Glendalough

Glendalough is a historically important monastery & village in County Wicklow in Ireland. Glendalough lies roughly 90 minutes south of Dublin City by car.

Culture and History

The English name Glendalough comes from the Irish Gleann Dá Locha which translates to "The valley of the two lakes".

St. Kevin founded a monastery here in the sixth century which continued to expand for 600 years, but was destroyed in 1398. The buildings which survive date from the 8th and 12th centuries. The most famous is the round tower which is 34m high and 16m in circumference at the base. A cathedral, stone churches and decorated crosses also survived.

Travel to Glendalough - Visa Requirements

By foot

By car

One convenient way of reaching Glendalough is by car. Travellers from Dublin should take the N11 in the direction of Wexford & take the R755 turn-off at Kilmacanogue. From Kilmacanogue follow signposts to Glendalough through Roundwood & Laragh.

Drivers should be aware that in the busy summer period car parking places may be hard to come-by due to the large amount of visitors. This is particularly true on Sunday & the August bank holiday Monday.

Buses to Glendalough

• St. Kevins Bus Service.

The St.Kevin's Bus Service is a locally owned bus service which has been operating between Glendalough & Dublin for almost a century. The journey takes in some of the best Wicklow scenery, therefore it is a great chance to relax & enjoy the Garden County en-route to Glendalough. Buses leave from Dublin (Dawson Street) at 11:30am & 6:00pm. The journey takes roughly 90 minutes to Glendalough & costs €13 for a one-way ticket. Return buses leave for Dublin at 4:15pm (4:30pm Sunday).

Further route & timetable information can be found at this location.

Tours and Getting around Glendalough

The only way to see everything that Glendalough has to offer is on foot. The monastic village, lakes & round tower are all within a short stroll of the bus stops, car parks & hotels. For the more outdoor minded visitors there are several walking routes around the area which can vary from a board walk around the forest to more intense walks in the nearby hills.

Glendalough tourist attractions and sightseeing

Glendalough city tours

Glendalough is famous for its spectacular settings: lakes, hills, a very old monastic site.

It's very busy on a Sunday when the weather is good, people come for a walk to enjoy the nature. You can go around the lakes and into Laragh on good paths; if you want more, climb the hills which also have tracks but can be a challenge at times (wearing walking gear is recommended).

Glendalough souvenirs and shopping

Glendalough Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Glendalough nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Glendalough cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

• Derrymore B&B, ☎ +353 (0)404 45493, [1].  

The Irish youth hostel organisation is called An Oige, it runs a nice youth hostel in Glendalough, [2].

• The Glendalough Hotel, town center, Tel: 0404 45135, Fax: 0404 45142, [3].

There are also many B&B's in Laragh and Glendalough, so if you arrived early enough in the day you could decide on the spot where to stay.

Get out

Derrymore House is the only B&B in the valley of Glendalough. There are many more B&B houses in the surrounding villages of Laragh and Annamoe.

This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Chris Kinsella, David, Peter Fitzgerald, Felicity T, Peter Cox, Colin Jensen, Rob Payne, ralf w. and Jani Patokallio, Wikitravel user(s) Neil C and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license