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Wicklow Mountains and Kilkenny City Private Tour with Chauffeur
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From €815 per person
This is a private tour with James Doran, your chauffeur and guide for the day. You’ll leave Dublin and travel south through two of Ireland’s most rewarding destinations: the Wicklow Mountains with Glendalough’s ancient monastic ruins, then on to Kilkenny, one of Ireland’s finest medieval cities.
Wicklow offers the kind of dramatic, wide-open scenery that’s hard to believe is just an hour from the capital - mountain passes, traditional bogs, waterfalls and glacial valleys. Kilkenny delivers the history and the atmosphere: cobblestone streets, a 12th-century castle, hidden laneways, local craft and a pub scene that still feels genuinely local. Kyteler’s Inn is a good bet for lunch, and a pint of Smithwick’s brewed in the city itself is worth tracking down.
Dublin to Glendalough - Your chauffeur will collect you from your hotel lobby in Dublin. Heading south through County Wicklow, you’ll pass through beautiful countryside with views of the Sugar Loaf Mountains on the way to Glendalough. (60 min)
Glendalough - One of Ireland’s most remarkable visitor sites, Glendalough is known for the Braveheart wedding scenes filmed here as well as for its rich heritage in history and archaeology. You’ll have 1.5 hours to explore the ruined monastic city, with St. Kevin’s Cross and a round tower dating to the 10th century. There’s a lovely stroll along the riverbank through woodland to the lakes, waterfalls and streams - bring your camera. (90 min)
The Wicklow Gap - From Glendalough you travel up through the Wicklow Gap, with panoramic mountain views stretching as far as the eye can see. You’ll pass traditional Irish bogs that have provided fuel for Irish households for centuries, and Turlogh Waterfall, one of Ireland’s most dramatic waterfalls and highest reservoir. (90 min)
Kilkenny City - Kilkenny was once the medieval capital of Ireland. Situated on the banks of the River Nore, it’s a city of cobblestone streets, winding laneways and 800 years of history. You’ll visit the gardens of Kilkenny Castle, which dates to the 1100s, and take a guided tour inside (castle tour admission is included). (60 min)
Lunch - After the castle, there’s time for lunch. Kyteler’s Inn is a popular local choice for a good Irish meal and an Irish coffee. (60 min)
Kilkenny City exploration - Time to wander the streets and visit Black Abbey (free entry) or St. Canice’s Cathedral (free entry), with its magnificent round tower. Kilkenny is a city worth savouring - it’s one of those places that tends to stay with you. (90 min)
Return to Dublin - Sit back and relax as James drives you back to Dublin city centre. (90 min)
Make the most of your 90 minutes at Glendalough. The monastic site has two distinct areas - the main cluster of ruins near the visitor centre, and the Upper Lake a twenty-five-minute walk further west along the Green Road. Your 90-minute allocation is enough to do both if you move at a reasonable pace. Walk to the Upper Lake; the view of the glacial valley from the lakeshore is the payoff. The round tower’s doorway is three and a half metres off the ground - a deliberate design, for when the Vikings came calling.
Glendalough is not Laragh. The village with the pubs and food is Laragh, 1.5km east of the monastic site, where Lynham’s of Laragh has been serving pints for generations and the Wicklow Heather has a proper kitchen. If your guide allows a short food stop before heading on to the Wicklow Gap, Laragh is the place to do it.
In Kilkenny, choose your lunch spot with a bit of thought. Kyteler’s Inn has real medieval bones - the site dates to 1324, the cellars are genuinely old, and the Dame Alice Kyteler witch trial story is worth knowing before you walk in. It leans toward the tourist trade on busy days, so go in for the atmosphere and the history. If you’d rather eat somewhere the locals go, Foodworks on Parliament Street does a serious lunch and Rinuccini, opposite the castle, has been run by the Cavaliere family since 1989.
Climb the round tower at St Canice’s Cathedral. It’s 100 steps of a 9th-century tower and the view from the top takes in the whole of Kilkenny city - the castle at one end, the medieval streets between, the River Nore bending around the south. It’s free to enter the cathedral; the tower has a small admission charge. Worth every cent.
Park the car at the edge when you reach Kilkenny. The medieval streets were built for carts. MacDonagh Junction or the Market Yard are the sensible options - your chauffeur will sort this - and the whole city is fifteen minutes on foot from either.