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Glendalough and Dublin City Excursion - Ship to shore
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From €80 per person
If you’re arriving into Dublin by cruise ship and want to make the most of your time ashore, this is one of the best day excursions you’ll find. You’re collected directly from your ship’s docking point, so there’s no navigating your way into the city from the port.
The tour heads south through the Dublin hills and into County Wicklow - known as the Garden of Ireland - where your first stop is Glendalough. This ancient monastic site tucked into a glacial valley is one of the most peaceful and historically rich places in the country. You’ll have at least 2 hours to explore - wandering around the ruins, strolling along the lake shores, or taking one of the forest walks that thread through the surrounding hills.
After Glendalough you’re back into Dublin city, where your guide brings you through the main sights and gives you free time to explore - the cobbled streets of Temple Bar, Trinity College, Dublin’s vibrant high street, all within reach.
You’re collected from the port and driven south through the Dublin hills into County Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland. The journey through the hills is scenic in itself. Allow around 60 minutes for travel.
Glendalough - an ancient intact monastic city set in one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in Ireland. This is one of those places that rewards however much time you give it, whether you’re exploring the early Christian ruins, walking along the lakes, or just sitting quietly and taking it all in. Allow at least 2 hours here.
Back in Dublin city centre, your guide will point out what’s worth seeing and fill you in on a bit of Irish history along the way. You’ll have free time to visit Temple Bar, walk around Trinity College, or do some shopping on the high street before returning to the port. Allow around 60 minutes in the city.
Your 2 hours at Glendalough rewards a bit of planning. The monastic ruins - the round tower, the cathedral, St Kevin’s Church with its chimney-shaped belfry - are clustered around the Lower Lake car park, and you can see the main sites in 45 minutes. That leaves time for the Green Road walk from the visitor centre along the Lower Lake to the Upper Lake, roughly 3km return and the flat route - the one that takes you past most of the major ruins and out to the quieter Upper Lake. It’s suitable for most fitness levels and one of the most atmospheric walks in Wicklow.
The actual village for food and coffee is Laragh, 1.5km east of the monastic site. Lynham’s of Laragh is the local pub and does food - handy if you want a warm lunch before the Dublin leg. Trinity Mountain Bothy in Laragh is a smaller café doing soup and sandwiches, aimed squarely at walkers coming off the hills.
Because this is a ship-to-shore excursion, timing matters more than on a regular tour. The tour is designed to get you back to port before your ship’s departure window - the guide will be tracking that throughout the day, so you don’t need to worry. What it does mean is that the Dublin city leg is a highlights tour rather than a deep dive: Temple Bar for the atmosphere, Trinity College for the view of the square, and a coffee or a browse before boarding.
On the drive between Wicklow and Dublin, the route passes through some of the most photographed countryside in Ireland. If the driver takes the scenic road, you may pass through the Sally Gap or along the edge of the Dublin mountains - ask your guide which route they’re using that day.