# Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains St Kevin's monastic city and two glacial lakes in Wicklow Mountains National Park, with walks from 30 minutes to three hours. An hour from Dublin. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/ireland/glendalough · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Glendalough, "the valley of the two lakes", is a glacial valley in the heart of Wicklow Mountains National Park, south of Dublin. In the 6th century St Kevin founded a monastery here that became one of the great ones of Ireland; today its round tower, its ruined cathedral and a cemetery of Celtic crosses remain beside the lower lake. Higher up, among oaks and heather-covered slopes, the upper lake is the starting point for the park's trails. ## How do you get there from Dublin? By bus. St Kevin's Bus leaves every day at 11:00 from St Stephen's Green North and reaches the visitor centre at 12:20; it returns at 16:30. Return ticket €23, paid on the bus. You have four hours: monastic city, upper lake and a short walk. On a tour. Paddywagon Tours runs a half-day tour from the centre of Dublin (adult €33), and Wild Rover Tours a full day that adds Kilkenny (€43). By car. A little over an hour along the N11 and Roundwood to Laragh. You drive on the left. ## Where do you park? It is the valley's weak point at weekends. There are three car parks: the free one at Laragh, 3 km along the forest path from the upper lake; the visitor centre one, paid, a 20-minute walk from the lake; and the upper lake one, paid, which fills before 11:00 and causes queues on the road. If you arrive late, stay in Laragh and walk. ## Which trail should you choose? All start from the park information office, next to the upper lake, and are waymarked by colour: With children or short of time: the Green Road, 3 km on the flat, and the Poulanass waterfall, half an hour. A long walk without climbing: the Miners' Road, 5 km return along the lake shore. The mountain route: the Spinc and Glenealo Valley, 9.5 km and a good three hours, with a boardwalk above the lake. Check the notices first: since July 2026 there have been works on the zigzag section. Start or finish at the monastic city, free and always open, and if it rains step into the visitor centre. ## How long do you need? One day is enough for all the essentials. If you sleep in the valley, you have the ruins and the lake to yourself at dawn and can continue the next day over the Wicklow Gap towards Kilkenny, an hour and a half away. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Powerscourt and Enniskerry (a 22.9 km), Dublin (a 38.0 km), Malahide (a 50.3 km), Kilkenny (a 73.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **St Kevin's monastic city and the round tower** (1 h · All ages; grass and stone paths · Free; the visitor centre is extra): St Kevin founded a monastery here in the 6th century, and for centuries it was one of Ireland's great centres of religion and learning. What remains is next to the Lower Lake: the round tower, visible from all over the valley; the gateway into the enclosure; the ruins of the cathedral, the graveyard with St Kevin's Cross and the steep-roofed stone church that everyone calls "St Kevin's Kitchen". You can go in freely at any hour. To make sense of what you see, start at the visitor centre, 300 metres away, and then carry on along the Green Road to the Upper Lake. - **Walk to the Upper Lake along the Green Road** (45 min · 3 km · All ages; suitable for pushchairs on the track · Free): The easiest walk in the valley and the one almost everyone does: the Green Road, a flat track among oaks linking the monastic city with the Upper Lake, returning along a wooden boardwalk beside the Lower Lake and its bog. From the park's information office it is a 3 km loop, about 45 minutes; from the visitor centre to the Upper Lake, about 20 minutes. It is the national park's green trail. With small children, the boardwalk stretch is the favourite: you sometimes see lizards and dragonflies. Do not swim in the lakes: the park warns that there are no safe swimming areas or lifeguards. - **The Spinc and Glenealo Valley walk** (3 h 15 · 9.5 km · Fit adults and teenagers, with boots · Free): Glendalough's classic mountain walk. It starts at the park's information office, beside the Upper Lake, runs flat along the Miners' Road and then climbs hard up steps to the Spinc, the ridge that drops down to the lake. At the top, a boardwalk follows the edge with the valley at your feet, and the return comes down the Glenealo Valley, where deer are easy to spot. It is 9.5 km and about three and a quarter hours, waymarked