7 best day trips from Dublin

Day trips compared

The day trips

15 km · About 30 minutes by DART

1.Howth

A fishing village on a rocky peninsula at the northern tip of Dublin Bay, with a cliff path around Howth Head looking out to Ireland's Eye and the Baily Lighthouse, seals in the harbour and seafood restaurants along the West Pier.

Getting there

DART from Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse

Best for

Couples, Families, Food lovers

50 km · About 1–1.5 hours by car or bus

2.Glendalough

A sixth-century monastic site founded by St Kevin, with a 30-metre round tower and stone churches, set in a glacial valley with two lakes in Wicklow Mountains National Park. Trails range from lakeside strolls to the Spinc ridge high above the Upper Lake.

Getting there

St Kevin's Bus from the city centre, a tour or hire car

Best for

Quiet stays, Couples, Families, Culture

50 km · About 1 hour by car or tour

3.Newgrange and Brú na Bóinne

This 5,000-year-old passage tomb in the Boyne Valley is older than Stonehenge and the Giza pyramids; at the winter solstice, sunrise lights its inner chamber through a roof-box. Visits are by guided tour from the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, which also covers the nearby tombs at Knowth.

Getting there

Hire car or tour; entry only via the visitor centre

Best for

Culture, First-timers

15 km · About 25 minutes by train

4.Malahide Castle

A castle owned by the Talbot family for almost 800 years, with guided tours of its furnished rooms, walled botanical gardens and a large park running down to the seaside village of Malahide and its marina.

Getting there

DART or commuter train from Connolly

Best for

Families, Couples, Quiet stays

25 km · About 40 minutes by car

5.Powerscourt Estate

An 18th-century Palladian house in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains with formal terraced gardens, Italian and Japanese gardens and views to the Sugar Loaf. Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland's highest at about 120 metres, lies about 6 km away on the same estate.

Getting there

Hire car or tour; bus to Enniskerry, then a walk

Best for

Couples, Families, Quiet stays

125 km · About 1 hour 40 minutes by train

6.Kilkenny

A compact medieval city with a Norman castle above the River Nore, St Canice's Cathedral and its climbable round tower, and the 'Medieval Mile' of lanes, pubs and craft shops between them.

Getting there

Train from Heuston station

Best for

Culture, Couples, Food lovers

165 km · About 2 hours 10 minutes by train

7.Belfast

Northern Ireland's capital makes an easy rail day trip: Titanic Belfast beside the shipyard slipways where the ship was built, the domed City Hall, the murals of west Belfast and the food stalls of St George's Market.

Getting there

Enterprise train from Connolly

Best for

Culture, First-timers

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Drivers do not give change for cash fares, so use a Leap Card or the TFI app.
• The DART electric railway follows the coast from Howth and Malahide in the north through Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse stations to Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Bray in the south.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask