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Tour Wicklow Mountains National Park in a limo with private guide
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From €595 per person
County Wicklow sits just south of Dublin and it’s one of the most varied landscapes in Ireland - heather-covered mountains, dark mountain lakes, ancient monastic ruins, and some of the finest gardens in Europe. This private 8-hour tour puts all of it within reach, led by a fully qualified guide who grew up in the area and has been doing this for 14 years.
The day is genuinely flexible. You can visit Powerscourt Gardens (rated number 3 in the world by National Geographic), drive through the Wicklow Mountains National Park, explore the monastic city at Glendalough, walk both lakes in the valley, or just take it all in at your own pace from the air-conditioned vehicle. Your guide will even take you past the family farm up in the mountains if the mood suits. A good lunch in one of the local pubs or restaurants is part of the day, or a pint on the way back if you’d prefer.
Message your guide when you book and you’ll put together a plan that actually works for you.
Powerscourt Gardens - 47 acres of formal and informal gardens ranked among the finest in the world. Lakes, sculptures, unusual trees, and a view of the Sugar Loaf mountain. Your guide will walk the gardens with you, or give you the space to explore on your own. Admission fee applies. (60 min)
Wicklow Mountains National Park - heather-covered mountains, deep glacial lakes, and views that have served as the backdrop for productions including PS I Love You, Vikings, and Valhalla. This is the countryside your guide grew up in. (60 min)
Glendalough - one of Ireland’s most important monastic sites, founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. You’ll walk among the ruins of the monastic city, see the famous round tower and several of the churches, then - if you’re up for it - walk the valley path to see both lakes. Glendalough means “the valley of two lakes,” and it would be a shame not to see them both. (120 min)
Book Powerscourt Gardens first thing. The estate opens at 9.30am and if you’re there before the coaches arrive, you’ll have the Italian terraces and the Triton Lake largely to yourself. The gardens are 47 acres, so allow at least two hours to do them properly - the tower folly and the Japanese garden take extra time if you want them. The view of the Great Sugar Loaf from the upper terrace is the shot everyone comes for, and it earns the trip. Your guide can also point you toward the Powerscourt Waterfall, 6 km from the estate by road - at 121 metres it’s the highest continuous-flow waterfall in the Republic, and it’s a completely different experience from the formal gardens.
Glendalough is best from the middle of the afternoon onward. The day-trip coaches tend to arrive mid-morning and leave before two. Your guide knows this and will likely time it accordingly. The flat Green Road walk from the visitor centre to the Upper Lake is 3 km return and passes the main monastic ruins - the round tower’s doorway is three and a half metres off the ground, which tells you something about how the monks used it when the Vikings came up the valley. If you want more, the Poulanass Waterfall trail from the Upper Lake car park is a 1.5 km return walk through oak wood to a thirty-metre cascade.
Where to eat in Glendalough. The visitor centre café serves the bus crowds. Walk the ten minutes back to Laragh village instead - that’s where the actual village is, at the junction of three mountain roads. Lynham’s of Laragh is the local pub, with turf fire and food until late by Wicklow standards. The Wicklow Heather is the more formal option, with a dining room walled in signed first editions of Joyce, Yeats and Heaney. Book ahead at weekends.
Tell your guide what you want out of the day. This guide grew up in these mountains and has been doing this for 14 years. If you want to walk, they’ll take you on a walk. If you want to sit at the Upper Lake with the valley to yourself, they’ll make that happen. The flexibility is the point of a private tour - use it.