Dublin travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Dublin, Leinster, Ireland.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Howth Village & Cliff Walk
Howth is a peninsula village at the northern end of Dublin Bay, reached directly by DART. Its harbour still lands fresh fish sold at quayside stalls, and the Cliff Path Loop circles the headland above the Irish Sea with views to Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island.
Highlights: Cliff Path Loop (green trail, about 6 km, 2–2.5 hours) around Howth Head with sea views the whole way · Fresh seafood stalls and chippers along the harbour, including the well-known Beshoff Bros and Octopussy's fish stall · Howth Castle grounds and the National Transport Museum on the same grounds · Boat trips to Ireland's Eye island (weather-dependent, departs from the East Pier)
Glendalough Monastic City & Wicklow Mountains
Glendalough ('valley of two lakes') is the site of a monastery founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century, with a well-preserved round tower, ruined churches, and a graveyard beside the Lower Lake, plus walking trails around the more remote Upper Lake further into the valley.
Highlights: The monastic city (round tower, cathedral ruins, St. Kevin's Kitchen) beside the Lower Lake, free to explore on foot · Upper Lake trails, from an easy 30-minute lakeshore loop to the longer Spinc ridge walk with valley views · Glendalough Visitor Centre exhibition on the monastic site's history (small entry fee) · St. Kevin's Way, a longer waymarked pilgrim trail for those wanting a half-day hike beyond the lake loops
Powerscourt Estate & Gardens
Powerscourt Estate is a Palladian house (now largely shops and a café, following a 1974 fire) surrounded by 19 hectares of terraced formal gardens, statuary, and an ornamental lake, with the Great Sugar Loaf peak visible in the background. The separate Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland's tallest at 121m, is 6 km away and requires its own transport or a taxi from the estate.
Highlights: The Italian Garden and Triton Lake, the estate's formal centrepiece · The Japanese Garden and Pepperpot Tower, quieter corners further from the main lawns · Powerscourt Waterfall (separate site, 6 km away — a taxi or the seasonal shuttle link is needed, not walkable) · Avoca café and craft shops inside the house, a well-regarded lunch stop
Newgrange & Brú na Bóinne
Newgrange is a Neolithic passage tomb built around 3200 BCE, predating Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Entry to the tomb itself is only possible on a timed guided tour booked through the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, which also includes a shuttle bus to the monument — independent travellers cannot walk up to the tomb directly.
Highlights: The passage tomb interior tour, including a simulated recreation of the winter solstice light beam illuminating the inner chamber · The visitor centre exhibition on Neolithic Boyne Valley culture, included with the tomb ticket · Knowth, a second, larger passage tomb complex on the same site with the most Neolithic megalithic art in Western Europe (separate tour slot) · The River Boyne walkway alongside the visitor centre, free to walk without a ticket
Malahide Castle & Gardens
Malahide Castle was home to the Talbot family for nearly 800 years until 1976 and sits within a 260-acre demesne of parkland, walled gardens, and a butterfly house. The castle interior is seen on a guided tour; the extensive grounds, playground, and walled garden are free to walk once inside the park gates.
Highlights: Guided castle interior tour covering the Talbot family's portrait collection and medieval great hall · The Walled Garden and West Lawn, a separate paid attraction within the grounds with rare plant collections · Tara's Palace Museum of Ireland, a dollhouse and miniatures museum on-site, popular with children · Malahide village and marina, a 15-minute walk from the castle, with waterfront cafés
Kilkenny City
Kilkenny is a walkable medieval city on the River Nore, centred on Kilkenny Castle and the 'Medieval Mile' running from the castle to St. Canice's Cathedral. Its narrow laneways ('slips'), preserved 13th-century street plan, and dense concentration of pubs and craft breweries make it a full-day trip that rewards being on foot rather than a rushed stop.
Highlights: Kilkenny Castle and its riverside parkland, free to walk the grounds without a castle ticket · The Medieval Mile Museum and St. Canice's Cathedral with its round tower (climbable, separate small fee) · Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny, a self-guided visitor experience on the site of the historic brewery · The Butter Slip and other narrow medieval laneways connecting High Street to the castle
Bray and Wicklow Coastal Walk
Bray is a Victorian seaside resort town at the southern end of the DART line, with a long promenade backed by amusements and chip shops, and the Bray Head Cliff Walk climbing away from the seafront to link with Greystones 7 km south. The walk is a real coastal hike, not a stroll, with sustained climbing and cliff-edge sections.
