Best Tours and Day Trips from Dublin
If you want to get to know Dublin and its surroundings, I recommend that you join a guided tour so that you don't miss a single corner of the city.
Sunset on Dublin's waterfront | ©Giuseppe Milo
Most travelers visiting Dublin focus their visit on the sights of the Irish capital. However, there are many secrets in and around the city that are off the beaten tourist track. These tours and excursions are to discover them:
1. Excursion to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway
You've probably heard on more than one occasion about the myths of Irish culture. You may even have read books or watched movies on the subject. However, nothing compares to the feeling of having a specialized guide tell you all about it on an organized tour to see the landscapes of Moher and Galway.
A two and a half hour drive from Dublin is the port city of Galway, characterized by the charm of its colorful houses and the vitality of its streets.
During a walking tour of the city center your guide will tell you about the importance of this city and then you will have time to visit it at your leisure. Then you will visit the impressive Cliffs of Moher overlooking the Atlantic and more than 200 meters high, famous throughout Ireland.
What is included in this tour
- The services of an English speaking guide
- Roundtrip transfer from Dublin city center
- Entrance fee to the cliffs
What you should know
Food is on your own (you will find places to eat on the tour and you can also bring a picnic) and the tour will not be cancelled due to rain (which is very common in and around Dublin) so you should dress appropriately.
You can book online and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the day of your choice. You will receive an email with all the necessary information and details of the time and departure point in Dublin.
This tour is for you if
If you want to combine natural scenery with rural landscapes while discovering interesting stories about the history and legends of Ireland.
2. Game of Thrones location tours
One of the most popular day trips from Dublin for travelers visiting the Irish capital is a tour of various locations in Ireland featured in the Game of Thrones series.
Regardless of which tour you choose, I recommend booking it online in advance to reserve a time slot on the day that suits you best. Once you have chosen the day you want to do the tour, they will confirm your reservation and email you the details of the meeting point in Dublin from which the tour departs and the time you need to be ready.
Tour route
The itinerary of the tours covering the Game of Thrones route is similar and all of them include the services of a specialized guide and the transfer from the center of Dublin in a vehicle equipped with all the comforts to make the journey a pleasant experience. Some of the most outstanding stops will be:
- Dunluce Castle: in fiction it was the castle of House Grejoy, located in the Iron Islands and has also appeared in the movie The Chronicles of Narnia. In real life, the castle located next to the cliff has witnessed shipwrecks and bloody assaults that have nothing to envy to the plot of the series.
- Giant's Causeway: when you contemplate this place the first thing you think is that it is incredible that its relief of 40,000 stone columns has been shaped by nature, but it is so. The place has been declared a World Heritage Site and, regardless of its appearance in the series, it will leave you speechless.
- Belfast: the city is home to the film studios where the series is filmed and also, in keeping with film traditions, the "Titanic Studios".
This excursion is for you if
If you are a fan of the series, as many of the anecdotes your guide will tell you will have to do with details of the filming. However, if you simply want to discover breathtaking landscapes, I can assure you that you will also be very satisfied.
3. Excursion to Howth and Malahide
The visit to Malahide Castle and gardens, located just outside Dublin (a half hour drive) is a history lesson of the city and the country. For over 800 years, this was the residence of the Talbot family and, although it began as a basic fortress, over the years it was expanded in the style of medieval fashion.
On this half-day tour of Howth and Malahide a guide will pick you up in the center of Dublin and take you in a bus with a maximum of 30 travelers to visit first the castle, which also has a butterfly and peacock greenhouse, and then to the town of Howth where you can enjoy free time to explore it at your leisure.
Transport, guide services and tour fees are included. You can book online.
This tour is for you if
If you are interested in learning more about the history of the country and want to visit one of Ireland's most famous castles in a morning or afternoon.
4. Guided walking tour of Dublin's dark side
I have to admit that of all the guided walking tours of central Dublin this is my favorite. I have always been interested in ghost stories, apparitions, legends and murders that give a city a dark and particular character. All cities have some story of this kind behind their most relevant points of interest, but few have as many as Dublin.
This guided walking tour of Dublin's dark side takes place at dusk, is available in English and Spanish and lasts two and a half hours. There will be a maximum of 40 travelers on the tour and children under 13 years of age are excluded.
Points of interest
- Dublin Castle: there the guide will tell you the history of beheadings and occult practices.
- St. Michan's Church: famous for the mummies exhibited inside and for the whispers that many visitors claim to hear coming from the crypt.
- The Olympia Theater: where you will hear a chilling ghost story.
- Smithfield Square: the nerve center of the city with wonderful architecture.
This tour is for you if
If you want to get away from the official history as told in the textbooks and visit the most relevant points of Dublin from a different perspective.
5. Dublin's traditional pub crawl
Irish beer is famous all over the world, but so are its pubs. Logically, in Dublin you can enjoy the most emblematic and this guided tour of traditional pubs gives you the opportunity to discover and enjoy them with a local guide.
For three and a half hours you will enjoy a tour of Dublin's most traditional pubs and get an introduction to this part of Irish culture that is so popular around the world. The tour is available in English and Spanish and includes discounts on free food and drinks at selected venues.
Once you book online, you will receive in your email the details of the itinerary and the meeting point from where the tour will depart at sunset. In addition to tasting whiskey, craft beer and Guinness you will also enjoy live traditional music and chat with the locals as if you were a local and not a tourist visiting the city.
This tour is for you if
If you feel like having a relaxed time in the company of locals and getting to know the city's nightlife.
6. Guided tour of the Teeling Whisky Distillery
Not only beer is famous in Ireland, whiskey is also an institution and that is why one of the most popular activities is the guided tour of the Teeling Whisky Distillery. This is the only working distillery in the city and this tour is focused on knowing how it works.
It lasts one hour and is available in 9 languages including English and Spanish. The tour also includes tasting of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages.
This tour is for you if
If you are interested in the making of whiskey, the history of this drink and its importance in the Irish capital.
7. Guided sightseeing bus tour of Dublin
One way to discover the city is to buy a pass for the Dublin sightseeing bus. Why is this activity included among the best guided tours? Because it has on-board commentary in several languages that put into context the different places of interest of the capital so that, in addition to enjoying the panoramic views, the traveler learns during the tour.
The pass for this tourist bus, also has quick access without queues to the famous Guinness Store, an emblem of the city. You can use the Dublin Big Bus for 24, 48 or 72 hours depending on the pass you buy. With any of them you will be able to use the free stops.
If you are interested in knowing more about this kind of tours, you can read this article on Dublin Hop on Hop off Bus Tours. You can make your reservation online.
This tour is for you if
If you are looking to maximize your time in the city so you don't miss anything without having to do long walks.
Ana's Traveller Tip
Most tours are not cancelled due to rain, which is very common in Dublin. Count on it and wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
8. You may also be interested in
If in addition to a tour of Dublin and its surroundings you want to delve a little deeper into their culture and traditions of the city, you can not miss the legendary Guinness brewery, where you can tour inside and learn about the process of creating beer in addition to tasting it. I leave here all the information you need to know to organize the visit: Guinness Storehouse Tickets and Tours in Dublin.
I also recommend that you consider the option of purchasing the Dublin Pass tourist card to get quick and cheaper access to the main attractions of the city. In this article about Dublin Pass I tell you all the details so you can decide if it is worth it or not.