Dublin 7-Day Itinerary: City Days, Howth, Glendalough

How should you spend 7 days in Dublin?

Spend four days in the city and three beyond it: the Georgian south side and Trinity, the medieval core and the Liberties, Kilmainham and the Phoenix Park, and the Northside, plus Howth by DART, Glendalough by bus and Belfast by train. Book Kells, Kilmainham and the Enterprise before you fly.

A week changes what Dublin can be. A three-day visit has to squeeze Trinity, the Guinness Storehouse and one day trip together; seven days let each city day stay in one district, with long lunches and free evenings, and put the three best excursions on their own days, so that a wet forecast costs you a swap rather than a sight.

Two things are different this winter. Ireland’s EU Council Presidency has closed Dublin Castle until January 2027 and the Chester Beatty until the end of December 2026 (Visit Dublin), and public-sector industrial action closed the National Gallery and the National Museum on single days in October 2026. The plan works around both.

This is a desk-researched route built from operators’ and venues’ own pages, checked on 16 October 2026, not a week we have walked. If you only have three days, use the Dublin 3-day itinerary; for the season, see the best time to visit Dublin.

What does a week in Dublin look like day by day?

Days 1, 2, 4 and 7 stay in the city, one district each; days 3, 5 and 6 are excursions to Howth, Glendalough and Belfast. Put Belfast on a weekday or Saturday, when the Enterprise runs 15 times a day, and day 7 on a Wednesday to Saturday, when both 14 Henrietta Street and the GPO open.

The table is the spine of the week. The “closed” column lists the regular closures that decide the order; holiday closures, such as Kilmainham Gaol from 24 to 27 December, are covered in each day’s notes. Every city day ends near the centre, so evenings stay flexible.

Keep at least one day trip movable. Howth and Glendalough are the most weather-sensitive, while Belfast, with Titanic Belfast indoors, works in rain, so swap them around the forecast once you arrive.

What should you book before a week in Dublin?

Book four things before you fly: a timed Book of Kells ticket, a Kilmainham Gaol tour, which must be pre-booked online, a 14 Henrietta Street tour and your Enterprise train to Belfast, cheapest online. The Guinness Storehouse and Little Museum of Dublin are worth booking a day or two ahead; everything else can wait.

Trinity’s Book of Kells Experience uses timed entry, “strongly recommends” booking online and says tickets are non-refundable once bought; note that Trinity says all the books have been removed from the Long Room for its Old Library Redevelopment Project, except those in the first four bays as you enter. Kilmainham Gaol is by guided tour only, tickets must be pre-booked online, and it says third-party tickets are not valid. 14 Henrietta Street is also guided-tour only, with prebooking essential.

The Little Museum of Dublin includes a guided tour in every ticket and warns that tours book up quickly. The Guinness Storehouse lists tickets from €24. For Belfast, Translink says Enterprise tickets can be booked up to 80 minutes before departure from the station of origin, with online fares the cheapest.

Guided day tours make most sense for Glendalough and Wicklow if you want more than the single bus allows, or for Brú na Bóinne, where access to Newgrange is by guided tour from the visitor centre. Compare the pickup point, return time, what entry is included and the cancellation terms.

How do you get around Dublin for a week?

Walk inside each district and use the Luas between them: the Green Line runs north–south through St Stephen’s Green and O’Connell Street, the Red Line east–west along the quays to Heuston. A Leap card caps fares at €6.00 a day. The DART covers Howth; Glendalough and Belfast need a coach and the Enterprise train.

Inside the city, the Luas does most of the work: the Green Line runs north–south through St Stephen’s Green, Trinity and O’Connell Street, and the Red Line runs east–west along the river from The Point to Heuston and beyond, with the two meeting at O’Connell–GPO. With a Leap card, the TFI 90 Minute Fare costs €2.00 for adults, capped at €6.00 a day and €24.00 a week across Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and commuter rail.

The DART is the coastal line and the key to two of this week’s day trips: it runs from Howth and Malahide in the north through Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse to Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Greystones in the south. Glendalough and Belfast need a coach or train beyond the Leap network, covered in their own days below.

