Day Trips from Dublin

Distance, Tour Price and Train Time at a Glance

Distances are one-way road figures between centres. Guided days are priced from the tour cards on this site. DIY figures come from the official attraction pages and from rail and bus journey times. Every guided day includes transport and a guide, and none includes lunch.

The bookable multi-day tours that bundle several of these trips with hotels sit in the comparison of vacation tours of Ireland. If you would rather drive yourself, read the notes on driving in Ireland first.

Cliffs of Moher and Galway

The Cliffs of Moher sit about 262 km from Dublin, a 3 h 21 m drive one way without stops, so a day trip means an early start and a long evening. The cliffs run for about 14 km and reach 214 m just north of O'Brien's Tower. Adult entry starts from €8, children 12 and under go free, and the ticket covers parking, the exhibition and access to O'Brien's Tower. The site is open daily from 8am to 7pm.

The guided day solves the driving problem. The Cliffs of Moher, Burren and Galway day tour costs $87 for 13 hours and includes Cliffs of Moher visitor centre entry, 2 hours at the cliffs and extended time in Galway with a short walking tour. It does not include lunch and has no dedicated lunch stop, so bring a packed lunch. It departs from outside the Hugh Lane gallery, and the operator recommends walking or taking public transport to the meeting point because city centre parking is expensive.

On your own, the bus to Galway takes about 2 h 30 m, which makes Galway itself an easy day out. Adding the cliffs in the same day by public transport means a second leg and tight timing, so most independent visitors either overnight in Galway or take the coach tour. Our Cliffs of Moher page has the full breakdown.

The Giant's Causeway and Belfast

The Giant's Causeway is about 263 km from Dublin, about 3 h 8 m by road one way, across the border into Northern Ireland. The basalt columns formed 50 to 60 million years ago and the tallest reach about 12 m. Walking the stones and the coastline is free at any time. The National Trust visitor centre charges from 16 pounds for adults and 8 pounds for children aged 5 to 17, and the ticket covers parking, hourly guided walks, audio guides in 11 languages and the exhibition.

Because this trip crosses into the UK, the currency is pounds rather than euros, and travellers who need a UK ETA must hold one even when arriving from the Republic. The Northern Ireland guide on the homepage covers the paperwork.

The guided day costs $89 for 12 hours and runs the Antrim coast with at least 2 hours at the Causeway, plus stops at Dunluce Castle and the Dark Hedges, where about 75 of the original beech trees planted around 1775 remain, and time in Belfast. Admissions are not listed as included, although the listing says the day has no extra costs except food, drinks and souvenirs, so ask the operator whether the visitor centre ticket is needed. Lunch is not included, and there is one service station stop where you can buy food. See the Giant's Causeway tour page for departure times. On your own, the hourly Enterprise train takes 2 h 05 m to 2 h 20 m to Belfast, which makes Belfast alone a feasible DIY day, with Titanic Belfast tickets from 24.95 pounds online.

Blarney with Cashel and Cahir

Blarney Castle is about 272 km from Dublin, roughly 3 h 26 m by road one way, which rules out a sensible self-drive day trip. The current keep dates from 1446, and kissing the famous stone means leaning backward over a drop. The grounds include a poison garden.

The guided day turns the distance into an advantage by chaining three sites. The Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle day tour costs $95 for 12 hours and includes all three admissions, which is the only one of the long days where every entry ticket is in the price. Lunch is not included, but the group eats at Blarney Castle where there is a range of restaurants. The bus leaves from the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street.

The Rock of Cashel alone is a viable DIY day at about 162 km and 1 h 57 m from Dublin. Entry is €8 for adults, 6 for seniors and 4 for students and children, the site opens 09:00 to 17:30 in high season, and Cormac's Chapel can only be seen on a guided tour. A typical visit lasts 1 to 1.5 hours. If castles are your theme, the castles in Ireland guide lists the ones worth building a route around, and the south-west also anchors several multi-day options from the homepage comparison, including the 4-Day South West Ireland Tour from $568.20.

Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains

Glendalough sits about 51 km and roughly an hour from central Dublin by road. St Kevin founded the monastic site in the 6th century, and the round tower still stands about 30 m high. The name means the valley of two lakes, and the valley has nine marked walking trails.

The monastic site and both lakes are free to enter and the valley is open all year. The OPW visitor centre charges €5 for adults and €4 for seniors or groups, and parking fees apply at the Upper Lake.

