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Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough Day Trip from Dublin
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From €620 per person
County Wicklow is right on Dublin’s doorstep, but it feels a world away. This private 9-hour day trip takes you into Wicklow Mountains National Park - rolling hills, quiet lakes, and wildlife around every bend - and brings you to two of the county’s most rewarding spots.
You’ll spend time at Glendalough, the ancient monastic site tucked into a wooded valley, and stop at Lough Tay for the panoramic views that make this stretch of Wicklow so recognisable. A professional guide travels with you throughout in a private, air-conditioned vehicle.
Meals and drinks aren’t included, so you’ll want to bring something or budget for a stop along the way. Note that all sightseeing is subject to availability.
Wicklow Mountains National Park - Your introduction to the Wicklow landscape: rolling hills, glacial valleys, scenic lakes and the kind of quiet that’s hard to find closer to the city. Glendalough’s monastic ruins sit within the park, so this sets the scene for everything that follows. About 2 hours.
Glendalough - Walk the grounds of the early medieval monastic settlement, past the Round Tower and St. Kevin’s Church, and out along the lakes. The trails here are genuinely lovely, and there’s enough to keep you occupied for a solid hour.
Lough Tay viewpoint - A stop at the scenic overlook above Lough Tay, also known as the Guinness Lake. The views across the lake and the surrounding Wicklow hills are some of the best in the county. About 30 minutes.
Arrive at Glendalough early if you can. The valley is a different place before the coach parties arrive at half ten. On a private tour you have some flexibility - ask your guide about the timing, because an early start at the monastic site gives you the round tower and the lower lake mostly to yourself.
The two lakes are not interchangeable. The Lower Lake is right beside the visitor centre and the main ruins - the round tower, the cathedral, St Kevin’s Church. The Upper Lake is a twenty-five-minute walk further along the Green Road, quieter and more dramatic, with the glacial valley walls closing in around it. Your hour at Glendalough is well spent walking between them rather than lingering at one.
Skip the visitor centre café if you’re hungry. It feeds the bus crowd at noon and does what it needs to do. If there’s time in the day, the Trinity Mountain Bothy back in Laragh village does soup, sandwiches and proper coffee in a room that’s built for walkers. Lynham’s of Laragh is the pub option for something more substantial.
The Lough Tay viewpoint rewards a pause. The lake sits in a hollow below the road - dark water, white strand, the Wicklow hills behind it. It photographs well, but stand there for a few minutes rather than just taking the shot. The scale of the glacial landscape is what stays with you.