Two payment details catch visitors out. The TFI Leap Visitor Card, sold at the airport, is valid on bus, train and tram services across the TFI network (Dublin Airport), but the St Kevin’s Bus to Glendalough accepts standard Leap cards and not the Visitor Card (St Kevin’s Bus). Until 12 December 2026, Irish Rail is also running a revised autumn timetable on peak-hour DART and commuter trains, with journeys mostly one to three minutes longer (Irish Rail); a new national timetable starts on 13 December.

Days 1 and 2: how do you pace Trinity, the museums and medieval Dublin?

Day 1 stays on the Georgian south side: the Book of Kells at opening, the National Museum’s archaeology collection, then the National Gallery and Merrion Square. Day 2 moves west to St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Liberties, ending at the Guinness Storehouse. From January 2027, add Dublin Castle; the Chester Beatty reopens after December 2026.

The Book of Kells Experience opens at 8.30am Monday to Saturday and 9am on Sundays, so book an early slot and build the morning around it. The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology on Kildare Street is free and opens 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday but only 1pm to 5pm on Sundays and Mondays, and the free National Gallery stays open to 8.30pm on Thursdays. The Little Museum of Dublin on St Stephen’s Green, open 9.30am to 5pm, includes a guided tour in every ticket, which makes it an easy hour between bigger sights.

On day 2, St Patrick’s Cathedral opens at 9.30am on weekdays and 9am on Saturdays, with adult tickets at €11.50; Sunday visits fit between services and there are no guided tours that day. Walk on through the Liberties to the Guinness Storehouse, which opens at 9.30am daily and lists tickets from €24. Dublin Castle’s campus is closed until January 2027 (Dublin Castle); after it reopens, it lists daily hours of 9.45am to 5.45pm, last admission 5.15pm.

Keep both evenings loose. Day 1 ends close to Grafton Street and Temple Bar; day 2 ends in the Liberties, a short walk from the cathedrals and the quays. A shorter trip has to rush these sights; here each day has room for a long lunch.

Day 3: how do you do Howth by DART?

Take the DART from Connolly to Howth, about 25 minutes, and walk the Howth Cliff Path Loop, a 7.8 km, roughly two-hour trail that starts at the station. Go on a weekday if you can: daytime direct trains run every 20 minutes on weekdays but every 30 on Saturdays and about every 40 on Sundays.

Irish Rail’s DART timetable shows journeys of about 25 minutes from Connolly to Howth, with direct daytime trains at :08, :28 and :48 past the hour on weekdays. Sport Ireland’s trail page grades the Cliff Path Loop as moderate: 7.8 km, about two hours and 130 m of ascent, starting at the DART station in Howth village, with rough terrain in parts and walking boots recommended.

Walk the loop in the morning, while you are fresh, then spend the afternoon around the harbour and village before an early-evening train back. The cliff path is exposed, so check the forecast and skip it in strong winds.

If the weather turns, switch to Malahide Castle, on the other DART branch, about 25 minutes from Connolly and a short walk from the station. It opens daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm and suggests booking ahead in peak seasons.

Day 4: how do you combine Kilmainham Gaol and the Phoenix Park?

Start with a pre-booked guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol, which admits visitors by tour only, then head to the Phoenix Park for the afternoon: its visitor centre, the Farmleigh grounds and open parkland. Finish in Smithfield or Stoneybatter on the Luas Red Line. Check the visitor centre’s days between January and April.

Kilmainham Gaol opens all year except 24 to 27 December, admits by guided tour only and requires tickets to be pre-booked online. Its own page gives visitor-centre hours of 9.30am to 5.15pm, while Heritage Ireland lists the museum to 5.15pm from October to March and 5.45pm from April to September, so take the earliest tour that suits you.

The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre is free and opens 9.30am to 6pm daily, but closes on Mondays and Tuesdays from January to the end of April. Farmleigh House is closed for the rest of 2026, but Heritage Ireland says the grounds stay open daily from 10am to 6pm, with free outdoor tours at 11.30am and 2.30pm, weather permitting.

