Dublin sits closer to genuinely significant places than most European capitals. A Neolithic passage tomb older than the pyramids is forty-five minutes north. A sixth-century monastic city in a glacial valley is an hour south. A cliff walk with seals below it is at the end of a suburban train line.
This guide sorts them by how you actually get there, because that is what decides whether a day trip is worth doing. The ones reachable on the DART or a scheduled bus are easy. The ones that need a car or a tour are a bigger commitment, and one of them is not worth making.
The quick answer
Best half day, no car: Howth, 30 minutes on the DART.
Best full day, no car: Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains by tour or bus.
Most historically significant: Bru na Boinne and Newgrange, 45 minutes by car or tour.
Best with children: Malahide Castle, or Powerscourt gardens and waterfall.
Skip: the Cliffs of Moher as a day trip. It is 250 kilometres each way and around seven hours of driving.
Reachable on the DART
The DART is Dublin’s coastal commuter rail line and it turns the whole bay into a series of half-day trips. A Leap Visitor Card covers it.
Howth
30 minutes north. A working fishing harbour with a headland behind it. The cliff walk is a signed loop of roughly 6 to 10 kilometres depending on the route, running around the headland with views to the Baily Lighthouse and, on a clear day, the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. Seals hang around the harbour waiting for fish scraps.
Eat seafood at the harbour and get the early train back. This is the single best low-effort day trip from the city.
Dun Laoghaire, Sandycove and Dalkey
20 to 30 minutes south. Dun Laoghaire has two long Victorian piers to walk. Sandycove has the Forty Foot, a sea swimming spot in continuous use for around 250 years where people swim year-round including Christmas morning, and the Martello tower where Ulysses opens, now the James Joyce Tower and Museum, free to enter.
Dalkey is a small village with two castles and a hill walk at Killiney with a view often compared to the Bay of Naples. Combine all three in a day by walking between them along the coast.
Malahide
25 minutes north. A 12th-century castle set in 260 acres of parkland with a walled garden, plus a marina village with restaurants. The best of the DART trips for families, and the castle tour is short enough to hold children’s attention.
Bray and Greystones
45 minutes to an hour south. The Bray to Greystones cliff walk is a 7 kilometre coastal path around Bray Head, flat, spectacular and ending at a village with good food. Take the DART to Bray, walk, and take the DART home from Greystones. Check the path status before going, as sections have closed periodically for erosion works.
The big two: Wicklow and the Boyne Valley
Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains
About an hour south. A sixth-century monastic settlement founded by St Kevin, sitting in a glacial valley between two lakes, with a round tower, several churches and a graveyard. The setting is what makes it, and there are walking trails from a half-hour stroll to a four-hour climb of the Spinc above the upper lake.
Combine with the drive over the Sally Gap or Wicklow Gap through open mountain bog, and with Powerscourt Estate, whose gardens are among the finest in Ireland and whose waterfall is the tallest in the country at 121 metres.
Getting there: St Kevin’s Bus runs a scheduled service from Dublin, or take a coach tour, which typically bundles Glendalough with the mountain drive and sometimes Kilkenny. With a car, allow a full day and go early, because the Glendalough car park fills by mid-morning in summer and charges apply.
Bru na Boinne: Newgrange and Knowth
45 minutes north. A UNESCO complex of Neolithic passage tombs built around 3200 BC, which makes Newgrange roughly five centuries older than the Great Pyramid at Giza and a thousand years older than Stonehenge.
Newgrange is famous for its roof box, an aperture aligned so that at sunrise around the winter solstice a beam of light travels down the 19 metre passage and lights the chamber. Access to the chamber on those mornings is allocated by an annual lottery with tens of thousands of applicants.
Important: you cannot drive to the tombs. All access is through the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre, from which shuttle buses run to Newgrange and Knowth. Tickets are timed and should be booked in advance through Heritage Ireland. Turning up without one in summer often means being turned away. Knowth has more megalithic art than Newgrange and fewer visitors.
Combine with the Hill of Tara, the ceremonial seat of the High Kings, twenty minutes away and free.
Worth the drive
Kilkenny
90 minutes southwest. A medieval city with a Norman castle, a cathedral, a preserved lane called the Medieval Mile and a genuinely good craft and food scene. Reachable by direct train from Heuston in about ninety minutes, which makes it one of the few inland trips that works without a car.
Trim and the Boyne
An hour northwest. Trim Castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, used as a location in Braveheart, and much less visited than it deserves. Pairs with Newgrange on the same loop.
Belfast and the Causeway Coast
Two hours north by train. Belfast is a two-hour Enterprise train from Dublin Connolly, which makes it a long but feasible day. The black taxi political tours and the Titanic Belfast museum are the two things to do.
Adding the Giant’s Causeway makes it a very long day, around thirteen hours by tour. Better as an overnight.
Remember that Northern Ireland is the United Kingdom, so most non-British and non-Irish nationals need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation, in place since January 2025, even though there is no border check. Our entry requirements guide covers the ETA rules in full.
The one to skip
The Cliffs of Moher are sold aggressively as a Dublin day trip. They are 250 kilometres away on the west coast. Coach tours leave around 6.45am and return around 8pm, giving you roughly ninety minutes at the cliffs after seven hours on a bus.
The cliffs are worth seeing. Do it from Galway, which is ninety minutes away, or as part of a west coast leg. If your entire Ireland trip is Dublin-based and you must see them, accept what the day involves before booking.
The same applies to Ring of Kerry day tours from Dublin, which are worse again.
How to choose
Half day, no car: Howth or Sandycove and Dalkey.
Full day, no car: Glendalough by St Kevin’s Bus, or Kilkenny by train.
Full day with a car: Bru na Boinne plus the Hill of Tara plus Trim, or Wicklow with the Sally Gap and Powerscourt.
With children: Malahide Castle or Powerscourt.
Rainy day: Kilkenny or Belfast, both of which are indoor-heavy.
Our Dublin travel guide covers the city itself, and the neighbourhood guide covers where to base yourself. For timing, see the month-by-month guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best day trip from Dublin?
Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains for a full day, or Howth for a half day with no car needed. For historical significance, Bru na Boinne and Newgrange, which predate the Egyptian pyramids.
Can you visit the Cliffs of Moher from Dublin in a day?
Technically yes, but it is around seven hours of driving for roughly ninety minutes at the cliffs. They are 250 kilometres from Dublin. Visit from Galway, which is ninety minutes away, or as part of a west coast leg instead.
Do I need to book Newgrange in advance?
Yes. All access is by timed shuttle from the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre and you cannot drive to the tombs. Book through Heritage Ireland ahead of time, because summer visitors without tickets are frequently turned away.
Which day trips from Dublin work without a car?
Howth, Malahide, Dun Laoghaire, Sandycove, Dalkey and the Bray to Greystones cliff walk are all on the DART. Glendalough is served by St Kevin’s Bus, Kilkenny by direct train from Heuston, and Belfast by the Enterprise train in about two hours.
How long does the Howth cliff walk take?
Between one and a half and three hours depending on which of the signed loops you take, covering roughly 6 to 10 kilometres. The train from the city takes about 30 minutes each way.
Is Belfast a good day trip from Dublin?
Yes, on the two-hour Enterprise train, for the black taxi tours and Titanic Belfast. Adding the Giant’s Causeway makes it a thirteen hour day and works far better as an overnight. Most non-British and non-Irish nationals need a UK ETA to enter.
Is Glendalough free?
The monastic site and the walking trails are free to access. Car parking at the upper lake carries a charge, and the car parks fill by mid-morning in summer, so arrive early or use the bus.
