Dublin Travel Forum

Greetings All,
I will be making my first trip to Dublin next month and won't have long there at all. I'd like to have some suggestions about the absolute "must do" day trip out of Dublin. Should we take a train? Rent a car? Hire a driver? Where do we go?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
TH in Texas

2 suggestions

1st, the 3200 BC burial sites etc at Newgrange (see my Laytown tips)

2nd, go to a horse racing meeting (the sport is deeply embedded in Irish life). Plenty courses in Dublin area - see www.goracing.ie

You need to decide where you're going before you decide the best way to get there.

I would consider the Newgrange prehistoric site to be a'must-do'but you have a range of options.

If it was me I'd take one of the organised coach day tours listed below, much cheaper than hiring a car and allowing me to visit more places in one day than public transport.

There is certainly no need to hire a driver, unless you have lots of money to spend unnecessarily. If you are happy to drive on the left, and navigate, then hiring a car will give you more freedom, of course...but for one day I do not think it worthwhile.

Organised tours by coach or train:

http://www.dublintourist.com/tours/day_tours/

http://www.daytoursunplugged.ie/daytours.htm

http://www.irishcitytours.com/

You can go further afield by train:

http://www.railtoursireland.com/

I'd choose the 'Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, Burren and Galway' rail tour..an early start, but it will give you the chance to see a very different (and very beautiful) part of Ireland.

http://www.railtoursireland.com/tours/dh06.asp

Kilkenny is a wonderful town with plenty of history and a nice castle. By car it is an easy drive and when we visited in August, 2008 it was an easy drive. I would think there would be day coach tours to this very popular town. The many pubs are fantastic and if you wish to sample the Kilkenny beer, maybe a coach tour is best.

Visit my Kilkenny page to check whether the town appeals. Not far from Kilkenny is Cashel with its magnificent ruins. A coach tour might include this on your day trip.

An easy day trip is to Malahide, just north of Dublin on the coast, beautiful castle, delightful village, marina etc etc. You can take the commuter train from Dublin, approx 40 minutes. Photos on my pages.

Good Luck,
Mike

If going to the Cliffs of Mohar check the weather forecast as it can get covered with mist and fog. We visited late August 2008 and could not see further than 50 metres on land mid afternoon, when we got cliffside it was worse and we saw nothing. A great disappointment!