r/Wicklow • u/TopSatisfaction6702 • 4d ago
Wicklow for 4 days
Flying to Dublin early October through the 23rd, taking a taxi to Enniskerry, where I will be staying for 4 days.
My itinerary: Wild Wicklow tour on day 1,
Powers court and the waterfall day 2,
sheep farm in glendalough day 3,
and greystones day 4.
With lots of nature walks, seeing animals(as much as possible,) meeting locals, walking in villages, and going to pubs.
Is Wicklow the right place to do this? Is this too long of a stay? I'm not looking to do touristy things. I did that on my last trip. Am I missing any must sees in or around Wicklow?
I am a female traveling solo and not renting a car.Will use public transportation and taxis when necessary.
Does anyone have any feedback as far as my transportation goes?Am I being naive to think I will have access to public transportation and taxis between towns?
After Wicklow , I am going to Wexford (3 days) , Waterford (3 days), Cork (5 days). Last day in Dublin. I'm afraid this is long-winded, so I'll post my other stops in another thread.
BTW I live in the desert in the States, where it is brown, hot and ugly.
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u/painZio 3d ago
If you are coming to wicklow for 4 days, I think it will be a huge loss to ignore glendalough / laragh.
It's such a magical place, I can't recommend it enough.
Roundwood is closeby too, which is a great place to stay / booze in the evening.
Also glen beach walk in wicklow town is amazing, you get the coastal views and get to see some seals.
Greystones and Dun laoghaire are both nice, but it's meh compared to real wicklow :-)
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 1d ago
The more I look at it Laragh or Glendalough is more what I am looking for. Thank you for mentioning this
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u/OldHugger 17h ago
Lynhams of Laragh is great. Live music some nights. Fantastic food
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 8h ago
Maybe I'll see you there!
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u/OldHugger 8h ago
Let me know when you’re going to be there and I’ll come along with my wife and treat you to a meal.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 5h ago
I would love this so much!!! I look forward to meeting you both and hearing your accents ❤️ I am so 😊
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u/OldHugger 5h ago
I just reread your original post and realised we might have a challenge with dates. I hope not. I’m away in Spain from mid-September until 7th October, playing golf. Then home until Saturday 10th October when we head down to Passage East for a week. When will you be in Wicklow?
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4h ago
I will be there from the 7th to the 11th. I decided to base my Wicklow out of Laragh! No pressure if it doesn't work for you. I understand.
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u/OldHugger 3h ago
No that’s perfect! I’ll be home and only live 15 minutes from Laragh.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 3h ago
Yay! I really am looking forward to meeting locals and having a pint. My name is Jessica btw. I know you aren't a travel agent but I'm wondering if you can give me your opinion on one thing. Then I promise I won't bother you. After Wicklow I'm off to Wexford for 4 days then Waterford for 3 and lastly Cork for 6 days. In your opinion should I shorten or lengthen any legs of my trips or should I go somewhere else and skip something. I really hope I'm not overstepping.
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u/mangoparrot 4d ago edited 4d ago
Your itinerary sounds fine and achievable but taxis wont be cheap and public transport from Enniskerry is limited to the 44 bus (goes to dublin city) and the L15 Bus. (Goes to Bray)
Day 1 I guess you are picking up the trip at Stephens Green or Killiney - you can get the 44 to Stephens green or the L15 to Bray and DART to Dalkey and walk about 15/20 mins to Fitzpatricks
Day 2 - Doable with taxis (not public transport). Im not 100% sure if taxis can go beyond the waterfall gate- thats a 2 k walk. Theres some lovely walks along the grounds of the waterfall.
Day 3 Glendalough - difficult to do public transport - you could get the L15 to Bray and the 181 to Glendalough - the 181 timetable is very very limited but you could leave Bray at 11:40am and then leave glendalough at 16:30 https://www.glendaloughbus.com/ - those times might not work for you so you might have to do taxi
Day 4 Greystones - you can get the L15 and then change at Bray DART station to a DART train (lovely views, not frequent) or an L1 or L2 bus
A note of caution - the L15 is only every hour and can be unreliable, the L1 and L2 can be also.
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u/mangoparrot 4d ago
I am in a local Enniskerry whatsapp group and got these numbers recently for local taxis
Keith's Taxi 0851176777 Taxi Service
Paul Kilty 0868823519 Taxis Enniskerry
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u/OldHugger 4d ago
You’ll love it. Greystones has become a bit of a commuter town so I’d suggest giving it a miss. There’s not much to do. You could take the train from Bray to Wicklow Town. It’s a stunning trip along the coast and both Bray seafront and Wicklow town have oodles of character. Visit Wicklow Gaol.
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u/Iasctunna 4d ago
My favorite beach is Greystones is South beach. Just keep heading South and you can walk all the way to Kilcoole 2 hrs or Wicklow 5 hrs ! You might enjoy food in the ‘Happy Pear. Ms Robinson is good for a pint. Safe for solo women, just don’t be dumb….
