This private day trip pairs Dublin city with the wilder beauty of County Wicklow - two very different sides of Ireland, both worth your time.
Your local guide and driver will meet you as you disembark and bring you to your private luxury vehicle. You’ll take in Dublin’s landmarks and stories from the city’s past before heading south through the Dublin suburbs and into Wicklow, often called the Garden of Ireland.
The centrepiece of the Wicklow leg is Glendalough - a glacial valley with two lakes, ancient monastic buildings, wild deer and tree-lined walking paths. Your guide knows where to position you for the best photographs, and you’ll have time to soak in the surroundings properly rather than rushing through.
This is a private tour - just your group for the full 6-8 hours. Infant seats and strollers are accommodated, and service animals are welcome. Suitable for all fitness levels. The tour is conducted in English. Public transport options are available nearby.
Time at Glendalough goes fast - use it well. The valley has a flat 3km Green Road that runs from the visitor centre along the Lower Lake, past the round tower, to the boardwalk at the Upper Lake. It takes about an hour return, it’s mostly flat, and it passes nine of the major monastic ruins on the way. If your guide offers you a choice of walk, this is the one that earns the most with the least effort.
The round tower has a detail worth noticing. The doorway is three and a half metres off the ground - not symbolic, defensive. When Viking raids came up the valley, the monks pulled the ladder up behind them. The conical roof on top was rebuilt in 1876 from the original stones after a lightning strike. Your guide will know the full story, but the detail of that high doorway is the thing that makes the tower click into place.
The best photographs are from across the Lower Lake, not at the tower gate. The round tower and cathedral are best framed from the south bank of the Lower Lake, where you get the water and the ruin line together. Your guide will know the spots. If you want dawn light, that’s the position.
Wicklow suits the second half of the day. The coach day-trippers to Glendalough tend to arrive between 10am and 2pm. If your schedule allows you to reach the valley in the late afternoon, you’ll find it considerably quieter. The deer that live in the valley come out of the woods at dusk. Laragh, the small crossroads village 1.5km east of the monastic site, has Lynham’s pub (a public bar since the 1770s) and the Wicklow Heather restaurant if you want to end the day there before the drive back.