Dublin Day Trips in 5 Days on a Budget

Five days based in Dublin nests the 4-day plan exactly, Howth, Bray to Greystones, Glendalough, and Newgrange, and adds the Cliffs of Moher, the priciest and longest day in this entire family. For Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, our 6-day plan keeps extending this same spine.

Book these before you go:

Day Day trip Travel time from Dublin Cost
1 Howth 25-35 min by DART EUR 4 return, no booking
2 Bray to Greystones About 40 min by DART to Bray EUR 4-6 return, no booking
3 Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains About 1h20 by St Kevin’s Bus EUR 14-23 bus, free site
4 Newgrange and the Boyne Valley Guided tour only, no walk-up EUR 18 direct, or EUR 45-75 coach
5 Cliffs of Moher 3-3.5h each way by road EUR 65-89 coach, 12-13h round trip

Day 1: Howth, the cheapest day out

Take the DART from Connolly, Pearse, or Tara Street, 25 to 35 minutes depending on the station, trains every 20 to 30 minutes, roughly EUR 2 each way on a Leap Card, about EUR 4 for the round trip. Take the H3 bus up to Howth Summit first, then walk the Cliff Path Loop back down into the village, the same coastal views with a fraction of the climbing, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Eat at the harbour: Beshoff Bros does fish and chips or chowder for EUR 8-12, the Oarhouse a few doors down if you’d rather sit down and pay a bit more. Check current fares at transportforireland.ie before you tap in.

Do you need to book anything for Howth? No, and that’s the point. It’s the one trip in this whole family with no ticket, no tour, and no backup plan required if the weather turns.

Day 2: Bray to Greystones, a second cheap DART day

Bray is about 40 minutes out by DART, Greystones another 10 minutes past it, both covered by the same Leap Card zone system as Howth. The connecting cliff walk between the two towns runs about 7 kilometres and 2 to 3 hours, but it has had repeated landslide closures over the past several years; check current trail status at bray.ie before you build the day around it. If it’s shut, the shorter Bray Head loop stays open more reliably, or just take the DART straight to Greystones harbour and skip the connecting path entirely.

Is this a different ticket to Howth? No. Bray and Greystones sit on the same DART line under the same Leap Card fare structure, roughly EUR 2-3 each way, so there’s nothing extra to buy for the second cheap day.

Day 3: Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains

St Kevin’s Bus leaves St Stephen’s Green North, about 1 hour 20 minutes each way, EUR 14 one way or EUR 23 return. The monastic site, the Round Tower and the ruined churches by the Lower Lake, sits inside Wicklow Mountains National Park and is free to walk; the OPW car park costs EUR 4 a day only if you drive instead of taking the bus. Walk a trail from the Upper Lake if you want mountain scenery beyond the ruins, anywhere from a flat 30 minute loop to a multi-hour climb.

Is the monastic site really free? Yes, no ticket and no gate at the ruins themselves. The only cost is the OPW car park if you drive, and the bus fare either way; the site’s history and setting cost nothing beyond getting there.

Day 4: Newgrange and the Boyne Valley

Newgrange itself isn’t expensive, roughly EUR 18 for a combined Newgrange and Knowth ticket, but it’s guided-access only through the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre , no independent walk-up to the passage tomb. Book 3 to 7 days ahead in peak season (June through August), 1 to 2 days ahead the rest of the year. Without a car, a small-group coach day tour from Dublin is the realistic route, roughly EUR 45-75 and 8 to 9 hours round trip, often bundling Hill of Tara or Monasterboice Abbey.

Do I need to book Newgrange before I land? Yes. There’s no walk-up option at the passage tomb, a Neolithic monument older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, and peak-season slots sell out days ahead, not hours. Lock a date as soon as your Dublin trip is fixed.

Day 5: The Cliffs of Moher, the expensive day

The drive alone runs 3 to 3.5 hours each way, so a full coach tour eats 12 to 13 hours for roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours actually at the cliffs, priced EUR 65-89 per person, usually bundled with the Burren and Galway City or Bunratty Castle on the way back. Self-driving and paying at the visitor centre alone runs EUR 8 off-peak or EUR 12 during the 11am-4pm peak window, cheaper but a long drive on unfamiliar roads either direction.

Does the Cliffs of Moher work as a day trip on a budget? 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, and it’s the priciest single day in this family by far. If a spare night anywhere in your trip is possible, basing overnight in Galway or Doolin instead turns the same cliffs into a short local trip rather than a coach-day gamble.

Is 5 days enough for the Dublin gateway family on a budget?

It covers five of the six day trips, everything except Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, the one that crosses into a different currency. Our 6-day plan adds that last trip.

Before you go

A standard Leap Card covers Days 1 and 2 at the regular city fare; Glendalough, Newgrange, and the Cliffs of Moher all run on a separate bus, tour, or train ticket instead. Dublin Airport has no rail or metro link in 2026, so budget the Airlink 747/757 or Aircoach coach into the centre, roughly EUR 9-12. Pack for rain regardless of the forecast, and book the Cliffs of Moher tour earliest of all; it has the most genuine sell-out risk of anything on this itinerary.