Dublin Ireland 6 Day Itinerary (Day Trips)
Six days is our 5-day plan plus Galway, a city that gets recommended as a casual day trip far more often than it actually works as one. See our 7-day plan next for Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, the only trip in this family that crosses into another currency.
Book these before you go:
- Book of Kells tickets : timed entry, summer morning slots sell out weeks ahead
- Glendalough and Wicklow tour : peak-season weekend departures sell out
- Bru na Boinne and Newgrange tour : guided-access only, booking window opens 30 days out in peak season
- Cliffs of Moher day tour : weekend departures fill by midweek in summer
- Galway hotel : worth booking if you’re turning Day 5 or Day 6 into an overnight
- Your Dublin hotel : compare city center rates before you land
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Dublin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin city: Trinity, Grafton Street, Temple Bar | City center |
| 2 | Howth: cliff walk and seafood | 30-35 min by DART |
| 3 | Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains | About 1 hour by tour or car |
| 4 | Newgrange and the Boyne Valley | About 45-60 min, guided tour only |
| 5 | The Cliffs of Moher | 3-3.5 hours each way by coach |
| 6 | Galway | 2h20-2h30 each way by train |
Day 1: Dublin city, the short version
Give yourself one full day in the city before you start using it as a launchpad. Start at Trinity College for the Book of Kells and Old Library, budget about 90 minutes and book a timed slot in advance since summer mornings sell out; book ahead rather than risk a walk-up ticket. See visittrinity.ie for the official calendar. From Trinity it’s a short walk to Grafton Street and St Stephen’s Green, then Temple Bar in the evening, one street back from the busiest corner if you want a normal-priced pint.
Day 2: Howth, the easy win
Take the DART from Connolly, Pearse, or Tara Street, roughly 30 to 35 minutes, trains every half hour, a few euro each way or a Leap Card zone fare. No booking, no tour bus. Take the H3 bus up to Howth Summit first, then walk the Cliff Path Loop downhill into the village, the same coastal views with a fraction of the climbing.
Day 3: Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains
About an hour each way by road, no direct train, so this is a tour-bus or rental-car day. Half-day tours run 4 to 5 hours round trip; the fuller “Wild Wicklow” style tours run closer to 9 hours and add more mountain scenery. St Kevin’s monastic ruins sit beside two lakes ringed by hills. Book ahead, peak-season weekend departures do sell out. See heritageireland.ie for the monastic site’s current opening hours.
Day 4: Newgrange and the Boyne Valley
There’s no walk-up option here. Newgrange, a Neolithic passage tomb older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, is accessible only via a guided tour from the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre. Booking windows open 30 days ahead from April through November and 7 days ahead the rest of the year, and peak-season slots vanish within hours of release. The combined Newgrange and Knowth ticket runs roughly EUR 18 adult. Book the guided tour ahead rather than chase the official booking window yourself. See discoverboynevalley.ie for current pricing.
Day 5: The Cliffs of Moher, the long day
Roughly 3 to 3.5 hours each way by road, no direct train. A full-day guided coach tour runs 12 to 13 hours total, departing Dublin around 6:45 to 7am and returning between 8 and 10pm, priced roughly EUR 65-89 per person and usually bundled with the Burren and either Galway City or Bunratty Castle. Strip out the driving and you’re left with something like 90 minutes to 2 hours actually at the cliffs. Book the coach tour well ahead. See cliffsofmoher.ie for current visitor centre hours.
Does the Cliffs of Moher work as a day trip from Dublin? Technically yes, honestly it’s rough: a 12 to 13 hour day trades roughly 6 hours of driving for 90 minutes to 2 hours at the cliffs themselves. With a spare night, basing overnight in Galway or Doolin turns the same cliffs into a relaxed half day, which is exactly what Day 6 below sets up.
Day 6: Galway, the one that looks casual and isn’t
Irish Rail runs direct from Heuston Station, roughly 2 hours 20 to 2 hours 30 each way, 9 to 10 trains a day, fares from about EUR 14-22 one way. A same-day round trip means close to 5 hours on trains for maybe 3 to 4 hours actually in the city, commonly recommended as a casual day trip and rarely one in practice. If a spare night is on the table, book a Galway hotel and turn Days 5 and 6 into one overnight instead: take the Cliffs of Moher coach one way, stay in Galway, then train back to Dublin the next evening. See irishrail.ie for current Heuston to Galway fares and timetables.
Should Galway be a day trip or an overnight? An overnight, if you can manage it. Spending nearly 5 hours on trains for a few hours in a city built for a slower pace, cobbled Latin Quarter, trad sessions, Galway Bay at sunset, is a rough trade for a single day. Go anyway if a spare night truly isn’t available, just go in knowing the math.
Before you go
Buy a Leap Card for the DART to Howth and the Luas or bus in the city center; Glendalough, Newgrange, the Cliffs of Moher, and Galway all run on tour coaches or Irish Rail instead. Pack for rain regardless of month. If six days still leaves the whole gateway family uncovered, the 7-day plan adds Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, the one day that trades your euro for pounds.