Iâm going to kick off this guide to the best day trips from Dublin with a piece of advice that may sound a bit strange given the context of this blog post: if you can structure your trip to Ireland so that you avoid taking multiple day tours from Dublin, please do.
Hereâs why.
Dublin is a lively and interesting city that is home to plenty of interesting things to do⌠and lodging in Dublin is also significantly more expensive than just about anywhere else on the island.
For that matter, while Dublin is an incredibly fun place to spend a couple of days, when dreaming of a trip to Ireland, odds are that impossibly green fields, quaint villages, and dramatic cliffs were more at the forefront of your mind than city streets–so get out and enjoy them!
That being said, there are still plenty of reasons to plan some fun day trips from Dublin!
Maybe youâre visiting friends who live in the city, coming to town for work, or are taking a brief trip to Dublin and donât have time to head out of town for a couple of nights.
If so, one of these Dublin day trips just might be for you!
Ireland is a fairly small place–the entire island is roughly the size of Indiana–so a surprising percentage of the country is within your grasp on a day tour from Dublin.
However, certain destinations are certainly better options than others: here are some of the best day trips from Dublin!
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Taking Day Trips from Dublin: Self-Drive or Book a Tour?
One of the most common questions that pops up when travelers are considering day trips from Dublin is whether to rent a car and drive themselves, or book a tour.
The answer is, that depends entirely on your travel style and on which day trip you are taking!
Some of these Dublin day trips are best accomplished independently (the Hook Peninsula, for example), while we strongly recommend booking a tour for others (like for visiting the Cliffs of Moher).
Most can go either way, and it just comes down to personal preference.
Iâve linked very popular, well-reviewed tours to each of the locations below where applicable–feel free to compare prices and inclusions for your group as compared to an independent trip.
If youâd like to self-drive, we use and recommend Discover Cars for renting cars in Ireland!
When making price comparisons, be sure to include the cost of gas, insurance, tolls, entrance tickets, and time in your calculations when deciding which option is best for your trip.
Check prices and shop rental cars for your trip to Ireland now!
Day Trips Within 2.5 Hours of Dublin
Howth
Located less than an hour from Dublin, the adorable fishing village of Howth is among the easiest of the top day trips from Dublin–and you can even visit this village in Ireland by train!
While you certainly can book an organized tour here, especially if youâd like to combine a visit to the village with a trip to Malahide Castle, you donât need to.
Howth itself is easy to enjoy and features a beautiful harbor, market, and castle in town.
Of course, the real star of the show in Howth is a bit outside the village itself.
The Howth Cliff Walk and Howth Lighthouse are both absolute stunners, and any Dublin day trip to Howth should absolutely include them!
How to Get to Howth From Dublin
Howth is easily reached from Dublin by taking the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit, AKA the train) or by driving yourself.
Prefer not to worry about transportation and to add in a trip to Malahide Castle?
If so, this organized day trip is a great choice.
Kilkenny (+ Cashel)
The adorable town of Kilkenny is everything that a small Irish town should be.
Itâs colorful, itâs relaxed, it has some stunning churches, and–the cherry on top–itâs home to a fabulous castle.
Itâs also the perfect town to combine with Cashel for an epic Dublin day trip.
The Rock of Cashel, perched high on a cliff overlooking the surrounding countryside, is rumored to be the site of the King of Munsterâs conversion to Christianity in the fifth century.
In addition, the Rock of Cashel served as the seat of Munster kings long before the Normans arrived in Ireland.
Today, an impressive Celtic art collection is located at the sight, and the views overlooking the nearby countryside are stunning.
While youâre near Cashel, be sure to pay a visit to the stunning Hore Abbey that is located just a few minutes away (you can see it from the Rock of Cashel, and vice versa).
The ruins of Hore Abbey are not only incredibly beautiful but are also free to visit!
How to Get to Kilkenny From Dublin
This build-your-own-adventure style day trip is perfect for renting a car and driving yourself.
Prefer an organized day tour from Dublin to Kilkenny?
This day trip from Dublin is extremely popular and visits both Kilkenny and the Wicklow Mountains!
Book your day trip to Kilkenny and the Wicklow Mountains today!
Wicklow Mountains
Want to get out into the countryside on your day tour from Dublin?
Head to Wicklow Mountains National Park!
This incredible national park is known as âthe Garden of Irelandâ–so you can imagine how green it is–and is also home to an early Christian settlement, whose ruins you can tour during your day in the Wicklow Mountains.
Whether you want to hike the day away (donât forget to pack a raincoat!), explore the areaâs history, take a scenic drive, or all of the above, the Wicklow Mountains are a fantastic option for a Dublin day trip.
