Wicklow Town – things to see and do

Why go far away when good things are so close – in this case just a little south of Dublin, on the Sunny South East Coast of Ireland…

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Intro

Wicklow is a small town on the south-east coast and the namesake and capital of County Wicklow.

It is located directly on the south-east coast of Ireland, which is known in Ireland as the Sunny South East Coast because it receives the least rainfall in Ireland. I can confirm this, as we have lived on the south-east coast for many years as a second home.

The small, colourful town is located directly on the coast. Like many Irish towns on the coast, it was probably founded by Vikings in the early Middle Ages. They used the mouth of the River Vartry as a natural harbour and established a trading base here.

View over Wicklow Harbour (photo: Erica Kovacic on Google Maps)

The harbour also played a role during the Anglo-Norman conquest and later as a port for the British navy. Today it is primarily a fishing harbour and a port for many leisure boats.

In the north of County Wicklow, the coast has some beautiful cliff landscapes, while further south, wonderful sandy beaches dominate.

The Wicklow Mountains are a beautiful low mountain range that stretches further inland and parallel to the coast.

Wicklow Lighthouses (photo: Thomas McGuire on Google Maps)

Incidentally, County Wicklow is known as the ‘Garden of Ireland’ because there are so many beautiful old manor houses with wonderfully landscaped gardens and parks. I’ll talk about two beautiful examples of this in a moment…

Sightseeing

Wicklow Gaol: A historic prison and now an interesting, picturesque museum with various shows and guided tours. See: https://wicklowshistoricgaol.com/.

Black Castle: The ruins of a Norman castle on a cliff guarding Wicklow harbour. Beautiful view! See: https://visitwicklow.ie/listing/black-castle/.

Wicklow Head Old Lighthouse: Beautiful, historic lighthouse in a marvellous location. You can spend the night here! See: https://irishlandmark.com/properties/wicklow-head-lighthouse/.

Wicklow Head Front Lighthouse: This is close to the Old Lighthouse, but further along the water. There is also a third tower there, which is probably not a lighthouse. See: https://www.irishlights.ie/tourism/our-lighthouses/wicklow-head.aspx.

Inside Wicklow Head Old Lighthouse (photo: G Del on Google Maps)

Mount Usher Gardens: Beautiful Robinsonian-style gardens – and there’s a café too. See: https://www.mountushergardens.ie/.

Wicklow Abbey: The ruins of this old abbey lie almost enchanted in their lush green setting in the centre of Wicklow. See: http://irelandinruins.blogspot.com/2013/10/wicklow-abbey-co-wicklow.html.

National Botanic Gardens in Kilmaccuragh. Beautiful gardens and park near Wicklow Town. See: https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/national-botanic-garden-of-ireland-kilmacurragh/.

Wicklow Gaol (photo: Wicklow Historic Gaol on Google Maps)

Music and Culture

Whale Theatre: Small theatre with (among other things) Irish music, theatre and dance. See: https://whaletheatre.ie.

Irish live music in the pub: Not all pubs have websites, but they may still have live music – just ask around. Here are a few tips. See: https://ernies-bar.edan.io/, https://www.facebook.com/FitzspatricksWicklow/ or http://www.philsofwicklowtown.ie/live-music-phils/.

Wicklow Heritage Trail: You can take a walk through Wicklow and learn some history along the way here – see: https://wicklowtown.ie/heritage-trail

Wicklow Festivals and Events – here you can browse what’s going on in Wicklow during your stay. See: https://wicklowtown.ie/whats-on#whats-on-in-wicklow-town-events.

1798 Monument in Wicklow (photo: Dirk Winkler on Google Maps)

Food and Drink

The Grey Dog: Here, on the land bridge in front of the harbour, you will find pizza and tacos. See: https://www.thegreydogwicklow.ie/.

The Coffee Shop: Homemade cakes and coffee close to the harbour can be found here – see: https://thecoffeeshopwicklow.com/.

Blue Seafood&Bistro bietet feine Küche irische Küche direkt am Hafen. Siehe: https://www.bluerestaurant.ie/.

The Bridge Tavern direkt an der Hafenbrücke bietet gutes Essen, Trinken und Übernachten. Siehe: https://www.bridgetavern.ie/food/.

Hannahs Coffe Shop: Klein, bunt lecker. Siehe: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hannahs-coffee-shop/100057593793512/.

Murial at Wicklow Harbour (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

Tours and Outdoor Activities

Glen Beach Cliff Walk: Very beautiful walk from the harbour, along the cliffs to the two lighthouses. See: https://www.alltrails.com/ar/trail/ireland/county-wicklow/glen-beach-cliff-walk.

Wicklow Mountains Tour: Explore the beautiful landscapes and hiking trails of the nearby Wicklow Mountains on a guided day tour. See: https://www.wildwicklow.ie/.

Hiking in the Wicklow Mountains: Of course you can also do this on your own. See: https://hiiker.app/trails/ireland/county-wicklow.

View from Black Castle Wicklow (photo: Ishita Kundu on Google Maps)

Kayaking on the Vartry River and Broad Lough: paddle yourself in a hire kayak off Wicklow. See: https://www.wicklowkayaking.ie/.

Wicklow Brewery Tour: Erfahre mehr über den Brauprozess und probiere lokale Biere etwas außerhalb der Stadt. https://wicklowbrewery.ie/.

Wandern in Glendalough: Erkunde das historische Kloster und gehe in dem wunderschönen Tal wandern – oder auch die Berge hinauf. Viele Wanderwege sind gut beschildert und es gibt eine Karte am Visitor Centre. Siehe: https://glendalough.ie/things-to-do/walking/.

Glendalough is surrounded by steep hills (photo by Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

Wicklow Heritage Trail: Take a walk through Wicklow and learn some history along the way – see: https://wicklowtown.ie/heritage-trail

Devil’s Glen Waterfall Walk: Discover a beautiful waterfall on this woodland walk. See: https://hiiker.app/explore.

Wicklow Golf Club: This golf club is beautifully situated above the cliffs on the southern edge of Wicklow and stretches almost to the 2 lighthouses. See. https://wicklowgolfclub.ie/.

Mount Usher Gardens near Wicklow (photo: Mariusz Donizak on Google Maps)

Wicklow Mountains by bike: There are two cycle hire schemes in the hilly foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, one south and one north of Wicklow. See: http://www.biking.ie and https://bikes-hire-with-nowa.webnod e.page.

Clara Lara Fun Park: Fun Park nearby – for children:. https://claralara.ie/.

More Activities

Brittas Bay: Entspanne an diesem wunderschönen Sandstrand. Siehe: https://visitwicklow.ie/listing/brittas-bay-beach/.

Powerscourt Waterfall: Bestaune Irlands angeblich höchsten Wasserfall (es gibt noch einen höheren im Westen). Siehe: https://powerscourt.com/waterfall/.

Conclusion

South of Dublin you will find a wonderful county with many beautiful highlights: County Wicklow. Cliffs, beaches and mountains make for a wonderful day trip, or several – what more could you want?

The small harbour town of Wicklow, right on the coast, offers some great sights and is a great starting point for exciting excursions into County Wicklow.

Here you can chill out, enjoy the sea, eat, drink and spend the night before being spoilt for choice: Would you rather stay by the sea, or the mountains? Beach or cliffs? Hiking or sightseeing? Luxury problems….

Have a great time in Wicklow!