Following the advice of our host from the night before, we stopped off at Glendalough on our way to Dublin.
Where And What Is It?
Glendalough is in Co. Wicklow, Ireland and is home to an abandoned monastic site. It’s only about an hour outside of Dublin, so if you’re visiting Ireland’s capital it’s not a long drive. We also noticed some signs for Glendalough bus tours when we were in Dublin, so that could be a good option if you don’t want to hire a car.
When Should You Visit?
We arrived at Glendalough monastery at about 1pm on a Sunday during the summer, so there were many other people there during our visit. The experience was therefore much less peaceful than when we visited Kilmacduagh Monastery earlier in our trip. If you have flexibility with when you can visit, I’m guessing it’d be best to arrive earlier in the morning on a weekday to avoid the crowds.
How Much Does It Cost?
Tickets were €5 per adult, so not an unreasonable cost, although still €5 more than Kilmacduagh 😉 Having said that, there’s a visitor center on site as well as restrooms, neither of which were found at Kilmacduagh.
Update: A reader got in touch to share that the €5 is an entry fee for the visitor center rather than to visit Glendalough Monastic City itself, which is free. We hadn’t realized that, so that’s good to know.
Is There Anywhere To Eat?
There’s no restaurant or cafe on site, although there are picnic tables if you bring your own food.
If you don’t bring your own food, we recommend having tea and scones at The Conservatory in the nearby village of Laragh. We chanced upon that cafe just before arriving at Glendalough and were so glad that we did. You can read our full review here.
What’s So Special About Glendalough?
Glendalough monastic site was founded in the 6th century, with some of the buildings dating back to the 12th century or earlier.
There are several church buildings, a cathedral and – my favorite – the Round Tower which is about 100 feet high.
What’s It Like?
Here are 25 photos that show a little of what you can expect from a visit to Glendalough.
Ireland Road Trip
Here’s everything else that we got up to in Ireland:
- Introduction: Non-Surprise Ireland Road Trip
- 24 Hours In Athlone, Ireland: Where To Stay, Eat, Drink, Shop & Visit
- Luck Of The Irish At Kilmacduagh Monastery
- Returning To The Cliffs Of Moher
- Quin Abbey In 30 Photos
- Feasting Like Royalty At The Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
- Day 3: Desmond, Dingle, Dolphin, Driving And Dining
- Puckering Up At Blarney Castle
- Day 4: Kissing Stones, Flat Tires, Stunning Food & Tiny Homes
- 4 Friends + 1 Tiny Home = 1 Fun Night In Ireland
- Breakfast Serendipity At The Conservatory, Laragh
- Glendalough Monastic Site In 25 Photos
- Shot Through The Heart At The Irish Whiskey Museum
- Dublin’s Best Breakfast At Stage Door Cafe
- What To Do (And What Not To Do) In Dublin, Ireland
- Travelling With The Peppers: Saga Holiday Adventures
- Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes When Visiting Ireland
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