Family walks in and near Dublin you and your kids will love

Best walks near Dublin: a selection of the best easy hikes near Dublin and the best walks in and near the city for the whole family.

One of the things I like the most about Dublin is how close it is to beautiful nature.

All it takes is a short drive or hop on the Dart and you find yourself along the sea or up the mountains, the Irish landscape opening up in front of you, pretty much without having to make an effort at all!

Over the course of the years, we have taken many walks and easy hikes and these are our favorite. They are all walks you can take without much or any preparation and that are suitable for many if not all types of walkers.

I hope you enjoy them!

The Dodder walk: easy, family friendly walk in Dublin

The Dodder walk is a very easy, flat walk in Dublin South which follows the banks of the River Dodder from which it takes its name.

The path is for the large part flat and with good paving and quite varied: parts of it pass through wooded area, with nice shady trees, others open up on wider lawns, great for a picnic stop and others follow residential roads.

Our favorite way to tackle this road is to start from Rathfarnhman and end in Milltown: here, the path passes by the Dropping Well, a family-friendly pub with lovely river views that served drinks and lovely nice food. It works as a great motivator for us and the kids!

The walk has several nice things to keep walkers of all ages entertained: along the river you can see herons, lovely waterfalls and a rhino! Although this last one is not quite real, but a statue (still fin for the kids to spot!)

• Difficulty: easy
• Length: 10km
• Food/facilities available: yes, this is an inner-city walk with several opportunities for pit stops
• Stroller Friendly: yes, except for a few steps that will require to lift / fold the buggy. These are inside Bushy Park and can easily be avoided talking other routes crossing the park – they only add a few minutes to the walk and they are easy to follow, you won’t stray too far off the walk anyway.

Bray Head: Bray to Greystones walk

The Bray head walk is not in Dublin City but rather in County Wicklow, immediately to its South. It is a lovely hike near Dublin that you can take pretty much any time of the year (the last time we did it was December) and that gives nice coastal views over the Wicklow Bay.

The path starts from the beach and Bray and has a first stretch that is slightly uphill (nothing strenuous at all) and then continue pretty much at level before getting downhill again as it arrives near Greystones.

The trail mostly paved but does have a central path with more uneven terrain and stones and some narrow areas.

Our kids loved the fact that you can see the DART from here: the path passes above the train line and spotting the Dart from above always makes them giggle!

Once in Greystones, you can easily take the DART back: it leads you back to the beach in Bray, only a few minutes down the road from where the path started.

• Length: 10 km
• Suitable for buggies: no
• Food/facilities available: at the start and end in Bray/ Greystones, not along the path

The Hell Fire Club walk

The hike to the Hell fire Club is one of the most popular walks near Dublin. The trail goes up Montpelier Hill and owes its name to the ruins of a building still standing at the top of it, where the ‘Hell fire Club’ used to meet and that it is rumored to be haunted!

The peculiar story of the place attracts many but truly, you don’t need to have an interest in ghosts to enjoy this walk. The path leads you up hill overlooking Dublin and, after about an hour of ascent, rewards you with lovely views over the city and Dublin Bay.

This is an easy enough walking trail near Dublin you can easily take with the kids: you can bring a picnic or get a cuppa or a soup in Timbertrove, back where at the start of the trail, a lovely shop with wooden creations and garden decorations with a local cafe (and climbing frames for the kids).

• Car park: yes
• Length: about 45 mins / 1 hour
• Stroller friendly: no

Massy’s Estate nature walk

Another lovely, family friendly walk near Dublin is the nature trail in Massy’s Estate.

Located pretty much in front of the Hell Fire Club path (see above), Massy’s estate is a great place to bring the kids as it crossed by a nice loop trail, easy to follow and with a large variety of plants to observes tree and a gentle stream.

The last time we went we even found a swing in the middle of the forest! Unlike the Hell Fire Club this path doesn’t offer great views but rather is a pleasant woodland walk.

There are no facilities along the path but the Timbertrove cafe is at the start/end of the loop and has a nice family-friendly cafe and some nice climbing frames for the kids to play.

• Car park: yes
• Length: 45 mins to 1 h
• Buggy friendly: no
• Food facilities: at the start/end of the trail in Timbertrove cafe

Bulls Island coastal walk

Bull Island the Dollymount strand are among my favourite places in Dublin for a walk with the kids.

The first part of the walk is along the wooden bridge onto the island, which is easy to walk even with a buggy and is itself a pretty place and the second part is one the island itself, where you can either walk on the beach or follow the walking path immediately inland from water.

This is an easy walk, mostly flat and wonderful to breath in sea and and feel the wind on your face!

The kids love the freedom to run here (the area is car free) and it is always fun to spot the kite surferts daring the wind and the water.

Several nice cafes are on the waterfront just before you enter the island, perfect if you want a drink or a nice meal at the end of your walk.

Howth Cliff Walks

The Howth Cliff Walk is a scenic and easy walk perfect for older kids (our youngest was 8 when we first did it). The walk follows the perimeter of Howth Head and is a well kept path that offers amazing views over the sea, the Baily lighthouse and, towards the end, Dublin city .

The walk doesn’t require special hiking ability however, the path have a sheer drop on one side it is important not to tackle it in bad weather, poor visibility or with very young kids who may trot ahead.

If you have kids who can take the length of the walk and are of the right age, I believe you will love this walk: the views are out of this world and wind on your face, with the perfume of the sea and the cries of the birds, is just perfect when you want to feel surrounded by nature but don’t want to stray too far from the city!

• Length: about 3 hours
• Buggy friendly: no
• Food/facilities: in Howth

Ardgillan Castle

Ardgillan castle is a place we go to often with the kids mostly because of the fantastic playground! However, this is a good place for a walk too: the estate has lovely paths, mostly flat and stroller friendly, and they are not just easy for kids but fun too, since some stretches have fairy doors hidden on the trees.

This is a lovely place to come if you want an easy walk and the option of a play at the playground. The nice castle and lovely tea rooms are a plus for the adults too!

• Best for: Those looking for a playground.
• Length/difficulty: 3km (easy).
• Trailhead: Ardgillan Castle car park (Ardgillancastle.ie).
• Pitstop: Call into the tea rooms before you head home.

Fairy Castle Loop at Ticknock

The Fairy Castle Loop at Ticknock is my favorite family walk in Dublin when I feel like expansive mountain views close to home.

The trail is a loop that starts and ends in the Ticknock forest and without ever getting strenuous, allows you to gain enough elevation to get to the top of the Three Rock Mountain, from where you have stunning views of Dublin city, Dublin Bay and the Wicklow Mountains.

When you see on the map where this hike it, it is hard to believe such proximity with allow for wild scenery however, this is exactly what you get in Ticknock! Once the forest ends, you find yourself surrounded by rolling hills covered in heather, until the eye can see!

this is a wonderful and easy family hike you can take with kids, part of which is buggy friendly (part isn’t). You can read our detailed description of the Fairy Castle Loop here

• Name of the Trail: Fairy Castle Loop
• Duration of hike: 1.5 – 2 hours
• Difficulty: moderate (uneven terrain, small elevation gain)
• Buggy friendly: only the first stretch