The DART, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit, the green train that runs along the Dublin Bay from the Howth to the Greystones, the 53 km, and the most beautiful urban train journey in Europe, is the gateway out of the Dublin, and the sea, the cliffs, and the commuters who read the Irish Times as the train passes the Martello Tower at the Sandycove is the essential Dublin experience. The Dublin is the city break, and the Dublin is the base for the best day trips in the Ireland: the Wicklow Mountains, the Boyne Valley, the Howth Head, and the Glendalough, places that are the 30–90 minutes from the city and feel like the different Ireland, the Ireland of the monks, the mountains, and the myths. Here are the best day-trip ideas.

Day Trip Ideas for Exploring Beyond Dublin

• The Glendalough (the Wicklow Mountains), the monastic valley: The Glendalough, the “Valley of the Two Lakes”, in the Wicklow Mountains is the most beautiful day trip from the Dublin: the 6th-century monastic settlement of the St Kevin, the Round Tower (the 30 metres, the finest in the Ireland, the “bell tower” and the “place of the refuge” from the Vikings), the Cathedral of the St Peter and the St Paul (the 10th–12th centuries, the ruined, the most beautiful church in the Wicklow), the St Kevin’s Kitchen (the tiny, the 12th-century, the most famous small church in the Ireland), and the lakes (the upper Lake and the Lower Lake, the upper Lake is the more beautiful, the walk from the monastic site, the 1 hour, and the best walk in the Ireland that is the 1 hour from the Dublin). The Glendalough is the essential day trip: the St Kevin’s Bus (the private, the 1 hour 20 minutes from the Dublin city centre, the €22 return, and the essential, the bus departs from the St Stephen’s Green and the Dawson Street at the 11.30am and the 6pm, and the schedule is the limited). The alternative: the car rental (the 1 hour drive from the Dublin, the €30 for the day, and the essential for the flexibility, the Sally Gap, the Lough Tay, the military road, and the best views in the Wicklow Mountains are the inaccessible by the bus). The essential walk: the Spink (the blue trail, the 5.5 km, the 2 hours, the boardwalk, the cliffs, the view of the upper Lake, and the best walk in the Wicklow). More Ireland →
• The Howth Head, the cliff walk and the seafood: The Howth is the fishing village on the peninsula 13 km north of the Dublin, and the DART takes you there in the 30 minutes (the €3.50 each way, the essential value day trip in the Ireland). The Howth Cliff Walk: the 6 km loop (the green route), the 2 hours, the sea, the cliffs, the view of the Dublin Bay, the Lambay Island, and the Ireland’s Eye, the best walk in the Dublin. The essential strategy: the train from the Tara Street to the Howth, the walk (the anti-clockwise, the cliff path first, the return via the road), the lunch at the Octopussy’s Seafood Tapas (the restaurant on the West Pier, the crab claws, the calamari, the €15, and the best seafood lunch in the Dublin region), the fish and chips at the Beshoff Bros on the pier (the €10, and the best fish and chips in the Howth), and the return DART. The Howth is the essential Dublin day trip, the walk, the food, and the sea air. The alternative Howth walk: the Bog of Frogs loop (the purple route, the 12 km, the 4 hours, the more challenging, and the best alternative to the green route)
• The Boyne Valley, the Brú na Bóinne and the Newgrange: The Boyne Valley is the most important archaeological landscape in the Ireland and the 45-minute drive north of the Dublin: the Brú na Bóinne (the UNESCO World heritage site, the complex of the Neolithic passage tombs, the Newgrange (the 3200 BCE, the older than the Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid, the passage, the corbelled roof, and the winter solstice, the light beam that illuminates the chamber for the 17 minutes at the sunrise on the 21st December. The essential: the ticket is the €10, and the entry to the chamber of the Newgrange is by the lottery, the 50 visitors per day, the essential strategy: the arrive at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre at the 9am, the first tour, and the best chance of the chamber access. The essential alternative: the Knowth, the larger, the more complex, the 2 passages, and the kerbstones with the spiral carvings, the most beautiful Neolithic art in the world. The Knowth is the not the Newgrange, the chamber entry is not permitted, and the Knowth is the better archaeological experience). The essential Boyne Valley strategy: the car is the essential, the Brú na Bóinne, the Hill of the Tara (the ancient seat of the High Kings of the Ireland, the Lia Fáil, the Stone of the Destiny, and the best view in the Meath), the Slane Castle (the concert venue, the distillery, and the best lunch in the Boyne Valley at the Browne’s Bar. ~€15 for the main)