Cliffs of Moher Tours from Dublin
The cliffs rise 214 metres over the Atlantic in County Clare, a 3-hour drive west of Dublin. Most tours add the Burren and Galway; others go by train or cruise from Doolin.
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Day trips from Dublin reach the Cliffs of Moher and Galway in the west, and the Giant's Causeway and Belfast in the north. Glendalough and Howth are under an hour away.
The cliffs rise 214 metres over the Atlantic in County Clare, a 3-hour drive west of Dublin. Most tours add the Burren and Galway; others go by train or cruise from Doolin.
Belfast is about 2 hours north of Dublin by coach or on the Enterprise train. Tours visit Titanic Belfast and the murals, and most continue up the coast to the Giant's Causeway.
The Causeway's 40,000 basalt columns sit on the Antrim coast, a long day out from Dublin. Most tours stop at the Dark Hedges and Dunluce Castle; some add Belfast or whiskey.
Northern Ireland starts about an hour north of Dublin. Day tours cover the Causeway Coast and Belfast, and Game of Thrones fans can visit the Banbridge studio or Tollymore Forest.
Cork is about 2.5 hours from Dublin by InterCity train, so these tours start early. They pair the city with Blarney Castle, and the rail tour adds Cobh, the Titanic's last port.
These tours last 2 to 6 days. Short ones overnight in Belfast or Galway for the Causeway or the Cliffs of Moher; the longest loop through Kerry, Cork and the Wild Atlantic Way.
Blarney Castle stands near Cork, about 3 hours south-west of Dublin, and its stone is said to grant the gift of the gab. Several tours also stop at the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle.
The mountains start less than an hour south of Dublin. Tours pass Lough Tay, the 'Guinness Lake', and stop at Glendalough; some add Powerscourt Waterfall or Kilkenny.
Galway sits on the west coast, about 2.5 hours from Dublin by coach or train. Tours leave free time in the city and pair it with the Cliffs of Moher or Connemara and Kylemore Abbey.
Howth is a fishing village on a peninsula 30 to 40 minutes from central Dublin. Tours walk the cliff path to the summit, explore Howth Castle's estate or taste the harbour's seafood.
Glendalough, the valley of two lakes, holds the monastery St Kevin founded in the 6th century and its round tower. Half-day tours are back in Dublin by lunchtime.
Most of these tours take the early train to Killarney and see the Ring by coach, past Moll's Gap, Ladies View and the Lakes of Killarney. Expect a 14-hour day.
Kilkenny, Ireland's medieval capital, is about 1.5 hours from Dublin. Most tours reach it through the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough, and several add a sheepdog demonstration.
Connemara is the wild country beyond Galway: lakes, bog and the Twelve Bens mountains. Tours stop at Kylemore Abbey and some cruise the Killary fjord before Galway city.
Castles within a day of Dublin range from Malahide and Howth on the coast to Trim, Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle. Longer trips reach Blarney, Cahir, Bunratty and Dunluce.
The official Game of Thrones Studio Tour is in Banbridge, about 90 minutes from Dublin by coach. Location tours trek Tollymore Forest and other Winterfell sets.
The Boyne Valley, less than an hour north of Dublin, holds tombs older than the pyramids. Tours enter Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne or visit the Hill of Tara, Trim Castle and Loughcrew.