with white arrows. Before you go: since 20 July 2026 the park has been repairing the zigzag section between the mining village and the boardwalk, with works expected to last five or six months; check the closure notices on the park's website. If it is closed, go up and down the same side or do the Miners' Road walk. - **Glendalough Visitor Centre** (45 min · All ages · Adult €5 · seniors and groups €4 · children and students €3 · family €13 · one free ticket if you pay for parking): The Office of Public Works (OPW) visitor centre is at the entrance to the valley, next to the car park, a few minutes from the monastic city. It has an exhibition and an audiovisual presentation about St Kevin, the monks and what life in the monastery was like, and it is the place for the toilets before you set off. It costs €5 (families, €13), and if you pay for parking at the centre itself you get a free ticket. In winter it is open from 9:30 to 17:00; from mid-March to mid-October, until 18:00. - **Miners' Road walk to the mining village** (1 h · 5 km · All ages · Free): A nearly flat track along the north shore of the Upper Lake to the head of the valley, where the ruins of the village of the miners who worked in the valley still stand. It is 5 km out and back, an hour, waymarked with purple arrows. Across the lake you will see the hollow in the rock known as St Kevin's Bed, the cave where the saint is said to have withdrawn. It is the best option if you are with children or if the weather is not right for climbing the Spinc: the track is wide and you cannot get lost. Along the way there are often feral goats. - **Poulanass Waterfall and St Kevin's Cell** (30 min · 1 km · From age 6; steps · Free): Behind the park's information office, a short path climbs with steps beside the Poulanass Waterfall and its pools. On the 1 km brown trail you then reach the remains of St Kevin's Cell and a viewpoint over the Upper Lake. It is half an hour and 85 metres of climbing: the best addition if you have only come for a stroll. Take care if you follow the silver trail: the path beyond the waterfall has collapsed, and you have to go back down the steps and follow the signed diversion through the oakwood. - **Half-day coach trip from Dublin to Glendalough and Wicklow** (5 h · All ages · Adult €33 · students and over-65s €30 · up to age 12 €25): Without a car, the quickest way to see Glendalough is a coach tour from central Dublin. Paddywagon Tours runs a half day through the Wicklow Mountains with a stop at the monastery: €33 per adult and €25 per child up to age 12, with morning (pick-up from 8:00) and afternoon departures. It gives you time for the monastic city and the walk to the lake, not for long hikes. If you want to make the most of the day, Wild Rover Tours combines Glendalough with the Wicklow Gap pass and Kilkenny in a ten-hour trip for €43. And if you prefer to go independently and stay longer, the regular St Kevin's bus leaves St Stephen's Green every day at 11:00. - **Driving over the Wicklow Gap** (30 min · Confident drivers; narrow road · Free): The road that heads west out of Laragh climbs the valley to the Wicklow Gap, the pass between the mountains, with bogs, heather and open views on both sides, and drops down towards Hollywood and the southern motorway. If you are driving to Kilkenny or going back to Dublin by the west, it is the scenic route; the coach tours from Glendalough to Kilkenny also cross it. It is narrow and winding, and remember that you drive on the left. At the top there is room to stop for photos. ## Dónde comer - **Casey's Bar & Bistro, at the Glendalough Hotel** (Bar, Glendalough, €€). Qué pedir: the dish of the day from the daily menu after your walk around the lakes. - **Wicklow Heather** (Restaurant, Laragh, €€). Qué pedir: the slow-roasted Wicklow lamb. ## By plane: Fly to Dublin and a good hour south For Glendalough you fly to Dublin, with direct flights from many Spanish cities, and head south for a good hour. Without a car, the usual approach is to sleep in Dublin and come on the St Kevin's bus or a half-day tour; with a hire car collected at the airport, you can sleep in the valley and carry on to Kilkenny. