Celebrating 10 Years of Vintage Tea Trips

July 21, 2026

On a sunny evening in June, we celebrated our 10^th year in business like all good 10-year-olds do… with a party at Emerald Park. Of course, our mode of transport was Kitty, and she brought us from Stephens Green to Emerald Park in true style! The sun shone, the BBQ was fired up and *most* of us went on the rides and rollercoasters. But enough about the party!

Looking back on the 10 years in business has been quite emotional. To be still rambling around the streets of Dublin 10 years on is a massive accomplishment and one we are super proud of. From one bus to now four they have become what we hope is a welcome addition to the streets of Dublin, putting a smile on Dubliner’s faces on a grey day when our bright, beautiful biscuit tin on wheels rolls past!

Like all good businesses it all began with a simple idea, inspired by home, laughter and of course tea! Karen started Vintage Tea Trips, or Tours, as it was known then with one bus and one driver and has scaled that idea to a fully-fledged year-round operation with four buses and 42 full and part time staff. The buses were green and cream and while unique we knew they needed to pop and so in 2019 we rebranded to the bold blue and yellow buses you see today!

However, we would be remiss to not mention where it truly began and that was with Pauline – Karen’s Granny whose kitchen table was a wealth of entrainment for Karen as a kid and it was this banter, humour and of course tea and cake that Karen wanted to replicate on board. Our first bus was named for Pauline with Kitty following in 2018, Jean in 2020 and Julia in 2026.

It hasn’t always been an easy ride, between navigating Covid and sourcing parts for buses that date from the 1960s but our tenacity never wavered and each of these became learning opportunities to grow and future proof different aspects of the business. During Covid we diversified and began an Afternoon Tea Delivery Service which not only allowed us to learn new skills but also kept people in employment and brought a small bit of normality to homes across Dublin.

We would be nowhere without our incredible managers, drivers, guides, kitchen, set up and cleaning teams who quite literally keep the show on the road! From our current staff to our past staff – each one of you have helped grow and shape the business. Your ideas, initiative and eagerness allowed us to create a Pop-Up Gaeltacht, Pride, Bloomsday & Halloween Tours and helps nurture relationships with industry colleagues.

I also wanted to shout out the people of Dublin. We are incredibly lucky to have the Irish as our second largest market. We wanted our experience to be a shared one, for Dubliners to come on and learn something new about their city, to be reminded of their Irish mammy, granny or aunty whose table they sat around when they were young or to get involved with the storytelling on board with their own unique stories of their city.

We’ve celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers and of course hen parties! We’re still waiting to host a stag! We’ve had newborns on board and in 2023 celebrated the 109^th birthday of Máirín Hughes who at the time was the oldest living person in Ireland.