The 12 Shore Excursions in Ireland That Earn Their Price

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

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

Join Butlers Shore Tours for an 8-hour trip from Cobh or Ringaskiddy to Blarney Castle, Cork, Kinsale, and St. Colman’s Cathedral. Local guides such as Jamie, Ian, Kevin, and Niall provide lively commentary on the bus. Castle admission is included, and an early departure can help you beat the long Blarney Stone queue.

“Extraordinary tour and historical descriptions! Native tour guide, up on all current events! Thanks!”

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

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

Travel from Cobh to Blarney Castle and Gardens, then see Cork and visit colorful Kinsale. Your driver-guide handles port transfers, commentary, WiFi, and admission to Blarney. Guides such as Kevin, Paul, Martin, and Zikor have been praised for humor and timing, but group size can reach 58 and the Blarney Stone queue varies sharply.

“The trip was exactly has described. We were the first tour bus to reach Blarney Castle. Kevin the guide was excellent.”

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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 to Glendalough’s sixth-century monastic ruins, then return for a guided drive past Dublin highlights and free time near Grafton Street. A driver-guide, air-conditioned coach, WiFi, and port transfers are included. Timing can change with cruise disembarkation, so tender-port delays matter.

“I really enjoyed seeing the Glendalough monastery. The tour around Dublin was nice. We walked (on our own) to Trinity College which was also nice”

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

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

Start at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, collect your return DART tickets, and ride about 20 minutes to Pearse Station. From there, use a 24-hour hop-on hop-off bus with live English commentary or multilingual audio. Guides such as Damien, Mary, Davey, and Tyrone bring Dublin’s streets and stories to life.

“Uf you are in Dublin by cruise ship, you will definitely want to take the Cruise Excursion Hop-On Hop-Off Tour & Rail Ticket through www.getyourguide.com. They are very professional, easy to deal with and their app is user friendly. We will definitely be using them on our next trip.”

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5.Dublin Cruise Ship Shore Excursion|Hop-on Hop-off & Rail Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 90 reviews · 1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) · from $46

Start at Dun Laoghaire with a return DART ticket, then ride DoDublin’s 24-hour hop-on hop-off route through central Dublin. Staff guide you toward the train and bus, while drivers such as Gary, Gareth, Mary, and Mark add live stories, humor, and music. You can stop for Guinness, Trinity College, Dublin Castle, cathedrals, museums, and lunch at Murrays Bar.

“Met us immediately we landed. Gave us tickets for train & map of Dublin. Directed us to train, we were met other end and green Hop On Hop Off bus came within 5 minutes…we saw Dublin with excellent commentary & did our own Guinness experience too.”

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

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

See Dublin’s main sights by hop-on hop-off bus, from Trinity College and Dublin Castle to Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, Jameson, and Temple Bar. Your ticket offers 24 or 48 hours of access, multilingual audio commentary, and a walking tour. Start at College Green, or board at any operating stop.

“Excellent tour, the buses were plentiful and on time. I highly recommend this tour.”

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

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

Set out from Killybegs Harbour with Chieftain Tours for a 6 to 7 hour journey through County Donegal. Visit Donegal Castle and its Franciscan abbey, shop in Donegal Town, stop at Muckross Head, and reach Sliabh Liag’s huge Atlantic cliffs. Guides such as Kevin, Joe, Brian, and Seamus add local stories, music, and practical help along the way.

“Absolutely excellent Jo and Brian were fantastic hosts. We had a fabulous day. Saw lots had fun. Highly recommended !”

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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

See Dublin from an open-top Big Bus with live commentary on the red route and recorded narration in eight languages. Ride the full loop in about 90 minutes, then hop off at Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, and more. A 48-hour ticket adds a guided walking tour.

“It was great! WILL DO IT AGAIN!!!!! Loads of history and lots of places to explore. Will do it again!!!!!”

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

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews

Meet guides such as Brian or Tony Murphy at your cruise ship in Cobh for a private seven-hour tour through Blarney, Cork and Kinsale. Kiss the Blarney Stone, explore Cork’s English Market, see St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, visit Charles Fort and enjoy time in Kinsale. The route can change with your interests and the weather.

“This was an excellent way to see a lot in a short amount of time. Our driver, Tony Murphy met us right in front of the ship. He was so informative about the area and we had plenty of time to see the sights and shop as well and of course to have a bite to eat. Perfect day and I would recommend Tony for a tour guide.”

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

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

Travel from central Galway to the Cliffs of Moher by coach along the Wild Atlantic Way. You’ll pass Kinvara, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, the Burren, and Doolin, then have roughly five to six hours at the cliffs and visitor center. Guides such as Philip, Raymond, and Peter have led this route.

“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.Guided Shared Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 6 reviews · from $153

Travel from Cobh or Ringaskiddy in a luxury Mercedes van with an English-speaking guide such as Erik or Joe. Visit Blarney Castle and Woolen Mills, see Cork’s main sights, pause above Kinsale Harbor, and finish in Cobh near the Titanic Experience. The route is planned around your ship’s departure.

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12.Boyne Valley, Meath – Private Shore Excursion

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

Spend 7 to 9 hours with a private driver-guide exploring Ireland’s ancient Boyne Valley. Visit the Hill of Tara, Newgrange, Slane, Monasterboice, and Trim Castle, with an optional stop at Slane Whiskey Distillery. Guides such as Aidan, Tommy, and Liam are praised for strong storytelling and safe driving.

“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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