What would be a good day trip to take from Dublin? I will be finished with the Heart of Ireland 8 day tour and have extended my trip by a couple of days. Wondering if there is something north of Dublin that I should make as a priority to see. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Upstate New York
80 posts
Cyndi,
All of the suggestions offered in the previous response are worthy of a visit. Several of them, tho, seem to be included in your RS tour. My first question is whether you will have a car, which I suspect you won’t. Some of previous suggestions would require long drives, which to me would be prohibitive as day trips.
Thus, a day trip to Belfast and the Titanic sites would be doable from Dublin. Best way of travel would be by train. North early morning and return in the evening. About a two hour train ride. Could be a long day, however. Definitely worth your consideration nonetheless. Belfast is a lovely city (smaller & less chaotic than Dublin). Titanic sites are fascinating, if that sort of things would interest you. (Remember, going to Belfast you will be transiting into the UK.)
Shorter day trips would be (a) DART (Dublin’s light rail system) to Howth. Charming seaside village north of Dublin. Nice shops, restaurants & pubs. Enjoyable walks. Or (b) DART south of the city to Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey. Again, nice shops, pubs, historic sites.
These two possibilities, in my view, would be both enjoyable and relaxing, winding down after the tour and before your flight home.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1836 posts
Having looked at the itinerary, the one place I would list as a priority for a day trip is Newgrange, the wonderful neolithic site to the north of Dublin. Mary Gibbons is recommended for day tours. If by any chance she is fully booked, then this thread gives ideas of how to get there.
Posted by
Freedonia
15018 posts
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Posted by
Colorado Springs
2827 posts
An organized day tour up to Newgrange, Tara, and the Boyne Valley would be an obvious choice for a first time visitor. There are a host of day tour providers to choose from - just pick the one that seems most aligned with your schedule and interests.
If a more independent day trip is preferred then taking the train up to Belfast would be my suggestion too. Just walking around the beautiful city would make for a pleasant day out. Adding a tour of the Titanic Quarter and the museum, and/or a Black Cab tour of the sectarian neighborhoods, would be time well spent.
Posted by
Land of La
8675 posts
Northern Ireland: Belfast.
As noted by other posters easy 2 hour ride by train or bus from Dublin.
The Titanic Museum is really well done.
Or if you have a curiosity about The Troubles do invest in a Black Cab tour. You can also visit St. Georges Market.
If a Games of Thrones fan there is a tour available. The building directly adjacent to the Titanic Museum housed the GOT production offices and stages. Cast and crew were known to enjoy the seafood chowder at Mournes. Then pop into Kelly Cellars for a pint.
Posted by
Calgary
1653 posts
Agree with Boyne Valley. We did 2 day trips from Dublin with Irish Day Tours, and they were excellent.
One went to the Boyne Valley, and included the Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, Loughcrew Passage Tomb and Fore Abbey. It was fantastic. https://www.irishdaytours.ie/celtic-boyne-valley-day-trip
The other went to the Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, and Cahir Castle. The Rock of Cashel was my favourite, and I was surprised by how much I liked Blarney Castle, which hadn't been a priority for me. There's much more to it than the Blarney Stone. https://www.irishdaytours.ie/blarney-castle-cork-tour (Note that this tour no longer goes to Cork.)
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for the great Suggestions! I had not even thought about going up to Belfast but that is certainly something I would be interested in doing! That Titanic Museum looks amazing and the whole story of the Titanic is so interesting. I had no idea it is only a two hour ride from Dublin. It would make for a long day but when else will I realistically have the chance to see this. It is very tempting.
Posted by
Calgary
1653 posts
If you go to Belfast, I highly, highly recommend doing a Murals (Troubles) tour with https://belfastblackcabtours.co.uk.
Posted by
San Francisco
66 posts
What did you end up doing with your trip? Did you take the train up to Belfast? if so, would you recommend a day trip, or would you stay the night in belfast instead? I'm going to be taking the Heart of Ireland tour later this year and am still trying to figure out what to do after the tour ends.
thanks, H.