Can you visit Glendalough with kids? Practical tips and information for a day out in this beautiful and atmoshperic medieval site
Ireland is famous for her emerald hills, medieval past and grey skies and one of the places that best embodies this beauty is the historical site of Glendalough, possibly my favourite place in the whole island.
Glendalough (pronounced: Glen-da-lock, with a hard ‘c’ sound at the end) is a monastic site dating back to the 7th century a.D. It’s located just about an hour south of Dublin but despite this relative proximity to the capital, it’s a world away from the bustling city centre streets.
The best way to put into words the kind of atmosphere you experience there, it’s probably to look at the meaning of its name: Glendalough in Gaelic means ‘the valley of the two lakes’, and a green valley with two interconnecting mountain lakes and sloping woods is just where this small medieval site is nestled.
The beautiful nature of the valley and the atmospheric medieval buildings make a visit to Glendalough with kids a pleasant and easy day out
Glendalough, a bit of history
The monastic site of Glendalough was founded by St Kevin, an Irish saint who elected it as its hermit retreat.
The legend tells us that Kevin lived in this area in communion with nature ‘sleeping on stones and talking to birds’, but that towards the end of his life opened up the site to a selected number of friends and followers. After his death, in 618 a.D., his followers stayed in Glendalough and soon made it into a flourishing monastic community.
Glendalough thrived for over 600 years: in its heyday, the settlement included churches, monastic cells but also workshops, hospitality facilities, an infirmary, farm buildings and houses (most of them now lost). Information about the site is available at the visitors centre and guided tours are available. If you decide to explore the site on your own, some handy signs with historical facts help you navigate the ruins.
Glendalough: my first visit
Glendalough is the very first place I saw in Ireland, after Dublin, and holds a very special place in my heart.
It was the first stop of my road trip around the island, well over 15 years ago, and I got there in the late afternoon when the site was empty of tourists. I took a stroll towards the lakes, took in the beautiful woods, marveled at the medieval round tower and when I left I remember having a very clear thought:
‘I might never make it back to Ireland a second time, and if there is one thing I want to remember about it, it’s this place.’ Little did I know that Ireland would become home and I would marry someone from the town just beside this great site!
Now I go to Glendalough often and it’s a place I always recommend to all my friends coming to the Emerald isle: adults, young parent with small children, teenagers – no matter what age you are, my first advice to you will always be ‘Go to Glendalough!!’ and I still have to find someone who came back not agreeing with me!
The last time I was there was last Sunday, when we decided to make the most of the winter sun and head there for an afternoon with the kids. The winter sun in Ireland looks wonderful but it’s far from able to produce any heat, so we decided to wrap up!
The Bear and the Rabbit, loving the family day out even in the chilly Irish winter!
Tips for visiting Glendalough with children
Glendalough is a very touristy site and over the course of the years has evolved to accommodate a large number of visitors. The site itself is open to the public free of charge, but just beside the main entrance there is a visitors centre with information and materials explaining the history of the site. If it’s your first time here, it is a good idea to enter the centre as it gives good background information about the site and a map of the several paths in it.
Beside the visitors centre, there are the main facilities: they are pretty basic but they do include a small changing area which is handy for families with young children.
Sign indicating Glendalough monastic city
As soon as you leave this first area, you find yourself surrounded by the beautiful woods Glendalough is famous for. A large buggy-friendly path crosses the woods and with no more than a five-minute walk, you find yourself at the entrance of the monastic city
The city itself is, I believe, the best part of the site and despite the name ‘city’ is a small site, easy to visit even if pressed for time. Its highlights are the building know as St Kevin’s kitchen and the beautiful round tower, while its most evocative element are the ancient tombstones dotting the place. Glendalough has worked as a cemetery for a long time and the ancient stones bear names dating back several centuries (part of the cemetery is still in use).
The monastic city of Glendalough and its famous round tower
Unlike the path leading here, the city itself is not entirely buggy friendly but if you have kids already of walking age, it’s a fun terrain to explore! My two were over excited by the many steps and found hilarious to be able to play hide and seek among the ruins.
Part of the Glendalough cemetery, with the lakes in the background
Glendalough means ‘the valley of the two lakes’
The monastic city is the most famous part of the site and the only one most tourists spend time into, but to really make the most of the site it is definitely worth venturing further down along the path, towards the lakes. On our last trip there we decided not to take this option but it’s definitely something you should do, if you are here in the spring or on a reasonable warm day: the walk around the lakes is really easy and pleasant and if you fancy a bit of a hike you can also venture further up in the woods, where you will find beautiful nature and additional traces of the life of St Kevin. You can find information about the available hikes here.
On this occasion, after the walk to the monastic city and good run around, the cold had the best of us and left us with a strong desire for a hot cup of tea in front of a crackling fire. We found what we were looking for, in the Glendalough Hotel adjacent to the site and while defrosting all I could think of was: I’ll be back in the spring!
