Travellers who want to cover a difficult route without hiring a car.
day trips IrelandMe tour notes
Dublin to Powerscourt, Wicklow, Glendalough Private Guided Tour
Your own private guide, your own pace - discover Wicklow's best from Powerscourt to Glendalough on a fully flexible 8-hour day from Dublin.
From €580 starting price · live price may vary
Check dates & prices ↗ Free cancellation on most dates · Booked securely with Viator
Duration8 hours
PriceFrom €580
Rating4.8 from 72 reviews
BookingSecurely via Viator
The IrelandMe take
What stands out about this one
Our practical read of the published itinerary, traveller feedback and local context—not the operator’s sales description.
This is your day - designed around you. On this private tour of County Wicklow, you get to choose which places to visit, how long to linger, and what kind of day you want. If you'd rather spend an extra hour by the lakes at Glendalough than rush through a checklist of sights, that's exactly what you'll do.
Wicklow is called the "Garden of Ireland" for good reason. It's a county of sweeping green valleys, heather-clad hills, and some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. Powerscourt House and Garden is one of the great estates of Ireland - the gardens alone are worth a morning. Then there's the Sally Gap, where the road crosses open bogland with wide views you won't easily forget. Along the way, Lough Tay - the "Guinness Lake" - sits in a dramatic hollow and has stood in for locations in both Braveheart and Vikings.
The published itinerary is the deciding factor here. Check the current meeting point and stop timings before committing.
One practical detail
Use the flexibility of this private tour to time Enniskerry right. The Powerscourt Gardens open at 9.30am; if you can arrange pickup early enough to arrive by then, you'll have the 47 acres of terraces, the Triton Lake and the walled garden largely to yourself before the coach traffic arrives around eleven. National Geographic ranked these gardens third in the world - that reputation has consequences for parking and crowds. Your guide will know the timing.
How the experience works
Glendalough is the kind of place that stops you in your tracks. The 6th-century monastic site founded by St Kevin sits among two glacial lakes, and the round tower rising above the ruins has been standing for over a thousand years. You can take a guided walk through the site, or head up to the upper lake if you fancy a longer wander.
Your local qualified guide picks you up in Dublin and is with you throughout the day.
What the price covers
- Air-conditioned transport with a local qualified guide
- Pickup at your chosen Dublin location
- Meals or drinks
- Entrance to Powerscourt Gardens (reduced rate available with this tour)
The published itinerary
Use this to judge the pace and where your time actually goes. Operators can adjust stop order for traffic, weather or opening times.
- Pickup at your chosen Dublin location (5 min)
- Powerscourt Gardens - reduced rate available with this tour (90 min)
- Lunch stop at a local café, restaurant or rural pub - dietary requirements such as gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan can be accommodated (45 min)
- Drive through Wicklow Mountains National Park (60 min)
- Scenic stop at Lough Tay (Guinness Lake) for photos and a history talk (15 min)
- Guided tour of St Kevin's monastic site at Glendalough (30 min)
- Optional walk to the upper lake (60 min)
Local tips that make the day better
For lunch, tell your guide you want a rural pub rather than an estate café. Poppies on the square in Enniskerry has been open since 1982, does honest soup and sandwiches, and is better than anything in the estate itself. If your group wants a longer sit-down, ask your guide about options in the Wicklow Mountains - there are rural pubs along the Sally Gap road that don't appear in most guidebooks.
At Glendalough, take the optional upper lake walk. The flat Green Road from the monastic site to the Upper Lake is only about 1.5 km each way and passes through the valley's best landscape. With 30 minutes at the guided site and 60 minutes for the upper lake walk, you'll cover the round tower, the cathedral, the seven churches and the lake shore - without feeling rushed. The Spinc boardwalk above the Upper Lake is a more serious climb (4 hours) and is better suited to a full day dedicated to Glendalough.
Plan your return via the Sally Gap road if the weather allows. The R115 Military Road from Glendalough north through Sally Gap is one of the finest drives in Ireland - open bogland, mountain streams, wide skies, and the Guinness Lake visible from a pull-in at the top. It adds time to the Dublin return but is worth building in. Your guide on a private tour can adjust the route; it's worth asking.
Good to know before booking
- This is a private tour - just your group
- Pick up is at your chosen Dublin location
- You can adjust what you visit within the 8-hour time frame
- Suitable for all fitness levels
- Specialised infant seats available
- Service animals welcome
- Public transport options available near the starting point
- Conducted in English
Make more of the area
- Enniskerry - the estate village below Powerscourt, with a square that's been filmed in more productions than it can count, a 121-metre waterfall six kilometres away, and Poppies café that's been doing honest food since 1982
- Glendalough - St Kevin's 6th-century monastic city in a glacial valley between two lakes, where a round tower has been standing for over a thousand years and the upper lake rewards anyone who walks the extra kilometre past the tour bus crowd
Questions before you book
How long is Dublin to Powerscourt, Wicklow, Glendalough Private Guided Tour?
The published duration is 8 hours. Allow extra time to reach the meeting point and for your onward plans.
How much does Dublin to Powerscourt, Wicklow, Glendalough Private Guided Tour cost?
The listed starting price is From €580. Live prices can change by date, group size and availability.
What should I know before booking?
The published itinerary is the deciding factor here. Check the current meeting point and stop timings before committing.
Ready to decide?
Check the live times before building the rest of your day.
From €580 · 8 hours Check dates & prices ↗
