The Best Day Trips from Dublin
From Dublin you can reach clifftop fishing villages on the DART, a 5,200-year-old tomb, medieval Kilkenny and - with an early start - the Cliffs of Moher or the Giant's Causeway. These are the ten day trips that repay a full day, with honest notes on when a tour beats doing it yourself.
What are the best day trips from Dublin?
The best day trips from Dublin are Howth (~25-30 min by DART) for the cliff walk and seafood, Glendalough (~1 h 15 min, best by tour) for the monastic valley, Newgrange (~1 h) for the 5,200-year-old passage tomb, and Kilkenny (~1 h 30 min-1 h 45 min by train) for medieval Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher and the Giant's Causeway are also doable, but only as long full-day coach tours.
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The 10 best day trips, ranked
Ordered by how well they repay a full day - factoring travel time, what you can actually see, and how easy they are without a car.
Howth
Cliff walks & seafood15 km northeast · ~25–30 min by DART
A working fishing village on a rocky headland with Dublin's best short hike: the cliff path loop from the harbour (the standard loop takes about two hours) with views over Ireland's Eye and Dublin Bay. Seals loiter off the west pier waiting for the fishing boats, and the harbour chippers and seafood restaurants are the reward. Go on a weekday or before 11:00 at weekends - the loop gets busy.
Getting there: Northbound DART trains from Dublin Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse run direct to Howth several times an hour - make sure the train says Howth, as the northern line splits toward Malahide. The harbour is right outside the station.
Glendalough & the Wicklow Mountains
Monastic ruins & hiking50 km south · ~1 h 15 min–1 h 30 min by tour coach
A 6th-century monastic settlement founded by St Kevin, with a near-intact round tower, stone churches and Celtic crosses set in a glacial valley between two lakes. If you're under your own steam, the boardwalk Spinc loop above the Upper Lake is one of Ireland's best short hikes. The valley floor sights alone take an easy couple of hours.
Getting there: No train, and public buses are sparse - a local bus links Bray/Greystones with Glendalough only a few times a day. Half-day and full-day Wicklow tours from central Dublin are the practical option, often pairing Glendalough with Powerscourt or a drive over the Sally Gap.
Find tours & tickets for Glendalough & the Wicklow MountainsCliffs of Moher
Dramatic coast270 km west · ~13–14 h round trip by coach tour
Eight kilometres of sheer Atlantic cliffs rising to about 214 metres at O'Brien's Tower, with views to the Aran Islands on clear days. It's the most spectacular natural sight you can reach from Dublin in a single day - just accept the long coach legs and bring layers, because the clifftop wind is constant.
Getting there: This is a tour day: full-day coaches leave central Dublin around 6:30-7:00 and get back in the evening, most including a stop in Galway or Doolin and a drive through the Burren's limestone landscape. Doing it by public transport (train plus rural buses) doesn't realistically fit in one day.
Find tours & tickets for Cliffs of MoherNewgrange & Brú na Bóinne
Prehistory50 km north · ~1 h by tour or car
A 5,200-year-old passage tomb - older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza. At the winter solstice the rising sun lights the inner chamber (entry to that is by lottery), and the tour recreates the effect year-round inside the passage. Neighbouring Knowth holds one of Europe's greatest concentrations of megalithic art on its kerbstones.
Getting there: All visits start at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre with timed, guided-only tours - book online well ahead, as summer slots go days in advance. Without a car, either join a Boyne Valley tour from Dublin or take a train/bus to Drogheda and continue by local bus or taxi.
Find tours & tickets for Newgrange & Brú na BóinneBelfast & the Giant's Causeway
Two-country day165 km north (Belfast) · ~2 h by train to Belfast; ~13 h Causeway tour
Two trips in one listing: Belfast alone is an easy rail day - Titanic Belfast stands on the slipways where the ship was built, and black-cab tours cover the political murals. The Causeway's 40,000 interlocking basalt columns are a genuine geological one-off, but only worth it from Dublin as an organised tour. Bring both currencies in mind: the North uses pounds, not euros.
Getting there: The Enterprise train runs from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Grand Central in a little over two hours, with departures through the day - book online for the cheapest fares. For the Giant's Causeway itself, a full-day coach tour from Dublin (usually including the Dark Hedges and a Belfast stop) is the realistic one-day option.
Find tours & tickets for Belfast & the Giant's CausewayKilkenny
Medieval Ireland & castles120 km southwest · ~1 h 30 min–1 h 45 min by train
Ireland's best-preserved medieval city: Kilkenny Castle and its free parkland, the Medieval Mile of narrow slips and stone buildings, and St Canice's Cathedral, where you can climb the 9th-century round tower - one of very few in Ireland you're still allowed up. The Smithwick's Experience covers 300 years of brewing on the original site.
Getting there: Irish Rail trains from Dublin Heuston toward Waterford stop at Kilkenny roughly every two hours - check return times before you go. The station is a 10-15 minute walk from the castle and the Medieval Mile.
Malahide Castle & village
Castles with kids15 km north · ~25–30 min by train
An 800-year-old castle held by the Talbot family for nearly all of that time, with guided tours of the interiors, a walled garden and a butterfly house that lands well with children. The surrounding parkland is free, and Malahide village adds a marina and good cafés. Combine with Howth in one day via the DART if you start early.
Getting there: DART and northern commuter trains from Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse run direct to Malahide; the castle demesne is a 10-15 minute walk from the station.
Bray to Greystones cliff walk
Coastal walking20 km south (Bray) · ~45 min by DART, then a 2–2.5 h walk
The classic Dublin coastal walk: Bray's Victorian promenade, a gorse-covered headland and Irish Sea views the whole way, with the railway threading the cliffs below you. Finish with ice cream or chowder in Greystones before the train back. All on the same DART ticket zone logic as the city - no planning needed beyond the weather.
Getting there: Southbound DART from Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse to Bray (~45 min); walk the ~7 km path around Bray Head and catch the DART home from Greystones. Note: sections of the cliff path have closed after rockfalls in recent years - check the current status, and if it's shut, the route over the top of Bray Head is the alternative.
Galway
Pubs, music & west-coast character210 km west · ~2 h 15 min–2 h 40 min by train
The west coast's liveliest city, compact enough for a day: the Latin Quarter's buskers and pubs, the Spanish Arch beside the fast-flowing Corrib, and the Salthill promenade along Galway Bay. Trad music sessions start from late afternoon in the famous pubs. It's a long day - aim for an early train out and you'll get six-plus hours in the city.
Getting there: Direct Irish Rail trains from Dublin Heuston run to Galway Ceannt roughly every two hours (~2 h 15 min-2 h 40 min); book online ahead for much cheaper fares. Citylink and GoBus coaches from the city centre take a similar time and are often cheaper still.
Trim Castle
Castles without crowds50 km northwest · ~1 h–1 h 15 min by bus
The largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, with a massive 12th-century keep above the River Boyne - Mel Gibson filmed parts of Braveheart here. The keep is visited by guided tour, so arrive early in summer to get a slot, then walk the riverside path to the Yellow Steeple ruins opposite. Easily the quietest trip on this list for what you get.
Getting there: Bus Éireann route 111 from Busáras (Dublin's central bus station) runs roughly hourly to Trim. The castle is a short walk from the town's stops.
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