More about: 7 Best Tours and Day Trips in Dublin
Most travellers who visit Dublin focus their visit on the Irish capital's main attractions. However, there are many secrets both in the city and its surroundings that are off the beaten track. These tours and excursions are designed to help you discover them:
1. Excursion to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway
You have probably heard about Irish myths on more than one occasion. You may even have read books or seen films on the subject. However, nothing compares to the feeling of having a specialist guide tell you all about it on an organised excursion to see the landscapes of Moher and Galway.
Two and a half hours by car from Dublin is the port city of Galway, characterised by its charming colourful houses and lively streets.
During a walking tour of the city centre, your guide will tell you about the importance of this city, and then you will have time to explore it at your leisure. Afterwards, you will visit the impressive Cliffs of Moher, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and standing over 200 metres high, famous throughout Ireland.
What's included in this excursion
- The services of a guide in Spanish
- Return transfer from Dublin city centre
- Entrance to the cliffs
What you need to know
Food is not included (you will find places to eat along the route and you can also bring a picnic) and the tour will not be cancelled due to rain (which is very common in Dublin and the surrounding area), so please dress appropriately.
You can book online and cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the day you choose. You will receive an email with all the necessary information and details of the time and meeting point in Dublin.
This tour is for you if
You want to combine natural landscapes with rural scenery while discovering interesting stories about Irish history and legends.
2. Excursion to Howth and Malahide
A visit to Malahide Castle and Gardens, located on the outskirts of Dublin (half an hour by car), is a lesson in the history of the city and the country. For over 800 years, this was the residence of the Talbot family and, although it began as a basic fortress, over the years it was expanded in the medieval style.
On this half-day tour of Howth and Malahide, a guide will pick you up in the centre of Dublin and take you by bus with a maximum of 30 passengers to visit the castle, which also has a butterfly house and peacocks, and then to the town of Howth, where you can enjoy some free time to explore at your leisure.
Transport, guide services and entrance fees are included. You can book online.
This excursion is for you if
You are interested in learning more about the country's history and want to spend a morning or afternoon visiting one of Ireland's most famous castles.
3. Guided walking tour of Dublin's dark side
I have to admit that of all the guided walking tours of Dublin city centre, this is my favourite. I've always been interested in ghost stories, apparitions, legends and murders that give a city a dark and unique character. All cities have stories of this kind behind their most important landmarks, but few have as many as Dublin.
This guided walking tour of Dublin's dark side takes place at sunset, is available in Spanish and English, and lasts two and a half hours. There is a maximum of 40 travellers on the tour and children under 13 are not allowed.
Points of interest
- Dublin Castle: here, the guide will tell you stories of beheadings and occult practices.
- St Michan's Church: famous for the mummies on display inside and the whispers that many visitors say they hear coming from the crypt.
- The Olympia Theatre: where you will hear a spine-chilling ghost story.
- Smithfield Square: the nerve centre of the city with wonderful architecture.
This tour is for you if
You want to get away from the official history told in textbooks and explore Dublin's most important sites from a different perspective.
4. Tour of Dublin's traditional pubs
Irish beer is famous all over the world, but so are its pubs. Naturally, in Dublin you can enjoy the most iconic ones, and this guided tour of traditional pubs gives you the opportunity to discover and enjoy them with a local guide.
Over three and a half hours, you'll enjoy a tour of Dublin's most traditional pubs and get an introduction to this part of Irish culture that is so popular around the world. The tour is available in English and Spanish and includes discounts on food and free drinks at selected venues.
Once you have made your online booking, you will receive an email with the details of the itinerary and the meeting point for the tour, which departs at sunset. As well as tasting whisky, craft beer and Guinness, you will also enjoy live traditional music and chat with the locals as if you were a Dubliner yourself rather than a tourist visiting the city.
This tour is for you if
You want to spend a relaxing evening in the company of locals and get to know the city's nightlife.
5. Guided tour of the Teeling Whiskey Distillery
It's not just beer that Ireland is famous for, whisky is also an institution, which is why one of the most popular activities is a guided tour of the Teeling Whiskey Distillery. This is the only working distillery in the city and this tour focuses on how it works.
It lasts one hour and is available in nine languages, including English and Spanish. The tour also includes whisky tasting and other alcoholic beverages.
This tour is for you if
You are interested in whiskey production, the history of this drink and its importance in the Irish capital.
6. Guided tour of Dublin by tourist bus
See Dublin from the comfort of a double-decker bus
One way to discover the city is by purchasing a pass for the Dublin tourist bus. Why is this activity included among the best guided tours? Because it offers commentary in several languages that puts the capital's different places of interest into context so that, as well as enjoying the panoramic views, travellers can learn about the city during the tour.
The pass for this tourist bus also includes fast, queue-free access to the famous Guinness Storehouse, one of the city's landmarks. You can use the Dublin Big Bus for 24, 48 or 72 hours, depending on the pass you purchase. With any of them, you can hop on and off at any stop.
If you are interested in learning more about this type of tour, you can read this article about Dublin Hop-On Hop-Off Buses. You can make your reservation online.
This tour is for you if
You want to make the most of your time in the city and not miss anything without having to walk long distances.
7. Excursions to Game of Thrones locations
One of the most popular day trips from Dublin for travellers visiting the Irish capital is the tour of various locations in Ireland that appear in the Game of Thrones series.
Whichever excursion you choose, I recommend booking online in advance to secure a place on the day that suits you best. Once you have chosen the day you want to go on the tour, they will confirm your booking and email you the details of the meeting point in Dublin where the tour departs from and the time you need to be ready.
Tour
The tours covering the Game of Thrones route are similar and all include the services of a specialised guide and transport from the centre of Dublin in a vehicle equipped with all the amenities to make the journey an enjoyable experience. Some of the highlights will be:
- Dunluce Castle: in the series, this was the castle of House Greyjoy, located on the Iron Islands, and it also appeared in the film The Chronicles of Narnia. In real life, the castle, located next to the cliff, has witnessed shipwrecks and bloody assaults that are every bit as dramatic as the plot of the series.
- Giant's Causeway: when you see this place, the first thing you think is that it is incredible that its 40,000 stone columns were shaped by nature, but that is indeed the case. The site has been declared a World Heritage Site and, regardless of its appearance in the series, it will leave you speechless.
- Belfast: the city is home to the film studios where the series is shot and, in keeping with cinematic traditions, the Titanic Studios.
This excursion is for you if
You're a fan of the series, as many of the anecdotes your guide will tell you will be related to details of the filming. However, if you simply want to discover breathtaking landscapes, I can assure you that you will also be very satisfied.
You may also be interested in
If, in addition to touring Dublin and its surroundings, you would like to delve a little deeper into the culture and traditions of the city, you cannot miss a visit to the legendary Guinness brewery, where you can tour the interior and learn about the beer-making process, as well as taste the beer. Here is all the information you need to know to organise your visit: Guinness Storehouse in Dublin Tickets and Tours.
I also recommend that you consider purchasing the Dublin Pass tourist card for quick and cheaper access to the city's main attractions. In this article about Dublin Tourist Cards I give you all the details so you can decide whether it's worth it or not.