In this guide, you’ll find 1, the best day trips from Dublin for those of you with a car and 2, some great day tours from Dublin for those of you without a car.
While there are plenty of things to do in Dublin, it’s well worth exploring the wealth of attractions that lay a short distance away.
And, although the likes of Wicklow tends to be the ‘go-to’ of the Dublin day trips, there’s plenty more on offer!
Below, you’ll find organised Dublin day tours for those of you looking for someone else to do the driving and some mighty day trips from Dublin for those of you with a car.
The best day trips from Dublin by car
If you’re driving, there’s countless places to visit near Dublin by car, once you know where to look.
Below, you’ll find the ‘old favourites’ like Glendalough and Newgrange, but you’ll also find some often missed Dublin day trips, like the Cooley Peninsula and more.
1. Wicklow (55-minute drive)
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Also known as the ‘Garden of Ireland’, Wicklow is one of the best day trips from Dublin for good reason! Well-known for its outstanding natural beauty, the county is blessed with glittering lakes and monastic villages and ruins.
I’ve been taking half day trips from Dublin to Wicklow for years and the itinerary that I tend to use is this one:
- Head to Glendalough, first, as the car park can be a pain
- Pick one of the Glendalough walks, e.g. the Spinc Loop
- Get a post-hike lunch at the brilliant Wicklow Heather
- Head up and do the Sally Gap Drive
- Stop at Lough Tay, Ballinastoe Woods and Glenmacnass Waterfall
If you’re looking for slightly different Dublin day trips, tackle one of the longer Wicklow walks over the course of a morning and afternoon!
2. The Cooley Peninsula (1.5-hour drive)
Photos by Tom Archer via Tourism Ireland
The Cooley Peninsula is one of the more overlooked Dublin day trips. There’s plenty of things to see and do here and there’s a clatter of great places to eat.
Depending on whether or not you want to include a hike in your trip, here’s a suggested itinerary:
- Pick a walk (options – Ravensdale Forest Walk, Annaloughan Loop Walk or the Slieve Foye Loop)
- Spin into the town for breakfast/lunch (Liberty Cafe and Ruby Ellen’s are solid options)
- Take a tour of the castle or rent a bike and spin along the Carlingford Greenway)
There are heaps of other things to do in Carlingford if the options above don’t tickle your fancy!
3. Meath (35-minute drive)
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County Meath is another of the best day trips from Dublin by car. It’ll take you around 35 minutes by car to reach and there’s an endless number of things to do in Meath to keep you busy.
If you’re looking for a day-out in the Boyne Valley, here’s a mini itinerary to tackle:
- Book tickets for Newgrange in advance and do the tour
- Grab lunch in nearby Inside Out in Slane
- Take a ramble around the trails in Slane Castle
- Visit the ancient Old Mellifont Abbey
Or, of you fancy seeing more of Meath, check out the Hill of Tara, one of the most important archaeological sites in the country or Trim Castle, the best-preserved of the many Anglo-Norman castles in Ireland.
4. The Mournes (2-hour drive)
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One of the more impressive places to visit near Dublin by car are the Mourne Mountains in County Down.
Now, you’ll need to do a bit of planning if you opt for this Dublin day trip, as there’ll be a fair bit of walking involved.
If you’re visiting the area for the first time, I’d strongly recommend heading into Tollymore Forest Park (above) and then heading for lunch in Newcastle followed by a stroll on the beach.
Or, if you fancy a hike, there’s heaps of Mourne Mountain walks to tackle, like the tough Slieve Donard hike.
5. The Ring of Gullion + Newry (1.5-hours)
© Tourism Ireland photographed by Brian Morrison
One of the best day trips from Dublin that’s very regularly overlooked is the trip that takes in both the Ring of Gullion and a glorious corner of Rostrevor.
Start your road trip with the Slieve Gullion Drive or walk, depending on how you’re feeling (the walk is steep). Head into nearby Gather and Brew after for a bite-to-eat!
When you’re ready, take the spin out to Kilbroney Park – it’s here that you’ll find the Cloughmore Stone and the aptly named Kodak Corner.
If you’re looking for day tours from Dublin with plenty of walks, this one is hard to beat!
6. Kilkenny (1.5-hour drive)
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Another of the best day trips from Dublin is Kilkenny. Now, while there are plenty of things to do in Kilkenny, many people make the mistake of think that there’s only the castle.
Head for the supposedly haunted Dunmore Cave, first, and take the tour. Then spin into the city and you have everywhere from the Smithwick’s Brewery and the castle to the Medieval Mile to choose from.
Food wise, there’s plenty of options in the city. If you need a reccy, both foodworks and Aroi Asian Fusion are worth a bash. Round off your day with a visit to Jerpoint Abbey.
