Getaways from Dublin: day trips and destinations close by.

In Ireland you drive on the left, and almost nothing needs a car

Direct flights reach Dublin Airport from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Málaga, Seville, Bilbao and Santander, and from Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. For almost everything on this page you can do without a car: in Ireland you drive on the left, and trains and buses cover the trips out of the city well.

The DART, the coastal train, leaves from Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse heading north, to Malahide and Howth; with the Leap Visitor card you don't have to buy a ticket for each journey. From Heuston, Intercity trains run to Kilkenny, Galway and Cork, with commuter trains from there to Cobh. By bus you can reach Glendalough, with the St Kevin's Bus from St Stephen's Green North; Cashel, with Bus Éireann from Busáras, and Powerscourt and Enniskerry, on the 44.

With a hire car, the M50 and the N11 run south towards Enniskerry and the Wicklow Mountains, and the M1 north towards Drogheda and the Boyne Valley, where Newgrange and the Hill of Tara are. It is the trip where a car helps most.

Malahide by DART, 25 minutes away

Under an hour away are the coast and the south of the city. Malahide, 25 minutes by DART, with the castle, the gardens and the walk to the Velvet Strand beach. Howth, 35, with the cliff path and the boat to the island. Powerscourt, also 35, with the gardens, a whiskey distillery and the waterfall.

Between one and two hours takes you to the great historic sites. The Boyne Valley is 65 minutes away, with tickets sold only on the Heritage Ireland website; Glendalough, 70, with St Kevin's monastic city and the Green Road to the Upper Lake; Kilkenny, 105 by train, with the castle and the Medieval Mile, and the Rock of Cashel, 110. Kilkenny deserves a night: Glendalough and Kilkenny goes by car on Saturday, crosses the Wicklow Gap pass and leaves Sunday for the city.

From two and a half hours the trip becomes a two-night affair. Galway is 150 minutes by train and is the base for Moher and Inis Mór: one day for the cliffs and another for the island by ferry. Cobh, at 180, is also done by train with Cobh and Cork, with the Titanic Experience and half a day on Spike Island.

It gets dark early, so favour what is under cover

In winter it gets dark early, and it is best to choose what is covered or close by. Malahide Castle is open daily all year, except 24 to 26 December. Kilkenny works from Wednesday to Saturday, when the Medieval Mile Museum and the cathedral are open. At Newgrange the ticket is cheaper out of season, but from 18 to 22 December normal visits are suspended for the solstice. To Glendalough the bus runs just the same in winter; you need to be back before dark.

From April to September, in spring and summer, the coast is at its best: at Howth it is the puffin breeding season, and the gardens at Malahide and Powerscourt are in bloom. In strong wind, it is better to leave the cliffs and the boat for another day. Moher, Inis Mór and Cobh are best from May to September, and at Newgrange there are more visits a day from April to October; you book as soon as tickets are released.

In autumn, until October, Powerscourt and Glendalough still offer long days of gardens and walking. The Rock of Cashel is open until 17:30 until 15 October; after that, until 16:30.

Glendalough by bus from St Stephen's Green

• Without a car, in a day: Glendalough from Dublin. Bus from St Stephen's Green, St Kevin's monastery, the Green Road to the Upper Lake and Poulanass Waterfall, in two or three hours on foot.
• With a car, in a day: Newgrange and Tara. 65 minutes along the M1, the Boyne tombs in the morning with the ticket already bought and the Hill of Tara in the afternoon.
• With two nights: Galway, Moher and Inis Mór. Train from Heuston, the evenings in the Latin Quarter and no driving on the left if you don't want to.