Return on the Luas Red Line to Smithfield or Museum for the evening, close to the trad pubs and cafés of Stoneybatter. If you are spending all week in this part of town, where to stay in Dublin compares Smithfield with the south-side bases.

Day 5: how do you reach Glendalough without a car?

Take the St Kevin’s Bus from St Stephen’s Green North at 11am, about 80 minutes to Glendalough, and return on the 4.30pm bus, giving you about four hours for the monastic site and the lakes. A return costs €23, paid on the bus by card, cash or standard Leap card, but not the Leap Visitor Card.

St Kevin’s Bus leaves St Stephen’s Green North, opposite Stephen Court, at 11am and 6pm daily, reaching Glendalough at 12.20pm on the morning run, and returns at 4.30pm every day. Fares are €23 return and €14 single. A guided coach tour is the alternative if you want more of the Wicklow Mountains in one day.

The Glendalough Visitor Centre opens daily from 9.30am to 5pm in winter, from 15 October to mid-March, with last admission at 4.15pm, and to 6pm in summer; adult entry is €5, and it closes from 23 to 29 December. The Wicklow Mountains National Park information office opens 9.30am to 4.30pm from November to February and 10am to 5.30pm from March to October.

Check trail notices before you walk. The national park reports works on the White Trail around the Spinc zigzags, begun in July 2026 and expected to take five to six months, so confirm which routes are open before you set out and keep to waymarked paths.

Day 6: is Belfast a realistic day trip from Dublin?

Yes, on the Enterprise train from Connolly to Belfast Grand Central, which takes about two hours and runs 15 times a day Monday to Saturday and 8 times on Sundays. Leave early, spend the middle of the day at Titanic Belfast and the city centre, and return on an evening train. Brú na Bóinne is the closer alternative.

The Enterprise timetable runs from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Grand Central, mostly at 50 minutes past the hour, with southbound journeys of about two hours eight minutes. Translink gives 15 departures a day Monday to Saturday from 6am and 8 on Sundays, so avoid a Sunday if you want a full day. Belfast is in the UK, so check the ID and entry rules for your nationality before you go.

Titanic Belfast opens 8.50am to 6pm in October 2026 and 9.50am to 5pm from November 2026 to March 2027, with last admission to the Titanic Experience one hour 40 minutes before closing; it is closed on 12 January 2027, so check the Christmas period too. Buy tickets before you travel, and leave the afternoon for the city centre.

If four hours of train travel feels like too much, go to Brú na Bóinne instead. Newgrange and Knowth are reached only on guided tours by shuttle bus from the visitor centre, pre-booking is essential, and you should not go directly to the monuments. Winter hours are 9am to 4.15pm from November to February, and regular tours are suspended on the solstice mornings of 19 to 23 December.

Day 7: what should you do on the Northside, and where should you stay?

Spend the last day north of the Liffey: a 14 Henrietta Street tour, GPO Witness History on O’Connell Street and EPIC in the Docklands, with Glasnevin as an extra. Do it Wednesday to Saturday, when both Henrietta Street and the GPO open. For the week, one central base near the Luas and DART beats moving hotels.

14 Henrietta Street runs tours on the hour from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. GPO Witness History opens 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, last admission 4pm, closed on Sundays, public holidays and Christmas Eve, with adult tickets €15 online. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum opens daily from 10am to 6.45pm, last entry 5pm, with adult tickets at €22, and Glasnevin Cemetery opens daily from 9am to 5pm.

Weather swaps are simple because this day is mostly indoors. If an earlier day was rained off, move Howth or Glendalough here and do the Northside on the wet day instead, keeping the Henrietta Street and GPO opening days in mind.

For a week with three excursions, stay where the Luas and the DART meet the coaches: around St Stephen’s Green for the Glendalough bus, near Connolly for the DART and the Enterprise, or in the Docklands. Where to stay in Dublin compares eight areas; Dublin hotels and the Dublin destination guide cover the rest, and Dublin to Belfast by train or plane covers onward travel.