Best day trips from Dublin ( no car)

you'll have to Google tour companies or ask others for names but definitely take a tour to Glendalough (ancient abbey ruins) and the Wicklow Mountains; not too far from Dublin

Glendalough is a good suggestion. There are whole-day and half-day tours available, as well as full and half-day tours to Newgrange, a passage tomb north of Dublin. You can book tours at the Tourist Information desk at the airport. The two tours would give you a look at two types of Irish scenery, too - the Wicklow Mountains, and the Boyne River Valley.

Another vote for Glendalough.

Long day but this tour might be something you'd like. http://daytours.ie/connemara
Renting a car and having the freedom to explore on your own is the best way to see the island though.

Have a great time. Lovely country. Lovely people.

If you have any interest in pre-history the sites at Newgrange and Knowth are amazing and have a really good visitor center with exhibits and a restaurant. There are several tour options for this trip and Trim is nearby with a good castle but I don't know if that is an additional option with any of the tours.

It's not as dramatic as the Wicklow mountains landscape wise since it's mostly rolling hills and farmland but the sites are great if that interests you at all.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

We did Newgrange and Hill of Tara with Mary Gibbons , great tour, and you will see the countryside on it( they stop at a farm for a quick bite/tea break ) .

Also loved our " Rural Pub Tour" ( google it) with Shane, small group tour takes you out into countryside, small out of the way pubs, its not a booze up tour , but more of a getting to know the pub culture tour.

We booked a day trip through Bus Eirenn from the downtown bus station. They offered two trips, one to Glendalough and the other to Boyne Valley/Newgrange. We took the Newgrange trip. It was well paced and was a great value - no car needed. I'd like to take the Glendalough trip too.

hi Deborah..hope you don't mind I jump in as I am looking for the same information. We will be in Dublni only two nights as we are flying out of Dublin as the price was less for air and I decided to cut our Great Britain trip short so we could see a glimpse of Ireland. We have 2 nights.
1 day arrive early
1 full day
next day leave.

What about a trip to the cliffs of moher. I had also found this - train and bus...and was struggling with the Cliffs of Moher trip and the Connomera trip (spelling might be wrong)...but now you guys are throwing in Glendalaough. Boy what a hard decision.
http://www.railtoursireland.com/tourdetails.asp

Great idea with the rail for the cliffs I looked into it . Just did not work for the both of us. We ended up taking an "into the wild Wicklow tour and it was wonderful . The bus pick us up at our hotel at 9:40 am which worked better for the "later riser" in my family. I loved Ireland and will return . On the next trip will consider a 2 day to the cliffs. Also We will definitely get a "DART" DAY PASS APPROX : 8 EURO TO HOP ON HOP OFF TAKE SOUTH ONE DAY TO MALAHIDE CASTLE AND NORTH THE NEXT TO FISHING VILLIAGE OF HOWTH .