Top 5 Day trips from Dublin (according to our staff)
So you’re in Dublin for a few more days, and you want to see something outside of the city? That’s fair, sure, we’re only a small city, and honestly, there’s so much to see just a stone’s throw away! So where to go? What to see? And what’s the craic with the day trips from the capital?
Number one:
“old-faithful”, Howth
Pronounced “Hoath”, this little town is one of Dublin’s most famous excursions. Give a Dubliner a sunny weekend, and you’ll find them in Howth. This place is beautiful, filled with good food, a lovely and beginner-friendly hike. Plus it’s only 30 minutes from Dublin City Centre by train.
Howth Cliff walk
Number two:
If Howth is the most famous day-trip from Dublin, Glendalough is a close second. This is a glacial valley just over the border into Wicklow. Famous for the ruins of a Monastic Settlement, you can also hike a ton of different trails, and enjoy some coffee, an ice cream, or some other fun food on the edge of a glacial lake. There are buses from Dublin every day, and it truly is a sight to behold.
Gledalaugh Monastry
Number three:
This incredible little village is nestled at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains, and is home to both the Powerscourt Estate and the Powerscourt Distillery. The estate is a manor house complete with a walkable garden for visitors to have a coffee, bring the kids, and enjoy some old scenery of grandeur. The Powerscourt Distillery? Maybe just for the parents.
Powerscourt Estate
Number four:
Malahide is home to one of the most beautiful and well-preserved Manor Houses in Ireland. Though it is called a “Castle”, the old home was in the Talbot family for nearly 800 years! Only acquired by the Irish state in 1975. The tour through the home is well worth it, but if you only want to walk around the gardens with the kids or the dog, that works too! The cafe and shop attached are gorgeous, and focus on Irish ingredients and artisans, so you know it’s a loving experience.
Malahide Castle
Number five:
Northern Dublin strikes again! Skerries is a village about an hour from Dublin city by train, and offers a smaller, lesser-known coastline than Howth, but in our opinion, just as pretty! Skerries is famous for not only its gorgeous seafood, incredible views, and sea-faring ways, but also its history with Ireland’s most famous man: Saint Patrick
It was said that Patrick spent some time in Skerries, on the “Saint Patrick’s” island off the coast, and even left his footprint there! The little village also has a story about stealing Patrick’s pet, goat, and being cursed by Patrick for doing so. They even host an annual “goat in the boat” parade, and the “Goat in the Boat” cafe sports the same name.
Skerries Peninsula
What was that? You’d like a Bonus trip?! Well ok, but don’t say we never gave you anything for free!
BONUS!
This Neolithic treasure is actually older than the pyramids. It was created by the ancient peoples of Ireland, and it was thought to be a tomb or worship space. The inside of these large mounds contains winding passageways that seem to be random. However, that could not be further from the truth. On the winter solstice every year, at sunrise, the sun pokes through the windows of the structure and fills the whole mound with light from the inside.
New Grange
It’s a feat of ancient engineering that baffles the modern world. How is it that they structured it so perfectly? Older Ireland was so connected with nature, in a way I think we don’t quite grasp anymore.
Enjoy your trip to Dublin, and all the little sidequests it brings!