Day trips from Dublin: Howth to Glendalough

Dublin has the advantage that sea and mountains are close: you can leave the city in the morning and stand on a cliff or in a valley by midday. So the usual planning mistake isn't a nearby trip but a far-off one, most often the Giant's Causeway in the north. The short answer: Howth is the easy half day, Glendalough the best full day, and Newgrange the one that needs the most planning. Malahide and Powerscourt are extras for lovers of castles and gardens.

Day trips from Dublin at a glance

Rail and bus times come from Visit Dublin and St Kevin's Bus. Road times are pure driving, so allow about a third more. According to Irish Rail, the DART runs every 10 minutes during the day between Malahide or Howth and Greystones, so you can just take the next train.

Base map: Natural Earth

Howth: the cliffs at the end of the DART line

How to get there: Howth is at the northern end of the DART line. From Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse Street, Visit Dublin says you'll be there in under 30 minutes.

What to see: the harbour with its fishing boats, the view of the island of Ireland's Eye and the paths over the peninsula's cliffs. If you don't want a long walk, climb just part of the way and return to the harbour, which is also the place to eat fish afterwards.

How long: half a day. The short trip means Howth fits on your last afternoon too.

Best for: anyone who wants a change of air with no planning. It's windy on the cliffs, so bring a jacket even in summer.

Glendalough: the monastic valley in the Wicklow Mountains

How to get there: St Kevin's Bus (route 181) runs from St Stephen's Green North to Glendalough in about 1 hour 20, stopping at Bray. As there are few departures a day, check your return on the website first. By car it's 51 km and 1 hour 2 of pure driving. On sunny weekends, the road and valley car parks fill up.

What to see: a monastic settlement founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, with a round tower, ruined churches and carved crosses. From there, the Green Road leads on foot in about 20 minutes to the Upper Lake, possibly the most photographed view in Wicklow.

Walking: the national park has nine waymarked trails. The best known is the Spinc, with its boardwalk above the Upper Lake, for which you need good fitness and hiking boots. On the White Trail, the park reports works that began in July 2026 and were expected to take five to six months, so check the park's site first.

Best for: anyone making only one trip. If you don't walk much, stay with the monastic site and the path to the lake. Swimming in the lakes is at your own risk, as there are no lifeguards.

Newgrange: the trip that needs planning

How to get there: the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre is at Donore near Drogheda, 51 km and 42 minutes of pure driving. Heritage Ireland's site lists bus directions. Many people go on a tour because of the fixed tour times; Newgrange tours^* can be compared on Viator, but check first whether entry is really included.

What to see: the passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, built around 3200 BC and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Knowth there's no access to the chambers.

What to know: planning matters most here. Don't go directly to the monuments, as you won't get in: every visit starts at the visitor centre, and a shuttle bus takes you there. Tickets are limited and sold only on the official site, and tickets from other sites aren't valid. Between 1 March and 1 November, sales open 30 days ahead, otherwise 7 days ahead. In winter only the Newgrange tour runs. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Best for: anyone interested in prehistory who plans in time.

Malahide and Powerscourt: the short extras

Malahide is on the same DART route. It's about ten minutes on foot from the station to Malahide Castle and its gardens, and Dublin Bus routes 32 and 42 also link the centre with the village. Malahide and Howth are two separate branches, so doing both in a day means changing trains. If you plan to use the Go City pass for Dublin^*, read our article is Go City Dublin worth it first.

Powerscourt in County Wicklow is an estate with large gardens, 31 km and 38 minutes of pure driving from the centre. If you're driving to Glendalough it's conveniently on the way, so combine the two. You can compare rental cars from Dublin^*; in Ireland you drive on the left.

What to leave out: the Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway is 254 km away in Northern Ireland. That's 3 hours 8 of pure driving each way, so with breaks well over seven hours in a car or coach for a few hours on site. Coach tours offer it, but mostly you'll see the motorway. Better to give Northern Ireland its own leg, for example via Belfast, which Tourism Ireland puts at about two hours by train from Dublin. Our Ireland road trip in 10 days shows how to fit it in.

The Cliffs of Moher may look close too, but they're on the west coast and belong on a road trip, not a Dublin day.

How many day trips fit into a Dublin stay?

For the city itself, two or three days are usually enough; see how many days to spend in Dublin. With three days, Howth fits as a half day. With four days, add Glendalough, and with five days, Newgrange. If you're just arriving, Dublin airport to the city centre explains the way in.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made plan for Dublin. Copy it into the app, add your hotel and put Howth or Glendalough on the right day. The app shows the weather for your travel days, which in Ireland often decides whether today is for the cliffs or a museum, and the packing list suggests something for the rain. With the offline package you have the map in the valley without a signal. YesTrip is free, and you book with the provider.

Dublin trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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