Where to Go Ashore: 15 Ireland Shore Excursions

1.Cobh (Cork) to Blarney Castle & Kinsale – Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 504 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $95Our pick

Travel from Cobh or Ringaskiddy to Blarney Castle, where admission covers the castle, gardens, and Blarney Stone. Hear local stories from guides such as Jamie, Ian, or Kevin, then enjoy free time in Kinsale, a Cork city drive, and St Colman’s Cathedral. The early start helps you beat Blarney’s long queues.

“Ian was very funny and informative. We really enjoyed the entire tour. It was a long day, would recommend comfortable shoes.”

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2.Shore Excursion From Cork: Including Blarney Castle and Kinsale

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 470 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $107

From Cobh, ride with Paddywagon Tours to Blarney Castle, where admission and gardens are included, then see Cork and stop in Kinsale. Drivers such as Kevin, Paul, Martin, and Zikor provide commentary on the road. The early departure helps you beat long waits, but this is a large-group bus tour, not a private guided visit.

“The castle was a bit disappointing. We didn't have enough time to wait in line to go up to the Blarney Stone. The wait in line was 3 hours and we didn't have a full 3 hours there. The tour guide seemed disorganized and caused us to wait an additional half an hour to enter the gate, as the line to enter the grounds grew fast. He wanted to try to get closer to the gate instead of letting us off the bus at the end of the line. By the time we got to the end of the line, it tripled in size.”

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3.Shore Excursion from Dublin: Including Dublin highlights and Glendalough

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 111 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $94

Travel from Dublin Port into County Wicklow for Glendalough’s sixth-century monastery and two lakes, then return to Dublin for a guided city drive, lunch, and free time near Grafton Street. A driver-guide, port pickup, air-conditioned coach, WiFi, and live commentary are included. Ship delays and tender transport require careful attention.

“Because of bad weather, a lot of time was lost waiting for our cruise ship to feel like it was safe enough to get passengers ashore in the tenders. What was meant to be an 8 hour tour had to be a 5 hour tour. We had to miss out on Glendalough altogether and spend our whole time in Dublin. However, these are the positives: Alex, our tour guide, tried to salvage what was left of our time by trying to remain upbeat and have a positive attitude. He tried to teach us many things about the culture and especially about the words and sayings of the Irish that are…”

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4.Dublin: Cruise Excursion Hop-On Hop-Off Tour & Rail Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 101 reviews · from $36

From Dun Laoghaire, collect your rail tickets at the DoDublin kiosk, ride along the coast to Pearse Station, then board the hop-on hop-off bus across the street. Live guides such as Damien, Mary, Davey, and Tyrone bring Dublin’s streets to life, while audio commentary is available in eight languages.

“Very good. Thanks to DoDublin's special: Cruise Excursion Hop-On Hop-Off Tour & Rail Ticket We were relieved to find that the driver of the afternoon Hop-On-Hop-Off (HOHO) bus was aware of how important being on time back to the ship is to cruise passengers. He told us that there was an express DoDublin HOHO that made our return to the train station faster and much less stressful! The integration was seamless. We appreciate your companies customer focused service and professionalism. Will use and/or recommend your company again! Thanks!Read more”

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5.Dublin Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 89 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $32Best value

See Dublin from an open-top sightseeing bus with access to 24 operating stops, including Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, Trinity College, and Temple Bar. Ride the full route in about two hours, then hop off where you like. English live commentary, multilingual audio, a walking tour, and child discounts are included.

“We ended up using "Do Dublin" Hop on Hop off which was very present. When we got to Dublin, we could not find the location for City Sightseeing to change our vouchers to tickets. "Do Dublin" was right there, rather than waste time trying to find the location, we bought tickets right on the bus - and used that extra time to take in the area. As we got around the area, we did not see many City Sightseeing buses and someone mentioned they were just getting into the area. I wish we would have known this ahead of time and naturally we could not "cancel" however would be interested…”

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6.Full-Day Shore Excursion for cruise ships to Killybegs, Donegal

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $155

Join Chieftain Tours for a 6 to 7 hour Killybegs shore day covering Donegal Castle, the Abbey of Donegal, Donegal Town, Muckross Head, and Sliabh Liag. Guides such as Kevin, Joe, Brian, and Seamus add local stories, music, and practical help, while the small coach reaches roads larger buses cannot.

“This part of the world is gloriously beautiful and we were able to see a great deal of the island in a short amount of time. Our tour guide was good. Understandable with many stories. Initially, he did a good time of setting expectations on how long we would stay at our different stops. He made good suggestions on where to purchase lovely wool items in Donegal and set up an informative and amazing weaving demonstration. Check for emails from the tour operator prior to the tour date, as the time of our tour was changed a few days before it departed. Many of us had not gotten the email…”

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7.Shore Excursion from Cobh (Cork) to Blarney Castle and Kinsale

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 27 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $83

Meet Pat, Cass, or another Your Shore Time guide by the Annie Moore statue for an eight-hour coach trip from Cobh. Explore Blarney Castle and gardens, shop at Blarney Woollen Mills, see Cobh Cathedral, and enjoy free time in Kinsale for lunch and browsing. Castle admission is included.

