Day Trip from Dublin with College Student
 

We are headed to Dublin the first week in March, to visit my son who is studying at UCD for the semester. Can anyone recommend a good day trip with him? I think he'd look forward to getting out of the city for a day. As a college student, I'm not sure how interested he'd be in the gardens at Powerscourt, but I realize that's an option. We will have a rental car, so transportation is not an issue. Thanks in advance.

Powerscourt is nice, and when I visited it I was college age, and my room-mate was in fact just out of high school (2 American girls loose in Dublin for 4 months on a work-exchange program and getting into ALL kinds of trouble) and we enjoyed it a lot. Glendalough is also a nice day trip. We liked Bray a lot, too, and went there a good bit. He may also not be that tired of the city, as I recall that UCD is a good bit out of the city center, and there is a lot to do in Dublin. The girls downstairs took a day trip of the Ring of Kerry and enjoyed it, as well. This was nearly 20 years ago, but that kind of day trip doesn't tend to change that much.

Depends on what he likes. I would love a day trip to Glendalough, but if he doesn't like serene valleys and ancient abbeys, he might not. North of Dublin there is Malahide Manor House, Trim Castle, Newgrange, Hill of Tara... 2 or 3 of these would make a day trip. Dun Laoghaire is a nice fishing town suburb to spend some quiet time contemplating the sea. A trip inland to the National Stud Farm (race horses) and Japanese Gardens might be fun, too.

Thanks everyone. I just found out he's going to Glendalough and Wicklow this weekend, so those options are out. He said he might like to do something down by the harbor in Dublin -- he hasn't been there yet. Any suggestions?

A day trip from Dublin to the Ring of Kerry? You've got to be kidding!! Cannot believe someone would do that!

Anyway, for a nice harbour trip I would suggest taking the DART out to Howth and spending the day out there.