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCardGrid.test.tsx
index bad3ca581b..ee06a50427 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCardGrid.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainCard/DomainCardGrid.test.tsx
@@ -15,13 +15,13 @@
  */
 
 import { DomainEntity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
-import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { renderInTestApp } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import React from 'react';
-import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { catalogEntityRouteRef } from '../../routes';
 import { DomainCardGrid } from './DomainCardGrid';
 
 describe('<DomainCardGrid />', () => {
-  it('renders a grid of domain cards', () => {
+  it('renders a grid of domain cards', async () => {
     const entities: DomainEntity[] = [
       {
         apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1alpha1',
@@ -44,9 +44,14 @@ describe('<DomainCardGrid />', () => {
         },
       },
     ];
-    const { getByText } = render(<DomainCardGrid entities={entities} />, {
-      wrapper: MemoryRouter,
-    });
+    const { getByText } = await renderInTestApp(
+      <DomainCardGrid entities={entities} />,
+      {
+        mountedRoutes: {
+          '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name': catalogEntityRouteRef,
+        },
+      },
+    );
 
     expect(getByText('artists')).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(getByText('playback')).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainExplorerContent/DomainExplorerContent.test.tsx b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainExplorerContent/DomainExplorerContent.test.tsx
index f29ad2cd6a..cd3f2847c6 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainExplorerContent/DomainExplorerContent.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/components/DomainExplorerContent/DomainExplorerContent.test.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { catalogApiRef } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-react';
 import { renderInTestApp } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import { waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
 import React from 'react';
+import { catalogEntityRouteRef } from '../../routes';
 import { DomainExplorerContent } from './DomainExplorerContent';
 
 describe('<DomainExplorerContent />', () => {
@@ -71,6 +72,11 @@ describe('<DomainExplorerContent />', () => {
       <Wrapper>
         <DomainExplorerContent />
       </Wrapper>,
+      {
+        mountedRoutes: {
+          '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name': catalogEntityRouteRef,
+        },
+      },
     );
 
     await waitFor(() => {
@@ -86,6 +92,11 @@ describe('<DomainExplorerContent />', () => {
       <Wrapper>
         <DomainExplorerContent />
       </Wrapper>,
+      {
+        mountedRoutes: {
+          '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name': catalogEntityRouteRef,
+        },
+      },
     );
 
     await waitFor(() =>
@@ -101,6 +112,11 @@ describe('<DomainExplorerContent />', () => {
       <Wrapper>
         <DomainExplorerContent />
       </Wrapper>,
+      {
+        mountedRoutes: {
+          '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name': catalogEntityRouteRef,
+        },
+      },
     );
 
     await waitFor(() =>
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/plugin.ts b/plugins/explore/src/plugin.ts
index 27573eaeb9..c5dd6644e7 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/plugin.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 import { createApiFactory, createPlugin } from '@backstage/core';
 import { exploreToolsConfigRef } from '@backstage/plugin-explore-react';
-import { exploreRouteRef } from './routes';
+import { catalogEntityRouteRef, exploreRouteRef } from './routes';
 import { exampleTools } from './util/examples';
 
 export const explorePlugin = createPlugin({
@@ -37,4 +37,7 @@ export const explorePlugin = createPlugin({
   routes: {
     explore: exploreRouteRef,
   },
+  externalRoutes: {
+    catalogEntity: catalogEntityRouteRef,
+  },
 });
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/routes.ts b/plugins/explore/src/routes.ts
index c41a53128f..fc7868c4c9 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/routes.ts
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/routes.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { createRouteRef } from '@backstage/core';
+import { createExternalRouteRef, createRouteRef } from '@backstage/core';
 
 const NoIcon = () => null;
 
@@ -22,3 +22,8 @@ export const exploreRouteRef = createRouteRef({
   icon: NoIcon,
   title: 'Explore',
 });
+
+export const catalogEntityRouteRef = createExternalRouteRef({
+  id: 'catalog-entity',
+  params: ['namespace', 'kind', 'name'],
+});