“Great service, well organized pickup, very nice bus and driver. The tour guide was knowledgeable and provided a professional and informative tour. They were very attentive to the cruise departure requirement and ensured we were back with ample time. There is a good balance of free time and guided time.”

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8.Dublin Shore Excursion, Live Guided Open-top, Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 21 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $40

Use Dublin’s open-top Big Bus to cover 25 stops, from Trinity College and Temple Bar to Guinness, Phoenix Park, and Kilmainham. The full loop takes about 90 minutes. Live English commentary leads the Red Route, while recorded commentary is offered in eight languages. Select 48-hour tickets include a walking tour and night tour.

“MICHEL the BEST driver and the sweetest person and the greatest storyteller in the whole world!!! The experience was wonderful”

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9.Cobh cruise excursion, Blarney, Cork & Kinsale. Car or Minibus.

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews

You’ll travel by private car or minibus from Cobh with a local guide such as Brian or Tony Murphy. Visit Blarney Castle, Cork’s English Market, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Charles Fort, Kinsale, and St Colman’s Cathedral in about seven hours, with time to adjust the day to your interests.

“Amazing. Tony Murphy was a personable and knowledgeable guide. He collected us from our cruise ship and personalized the tour to our interests!”

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10.Shore Excursion Cliffs of Moher explorer tour, Wild Atlantic Way from Galway

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · from $124

Spend a full day traveling from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher by guided coach, with stops around Fanore, Doolin, and the Burren. You get about five to six hours at the cliffs, entry to the visitor center, and a return to central Galway around 7 pm. Guides such as Phil, Raymond, and Peter have led past departures.

“Left from a cruise ship in Galway - while it was a long bus ride, out driver Phil made it a wonderful journey. We stopped at a Chocolate Factory (highly unexpected) in the middle of sheep farms (on the Burren). We say a Leprechaun Church and then made our way to the sRead more”

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11.Private Shore Excursion Dublin with Guinness and Whiskey

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $419

Spend about seven hours exploring Dublin with a private Whiskey and Beer Specialist Host. Visit the Guinness Storehouse, enjoy a pint in the Gravity Bar, then taste Pearse Lyons 5-year and 12-year whiskey blends plus Rhubarb Dublin Gin. Pickup, transport, admissions, and live commentary are included. John may be your guide.

“We had an informative, hassle-free, and amazing private tour of Guiness and Pearse Lyons Distillery, in addition to getting great restaurant recommendations. Our guide made it all work to deliver a great experience. We highly recommend this private tour.”

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12.Guided Shared Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 6 reviews · from $153

Travel by air-conditioned Mercedes van from Cobh or Ringaskiddy to Blarney Castle, Cork, Kinsale, and Cobh. Your English-speaking guide, including guides such as Erik or Joe on some departures, combines famous sights, countryside roads, forts, and Titanic history in a ship-friendly day.

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13.Private Guided Shore Excursions from Cobh – LUXURY Line MPV XL

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.)

Explore County Cork with a private guide and chauffeur in a Mercedes V Class for up to six people. Start early at Blarney Castle, visit Cork’s English Market, choose lunch in Aghada, stop at Midleton Distillery, and finish at St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh. Guides such as Robin and Ambrose can adjust the day to your ship’s schedule.

“First and foremost, Robin was the absolute BEST! He was professional, polite, full of knowledge and he was very accommodating. He asked what we wanted to do, and took us to some incredible sights that we didn’t know about. If a person wants the very best, ask for Robin. Robin, if you read this. Thank you for a wonderful day in Cobh/Cork! Dan S. Oklahoma, USA”

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14.Boyne Valley, Meath – Private Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.)

Spend 7 to 9 hours exploring the Boyne Valley in a private, air-conditioned vehicle from Dublin. Walk the Hill of Tara, visit Monasterboice and Trim Castle, and consider Newgrange or Slane Whiskey Distillery. Guides such as Aidan, Tommy, and Liam bring Irish history and local stories to life.

“Aidan was our driver-guide. He was warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and an excellent driver! He was exceptional! He shared a great wealth of Irish history-- from pre-Celtic to current-- and really brought the sites and countryside alive! We had the best day! This was worth every penny, and will always be remembered as one of our favorite experiences in Ireland. We are grateful to have so enjoyably learned so much! Ireland has a fascinating history.”

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15.Giants Causeway, Belfast – Private Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews

Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle from Dublin to Northern Ireland for Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Belfast’s Bobby Sands mural, and Titanic Belfast. Guides such as Trudy Carmody and Liam have led this outing. You can also add Carrick-a-Rede Bridge or the Dark Hedges, though admissions and lunch cost extra.

“It was OUTSTANDING. Trudy Carmody was our tour guide and she was amazing... professional, knowledgeable, accommodating, and very personable. She truly made our first visit to Ireland memorable! There is so much more I could Read more”

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