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Best Day Trips from Dublin (Ranked, with How to Get There)
The best day trips from Dublin, ranked by what actually pays off for the time you spend on a bus or train.
Dublin is small, and some of the best parts of Ireland sit an hour or two outside it. The honest split: a few places (Howth, Bray, Malahide, Glendalough) you can reach on your own by DART or a cheap local bus and do at your own pace. The big-name ones (Cliffs of Moher, Giant's Causeway) are long days where a coach tour is the sane choice, because doing them by public transport eats the whole day.
I've ranked these by payoff, not just fame. A place that takes 3-plus hours each way needs to be worth it, and I'll tell you when the drive is the catch. Travel times and transport below are current as of 2026, but always check the timetable the morning you go, especially for the smaller bus services.
- 1
Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains
About 1 hour 20 minutes each way by direct bus
A 6th-century monastic site set in a glacial valley with two lakes, a round tower, and walking trails that range from a flat 20-minute loop to a few hours of proper hiking. It's the rare big-payoff trip that's close, cheap, and genuinely beautiful in any weather. Go for the Upper Lake and the Spinc trail if your legs are up for it.
- 2
Howth
About 25 to 35 minutes each way by DART
A working fishing village on a peninsula, with a cliff loop walk over the sea, seals in the harbor, and seafood right off the boats. You step off the train and the water is in front of you. For the effort-to-reward ratio, nothing beats it: it's basically a coastal escape that costs the price of a train ticket.
- 3
Cliffs of Moher (with Galway and the Burren)
About 3 to 3.5 hours each way by coach
The cliffs are the postcard of Ireland for a reason: a wall of rock dropping into the Atlantic, often with wind and spray to match. The catch is the distance. This is a long day, and you typically get around 1.5 hours at the cliffs themselves, with stops in the Burren and Galway city to break up the ride. Worth it once, but go in with realistic expectations about time on the bus.
- 4
Kilkenny
About 1 hour 45 minutes each way by train
A compact medieval city you can walk end to end. The Medieval Mile links Kilkenny Castle to St Canice's Cathedral and its 9th-century round tower, with good pubs, craft shops, and the Smithwick's brewery story in between. Everything's within walking distance of the station, which is what makes it work as a day trip rather than a slog.
- 5
Bray to Greystones cliff walk
About 40 to 55 minutes each way by DART
A 7km coastal path along the edge of Wicklow, with the sea on one side and the Sugarloaf mountains inland. You walk one way and take the train back, which is the smart part. Honest heads-up: the old lower cliff path has had closures from rockfall, so the route now mostly climbs over Bray Head. Still a great half-day, and the reward is a pint in Greystones.
- 6
Giant's Causeway and Belfast
About 2.5 to 3 hours each way by coach (Northern Ireland)
The hexagonal basalt columns are a UNESCO site and genuinely strange to stand on, and most tours pair them with the Antrim coast, Dunluce Castle, and a stop in Belfast for the Titanic museum or a black taxi tour. It crosses into Northern Ireland, so bring a card that works in pounds. It's a full, long day, but you cover a lot.
- 7
Newgrange and the Boyne Valley
About 45 to 60 minutes each way (best by tour)
A 5,200-year-old passage tomb, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids, with a famous winter-solstice light box. You can only see the inside on a guided tour from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, and tours fill up, so this is one to plan. Many trips add the Hill of Tara. The history payoff is huge; the logistics are the only real friction.
- 8
Malahide Castle
About 25 to 30 minutes each way by DART
A 12th-century castle with walled gardens and a tidy seaside village a short walk away. It's an easy, low-effort outing rather than a dramatic one, which is exactly the point on a tired day or with kids. Allow at least two hours for the castle and gardens, then have lunch in the village by the marina.
Thumbnail photos by Joe King (CC BY-SA 3.0), 瑞丽江的河水 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bjørn Christian Tørrissen (CC BY-SA 3.0), Jimmy joe jazz (CC BY-SA 4.0), David Kernan (CC BY 4.0), code poet on flickr. (CC BY-SA 2.0), Tjp finn (CC BY-SA 4.0), William Murphy from Dublin, Ireland (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Top pick: Glendalough. It's the best balance of close, cheap, and actually worth it. You get real Wicklow scenery, a 1,400-year-old monastic site, and walks for every fitness level, all about 80 minutes from the city on a direct bus. If you only have a day and want the most Ireland for the least time on a coach, this is it. Save the Cliffs of Moher and Giant's Causeway for when you've got the stamina for a long bus day and want the famous shot.
Day trips from Dublin: FAQs
Plenty are easy without one. Howth, Bray, Greystones, and Malahide are short DART rides, and Glendalough has a direct daily bus from St Stephen's Green. For the far ones (Cliffs of Moher, Giant's Causeway, Newgrange), a coach tour is genuinely the easiest way, since public transport there eats most of the day.
Yes, but it's a long one. Reckon on roughly 3 to 3.5 hours each way by coach, an early start around 7am, and back near 7pm. You usually get about 1.5 hours at the cliffs plus stops in the Burren and Galway. It's worth doing once; just know most of the day is the journey.
St Kevin's Bus runs daily from St Stephen's Green North (opposite Stephen Court), about an 80-minute ride. Return is around 23 euro and you pay the driver, with no online booking, so arrive early. Catching the first bus out and the last bus back gives you roughly 3.5 hours there.
The DART trips win on price. Howth, Malahide, Bray, and Greystones are all reachable for a few euro return with a Leap Card under the 90-minute fare. You bring your own walking shoes and buy lunch locally, and that's about the whole cost.
If you're going independently, yes. You can only see inside the tomb on a guided tour from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, and tickets are released online up to 30 days ahead and do sell out. A coach tour from Dublin usually bundles entry and skip-the-queue access, which removes the hassle.
It is if you don't mind a long day and crossing into Northern Ireland. The basalt columns are striking, and tours add the Antrim coast, Dunluce Castle, and Belfast. Bring a card that works in pounds, expect an early start and a late return, and treat the Belfast stop and coast as part of the value, not just the Causeway itself.
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