Wicklow
The gaol tells the town's hard history, 1798 included, and the harbour and East Pier give it its present. Wicklow is the county town, on the east coast south of Dublin.
County Wicklow
Dublin's garden and escape route: Glendalough's monastic valley, the Sally Gap and Wicklow Gap drives and great houses along the foothills. Go early on fine weekends.
County Wicklow facts
- Province: Leinster
- County town: Wicklow
- Setting: East coast
- Touring region: Ireland's Ancient East
- Best for: hiking, history, scenic drives, family, castles
- Golf: Druids Glen, reopened in 2023 after a three-year redevelopment. Our golf guide
- Places in the planner: 6
They call it the Garden of Ireland, and directly south of Dublin the name earns itself quickly. The Wicklow Mountains, protected as a national park, rise behind the coast in a landscape of heather, blanket bog and glacial lakes, crossed by the scenic Sally Gap and Wicklow Gap drives.
Glendalough, the monastic valley founded by St Kevin, is the county's most visited place, with a round tower and lakeside walks. Along the coast and foothills sit great houses and gardens, Powerscourt near Enniskerry, Mount Usher and Russborough, while seaside towns like Bray, Greystones and Wicklow town itself serve walkers on the coastal path and the Wicklow Way. Wicklow is Dublin's great escape, and locals use it that way, so mountain car parks and Glendalough fill on fine weekends. Visit early, stay over in a village like Laragh or Roundwood, and the county's calm, spacious character comes through clearly.
Top sights in Wicklow
Glendalough
A monastic city in a glacial valley with a round tower, churches and two lakes.
Wicklow Mountains National Park
Ireland's largest national park, protecting mountain, bog and lake landscapes.
Powerscourt Estate
A great house and gardens near Enniskerry, with a famous waterfall nearby.
The Sally Gap
A high mountain pass drive across the heart of the Wicklow Mountains.
Avoca and the Meeting of the Waters
A village known for its handweaving mill, where two rivers meet in a celebrated valley.
Towns & cities in Wicklow
Bray
The promenade is the town: a Victorian seafront with the cliff walk to Greystones leaving from its end. Bray is a seaside town in County Wicklow.
Wicklow Town
County town and working harbour on the east coast.
Enniskerry
Estate village in the foothills, gateway to Powerscourt.
Arklow
Coastal town in the south of the county with a maritime museum.
Best time to visit
Spring to autumn is best for mountain and garden visits, with heather colour in late summer. Glendalough is popular year-round, so arrive early in high summer.
Getting there
Wicklow town is about an hour south of Dublin by road and rail along the coast. Dublin Airport is the gateway, and the mountains begin almost at the city's edge.
Places for your trip
- Wicklow: The gaol tells the town's hard history, 1798 included, and the harbour and East Pier give it its present. Wicklow is the county town, on the east coast south of Dublin.
- Glendalough: Saint Kevin founded his monastic city in this glacial valley in the 6th century, and the round tower still stands over the lakes. Glendalough is in the Wicklow Mountains.
- Powerscourt Estate: Powerscourt near Enniskerry is a country estate known for its formal gardens and a nearby waterfall.
- Lough Tay: Lough Tay, also called the Guinness Lake, is a lake in the Wicklow Mountains below Luggala.
- Bray: The promenade is the town: a Victorian seafront with the cliff walk to Greystones leaving from its end. Bray is a seaside town in County Wicklow.
- Druids Glen: A four-time Irish Open host in the Wicklow garden, reopened in 2023 after a three-year redevelopment.
What's on
No anchor festival is based here, but the Irish year is full: next up nationally is TradFest (20–24 Jan 2027, Temple Bar, Dublin). See the full events calendar
What we would choose ourselves
Glendalough, County Wicklow
Day trips from Dublin
Kilkenny, Wicklow and Glendalough Sheepdog Trials from Dublin (Wild Rover Tours)
If you have one day to get out of Dublin, this is the day we would spend. The coach leaves the city for Kilkenny first, with a guided walk through the medieval streets and free time around the castle grounds. Then it is up into the Wicklow Mountains, past the Wicklow Gap, to Glendalough and its 6th century monastic settlement between the two lakes. The finish is a working sheep farm, where border collies move a flock on whistle commands. Ten hours, free cancellation, from US$49.15 a head, rated 4.9 from more than 8,700 reviews, and the farm stop is the part people write home about.
Best for: First-time visitors with one spare day in Dublin. It is a full ten hours with an early start, and the walking takes in old town streets and uneven monastic ground, so it is not the pick for a slow morning or for limited mobility.
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Nearby counties
County Dublin
Georgian squares and literary pubs in the centre, and the bay an easy ride away: Howth, Malahide and Dalkey along the coast. The capital repays two or three days at least.
County Kildare
Horses shape everything here: the National Stud, the Curragh plain and paddocks in every direction. Canals and St Brigid's town give it a quieter second half, an easy escape from Dublin.
County Carlow
A quiet county along the River Barrow, with dolmens in the fields, good gardens and the Blackstairs Mountains for walking. Market towns keep the pace slow.
Part of Ireland's Ancient East.