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **The Glendalough Hotel** (Hotel): Sleep beside the ruins The Glendalough Hotel stands right at the entrance to the monastic city, next to the river bridge. Sleeping here changes the visit: you can stroll round the ruins and the Green Road first thing or at dusk, when the Dublin coaches have gone and the valley is silent. The hotel It has double rooms, some overlooking the valley, the bar and bistro Casey's, with food until 20:30, and The Barn, a café with a grill. Its website does not publish the number of rooms or the check-in time: ask when you book. How to get there By car, along the N11 and through Laragh, or over the Wicklow Gap from the west. Without a car, the St Kevin's bus from St Stephen's Green in Dublin stops at the visitor centre, a few steps away, at 12:20; the return leaves at 16:30. - **Glendalough International Hostel (An Óige)** (Hostel): A hostel in the middle of the valley The An Óige hostel, the Irish youth hostel network, is inside the valley, a walk from the monastic city and from the paths that climb to the lakes. It is the base for walkers who want to start the Spinc walk early, and for families looking for something simple with a kitchen. Rooms and facilities It has en-suite dorms, private rooms and family rooms, bed linen included, an equipped kitchen for preparing your own meals, a dining room, a lounge and a terrace. Check-in is at 14:30 and check-out at 10:30. How to get there The St Kevin's bus from Dublin stops at the visitor centre, a few minutes' walk away. Check the time of the last bus back beforehand: it leaves Glendalough at 16:30. ### Servicios - **St Kevin's bus from Dublin**: Leaves every day at 11:00 from St Stephen's Green North and reaches the visitor centre at 12:20; returns at 16:30. Return fare €23. ## Car-free: St Kevin's bus or a tour from Dublin Glendalough is easy to do without a car from Dublin. The St Kevin's bus leaves every day at 11:00 from St Stephen's Green and drops you at the visitor centre at 12:20, with four hours until the return at 16:30: enough for the monastic city, the Upper Lake and a short walk. If you would rather go and come back without a worry, the coach tours leave central Dublin in the morning. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–130 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **The Glendalough Hotel** (Hotel): Sleep beside the ruins The Glendalough Hotel stands right at the entrance to the monastic city, next to the river bridge. Sleeping here changes the visit: you can stroll round the ruins and the Green Road first thing or at dusk, when the Dublin coaches have gone and the valley is silent. The hotel It has double rooms, some overlooking the valley, the bar and bistro Casey's, with food until 20:30, and The Barn, a café with a grill. Its website does not publish the number of rooms or the check-in time: ask when you book. How to get there By car, along the N11 and through Laragh, or over the Wicklow Gap from the west. Without a car, the St Kevin's bus from St Stephen's Green in Dublin stops at the visitor centre, a few steps away, at 12:20; the return leaves at 16:30. - **Glendalough International Hostel (An Óige)** (Hostel): A hostel in the middle of the valley The An Óige hostel, the Irish youth hostel network, is inside the valley, a walk from the monastic city and from the paths that climb to the lakes. It is the base for walkers who want to start the Spinc walk early, and for families looking for something simple with a kitchen. Rooms and facilities It has en-suite dorms, private rooms and family rooms, bed linen included, an equipped kitchen for preparing your own meals, a dining room, a lounge and a terrace. Check-in is at 14:30 and check-out at 10:30. How to get there The St Kevin's bus from Dublin stops at the visitor centre, a few minutes' walk away. Check the time of the last bus back beforehand: it leaves Glendalough at 16:30. ### Servicios - **St Kevin's bus from Dublin**: Leaves every day at 11:00 from St Stephen's Green North and reaches the visitor centre at 12:20; returns at 16:30. Return fare €23. ## By car: By car through the Wicklow Mountains By car you can get there in a good hour from Dublin along the N11 and through Laragh, and you can return by the Wicklow Gap mountain road or carry on to Kilkenny. The only tricky part is parking at weekends: arrive before 10:00 or leave the car in Laragh, for free, and walk 3 km through the forest. Presupuesto orientativo: 80–150 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **The Glendalough Hotel** (Hotel): Sleep beside the ruins The Glendalough Hotel stands right at the entrance to the monastic city, next to the river bridge. Sleeping here changes the visit: you can stroll round the ruins and the Green Road first thing or at dusk, when the Dublin coaches have gone and the valley is silent. The hotel It has double rooms, some overlooking the valley, the bar and bistro Casey's, with food until 20:30, and The Barn, a café with a grill. Its website does not publish the number of rooms or the check-in time: ask when