How to Take a Day Trip From Dublin to Bray, Ireland

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Bray is a beautiful coastal town just south of Dublin that’s filled with amazing views. It’s a bit of a hidden gem making it one of the best places to visit in Ireland. But, if you ever find yourself in the Dublin area, you should plan on taking a day trip from Dublin to Bray! You won’t be disappointed.

How to Get from Dublin to Bray

There are actually quite a few ways to get to Bray from Dublin. You could take the Dublin Bus, such as the 155 towards Bray. You could get on downtown, near the spire. This would be a good option if you’re staying north of the Liffey already.

This isn’t the only bus that will you get you to Bray. Depending on where in Dublin you’re located, I suggest taking a look at the Dublin Bus website to see what your best bus option is! Don’t forget to take your Leap Card.

I personally chose to take a bus and didn’t have a problem with it at all. I found that it provided a really quick and cheap way to get to Bray! It was also fun going through a bunch of the smaller suburbs around Dublin while on the bus.

The other option is to take the Irish Rail from Connolly Station to Daly Station in Bray. This will only take about 40 minutes. You might find that the train is a lot more comfortable. You’ll also get some pretty amazing views from the coast if you take the train.

You could also rent a car and drive to Bray if that’s what you wanted to do as well.

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Bray To Greystones Cliff Walk

Once you get to Bray, you’ll want to go to Bray Harbor to start your walk. Then, just continue on walking for another 2.5 hours! Of course, this time can vary depending on how fast you walk.

Compared to the Howth Cliff Walk, this one may seem a lot safer. That’s because there’s a fence between you and the cliffs the whole time. If you don’t like heights, then you’ll want to take this walk instead of the Howth Cliff Walk, I guarantee it.

A great way to do this walk is to actually go right before lunchtime. Pack yourself a lunch and stick it in a backpack to eat about halfway through. There’s a really good viewpoint (without a fence) around halfway through the cliff walk. You can walk down a bit further near the cliff and just sit and take in the marvelous water while you eat your lunch.

This is also a great photo spot! Just be careful if the area is wet. You really could fall in!

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What to Wear for the Cliff Walk

Since this is essentially almost like a hike except on the water, then I suggest you dress appropriately! The weather in Ireland is very much all over the place too. You never know what kind of weather you are going to end up with on any given day.

Depending on the time of year, you should wear either comfortable pants or shorts. I visited in May, so I wore athletic shorts.

I’d suggest wearing a t-shirt with a sweatshirt or rain jacket because it can get quite cool along the water, even though you are moving a lot.

Lastly, you’ll want to wear comfortable shoes. I just wore a pair of sneakers and found that it was perfectly fine. There isn’t rocky terrain or anything, so you won’t need extreme hiking boots.

If you can, bring a backpack with water and snacks because I guarantee that you’ll get hungry and thirsty along the walk.

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Should you start in Bray or Greystones?

I struggled with this question when I did the cliff walk, and I think you can choose whichever one you’d prefer!

I chose to start the hike in Greystones so that the ride after the hike would be shorter since Greystones is farther from Dublin than Bray is.

If you choose to start in Bray, then you’ll finish with a view of the beach. If you choose to start in Greystones, you’ll also finish with a view of the beach, but it’s also a much more busy beach with a whole promenade and everything.

It’s completely up to you!

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Fun Things to do In Bray

Of course, there are a lot of other fun things to do in the area besides just the cliff walk. Here are some other suggestions on what to do in both Bray and Greystones!

Sea Life Bray Aquarium

If you’re a fan of aquariums and ocean life, you could go to Bray’s Sea Life Aquarium. This aquarium is actually located right on the water and it’s a lot of fun to visit no matter your age, I promise!

Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Center (bray)

You could go see a show at the Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Center! It’s easy to book tickets ahead of time online. There’s also a really great cafe here that I suggest checking out if you have the time!

Bray Promenade

Located at the beginning (or the end, depending on where you start) of the cliff walk is Bray Promenade. This is a super long stretch near the water where you can walk and really enjoy the beach. There’s also a bunch of cute little shops where you can buy snacks, postcards, and ice cream. I suggest checking out the fish and chip shop for a quick bite!

Aunty Nellie’s sweet Shop (Greystones)

Okay, okay. If you’ve been to Ireland, then you’ll know that this is actually a chain candy shop, but every time I see one, I go inside to get something. They have good prices and their sweets are delicious!

Kindlestown Castle (Greystones)

Located a little outside of Greystones in a town called Delgany, you can actually visit this old castle ruin. I know it may not look like much because it’s ruinous now, but there’s so much history to it! It’s even considered one of Ireland’s National Monuments.

South Beach (Greystones)

This is a lovely little beach that you could spend some time at in Greystones. When I visited, nobody was swimming in the water (even though it was May!) but I’ve heard that you are allowed to. The water here is so blue!

Now you know how to get to Bray from Dublin! Don’t forget to pin this post and share it for later.

Watch our video from our time doing this day trip to Bray!