If you want both Wicklow and a medieval city in one day, the Glendalough and Kilkenny day tour covers the walking tours of both for $50 over nine hours, with free time for lunch in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny

Kilkenny is about 125 km from Dublin, roughly 1 hour 37 minutes by road. The train takes 1 h 27 min to 1 h 45 min from Heuston, about the same as driving. The city had 27,184 residents at the 2022 census, and it packs in Kilkenny Castle, St Canice's Cathedral with a 9th century round tower, and the city where Smithwick's was first brewed.

The castle's self-guided entry costs €8 for adults, €6 for seniors or groups, €4 for children or students and €20 for a family. A summer guided option runs at €12 for adults. If you are collecting OPW sites, the Heritage Card at €40 for 12 months covers Kilkenny Castle, the Rock of Cashel and Kilmainham Gaol.

Newgrange and Brú Na Bóinne

Newgrange is a Neolithic passage tomb older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, about 57 km and 49 minutes from central Dublin. Access is only by guided tour from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre in Donore, and every visitor including infants needs a ticket. Unaccompanied under 18s are refused.

The tour with the Newgrange chamber costs €18 for adults, €16 for seniors, €12 for children or students and €48 for a family. The exhibition alone is 5, 4, 3 and €13. Tickets release online at midnight Irish time 30 days ahead for tours between 1 April and 1 November, and 7 days ahead for other dates, with cancellations re-released around 08:30 to 09:30 and 15:00 to 16:00.

One warning from the OPW: no third-party organisations are authorised to sell tickets, and tickets from resale platforms are not valid. Book only on the official site, and see more on the best day trips from Dublin for the rest of the Boyne Valley.

Howth by DART

Howth is about 16 km from the city centre, and the train makes the car pointless. Irish Rail shows Connolly to Howth taking about 24 to 25 minutes, with DART trains running every 10 minutes all day.

By road it is about 26 minutes from central Dublin without stops, so the train costs you no time.

Malahide Castle

Malahide is about 17 km and 24 minutes from central Dublin, and the castle says it is a 10 minute drive from Dublin Airport. The Talbot family lived here for over 800 years, and the castle and gardens are open daily from 9:30 to 17:30, with the site recommending at least two hours.

The DART serves Malahide from city centre stations and the castle is about a ten minute walk from the village. Dublin Bus routes 32 and 42 run from the city centre and route 102 comes from Dublin Airport. The castle tour price is sold through the castle's own booking system and is not stated here.

Powerscourt

Powerscourt sits in County Wicklow about 31 km and 38 minutes from central Dublin by road, so it pairs naturally with Glendalough or a Wicklow loop by car.

The estate charges its own admission, and the current figure could not be confirmed from an official page, so check powerscourt.ie before you travel. Hiring a car gives you the flexibility to combine Powerscourt, Glendalough and the Wicklow gap in one day, and the notes on driving in Ireland cover what to expect on the country roads.

The Length of the Coach Day

The long hauls are exactly that. The Cliffs of Moher, Burren and Galway day tour runs 13 hours, the Giant's Causeway, Dark Hedges, Dunluce and Belfast tour runs 12 hours and leaves at 6:45 AM, and the Blarney, Cashel and Cahir castles tour runs 12 hours. The Wicklow and Kilkenny day is a gentler 9 hours.

Early starts are the trade for the distance. Blarney is about 272 km from Dublin and the Cliffs of Moher about 262 km, one way without stops, so a morning departure is not the operator being cruel. If a 6:45 AM start sounds grim, pick Wicklow and Kilkenny or Howth and save the west coast for a longer itinerary such as the options compared on the vacation tours of Ireland homepage.

Food, Currency, ETA and Cancellation

Food is on you. None of the day tours include lunch, and the Cliffs of Moher day has no dedicated lunch stop, so a packed lunch is recommended and sandwiches can be bought at rest stops. The northern route makes a service station stop for breakfast and lunch purchases.

Crossing into Northern Ireland means two practical things. The pound sterling is the currency there, while the Republic uses the euro, so card payments spare you the change problem. And visitors who need a UK ETA must hold one to visit Northern Ireland even when arriving via the Republic, with each family member including children needing their own, valid for two years or until the passport expires. British and Irish citizens are exempt.

On cancellations, every day tour here offers free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. That is far looser than the multi-day tours, where windows range from 21 days on the Rabbie's trips to no refund at all on the Paddywagon coach tours. For seasonal timing, see the best time to visit Ireland.