Wicklow Mountains — Dublin's Front Yard

The Wicklow Mountains are just 30 minutes south of Dublin — yet they are one of Ireland's wildest landscapes. The mountains (highest point: Lugnaquilla, 925 m) rise surprisingly steeply from the coastal plain and offer moors, heathlands, glacial valleys, and solitary lakes that one would not expect so close to a metropolis.

The Military Road (R115) traverses the Wicklow Mountains from north to south and offers dramatic views over the moorland. The road was built by the British after the 1798 rebellion to hunt down rebels hiding in the mountains — a historical irony, as today Dubliners use it as a scenic route.

The Wicklow Way is Ireland's oldest and most popular long-distance hiking trail: 127 km from Marlay Park in Dublin to Clonegal in Carlow, through forests, over moor hills, and past Glendalough. For a day hike, the section from Enniskerry over the Djouce Mountain (8 km, 3 hours) is recommended — with views of the Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland's highest waterfall (121 m).

Powerscourt Estate (Enniskerry, €14) is one of Ireland's most beautiful estates — a Palladian mansion with 47 hectares of gardens, considered among the most beautiful in the world. The Italian gardens, the Japanese garden, and the view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain are enchanting. The mansion itself burned down in 1974 and has been partially restored — it now houses shops and a café.