How to Get to the Wicklow Mountains From Dublin
If you would like to visit the Wicklow Mountains independently, it’s best to drive yourself.
Prefer to visit the best of the region without worrying about transportation? This award-winning day trip from Dublin is the perfect option!
Waterford
Familiar with Waterford Crystal?
If so, then youâre familiar with the town of Waterford, Ireland–at least in a way.
The beautiful town of Waterford is worth including on any list of the best day trips from Dublin, not only for its lovely harbor and impressive history dating back to the Vikings but for the chance to tour the Waterford Crystal Factory in the home of the company.
Even if youâre not particularly into expensive, sparkly things, the factory is definitely worth visiting: the entire tour completely exceeded our expectations and was incredibly interesting.
(And yes, we walked away with a memorable Irish souvenir: a crystal 4-leaf clover Christmas ornament).
Touring the Waterford Crystal Factory definitely qualifies as something unique to do in Ireland!
How to Get to Waterford From Dublin
Waterford is a great option for an independent day trip from Dublin by car, especially if you want to potentially visit more than one spot during the day (for example, you pass very close to Kilkenny when driving south from Dublin to Waterford).
Don’t want to stop anywhere but the village?
You can also travel from Dublin to Waterford by train or bus!
Hill of Tara
If youâre interested in the far reaches of Irish history, a day trip to the Hill of Tara might be the right option for you.
The hill, and the structures on it, have long played a significant role in Irish history–the oldest visible monument is a burial mound that dates to 3,000 BCE!
Fast forward a few thousand years and the Hill of Tara played a role as the inauguration site of the Kings of Tara during the Iron Age and Early Christian Period.
The hill was eventually abandoned as an inauguration site in the 11th century, but it remains fascinating to visit to this day.
How to Get to the Hill of Tara From Dublin
Located less than an hour outside of Dublin, renting a car and driving to the Hill of Tara is a great option.
The bus takes a bit longer than driving and limits your schedule a bit, but is also completely doable.
Alternatively, this popular organized day trip makes the most of your time by visiting several ancient Celtic sites in one day!
Uppa66, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Hook Peninsula
The Hook Peninsula, located in County Wexford, may not be the best-known of these day trips from Dublin, but it is one of our favorite places in Ireland and absolutely deserves to be included.
If youâre looking for a bit of an independent, offbeat day trip option where you wonât run into many crowds of foreigners, this is the Dublin day trip for you.
The Hook Peninsula is home to some incredibly interesting (and photogenic!) places, including the Hook Lighthouse, Tintern Abbey, the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, and the theoretically haunted Loftus Hall.
Said to be the most haunted building in Ireland, Loftus Hall is worth visiting for both the historical stories, the interactive and well-done ghost tales, and–surprisingly–the homeâs staircase, which is a stunning creation of which only three like it exist on the planet.
The first of these staircases is in the Popeâs residence in Vatican City.
The second is at the bottom of the ocean with the Titanic.
And the third is right here in Irelandâs Ancient East.
How to Get to the Hook Peninsula From Dublin
As a multi-stop day trip to one of Ireland’s less-visited corners, taking a mini road trip from Dublin is absolutely the best way to visit the Hook Peninsula for the day.
Belfast
While most of the day trips from Dublin outlined here take place in the Republic of Ireland, Belfast breaks the mold.
As the capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast is packed with interesting sights, including plenty of (recent) history surrounding The Troubles.
Any trip to Belfast should absolutely include some time exploring that history, including the Peace Walls that physically divide sections of the city to this day (taxi tours like this are a great way to get acquainted with the history).
However, The Troubles shouldnât be the only thing you focus on exploring in Belfast!
Be sure to make time to explore the history of the Titanic, which was built here, as well as Belfast Castle, St. Georgeâs Market, and Belfast City Hall.
The popular Game of Thrones Studio tour is located about 40 minutes outside of Belfast, but with limited time on a day trip from Dublin, you may want to separate those and either visit the city itself or take a Game of Thrones studio tour specifically.
How to Get to Belfast From Dublin
You can easily travel between Dublin and Belfast via direct train.
Many trains run per day and the route takes just over 2 hours each way.
Unless you’re planning to stop by Belfast as part of a greater day trip from Dublin that includes more rural spots, we recommend opting for train travel!
Train, Belfast Lanyon Place Station by Rossographer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Galway
Want to explore the literal opposite side of Ireland on a day trip from Dublin?
Set where the River Corrib spills into the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland, lively and colorful Galway is an excellent day trip opportunity if you want to compare Dublin to an entirely different Irish city.
