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
Wicklow
Cill Mhantáin
Base here 1 night only if you want the gaol and gardens; otherwise sleep in Dublin or Bray and day-trip. A car opens the county.
Wicklow is the county town, a harbour town of about 13,000 that most visitors use as a base for the county rather than as a destination in itself. The draws are the historic gaol, Mount Usher and Kilmacurragh gardens, and easy rail and bus links from Dublin. Without a car you are limited to the town, the gaol and the gardens on the bus route.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Cill Mhantáin
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, many gardens quiet)
- 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 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 | €14–20 |
| Pint of stout | €5.50–6.50 |
| Taxi in town | €8–12 |
| Train Dublin → Wicklow | €10–14 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- Wexford Bus 740A runs hourly from the airport via Dublin city to Wicklow, about 2 h
Typical fares
- Train Dublin Connolly → Wicklow
- about €10–14, 70 min
- Bus 133 Dublin Busáras → Wicklow
- about €13, 90 min
- Taxi in town
- €8–12
Get around
The town centre is walkable. Trains run about five times a day from Dublin Connolly via Bray and Greystones, 70 min to Wicklow. Bus Éireann 133 runs hourly from Dublin Busáras, 90 min. Local Link 183 links Naas, Blessington, Glendalough and Roundwood four or five times a day. A car is needed for Kilmacurragh, Avondale and the beaches.
See and do
Known for
- Wicklow Gaol
- Mount Usher Gardens
- Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens
- Wicklow Head and the harbour piers
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Glendalough | Car via Rathdrum, about 30 min; Local Link 183 from Wicklow, 4–5 times a day | About 45 min by car |
| Bray | Train from Wicklow station via Greystones | About 45–55 min |
| Blessington | Local Link 183 via Glendalough and Roundwood | About 1 h 30 min |
| Arklow | Train south, or Wexford Bus 740A | About 30–40 min |
| Enniskerry | Car via the N11 and R117 | About 45 min |
| Roundwood | Local Link 183 | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Town centre / Main Street
- Walk to the gaol, pubs and the harbour; the practical choice for one night without a car.
- Rathnew / Tinakilly
- 5 km west on the N11; country-house hotels and glamping, needs a car or taxi.3.1 mi west on the N11; country-house hotels and glamping, needs a car or taxi.
- Ashford
- North of town near Mount Usher Gardens; bus 133 stops nearby.
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 toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will un leh-russ |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
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
- Beaches in town are rocky or industrial, and the railway cuts off the north shore: drive 15 km south for sand at Brittas Bay and Silver Strand.
- Kilmacurragh has no bus service: you need your own wheels.
- Many gardens and the gaol run shorter winter hours: check before you travel.
- Trains from Dublin are infrequent, about five a day: plan the return leg before you leave.
A small, quiet town and safe for tourists. The real risks are coastal weather, slippery pier and cliff paths, and unlit roads outside town at night.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Wicklow yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Wicklow Gaol
- Mount Usher Gardens
- Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens
- Wicklow Head and the harbour piers
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wicklow County Tourism: www.wicklow.ie/
- Wicklow's Historic Gaol: www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com/
- Mount Usher Gardens: www.mountushergardens.ie/
- National Botanic Gardens — Kilmacurragh: botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/
- Beyond the Trees Avondale: www.beyondthetreesavondale.com/
- Irish Rail: www.irishrail.ie/
- Bus Éireann: www.buseireann.ie/
- Transport for Ireland — Local Link: www.transportforireland.ie/
- Wikivoyage: Wicklow (city), revision 5324528 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324528
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
WicklowCill Mhantáin
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 Wicklow; the US embassy and most others are in Dublin.
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is used on signs and in Gaeltacht areas.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/wicklow-city). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.