Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains from Dublin: Half Day, Full Day or With Kilkenny?
Updated October 13, 2026 · 5 min read
For most visitors, book the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Kilkenny day tour: €45 per person, 9 hours, 4.8 stars from 9,585 reviews. For the cheapest full day with the monastery entry and a sheepdog demonstration: the Kilkenny, Wicklow and Glendalough tour is €38. If you only have an afternoon: the half-day trip to Glendalough is €33.
The six tours side by side
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Time at Glendalough | Also on the day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough & Kilkenny | 9 hours | €45 | 4.8 (9,585) | not stated | Wicklow Gap, Kilkenny |
| Kilkenny, Wicklow & Glendalough with Sheepdog Show | 10.5 hours | €38 | 4.8 (4,042) | 2 hours | Kilkenny, sheepdog demonstration |
| Wild Wicklow Mountains Day Trip to Glendalough | 8.5 hours | €55 | 4.8 (1,822) | 1.5 hours | Killiney Hill, Lough Tay, whiskey taste |
| Wicklow, Powerscourt & Glendalough Day Tour | 8 hours | €65 | 4.7 (776) | 1.5 hours | Powerscourt Gardens, Enniskerry |
| Glendalough & Wicklow Mountains Morning Tour | 5 hours | €33 | 4.4 (2,933) | not stated | Sugarloaf, Sally Gap |
| Half-Day Trip to Glendalough and Wicklow | 5 hours | €33 | 4.2 (2,991) | at least 90 minutes | Sugar Loaf, Roundwood |
Half day or full day?
The question is how much of Glendalough you want. It is a glacial valley with two lakes and a monastic settlement founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, and a reviewer of the five-hour morning tour put it plainly: about two hours at the monastery, enough to walk up to the Upper Lake, and a good tour if you do not have much time. The morning tour lists 1.5 hours on the coach each way, and the afternoon trip promises at least 90 minutes at the site.
The full-day tours are the better value. The two with Kilkenny cost €38 and €45 against €33 for a half day, are rated 4.8 stars, and give you two hours at the valley on the €38 tour. The half days make sense when five hours is all you have, or when you want to be back for the evening.
The most-booked tour: Glendalough plus Kilkenny
This is the day to measure the others against. It starts at the Collins bus beside the Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham, has an optional guided tour of the monastic settlement with free time afterwards, and a 10-minute photo stop at the Wicklow Gap before Kilkenny. The booking page notes that you can hike to the Upper Lake and return by the boardwalk, about 2.5 km. Kilkenny has free time for lunch and an optional guided walk; entry to the castle is not included. Hotel pickup and lunch are not included either.
The booking page lists children under 3 and people with mobility impairments as not suitable.
See dates and prices for the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Kilkenny tour
The sheepdog version: the cheapest full day
At €38 this tour includes the entrance to the Glendalough monastic site, a demonstration of herding by a local shepherd and his dog, and a photo stop at the Wicklow Gap. The booking page lists the legs as 1.5 hours to Kilkenny, two hours there, 45 minutes on to County Kildare, an hour there and two hours at Glendalough. Entrance fees to Kilkenny Castle, meals and tips are extra. It runs 10.5 hours and meets outside the Hugh Lane gallery. A shorter variant with a waterfall and the sheepdog show also exists (7 hours, €50, 4.6 stars), but this one is the better rated.
Check availability for the Kilkenny, Wicklow and Glendalough tour with sheepdog show
Smaller coach, or gardens instead of a city
The €55 Wild Wicklow tour uses a smaller coach on narrower mountain roads. It stops at Killiney Hill for a 40-minute walk, at Avoca for 25 minutes, spends 1.5 hours in the Wicklow Mountains National Park, has an hour for lunch at Lynhams of Laragh and 1.5 hours at Glendalough, with a taste of Glendalough whiskey included. Entrance fees and pickup near hotels in north and south Dublin are included. From 1 November to 4 April it runs a shorter winter itinerary, normally back in Dublin around 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm, without Killiney Hill and Avoca. The operator says it is a sightseeing tour, not a hiking one.
The €65 Hilltoptreks tour swaps Kilkenny for Powerscourt Gardens and lunch in Enniskerry, then a guided visit to Glendalough. The Powerscourt entrance fee, described as discounted to €10, is paid on entry and is not in the price. Wheelchair users are listed as not suitable.
See dates for the Wild Wicklow Mountains day trip
Driving yourself
A rental car lets you stay in the valley longer than the 1.5 to 2 hours the coach tours allow, and walk the trails at your own pace. If that is the point, you can compare rental cars for Dublin. Remember that Ireland drives on the left.
Which one
Book the Glendalough and Kilkenny tour as the default, or the sheepdog tour if a guaranteed two hours at the valley and the monastery entry matter more than an extra hour and a half on the day. Take a half day only if time is short. For longer days, see Cliffs of Moher, Giant’s Causeway or all day trips from Dublin.
