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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Enniskerry
Áth na Sceire
Base here 1 night for Powerscourt, or day-trip from Dublin on bus 44 (1 h); skip the car unless you want the waterfall or Glencree.
Enniskerry is a small planned estate village of about 2,000 people at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains, built in the 1840s for tenants of Powerscourt. Its reason to exist for visitors is Powerscourt House gardens, the estate waterfall and the mountain roads beyond, all within an hour of central Dublin. It gets busy at weekends and quiet midweek.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Áth na Sceire
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, wet mountain roads)
- 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
- All emergencies 112 · 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 |
| Taxi, village to Powerscourt Waterfall | €15–25 |
| Powerscourt Gardens adult ticket | €13.50 |
| Powerscourt Waterfall adult ticket | €7.50 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- Bus or taxi to the city centre, then Dublin Bus 44 or Go Ahead 185 via Bray; allow 2–2.5 h door to door
Typical fares
- Dublin city centre → Enniskerry, bus 44
- about €2.60, about 1 h
- Bray → Enniskerry, bus 185
- about €2.20, about 25 min
- Taxi village → Powerscourt Waterfall
- €15–25, pre-book
Get around
The village is walkable; Powerscourt Gardens are a short walk from the square. The waterfall and Glencree need a car, bike or taxi. Go Ahead bus 185 links Bray, the village and Powerscourt every 30 min, about 25 min. Dublin Bus 44 runs hourly from the city centre, about 1 h.
See and do
Known for
- Powerscourt Gardens
- Powerscourt Waterfall
- Wicklow Mountains and Glencree
- Johnnie Fox's pub
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Glendalough | Car via R755 through Roundwood, about 45 min; no direct public bus from Enniskerry | About 1 h |
| Bray | Go Ahead bus 185, every 30 min | About 25 min |
| Wicklow town | Car via N11 and R772, about 35 min; train from Bray | About 45 min |
| Dublin | Dublin Bus 44 from the village, hourly | About 1 h |
| Roundwood | Car via R755, about 25 min | About 30 min |
| Blessington | Car via R759 over Sally Gap or via N81, 40–60 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Enniskerry village square
- Walk to Powerscourt gates in about 15 min; a B&B and the village inn, few rooms.
- Powerscourt estate
- The estate hotel and spa sit inside the grounds; the most expensive and the most convenient for the gardens.
- Bray
- Coastal town 8 km east with Dart trains to Dublin and bus 185 to Enniskerry; far more beds and restaurants.Coastal town 5 mi east with Dart trains to Dublin and bus 185 to Enniskerry; far more beds and restaurants.
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 |
| Where is the bus stop? | Cá bhfuil an stad bus?kaw will an stad bus |
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
- Weekend crowds at Powerscourt: go at opening (09:30) or after 15:00.
- The gardens ticket and the waterfall ticket are separate; no combined ticket.
- Mountain roads (R115, R759, Sally Gap) are narrow, fog-prone and icy in winter; do not drive them after dark in bad weather.
- Army firing ranges west of Kippure: check range notices before walking that way.
- Bus 44 is hourly and the last evening service is early: check the timetable before a late return to Dublin.
Very safe for a village of its size; the real risks are mountain weather, narrow roads and walking the Sally Gap area without checking firing-range notices.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Enniskerry yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Powerscourt Gardens
- Powerscourt Waterfall
- Wicklow Mountains and Glencree
- Johnnie Fox's pub
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Powerscourt Estate: powerscourt.com/
- Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation: www.glencree.ie/
- Transport for Ireland journey planner: www.transportforireland.ie/
- Wikivoyage: Enniskerry, revision 5324522 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324522
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
EnniskerryÁth na Sceire
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Enniskerry; the US embassy and most others are in Dublin (check the address).
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is the first official language but not needed day to day.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/enniskerry). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.