Wicklow Day Tour: Private Guide, Powerscourt & Glendalough

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/6

Duration8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Powerscourt Gardens, mountain passes and a 6th-century monastic site, all in one day.

A private guided day tour from Dublin to Wicklow takes you through the Wicklow Mountains, Powerscourt Estate, Lough Tay and Glendalough with a local guide and hotel pickup included. You design the itinerary—spend longer at the sites that matter to you, choose lunch at a pub or café that suits your diet, and decide whether to walk to the upper lake at Glendalough. The tour runs eight hours and accommodates all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private guided tour of Wicklow highlights

Pick up from chosen Dublin location
Visit Powerscourt Gardens
Lunch at café, restaurant, or pub
Drive through Wicklow Mountains National Park
Stop at Lough Tay for photos and history
Guided tour of St Kevin's monastic site
Optional walk to the upper lake

The Experience

The driver collects you from your Dublin hotel and heads south into County Wicklow, known as the Garden of Ireland for its steep valleys and lake-filled mountains. Along the way you stop at Lough Tay—the "Guinness Lake," named for its dark water and the steep cliffs that frame it—where the guide talks through the landscape and you have time for photographs. The route passes through Wicklow Mountains National Park, where the terrain shifts from farmland to open moorland with views across windswept hills.

Powerscourt Estate sits on the edge of the mountains, and the tour includes entry at a reduced rate if you want to walk the formal gardens and see the house. If gardens aren't your priority, you skip it and spend the time elsewhere. Lunch happens at a small café, restaurant or rural pub in the hills—you choose the type of food and the operator finds a place that handles dietary needs, whether that's vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free. The guide eats with you and can answer questions about the area over a meal.

Glendalough, the day's final stop, is a 6th-century monastic site built into a valley between two lakes. You get a guided walk through St Kevin's site, where the round tower and stone churches stand among the ruins, and you can choose to hike further to the upper lake if you have the time and the legs for it. The whole day is built around what interests you—the guide is there to help you see what matters and to move at a pace that lets you take it in.

What’s included

Pickup from your Dublin hotel.
eight hours of private transport with air conditioning.
a local qualified guide.
entry to Powerscourt Gardens at a reduced rate if you choose to visit.
a guided walk through St Kevin's monastic site at Glendalough.
stops at Lough Tay and through Wicklow Mountains National Park.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Hilltoptreks

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to design your own day rather than follow a fixed itinerary—you choose which sites to visit, how long to stay at each one, and where to eat lunch. The private format and flexible schedule work well if you travel with family, have specific interests, or want to move at your own pace without waiting for a group.