There are plenty of fun things to do in Galway during a day of exploring!
Check out the Spanish Arches, while an afternoon away in 18th-century Eyre Square, stroll down beautiful Shop Street, take in some traditional Irish music in one of Galwayâs many celebrated pubs, or even hit the water on a boat tour.
I’ll admit, Galway wouldn’t be our personal first choice for a day trip from Dublin, as it’s far to travel (between 2 and 2.5 hours each way) only to arrive at another city at the end–but Galway itself is absolutely worth a visit, and if you have your heart set on visiting, it is a realistic option!
How to Get to Galway From Dublin
If you’re only visiting the city of Galway, this is another great option for taking a day trip from Dublin by train!
However, Galway is tantalizingly close to the Cliffs of Moher–more about those in the next section.
If you are determined to visit both, an organized day trip is very helpful, and this one gets excellent reviews.
Dublin Day Trips More Than 2.5 Hours Away
Iâve intentionally separated these 3 day tours from Dublin, Ireland–which are easily among the most popular in the country–from the rest to drive home the point that these make for extremely long, tiring days, and are best accomplished via a booked tour.
Iâm not saying not to go (trust me, I deeply understand the desire to see dream destinations whenever the opportunity presents itself, even if the opportunity is not perfect), but think carefully before going, and strongly consider an organized tour.
That way, hassles like driving directions, opening and closing times, ticket purchasing, stopping for lunch, etc, are all handled for you, ensuring that your trip is as stress-free as possible, allowing you to focus all of your energy on the magnificent scenery!
(And if you don’t have your heart set on visiting any of these destinations specifically, scroll up–there are lots of wonderful day trip options that are much closer to Dublin!).
The Cliffs of Moher
Probably the most famous tourist destination in all of Ireland (and absolutely one of the most popular day trips from Dublin, despite the logistical challenges), the Cliffs of Moher live up to the hype.
The cliffs truly are incredibly gorgeous, and a visit here is bound to satisfy anyone looking for stunning views in Ireland.
However, the Cliffs of Moher are also located more than 3 hours each way from Dublin, and visiting them requires more travel time than any of the other day trips from Dublin on this list.
That doesnât mean not to go, but it does mean to be prepared for a very, very long day.
If youâve long dreamed of seeing the Cliffs of Moher in person, though, we doubt youâll mind the effort much once youâre standing on the edge of Ireland and looking out across the Atlantic Ocean.
This day trip to the Cliffs of Moher is one of the most popular in Ireland and is extremely well-reviewed.
If you don’t want to spend as long at the cliffs themselves, this one also includes time in Galway!
Giantâs Causeway + Causeway Coast
Next to the Cliffs of Moher, Giantâs Causeway–the beach made up of 40,000 basalt columns in Northern Ireland–is likely the best-known tourist attraction on the entire island of Ireland.
Add in the fact that Giantâs Causeway is conveniently located practically next door to plenty of other highlights like the Carrick-a-Rede bridge and more than its fair share of Game of Thrones filming locations, and itâs easy to see why a trip up to the Causeway Coast is among the top day trips from Dublin.
Located 3 hours from Dublin, though, this day trip isnât one to take lightly.
Luckily, if youâre up to the long day, experts have pulled together some incredibly popular tours that cover plenty of different interests: this one is perfect for Game of Thrones fans like us, and this one includes a trip to Belfast!
Plan your day trip to the Causeway Coast today!
Book your Game of Thrones tour or general tour including Belfast, both of which include a trip to Giant’s Causeway!
Blarney Castle + Cork
Always wanted to kiss the stone at medieval Blarney Castle and receive âthe gift of the gabâ?
If 3 hours each way doesnât seem like too much of a price to pay, you can do so on one of the most popular day trips from Dublin!
This popular day tour includes not only a tour of Blarney Castle, which is among the most popular castles to visit in all of Ireland, but also a chance to visit the beautiful city of Cork.
Stipa Jennifer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Read More About Visiting Ireland
If you found this guide to Dublin day trip ideas helpful, we’d love to continue to be part of your travel planning here on Our Escape Clause!
You can browse all of our Ireland blog posts here, or check out these detailed guides:
- 10 Cool Things to Do in Cobh, Ireland
- The Ultimate 2 Days in Dublin Itinerary
- Belleek Castle, County Mayo: A Cozy Getaway in Ireland’s Countryside
- How to Plan Your Magical Ireland Honeymoon
- The Ultimate Packing List for Ireland (+ What to Wear!)
This helped us so much! We’re going on a trip to Ireland for Christmas this year and your blog has all the answers we needed!
So glad to hear that! Hope you guys have a great Christmas in Ireland!