Glendalough: Tickets, Hours and How to Visit
Glendalough is the easiest genuine nature day trip out of Dublin: a 6th-century monastic settlement wrapped around two lakes in the Wicklow Mountains, about 1 hour 20 minutes away by bus and free to walk once you get there. This page covers Glendalough itself as the flagship stop; the wider Dublin-as-a-base network, Howth, Newgrange, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher and Belfast, gets its own Dublin Day Trips guide .
Key facts at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Entry to the monastic site | Free |
| OPW car park (Lower Lake) | EUR 4 per day |
| Travel time from Dublin | About 1h20 by St Kevin’s Bus or car, no direct train |
| St Kevin’s Bus fare | EUR 14 one way, EUR 23 return |
| Booking lead | None for the site itself, book ahead for summer weekend tours |
What is actually at Glendalough
The Round Tower, over 30 metres tall and visible from most of the valley floor, anchors a cluster of ruined churches, a graveyard and a cathedral dating to between the 6th and 12th centuries, all founded around a hermitage that St Kevin supposedly built after retreating here for solitude. The Lower Lake sits closest to the visitor centre and the monastic ruins; the Upper Lake, a 20 to 30 minute walk further in, is where the mountain scenery actually opens up.
How do you get to Glendalough without a car?
St Kevin’s Bus runs directly from St Stephen’s Green North in Dublin, about 1 hour 20 minutes each way, EUR 14 one way or EUR 23 return, with departures around 11:30 daily and a return run in the evening. There is no direct train to Glendalough, so the bus or a guided tour are the only options if you are not driving yourself.
Is the monastic site free to visit?
Yes, the ruins, Round Tower and graveyard are open access with no ticket and no gate. The only cost is the OPW car park at the Lower Lake, EUR 4 for the day, which applies only if you drive rather than take the bus. The visitor centre itself has a small exhibition and toilets, and is a useful first stop for trail maps before you walk further into the valley.
Walking the Wicklow Mountains from the Upper Lake
Trails from the Upper Lake range from a flat 30 minute lakeside loop to multi-hour climbs into the surrounding hills, and the whole area sits inside Wicklow Mountains National Park , Ireland’s largest national park. Wear real footwear rather than city shoes; the ground turns to mud fast after Irish rain, which is most days.
Getting there as part of a tour instead
If the bus timetable does not line up with your day, a guided half-day tour covers Glendalough with a driver and commentary included, useful if you also want the Wicklow Mountains scenic drive rather than just the monastic site itself: check GetYourGuide for current departure times. A bed in Dublin covers every night of a Glendalough day trip, since almost nobody stays over here: compare rooms on Booking.com .
Where this fits in a longer Ireland trip
Glendalough is Day 2 on every version of the Dublin day-trip itinerary , from the 2 day plan through the full 7 day plan that also covers Newgrange, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher and Belfast. For the city itself, not the day trips, see the Dublin travel guide and Temple Bar , a different trip from this one.
One concrete tip: skip the Lower Lake crowds around midday tour-bus arrivals and walk straight to the Upper Lake first; you get the quieter half of the valley before the coach groups catch up.