Dalkey

Ireland

Dalkey sits along Dublin Bay's southern shore, about 15 kilometres southeast of the city center with grand views across to Dalkey Island. The N31 coast road from Dublin through Dun Laoghaire takes roughly 20 minutes and gives you lovely bay views, while the DART rail runs the same route. From Dublin Airport it's about 45 minutes via the M50. The town center gets fairly packed with day-trippers in summer, but the real draw is Dalkey's seven medieval castle ruins, with Dalkey Castle now a heritage center where costumed guides bring 15th-century Irish life back to the present.