Highlights: Bray Head Cliff Walk to Greystones (about 7 km one-way, 2–3 hours, moderate-to-strenuous with a steady climb out of Bray) · The seafront promenade and beach, flat and suitable for a shorter, easier walk · Return option: DART runs from Greystones back to Dublin, so the cliff walk does not need to be retraced on foot · The National Sea Life Centre on the promenade, a wet-weather backup option
Dún Laoghaire & East Pier
Dún Laoghaire (pronounced dun LEER-ə) is a Victorian harbour town on Dublin Bay, built around two granite piers completed in 1842 that still shelter one of Ireland's largest marinas. The 1.5 km East Pier is a flat, paved promenade used year-round by walkers and swimmers, ending at a lighthouse with views back across the bay to Howth Head.
Highlights: East Pier walk (1.5 km each way, flat and paved, no fitness requirement) · The Forty Foot bathing spot at Sandycove, a 20-minute walk south, for a cold-water swim · James Joyce Tower & Museum at Sandycove, the setting for the opening chapter of Ulysses · Thursday morning farmers market on the People's Park green
Trim Castle
Trim Castle is a 12th-century Anglo-Norman stronghold on the banks of the River Boyne, with a cruciform keep that is the largest of its kind in Ireland. The grounds are freely walkable; access to the keep interior and battlements is by guided tour only, run by the OPW at set times throughout the day.
Highlights: The 20-sided cruciform keep, accessible only via a timed OPW guided tour (tickets at the visitor centre, cannot be pre-booked online — arrive early in peak season) · The free-to-walk castle grounds and River Boyne towpath · Trim town itself, a compact medieval streetscape with the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey and the Yellow Steeple across the river · Can be paired with Newgrange/Brú na Bóinne (20 minutes further by car) for a combined Boyne Valley day
Wicklow Mountains National Park & Sally Gap
The Military Road (R115) climbs from Dublin's suburbs into open blanket bog and crosses the Wicklow Mountains at Sally Gap, a crossroads at over 500m with no buildings, shops, or facilities — just moorland, the Liffey Head Bog, and views over Lough Tay (the 'Guinness Lake') further south. It is a separate experience from the sheltered valley at Glendalough, exposed and often windswept.
Highlights: Lough Tay viewpoint, a small lake with a white sand 'beach' (privately owned shoreline, view from the road pull-in only), a few km south of Sally Gap · Liffey Head Bog, the source of the River Liffey, a short boardwalk-free bog walk near the crossroads · Glenmacnass Waterfall, a roadside cascade a further 10 minutes south on the R115 · No entry fee and no opening hours — the pass and viewpoints are open-air and accessible any time of day
Avoca Village & Meeting of the Waters
Avoca is a small village on the River Avoca, home to Ireland's oldest working woollen mill (established 1723, now a shop and café). Two kilometres north, the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers join at the Meeting of the Waters, the beauty spot that inspired Thomas Moore's 1807 poem of the same name; a flat riverside footpath connects the village to the confluence.
Highlights: Avoca Handweavers Mill shop and café, the original site of the Avoca brand · The Meeting of the Waters riverside walk, roughly 2 km each way, flat and well-marked · The village itself, used as the fictional 'Ballykissangel' in the 1990s BBC television series · Motte Stone viewpoint above the village for a wider valley view (short uphill walk)
Wicklow Town & Wicklow Gaol
Wicklow Town is a low-key harbour town at the mouth of the River Vartry, easily reached by train. Its main visitor attraction is Wicklow's Historic Gaol, a former prison in use from 1702 to 1924 that held prisoners later transported to Australia; the building is now a museum with reconstructed cells and audio-guided tours covering the building's use during the 1798 rebellion and the Famine era.
Highlights: Wicklow's Historic Gaol self-guided audio tour through original cells, courtroom, and punishment areas · Wicklow Head Lighthouse and cliff path, a 5 km round-trip walk from the town centre · The harbour and Black Castle ruins on the headland south of the town, a short walk from the centre · Wicklow County Museum's exhibits, housed in the same Gaol building complex
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- DART
- Bus Éireann
- Guided day tour
- Car hire
Multi-day tours from Dublin
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
Browse multi-day tours from DublinWe may earn a commission from bookings made through this link.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
A Leap Card can be used for DART day trips to Howth, Malahide, and Dún Laoghaire — fares are roughly 30% cheaper than cash
Bus Éireann (buseireann.ie) and Dublin Coach (dublincoach.ie) serve Wicklow, Kilkenny, and other destinations without a car
Guided day tours from Dublin (city centre pickup) run to Newgrange, Glendalough, Kilkenny, and the Cliffs of Moher — Paddywagon Tours (paddywagontours.com) and Irish Day Tours (irishdaytours.com) are reliable operators
For driving: Irish roads are narrow; allow 25–30% more time than Google Maps suggests for rural routes