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Please offer feedback on day trip options from Dublin

Posted by (Houston, Texas, USA) on

We'll be finishing up oiur 16 day Ireland travels with three nights in Dublin and are trying to decide between these day trips. We're too old to rent a car so will be traveling by train and bus and taking day trips from Cork, Killarney, and Dublin. We'll also be spending 2 nights in Kilkenny after we arrive in Dublin.

1) Day Tour to Wicklow, Glendalough, & Powerscourt from Dublin with Hilltoptreks - 8 hours; small group (16 max); 1.5 hours at Powerscourt Gardens (we could do a guided walk in the area instead); lunch in Enniskerry; drive through the Wicklow Mountains National Park, the Sally Gap, Lough Tay, the Guinness Lake; tour of St Kevin monastic site and time to explore Glendalough valley.
There is also a half day tour with Paddywagon from Dublin to Glendalough for 1.5 hours to explore the park.

2) Boyne Valley, Newgrange Celts and Castles Tour with Hilltoptreks - Drive through Boyne Valley; 3 hrs at Newgrange and Bru Na Boinne; lunch in Slane and photos of Slane Castle; tour of Trim Castle

3) Giant's Causeway, Antrim Coast, Belfast with Paddywagon - 13.5 hrs; drive through Glens of Antrim and along Causeway Coast; Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge photo stop; Giant's Causeway (90 minutes); stop at Dark Hedges; Ballintoy; Dunluce Castle photo stop; Belfast City Center (1 hour); return to Dublin.
If anyone has taken this daytrip, we would appreciate feedback about whether the day was just too long and hurried. This may be our only chance to see a bit of Northern Ireland.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Posted by
57 posts

We did the Heart of Ireland RS tour a few years ago, went to Glendalough and Newgrange as part of the tour. We enjoyed both. We also spent 2 nights after the tour in Belfast, taking the train from Dublin then back. I definitely would NOT do the 13.5 hour tour from Dublin to Giant's Causeway, that is a very long day. We did that tour from Belfast with Paddywagon and it was nice but felt rushed as it was a bus full of people on a schedule and always one in the group who can't get back on time. Yes it covered all those stops but after the RS tour, with a smaller RS group who had worked together for a week, it felt hectic. Getting off at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge with a big group, trying to go across the bridge, and not miss the bus felt rushed. If you are up for it I would recommend taking the train to Belfast and spending two nights. We really enjoyed Belfast. If not the 8 hour small group tour to Wicklow etc sounds nice. Not a big group and a lot of beautiful scenery. The 3 hour tour to Newgrange sounds nice but also might feel rushed trying to see all that in 3 hours. I would also go for a smaller tour if you can but if not enjoy whatever you see! Another suggestion is take your own food if you go on a big tour, when a big bus shows up and everyone is trying to eat at the same place, it is hectic.

Posted by
2280 posts

My choice would be the Wicklow, Glendalough and Powerscourt - good scenery and Glendalough early Christian site is wonderful. The gardens are pretty good too. I'd choose this in preference to the shorter trip just to Glendalough.

The Boyne Valley with Newgrange would be the other choice. Newgrange itself is an amazing place. Check out Mary Gibbons tours - she gets very good feedback here and also on Trip Advisor.

Giant's Causeway is a long day in the coach for not very much. By the time you've got out of the bus, had a comfort break, possibly something to eat, and walked to and from the causeway, you are not going to have a lot of time to actually see the causeway. The causeway is always incredibly busy and does need to be seen at low tide when more of the stones are uncovered. Nobody had heard of Dark Hedges before it was made famous in 'Game of Thrones'. Now very much on the tourist tick list. Carrick a Rede and Dunluce Castle are very much a tick list photo stop. By the time you get to Belfast you are going to need another comfort break and somethinkg to eat and drink. I'd give this tour a miss.

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