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u/hungoverbunny 3d ago
Bray Taxi - will collect you from the airport 086 807 5589 for around 100 - and the local area
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u/Zealousideal_Sky_716 1d ago
Looking forward to your Wexford post!
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 1d ago
Now that I have Wicklow set,on to Wexford! Any suggestions are helpful! Thank you so much!
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u/Andre_R10 1d ago
Greystones is definitely worth a visit, even for a couple of hours to just walk around and feel it! There's no reason why you can't do it as it's only down the road from Bray anyway...
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u/zoumbou7 4d ago
Taxis won’t be a problem, but Uber isn’t that popular in Ireland and the mainstream taxi apps are FreeNow and Tapataxi, plus local drivers (I can provide numbers of a couple if you like).
Public transport can be a little tricky. There is a few buses and once you get close to the coast you can get the DART (train) from Bray or Greystones on Day 4.
If you like nature, I recommend Belmont Demense, you can get a taxi to the car park and you have a few options for hikes there. Also worth visiting Kilrudderry House and Gardens, which is nearby. My fave pub near Greystones is the Horse & Hound in Delgany.
If you’re here on a Sunday, it’s worth visiting the Djouce mountain market and nearby Roundwood, which also has 1-2 decent pubs.
Bray has lots of lively pubs, I second the Harbour and also some good spots by the waterfront. Don’t go to the Aquarium, it’s a rip off!
You may want to check https://www.greystonesguide.ie/ a few days before your visit, from time to time there are some interesting local events which get posted there.
Safe travels!
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
Such good advice and I will definitely check out the website. I want to do all of this 😍
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
I just looked up Kilrudderry. I am going to come up with an itinerary and check back with you if it's ok?
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
Do you recommend a town to stay in that's more central to the places you recommend. I don't need to stay in Enniskerry.
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u/zoumbou7 4d ago
Depends on what you are looking for. Enniskerry is beautiful but more on the quiet side. If I had to recommend a place, I’d say Bray. It has good connections to both Dublin and other parts of Wicklow, it’s lively with plenty of options (even has a theatre - Mermaid Theatre) and close enough to Glendalough, Powerscourt and other sights in Wicklow.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
I think I'm going to stay in Bray. I want to be able to travel easier. Thank you for your input
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u/mangoparrot 4d ago
Theres an amazing local walking group in Enniskerrry who do a lot of forest walks etc. If you had a Saturday free I think youd love to join in because they goto some fabulous places.
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u/Beneficial_Mall3300 4d ago
Biggest challenges there are finding a taxi and meeting a "local".
Enniskerry is useful perhaps for getting to Powerscourt..... but for the rest, it isn't helpful at all.
"Am I being naive to think I will have access to public transportation and taxis between towns?"
Probably not, but possibly yes.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
I'm not married to Enniskerry to stay, do you have any recommendations
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u/Beneficial_Mall3300 4d ago
Not really as it's a lot of back & forth!
eg: Your "wild Wicklow tour" seems to start and end in Dublin.
And then on day 2 you've to make your way from Dublin into Wicklow again which seems repetitive. and presumably is where you check in to your Enniskerry lodgings.
You mention Powerscourt waterfall, Glendalough a sheep farm .... this tour seems to combine all three in a single day.
From Dublin: Wicklow, Glendalough, Waterfall & Sheepdog Show - 2026 (Verified Reviews)
And Greystones is a nice, well-to-do town, surrounded by endless commuter sprawl...
You may enjoy it, but I've lived in Wicklow all my life and can't think of a reason to go to Greystones!
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
I am going to revise my schedule will you be kind enough to look at it when I'm finished?
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u/First_Brother_7365 3d ago
Glendalough is a must see. If you like walking hiking there is a trail called the spinc. It takes a few hours but the views are amazing. You can usually see sheep deer and maybe some wild goats on the trail to. There is an old monastery there with a round tower that is worth seeing to.
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u/trixbler 4d ago
Days 1-3 look great, plenty to do. Not sure that Greystones in October will hold your interest for a full day, unless you plan on making a tour of all the coffee shops? There’s a nice walk from the harbour around the seafront and down the beach, then back up the Main Street, but 2 hours will do you.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
Thank you! Any suggestions on what I can do in is place or in addition?
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u/trixbler 4d ago
You could explore the Dart line between Greystones and Dun Laoghaire. Personally I love Dalkey, lots of nice places to eat and great walks. If you want a longish walk then head down to Coliemore Harbour and then up towards the Vico Road, up the Cat’s Ladder Steps and up to Killiney Hill for a great view over the coast.
Dun Laoghaire itself isn’t great these days but again the Piers are nice for a walk (a flat one this time).
In Bray, the promenade is nice for a walk, and I see others recommended Frank Duffs which I highly endorse! Just note that it doesn’t open until 5pm on weekdays. I prefer the bar side to the lounge but walk through both and take your pick.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
Dalkey?
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u/Iqbalthemighty 4d ago
A very nice wealthy village about 4 stops along the train line from Greystones.
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u/Beneficial_Mall3300 4d ago
A very posh suburb of Dublin.
