Bray is lively, colourful and wonderfully scenic. High hills provide a great setting for the seemingly endless beach promenade…
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Intro
Bray is located just south of Dublin, but is a harbour town, seaside resort and seaside resort with its own history. In 1854, the railway line was extended from Dublin to Bray and from then on, the small coastal town developed rapidly as a seaside resort and summer retreat for Dubliners and later also international travellers.
With a population of just under 40,000, Bray is now one of the larger towns in Ireland.
There is a large marina and a long promenade along which you can stroll. Restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars, as well as numerous shops of all kinds cater to the needs of day-trippers and travellers.
Festivals of all kinds are held here several times a year, the most impressive of which is possibly the Bray Air Display in summer – an impressive air show over the coast and funfair along the long promenade.
We saw the air display and had a lot of fun! We also like to visit Bray from time to time, as we live (as a second home) in the south-east of Ireland and don’t have far to go.
As Bray is still easy to reach by local train from Dublin, it makes a great day trip from Dublin.
Below I have put together a few tips and activities that might be interesting for your visit to Bray.
Sightseeing
National Sea Life Centre: A great marine aquarium right on the seafront in Bray – unfortunately recently closed its doors, supposedly for good – but let’s wait and see if it stays that way…See: https://www.visitsealife.com/bray/.
Killruddery House and Gardens: A 17th century manor house with gardens and park, which has also featured in several films and series. See: https://killruddery.com/.
Powerscourt Estate: Powerscourt is located in the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin and very close to Bray. It is one of the largest manor houses in Ireland with fantastic gardens and parks. Powerscourt Waterfall is also nearby. See my article on this: https://irland-insider.de/powerscourt-house-and-gardens/.
Music and Culture
Bray Jazz Festival: Here you can experience Irish and international jazz artists live at this annual festival. See: http://www.brayjazz.com.
Bray Summerfest: Big summer festival with music, art and various entertainment. See: https://visitwicklow.ie/event/bray-summer-festival/.
Signal Arts Centre: An arts centre promoting local artists with exhibitions by local and international artists. https://www.signalartscentre.ie/.
You can find traditional Irish live music in the pub here: https://www.theharbourbar.ie, or here: https://hiberniabray.wixsite.com/the-hibernia/blank-2, or here: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Boomerang-Bar-Bray/100063609640326/.
Bray Literary Festival: One of several literary festivals in the greater Dublin area. See: https://brayliteraryfestival.com.
Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre: A café, theatre, gallery and various performances can be found in this special arts centre. See: https://mermaidartscentre.ie/.
Food and Drink
Platform Pizza Bar: Pizza is always good! See: https://www.platformpizzabar.ie.
Butler & Barry Gastrobar: Good food right on the promenade with a sea view. See: https://butlerandbarry.com.
Bray Central Market Fair: Discover local products and specialities at this weekly market. See: https://www.dublinguide.ie/events/bray-central-market-fair.
You’ll easily find plenty of pubs and restaurants along the Bray seafront promenade – just explore!
Tours and Outdoor Activities
Bray Head: A short walk leads up the striking hill – with a cross on the summit! The hill is located at the southern end of Bray Promenade and offers great views of the coast.
Bray Adventures: Take part in guided kayaking or stand-up paddling tours. The base is located at Bray harbour. https://www.brayadventures.ie/.
Walking in the Wicklow Mountains: Not far from Bray there are plenty of great walking trails in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains. See: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/guide/69191/wandern-in-den-wicklow-mountains-nationalpark.
Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk: Enjoy a spectacular coastal walk between the two towns. Currently closed due to landslide, but should reopen soon. See: https://heritage.wicklowheritage.org/places/bray/walk_the_walk.
Bray Promenade: The beach at Bray has coarse pebbles, but the very long seafront promenade is very pleasant to walk along. Some of the houses along the promenade are Victorian.
Playing golf: There are no fewer than four golf courses around Bray. See: See: https://www.braygolfclub.com/, https://www.woodbrook.ie, https://www.oldconna.com and https://www.dunlaoghairegolfclub.ie.
More Activities
Bray Air Display: If this fits in with your visit in August: Great flying and aerobatics show over the Bray coast and funfair along the seafront. See: https://brayairdisplay.com.
Bray Jazz Festival: There’s jazz in Bray in May. See: www.brayjazz.com.
Greystones: This is another interesting harbour town just south of Bray. If you don’t want to hike the cliffwalk there, you can also get there by car or local train.
Conclusion
Bray is colourful, lively and a great place to enjoy a day out. The seafront is certainly one of the best on the island and if you get hungry, there are plenty of good restaurants and cafes along the coastal road where you can eat and drink with a view of the sea and life around you.
If you’re spending a few days in Dublin, I can highly recommend a trip to Bray. The train connection to Dublin is particularly practical.
But even if you’re doing a round trip, Bray is certainly a good stop for your journey, especially because you can visit the beautiful Killruddery and Powerscourt estates from here, or explore and hike the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
I wish you lots of fun in Bray!
More interesting articles for you
BEAUTIFUL DAY TRIPS FROM DUBLIN
SKERRRIES – ONE HARBOUR AND TWO WINDMILLS
POWERSCOURT HOUSE AND GARDENS
GLENDALOUGH MONASTIC CITY
Picture credits cover picture: Bray sea front, photo by Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg (www.irland-insider.de, www.ireland-insider.com)