7. Options that require 2.5-hours+ driving
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Although we’ve tackled several places to visit near Dublin by car above, there’s endless day tours from Dublin if you’re open to driving a bit further.
One of the more popular road trips from Dublin is to Cuilcagh (above) in Fermanagh. It’s around a 2.5-hour spin.
If you’re not afraid of a bit of driving, you could visit Waterford (Coumshingaun Lough’s a tough but rewarding hike), Wexford and plenty more.
The best day tours from Dublin (organised / guided tours)
The second section of our guide is for those of you without a car and it contains a handful of carefully selected half day tours from Dublin with great reviews online.
If you don’t fancy taking an organised tour, we have a guide to some great day trips from Dublin by train, too.
Note: if you book a tour through one of the links below we may make a tiny commission that helps us keep this site going. You won’t pay extra, but we really do appreciate it.
1. Cliffs of Moher, Kilmacduagh Abbey + Galway
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I’m going to kick things off with arguably one of the best day tours from Dublin when it comes to reviews (it has 4.8/5 from 8,900+ reviews at the time of typing).
If you’re looking to escape the capital and explore a chunk of the west coast, this day tour from Dublin takes in the Cliffs of Moher, Dunguaire Castle, the Burren and plenty more.
Key info on the tour:
- Starts at: 6:45 AM
- Length: 13 hours
- Reviews:4.8/5 from 8,900+ reviews
- Cost: From €83 p/p
2. Giants Causeway, Dark Hedges, Dunluce + Belfast
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Next up is another of the best day tours from Dublin when it comes to reviews (it has 4.8/5 from 4,000+ reviews at the time of typing).
This is a half day trip from Dublin that takes in some of the top attractions on the Causeway Coastal Route, like Dunluce Castle, The Dark Hedges and the Giant’s Causeway along with a 1.5-hour stop in Belfast City.
Key info on the tour:
- Starts at: 6:45 AM
- Length: 12 hours
- Reviews: 4.8/5 from 4,000+ reviews
- Cost: From €88 p/p
3. Kilkenny, Wicklow + Glendalough with Sheepdog Show
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If you’re looking for short day trips from Dublin, this organised tour requires much less travelling than the previous two, and it currently has 4.8/5 from 1,400+ reviews.
This is one of the more popular half day trips from Dublin and it takes in Glendalough, the ancient city of Kilkenny and a very impressive sheepdog demonstration.
Key info on the tour:
- Starts at: 08:00 AM
- Length: 9 hours
- Reviews: 4.8/5 from 1,400+ reviews
- Cost: From €40.80 p/p
4. Rock of Cashel, Cahir + Blarney Castle
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The next of our half day tours from Dublin is going to appeal to those of you looking to visit some of the most impressive castles in Ireland.
This is a 12-hour tour that includes the entrance fees to each of the attractions.
And, while there’s a good bit of driving involved, it’s broken up with the stops at Blarney Castle (the home of the Blarney Stone), the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle.
Key info on the tour:
- Starts at: 06:50 AM
- Length: 12 hours
- Reviews: 4.6/5 from 350+ reviews
- Cost: From €85 p/p
5. Newgrange and the Boyne Valley
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Another of the best one day trips drom Dublin takes you into the heart of the brilliant Boyne Valley to explore counties Louth and Meath.
You’ll take the tour of Newgrange, explore the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre and see the ancient Monasterboice which is home to some magnificent Celtic Crosses.
Key info on the tour:
- Starts at: Check when booking
- Length: 8 hours
- Reviews: 4.6/5 from 230+ reviews
- Cost: From €75 p/p
6. Connemara Dublin Day tour
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The last in our guide to the best day tours from Dublin is the Connemara tour – and it’s a busy one!
This Dublin day tour takes you across Ireland, past the Maumturk Mountains and on to Killary Harbour for a 1.5 hour boat cruise of the fjord.
It then continues on to Kylemore Abbey one of the more imppressive buildings in Ireland, before heading to Galway City where you can ramble around for just over an hour.
Key info on the tour:
- Starts at: Check when booking
- Length: 12 hours
- Reviews: 4.2/5 from 467+ reviews
- Cost: From €85 p/p
Dublin day trips: Which ones have we missed?
I’ve no doubt that we’ve unintentionally left out a brilliant day trip from Dublin (or 7!) from the guide above.
If you have a place that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments below and I’ll check it out!
FAQs about the best short day trips from Dublin
We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘day trips in Ireland by car from Dublin? to ‘What are the most unique places to visit outside Dublin?’
In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.
What are the best day trips from Dublin?
In my opinion, the best day tours Dublin has to offer are Wicklow, Meath and Louth as they’re 1, close and 2, home to endless things to do.
What is the best organised one day trip from Dublin?
It depends. There are endless Dublin day trips to tackle. The tours above, particularly the Wicklow one and the Galway one, are worth checking out.
Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries. Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.