you book. How to get there By car, along the N11 and through Laragh, or over the Wicklow Gap from the west. Without a car, the St Kevin's bus from St Stephen's Green in Dublin stops at the visitor centre, a few steps away, at 12:20; the return leaves at 16:30. - **Glendalough International Hostel (An Óige)** (Hostel): A hostel in the middle of the valley The An Óige hostel, the Irish youth hostel network, is inside the valley, a walk from the monastic city and from the paths that climb to the lakes. It is the base for walkers who want to start the Spinc walk early, and for families looking for something simple with a kitchen. Rooms and facilities It has en-suite dorms, private rooms and family rooms, bed linen included, an equipped kitchen for preparing your own meals, a dining room, a lounge and a terrace. Check-in is at 14:30 and check-out at 10:30. How to get there The St Kevin's bus from Dublin stops at the visitor centre, a few minutes' walk away. Check the time of the last bus back beforehand: it leaves Glendalough at 16:30. ### Servicios - **Glendalough car parks**: Three car parks: free in Laragh (3 km walk to the lake), paid at the visitor centre (8:00–20:00) and paid at the Upper Lake, which fills up early. ## As a family: Ruins, lakes and boardwalks for every pair of legs Glendalough makes a good day out in the countryside with children: the ruins can be explored freely, the track to the Upper Lake is flat and there are short walks of half an hour to an hour. Leave the Spinc until they are older. ### What works best Monastic city, with the round tower and the graves Green Road to the Upper Lake, with the wooden boardwalk Miners' Road, flat, with goats along the way Poulanass Waterfall, half an hour with steps Visitor centre, if it rains ### Where to sleep Glendalough International Hostel, with family rooms and a kitchen Glendalough Hotel, next to the ruins ### Where to eat Wicklow Heather, in Laragh, with breakfasts A picnic beside the Upper Lake ### Worth knowing There are no safe swimming areas in the lakes At weekends, arrive before 10:00 to park The bus back to Dublin leaves at 16:30 ### Qué hacer as a family - St Kevin's monastic city and the round tower - Walk to the Upper Lake along the Green Road - Glendalough Visitor Centre - Miners' Road walk to the mining village - Poulanass Waterfall and St Kevin's Cell - Half-day coach trip from Dublin to Glendalough and Wicklow - Driving over the Wicklow Gap ## With teenagers: A proper mountain walk an hour from Dublin For teenagers, Glendalough is the excuse for a mountain walk with views: the Spinc circuit has steps, a boardwalk along the cliff edge and deer in the valley. And the story of a saint who retreated to a cave above the lake is more gripping than it sounds. ### What works best Spinc walk, 9.5 km and a good three hours Monastic city and its round tower Wicklow Gap pass, if you are driving Day trip including Kilkenny, to see two places ### Where to sleep Glendalough International Hostel, with dorms and a walkers' atmosphere Glendalough Hotel ### Where to eat Casey's Bar after the walk A sandwich at the top of the Spinc ### Worth knowing Works on the zigzag section of the Spinc since July 2026 Boots and a waterproof: the terrain is rocky and the weather changes Dogs must always be on a lead in the park ### Qué hacer with teenagers - St Kevin's monastic city and the round tower - The Spinc and Glenealo Valley walk - Glendalough Visitor Centre - Half-day coach trip from Dublin to Glendalough and Wicklow - Driving over the Wicklow Gap ## Consejos ### Arrive before 10:00 You park without queues and have the Green Road almost empty. ### Bring boots and a waterproof Even for the easy walk: the path gets waterlogged. ### Do not swim in the lakes The park warns that there are no safe swimming areas or lifeguards. ### Dogs always on a lead The national park allows them, but on a lead at all times. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do I get from Dublin to Glendalough without a car? On the St Kevin's bus, which leaves St Stephen's Green at 11:00 every day and returns at 16:30, or on an organised half-day or full-day tour. ### How much does it cost to enter? The monastic city and the trails are free. The visitor centre costs €5 per adult and €13 per family. ### Where do I park? Free at Laragh, a 3 km walk from the upper lake, or paid at the visitor centre and at the upper lake. ### Which trail should I do if I only have an afternoon? The Green Road to the upper lake and the Poulanass waterfall: an hour and a quarter for both. ### Can I go with a dog? Yes, on a lead at all times inside the national park.