Day trips from Dublin

My trip report from May should give you some ideas:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-ireland-may-2025-my-trip-report

We've enjoyed:

-Howth- I think this may technically be part of Dublin- lovely port area and nice walking and seafood
-Bru Na Boinne/Newgrange- one of the oldest man-made structures in the world
-Powerscourt- stately home with beautiful grounds (there's not much in the house, it's mostly for the garden)
-Glendalough- very scenic location where St Kevin went to be on his own but was pursued by his followers, another nice spot for walking

Not sure if this is day trip distance but we also enjoyed visiting the Irish National Stud in Kildare, where they raise thoroughbreds.

The Mary Gibbons tour to the neolithic sites at Newgrange are almost universally enjoyed by folks here (including me). There are various tour operators that offer trips to Powerscourt Gardens and the monastic site at Glendalough usually with a third stop added (frequently Avoca mills). Other day trips include Trim (Trim Castle), Kilkenny Castle, and the aforementioned Malahide Castle. Both Kilkenny and Malahide are really manor houses. Trim Castle has been "renovated" to show it's uses through the ages. Its use as a defensive castle is maintained. There is most likely a day trip to the Rock of Cashel, although I suspect that may be a long day. Other very long day trips include the Cliffs of Moher and organized day trips to Northern Ireland. But Belfast is doable by train on your own.

Definitley Newgrange and with Mary Gibbons if you can get booked on one of her tours (They are popular and do book up quickly.)

I also loved Glendalough, the early Christian site in the Wicklow Mounains. There are several companies offering tours and it is usually combined with Powerscourt Gradens as a day tour.

Alternatively do a day trip on the train to Kilkenny.

I am big fan of DIY daytrips, and that can easily be done from Dublin.

Howth is lovely. You can take the DART train there. The village is small and has a pleasant harbour. The real draw is the great hiking. The cliff path is absolutely beautiful! If you don't want to do the whole path, there are shorter versions.

Dalkey can also be reached by DART. The town is affluent and nice. There is a castle there, but we did not visit it because it was filled with kids on a field trip. Instead, we walked south of the town to a park with Dalkey Hill and Killiney Hill. From there, you can continue further south and walk on the beach. At that point, if you want to go back to Dublin, you can take the train from the Killiney. We chose to head back to Dalkey and enjoyed more time there. We had pints at Finnegan’s and dinner at The Club. Both were fantastic and cozy. If you go to Finnegan’s, keep an eye out for Bono; it's his local!

If you prefer a guided daytrip, we did a big bus one to Glendalough, Wicklow, and Kilkenny with Collins Day Tours. Click here to learn more about it. Even though it was large group, we had a good time. Our tour guide was quite good. The lunch stop was in Kilkenny. We researched the town in advance and were able to visit the castle there. We ate our lunch on the bus to maximize time.

My friend and I took a tour from "Wild Rover Tours" this past April. The specific tour was called "Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough" and was fabulous. The tour lasted about ten hours and cost about 45 Euros. I would definitely use them again if I go back to Ireland.

We also took the train to Belfast for a long day trip. Once we arrived, we went on one of the HOHO bus tours and then to the Titanic Belfast Museum. We arrived back in Dublin around 7 or 8 p.m.