The 14 Shore Excursions in Ireland to Book First

1.Cobh (Cork) to Blarney Castle & Kinsale – Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 504 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $95Our pick

Leave your ship in Cobh or Ringaskiddy and head for Blarney Castle before the crowds, with admission included. You get time for the stone, gardens, and Blarney Woollen Mills, then visit Kinsale for lunch and a stroll. Guides such as Jamie, Ian, and Kevin are known for lively local history, with a short stop at St. Colman’s Cathedral to finish.

“Excellent . In depth tour and guide was clear about every aspect. Well priced tour. Guide got us into each attraction without any wait time especially at Blarney Stone”

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2.Shore Excursion From Cork: Including Blarney Castle and Kinsale

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 470 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $107

This eight-hour shore excursion from Cobh takes you to Blarney Castle and Gardens, Cork’s main sights, and the harbor town of Kinsale. Your driver-guide handles port transfers, live commentary, and castle admission. Guides vary, with Kevin, Paul, Zikor, Martin, and Michael among the praised leaders. Arrive early at Blarney to reduce the wait for the stone.

“Involves a lot of walking. Impossible to get up to the Blarney Stone if you have physical limitations though I still enjoyed the grounds. The bagpipe player at the entrance set up the whole experience!”

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3.Shore Excursion from Dublin: Including Dublin highlights and Glendalough

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 111 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $94

Travel from Dublin Port into Wicklow for Glendalough’s sixth-century monastery and two lakes, then return for a drive past Dublin sights, lunch, and Grafton Street shopping. The air-conditioned coach includes a driver-guide, commentary, WiFi, and port pickup. Guide quality and port timing can vary, so allow extra care on tender days.

“No show and when I called they said sorry they had to leave early. Supposedly they tried to call.... Useless when we are on the ship”

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4.Cruise Excursion Hop-On Hop-Off Tour & Rail Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 101 reviews · from $36

Start at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, collect your return rail ticket, and ride to Pearse Station in about 20 minutes. Your 24-hour DoDublin ticket then covers live-guided buses around Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, and more. Guides such as Damien, Mary, Davey, and Tyrone add local stories and humor.

“Great narration and got to see several places. It did not feel like 9 hours.”

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5.Dublin Cruise Ship Shore Excursion|Hop-on Hop-off & Rail Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 90 reviews · 1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) · from $46

From Dun Laoghaire, DoDublin staff guide you to the DART train and onward to the city bus. You get a 24-hour hop-on hop-off ticket, live commentary, WiFi, a Dublin map, a Little Museum visit, and a 2-for-1 lunch offer at Murrays Bar. Drivers such as Gary, Gareth, Mark, and Mary have earned praise for adding humor and useful local tips.

“Easy to find the bus driver who took us to the town to get onto the hop on & off bus. The hop on & off bus drivers were good and tell us some details of the area along the way.”

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6.Dublin Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 89 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $32Best value

See Dublin from an open-top City Sightseeing bus with unlimited 24 or 48-hour rides, English live commentary, and audio guides in six languages. The route links Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, Jameson, Temple Bar, EPIC, and Merrion Square. You can also join a three-hour walking tour from the Spire.

“This tour makes getting around this big busy city easy as it stops at all the interesting places giving you an overview and saves lots of walking!”

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7.(Small Group) Shore Tour from Cork: Blarney Castle & Jameson Distillery

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 74 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $162

From Cobh, visit Blarney Castle, kiss the Blarney Stone, browse Blarney Woollen Mills, and tour Jameson Distillery in Midleton. Your driver-guide provides local commentary, with popular guides including Joe, DJ, Tim, Tony, and David. The tour usually runs about seven to eight hours and returns you to the ship before departure.

“We were one of the first tour groups to get to Blarney Castle. There was no wait to climb up to the Blarney stone. Ee had ample time to explore on our own and visit the woolen mills store. D.J. gave us a good lesson in Irish history. The trip to the Jamison Distillery at Middleton was well worth the time to get there. I would recommend this tour.”

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8.Full-Day Shore Excursion for cruise ships to Killybegs, Donegal

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $155

This 6 to 7-hour Chieftain Tours excursion links Donegal Castle, its Franciscan abbey, Donegal Town, Muckross Head, and Sliabh Liag cliffs. Expect a small-coach journey, local stories from guides such as Kevin, Brian, Joe, or Seamus, and possibly Irish music at a pub lunch stop. Pickup is directly at Killybegs Harbour.

“Fun excursion good use of time Loaded with local information Our guide Seamus was great. Would recommend!”

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9.Dublin Shore Excursion, Live Guided Open-top, Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 21 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $40

Ride Big Bus Dublin’s open-top route past Trinity College, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, and more. Live English commentary runs on the red route, while recorded narration comes in eight languages. You can ride the full loop in about 90 minutes, then hop off for sights that catch your eye.

“I have scored 2/5 stars because the tour guides / drivers were lovely. The minus 3 stars are because that frequency of buses was poor - which lead to long wait times throughout the day which meant I did not get to explore as much of Dublin as I would’ve liked.”

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10.(Small Group) Shore Tour from Dublin:Dublin Highlights and Glendalough Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 21 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $130

Travel from Dublin Port into County Wicklow and Glendalough, then return for a panoramic Dublin drive and Grafton Street free time. A guide such as Peter, Kevin, or Wayne may shape the day, but site visits are mostly self-guided. The $130.97 price includes port transfers, a Mercedes van, Wi-Fi, and an English-speaking guide.

“Great driver in this small group tour. The driver was very friendly and great tour guide. We saw many things that we never would have seen on our own. I would recommend this tour.”

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11.Shore Tour from Cork: Blarney, Kinsale & Cork

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 19 reviews · from $101

Travel from Cobh or Ringaskiddy to Blarney Castle, Cork City, and Kinsale on a seven hour shore tour. Your ticket includes castle admission with priority access, coach transport, and an English speaking guide. Guides named Bryan, Brian, and Allan have been praised for early arrival, clear history, and useful local food tips.

“good itinerary, Brian was an interesting and plesent guide. thanks”

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12.Cobh cruise excursion, Blarney, Cork & Kinsale. Car or Minibus.

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews

You’ll tour southwest Ireland by private car or minibus with a local guide such as Brian or Tony Murphy. Start early at Blarney Castle, then see Cork’s English Market and cathedral, visit Charles Fort and Kinsale, and finish at St. Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh. The seven-hour route is flexible, but entrance fees, meals, and drinks cost extra.

“great driver....changed things on the fly as the weather got awful..good local knowledge”

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13.Guided Shared Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 6 reviews · from $153

You’ll travel from Cobh or Ringaskiddy in a luxury Mercedes van with an English-speaking guide, visiting Blarney Castle, Blarney Woolen Mills, Cork, Kinsale, and Cobh. Guides such as Erik and Joe have led highly praised outings. Expect castle gardens, harbor views, Irish shopping, and a careful return to your ship.

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14.Boyne Valley, Meath – Private Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.)

Travel from Dublin in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a driver-guide such as Aidan, Tommy, or Liam. Walk the Hill of Tara, visit ancient Monasterboice, see Trim Castle, and arrange a Newgrange visit if tickets are available. The seven to nine hour tour suits up to four people and includes pickup, parking, and fuel.

“Aidan was our driver-guide. He was warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and an excellent driver! He was exceptional! He shared a great wealth of Irish history-- from pre-Celtic to current-- and really brought the sites and countryside alive! We had the best day! This was worth every penny, and will always be remembered as one of our favorite experiences in Ireland. We are grateful to have so enjoyably learned so much! Ireland has a fascinating history.”

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