In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Bray
Bré
Give Bray one full day: DART out from Dublin, walk the 90-min Cliff Walk to Greystones, bus or train back. Sleep here only if you want a seaside base for Wicklow.
Bray is a Victorian seaside town at the northern edge of County Wicklow, 50 minutes by DART from central Dublin and effectively part of the city's commuter belt. The reason to come is the coast: the 1.5 km Esplanade, Bray Head (241 m) and the Cliff Walk to Greystones. Most travellers do it as a day trip; a night here buys you an early start on the Wicklow mountains and a quieter evening than Dublin.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Bré
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, windy, many seasonal places shut)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Emergency (police/Gardaí, ambulance, fire, coast guard, mountain rescue) 112 · Emergency (alternative) 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | €15–22 |
| Pint of stout | €5.50–7 |
| Fish and chips | €12–18 |
| DART fare, Dublin city centre to Bray | €3–4 (check) |
| Killruddery House and garden, adult | €15.50; garden alone €10.50 (check) |
| Squirrel's Scramble treetop course | from €20 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- Aircoach 702 runs about every two hours between the airport, Bray and Greystones; otherwise bus or taxi to the city centre and DART out.
Typical fares
- DART Dublin Connolly → Bray
- about €3–4, about 50 min (check)
- Aircoach 702 Dublin Airport → Bray
- about €12, about 1 h (check)
- St Kevin's Bus Bray → Glendalough
- about 40 min, twice daily (check)
Get around
The town is walkable: Daly station to the Esplanade is about 5 min, and the Esplanade runs 1.5 km south to Bray Head. DART trains link Bray with Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Greystones; Dublin Bus E1 runs to Dublin every 10 min at peak and operates 24 h. Local buses cover the suburbs; a car is only worth it for the mountains and Glendalough.The town is walkable: Daly station to the Esplanade is about 5 min, and the Esplanade runs 0.9 mi south to Bray Head. DART trains link Bray with Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Greystones; Dublin Bus E1 runs to Dublin every 10 min at peak and operates 24 h. Local buses cover the suburbs; a car is only worth it for the mountains and Glendalough.
See and do
Known for
- The Cliff Walk to Greystones
- Bray Head and the Esplanade
- Victorian seaside architecture
- Killruddery House and Gardens
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Greystones | Cliff Walk over Bray Head, about 90 min; DART or bus back | About 1.5 h one way on foot |
| Glendalough | St Kevin's Bus from Bray, twice daily, about 40 min via Roundwood | About 40 min |
| Enniskerry and Powerscourt | Car or taxi, about 20 min; no direct rail | About 20–30 min |
| Wicklow town | Five mainline trains a day from Bray, or the N11 by car | About 40 min by train |
| Dublin | DART every 10–20 min from Daly station | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Strand Road / seafront
- Hotels and guesthouses facing the Esplanade; walk to the harbour, the beach and the Cliff Walk steps.
- Main Street and town centre
- Cheaper rooms, restaurants and the Saturday market; 10–15 min walk downhill to the seafront.
- Dublin city instead
- The DART runs every 10–20 min from Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse, about 50 min; many travellers sleep in Dublin and day-trip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia duitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatguh rev mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-cha |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
| Where is the toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will un leh-rass |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- The north end of the beach suffers erosion and pollution; swim or paddle at the south end.
- The Cliff Walk path crosses Bray Head and can be muddy, windy and slippery after rain; wear shoes with grip and check conditions before setting out.
- The east–west roads over the Wicklow mountains are narrow and winding and clog on fine weekends.
- The M11/N11 coast road is very busy at rush hour.
- Oldcourt Castle is unstable and may be fenced off.
Bray is a low-risk town; the real hazards are the sea and the headland. Swim at the south end of the beach, not the eroded north end, and treat the Cliff Walk as a hill walk, not a promenade.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Bray yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The Cliff Walk to Greystones
- Bray Head and the Esplanade
- Victorian seaside architecture
- Killruddery House and Gardens
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Bray.ie — official town and events site: bray.ie/events/
- Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) — DART and mainline timetables: www.irishrail.ie/
- Transport for Ireland — Dublin Bus and Bus Connects: www.transportforireland.ie/
- Aircoach route 702: www.aircoach.ie/
- St Kevin's Bus to Glendalough: www.glendaloughbus.com/timetable.aspx
- Killruddery House and Gardens: killruddery.com/
- Mermaid Arts Centre: www.mermaidartscentre.ie/
- Wikivoyage: Bray (Ireland), revision 5324527 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324527
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BrayBré
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Emergency (police/Gardaí, ambulance, fire, coast guard, mountain rescue)112
- Emergency (alternative)999
No embassies in Bray; most are in Dublin. US citizens: the US Embassy is in Dublin (check the address). UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: embassies or high commissions in Dublin.
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is not needed in Bray.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/bray-ireland). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.