Practical info for visiting Glendalough with kids
- The site is best accessed by car, but a connection to Dublin is also available with the St Kevin’s bus
- Best time to visit: during the week, to avoid crowds
- Entrance to the site is free, but there is a charge of about 1 Euro for the visitors centre
- Accessibility: the site is buggy and wheelchair accessible, with the exception of some parts of the monastic city
- Facilities: available at the entrance, with a basic but handy changing area
- Food and drinks: the Glendalough hotel is close to the entrance and has a lovely restaurant and cafe with bar food (the soup is lovely!)
- For children: no special attractions for children (playground etc) but there’s plenty of space for running around!
Do you love nature and history? Then consider staying longer in this area and take your time to visit Wicklow’s beautiful mountains. You can find many beautiful accommodation options at great prices with the search box below (affiliate link)
I hope you visit Glendalough with kids! If you do, make sure you come back to this post to let me know if you enjoyed it!
Oh my gosh, what a beautiful place! The pictures look stunning and it sounds like such an interesting site. I would absolutely love to visit; I’m trying to persuade my soon-to-be-husband to honeymoon in Ireland but he’s unsure still! I’m sure places and views like this would win him over…Lovely information on accessibility too, I’m glad there’s a bus route! Ray xx #WhateverTheWeather
Oh I hope you convince him, Ireland is so romantic! If you do come over, go to Glendalough and then head West – the scenery there is amazing and there are a lot of cozy and beautiful hotels: I think you’d have an amazing time! And of course, congratulations!! 🙂
Great article and amazing pictures! 🙂
Thank you! Ireland is stunning and photographs really well 😉
I am ashamed to say that I live in Dublin and still haven’t visited Glendalough! Hope to go soon because it looks amazing 🙂
It’s really stunning, I hope you go! But honestly, wait for spring or summer: it was absolutely freezing that day 😉
This is a great despcription of Glendalough! I haven’t been since I was a child but its beautiful!
haha, I know what you mean: it happens the same to me and Rome! People tell me about amazing places they visited in the city, and my last memory of them is from 20 year back! But it still counts, memories don’t have an expiry date 😉
Very cool post! I love how you break down how to visit Glendalough with a family. That kind of information is invaluable to people travelling with children. Also Glendalough looks lovely. I did a roadtrip through Ireland in December but never actually made it there. Also it looks like you had much sunnier weather than I did there. We were there during all the flooding.
Oh no, if you came this December you got awful, awful weather! I know it rains a lot in Ireland, in general, but this winter was particularly wet and miserable: we spent Christmas in front of the fire! I hope it didn’t spoil your experience here?
I’m doing a road trip around Iteland with my kids and will add this to my list! I’ve not heard of it before and it sounds so cool.
I don’t have kids but Ireland has been on my last for so long <3
This may sound very weird but I love cemeteries and this one looks great!
Beautiful photos!
We love cemeteries, so this goes straight to our list. Love those crooked stones!
Your photos are so, so beautiful What a stunning place to visit. This place sounds so cool. I can see why it’s your favourite place on the Island. I love the views in the background and the woodlands look so lovely to explore. Thank you for sharing your adventure on #whatevertheweather x
You spent a great day. Nice to read the article.
This looks like such a great place for kids and adults to explore together. I will have to pin this for when a time we do go and visit Ireland. We have a few friends there – so this will be a good opportunity to do some catching up too. Thank you for sharing. #WhatevertheWeather
It’s just gorgeous! It sounds very interesting to visit, I can understand why you recommend everyone visits there! It looks like a fantastic place to go with children, if we ever come across (which we hope to one day!) we’ll definitely make a special trip. Thanks slouch of linking up to #Whatevertheweather 🙂 x
Thank you for stopping here! I hope you make here to Ireland one day and love it as much as I do. It’s a great place to visit and children are made to feel truly welcome!
i love the site! Do you think it would be nice to do some hiking there with the kids? I remember there were two different routes, one towards the lake but there weren’t any kids around when we visited.
I haven’t been hiking here with kids in a while, but you are right about the route around the lower lake and I believe it would be absolutely fine with children. As far as I remember, it’s mostly flat and really pleasant. One day we tried hiking the path that follows the river too and that proved a bit harder, as it climbs up: It’ not strenuous but with a toddler in a carrier we gave in pretty quickly…
Love this!! We always travel with the kids and they love it. Teaching them, showing them the world increases their mind and gives us all time to enjoy shared experiences and bond. We love it!! Ireland has been on the list, but I haven’t researched it enough to know how the kids would enjoy. Thanks for this informative post!
Hello. Thanks you for your wonderful post. It’s been very helpful. I’m finalizing the planning on my first trip to Ireland and we leave in just a few weeks. Glendalough is on our list of must-see places on our road trip. I’ve heard it gets quite busy during the day and I was hoping to avoid the tour buses. When do you think it starts to quiet down? I will be driving over from Dublin on a Monday.
Thank you.
Hi Viviana, I think during the week (and especially in the afternoons, after 2pm) you should be ok. The big problem with Glendalough, I find, is the big group of language students, but they normally go Saturday and Sunday only as they have classes during the week. You might need to be patient when looking for a parking space, but once you are in even if busy people tend to disperse: I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think of it!