Day trips
Day trips from Dublin — times, costs and how to get there
Dublin has an unusual advantage: real mountains, Neolithic tombs and a coastline are all inside an hour. The DART covers the seaside villages without a car, while Wicklow and the Boyne Valley reward driving. Twelve options below with times, seasons and rough costs — then draw your own radius.
12 day trips worth the journey
Rail times are typical direct DART or Irish Rail services; drive times assume leaving outside the M50 rush, which in practice means before about 07:30 or after 09:30.
| Destination | By train | By car | Distance | Best season | Rough day cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HowthCliff loop walk, working harbour and seafood, reachable on a city fare. | about 30m on the DART | 35m | 15 km / 9 mi | All year | €15–35 |
| Bray and GreystonesThe Bray to Greystones cliff walk, then the train back from the far end. | about 45m on the DART | 45m | 25 km / 16 mi | April to October | €15–35 |
| Glendalough, Co. WicklowMonastic ruins and two glacial lakes with walks from 30 minutes to four hours. | No direct rail | 1h 15m | 60 km / 37 mi | All year | €25–55 |
| Wicklow Mountains and Sally GapA high bog road loop; a driving day rather than a destination. | No direct rail | 1h 20m | 55 km / 34 mi | May to September | €20–45 |
| Powerscourt Estate and WaterfallFormal gardens plus Ireland's tallest waterfall a short drive apart. | No direct rail | 50m | 30 km / 19 mi | Spring to autumn | €30–55 |
| Newgrange and Brú na BóinneNeolithic passage tomb older than the pyramids; visitor-centre tour only. | No direct rail | 1h | 50 km / 31 mi | All year | €35–60 |
| Trim and the Boyne ValleyThe largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, quiet and easy to park at. | No direct rail | 55m | 50 km / 31 mi | Spring to autumn | €25–50 |
| KilkennyCastle, medieval mile and a genuinely good food scene in one walkable city. | about 1h 30m from Heuston | 1h 40m | 125 km / 78 mi | All year | €45–80 |
| BelfastTitanic Quarter and the city centre; a long but very doable rail day. | about 2h 15m from Connolly (Enterprise) | 2h | 165 km / 103 mi | All year | €60–100 |
| Malahide and PortmarnockCastle and gardens plus a long sand beach, ideal with small children. | about 25m from Connolly | 35m | 20 km / 12 mi | May to September | €20–40 |
| Carlingford, Co. LouthMedieval village on a lough between mountains and the sea. | No direct rail | 1h 20m | 100 km / 62 mi | April to October | €30–60 |
| Hook Head and Wexford coastOne of the world's oldest working lighthouses; only worth it on a long summer day. | No direct rail | 2h 15m | 175 km / 109 mi | May to September | €40–70 |
Times are typical off-peak journeys and vary with traffic, engineering works and time of year. Costs are a rough per-person guide for one adult covering transport plus the main entry fee.
Set your own radius from Dublin
A table is a starting point, not your day. Open the planner with Dublin as the base, drag the radius to the distance you are willing to travel, and tick who is coming — small children, teenagers, step-free access, dogs, vegan, budget. Only places inside your circle are offered, each with opening hours, ticket cost and access warnings, and the whole day costed as one number.
Which one should you pick?
- First time, no car
- Howth. Thirty minutes on the DART, a cliff loop with real views, and lunch at the harbour.
- Best single day out
- Glendalough. The monastic site plus the Upper Lake walk fills a day and looks nothing like the city you left.
- With small children
- Malahide Castle and beach, or Powerscourt gardens — short travel, one attraction, open space.
- History over scenery
- Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, with Trim Castle in the same loop.
- If you have a full long day
- Belfast by train or the Wicklow Gap and Sally Gap driving loop.
Common questions
- What is the best day trip from Dublin without a car?
- Howth, Malahide and the Bray-to-Greystones cliff walk are all on the DART, and Kilkenny and Belfast are direct trains from Heuston and Connolly. Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains realistically need a car or an organised bus tour.
- Can you visit Glendalough as a day trip from Dublin?
- Yes. It is about 1h 15m by car and easily a half-day: the monastic site and Lower Lake take an hour, the Upper Lake and Spinc walk add two to four hours. There is no direct train, so drive or take a tour bus.
- How far can you go for a day trip from Dublin?
- About two hours each way is the sensible limit — that reaches Belfast, Kilkenny, Galway at a push, and most of the Wicklow, Meath and Louth coast. Anything further is better as an overnight.
- What is the best day trip from Dublin with kids?
- Malahide Castle and beach, Howth, or Powerscourt. Short journeys, one anchor attraction, and space to run. Set the radius under 50 km and tick the family criteria.
- What works in Dublin's winter and rain?
- Newgrange (indoor visitor centre plus a short guided tomb visit), Kilkenny, and Belfast. Cliff walks and mountain roads are the first things to drop when the weather turns.
- Do I need to book anything in advance?
- Brú na Bóinne tomb tours sell out in summer and should be booked ahead. DART and most Wicklow drives need nothing; Enterprise trains to Belfast are cheaper booked early.
Planning another city?
Try it on your own map
Set a place, drag the radius, tick what matters to your crew. The sample trip needs no account.