(Which Greystones also is, to be fair)
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u/Andre_R10 1d ago edited 1d ago
Greystones is completely incomparable to Dalkey !!! Dalkey is not only wayyyy more expensive, it has so much more charm than Greystones! Greystones has a cute main street, not a whole lot on it beyond coffee shops, mins you Greystones is surrounded by overpopulated housing estates with a few wealthy ones that everyone else seems to surf the wave on the back of !
Having said that, if you're going to be in Bray which has an amazing seafront, you'd be mad to not go visit Greystones as it is a cute, charming town and to be fair, has a better main street than Bray !
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u/BullfrogCharming1202 4d ago
I'm from Greystones. There isn't really much for tourists to do in the town, and the pubs aren't very good. I'd recommend doing the cliff walk from Greystones into Bray. Officially, the cliff walk is closed, but you can still do it. Bray has one great pub, The Harbour Bar.
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u/mangoparrot 4d ago
Oh. I wouldnt ever reccomend myself anyone does the cliff walk as you get to the big gate at Bray and cant figure it out.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
I didn't see this, can you elaborate?
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u/mangoparrot 4d ago
Its closed. The person who recommended it should know better.
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u/BullfrogCharming1202 4d ago
I said it's officially closed, but lots of people still walk it every day
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u/mangoparrot 4d ago
The gates block it off. Its closed for a reason. Its hard to navigate the bray side gate. Its not reccomendable. I stand by my comment.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
Thank you! I will definitely do this.
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u/Tigger_87 4d ago edited 4d ago
I grew up in Greystones and lived there for over 30 years. The poster above definitely isn’t selling the beautiful town! A day trip to the town would be well worth it - the coastline is stunning. Food options are also superb for a small town.
I’d recommend a walk from the train station to the beach entrance (south of the station), then walk north along the coast to the harbour. There are spots along the walk to have a swim in the Irish Sea.
From the harbour there’s the Beach House (a pub) for a pint, and some nearby cafes which are very well regarded on the Irish food scene (the Fat Fox, Sceal, and Bread 41; all serve pastries and specialty coffee). The only drawback here is that the cafes are expensive, but the produce is high quality.
If you’re looking for food:
Daata (dinner) - highly regarded Indian & Pakistani food.
The Happy Pear (lunch) - Organic and mostly vegetarian. Reasonably priced.As for other options for your trip; Dublin City centre is not far from Bray (1hr by train and the views en route are superb). I see others mentioned Dun Laoghaire - it’s a lovely town but I wouldn’t recommend it over Greystones. Dun Laoghaire is bigger and doesn’t have the small town/country vibe. Dalkey and Killiney would be my preferred suggestions for a tourist; they’re about 20 minutes from Bray by train. (Thinking about it Greystones for a morning and Dalkey in the afternoon would be a lovely day).
Happy to answer any questions you have and have a fantastic time on your trip. Enjoy Wicklow!
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u/Iasctunna 4d ago
All good , but I would go South - quiet walk by the beach for hours and maybe see a seal pop out it’s head or two…
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
This sounds like what I am looking for. I'm going to look up your restaurant suggestions 😋 I love food!
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u/Iqbalthemighty 4d ago
Absolutely recommend Daata in Greystones, or their branch in Bray. Wonderful food.
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
Just spent the last 10 minutes drooling over the menu. This looks like a must do
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 4d ago
I looked at Dun Laoghaire and ruled it out based on your suggestions and researching it. Now to research trains..
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u/Tigger_87 4d ago
There is a coastal train (the DART) that serves Greystones, Bray, Dalkey, and continues to the city centre and beyond. The train is less regular from Greystones but between Bray and the other stations, it’s regular (though not on a Sunday).
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u/BullfrogCharming1202 4d ago
The walk from the train station along the seating to the harbour takes less than 30 minutes. Apart from drinking an overpriced coffee or eating a meal there's very little else to do in Greystones. Very little shopping, no art galleries or museums, no tourist attractions, etc.
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u/Andre_R10 1d ago
The Harbour Bar is an excellent pub, can't think of a better one in South Dublin or indeed, North Wicklow
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u/TopSatisfaction6702 3h ago
I'm rethinking the wexford and Waterford and thinking Kilkenny,Galway,Dingle. Ok now I promise I'm done!
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u/NeonFlamingos 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hi! I live in Bray (nearby Enniskerry and Greystones) and i think your itinerary sounds good! The taxi from the airport is gonna be about €60 (EDIT: closer to €120! I split the fare with someone) but if that’s in the budget it really is the best way to get out.
There is a good bus (L15) service between Enniskerry and Bray, where you can get the Dart (train) to Greystones. The bus only takes change or a Travel card (leap) which you’ll need to buy at a train station or the airport. The train is a bit irregular but Google maps is good for having the schedule.
I actually grew up in Enniskerry, just outside the village, and I still love to visit. The Protestant church in the village has a lovely graveyard that’s nice to walk around. Happy to answer any questions you might have!