Home to a large number of cycle routes that take you from bustling city streets to scenic waterways or green open spaces in just minutes, Dublin is a great place to embark on a bike tour.
(Photo: Cycle Dublin Bike Tours / Courtesy GetYourGuide)
Built around the designs of a medieval town during a time when walking and travel by horse and cart were the only ways for people to get around, Dublin’s flat and compact layout makes it tailor-made for cycling. If you like the idea of exploring the Irish capital on two wheels and with the wind in your hair, then here are five of the best guided Dublin bike tours currently on offer.
2.5-Hour City Bike Tour
Discover Dublin’s main highlights on this 2.5-hour guided bike tour, which takes you past some of the city’s most popular attractions, monuments and places of interest, as well as a handful of secret spots only known to locals. After meeting in Whitefriar Place near St. Stephen’s Green where you’ll be furnished with a bike, helmet and hi-vis jacket, you’ll set off to explore Dublin’s canals and the River Liffey, Georgian Dublin with its grand 18th-century houses, beautiful parks, and historic castles and cathedrals. As you stop at various points along the way, your guide will offer insights into the city and its many landmarks. If there’s enough time, you may even stop for a swift half in a local watering hole, before your tour comes to an end. From €30 per person.
2-Hour E-Bike Tour with a Local Guide
(Photo: The Lazy Bike Tour Company Limited / Courtesy GetYourGuide)
E-bikes are a great way to get around without quite as much arduous pedalling as a traditional bike. This 2-hour small-group tour invites you to explore Dublin on a state-of-the-art e-bike and in the company of a local guide who will show you around some of the city’s most popular sites as well as its lesser-known spots. Along the way, your guide will regale you with fascinating facts and stories about the city, and there’ll also be opportunities to ask questions. The tour starts and ends at Drury Street Multi-Story Car Park. From €40 per person.
Full-Day Bike Rental
If you like the idea of exploring Dublin by bike independently, this full-day self-guided bike rental tour could be for you. After meeting mid-morning at the main entrance to Phoenix Park, you’ll be kitted out with your equipment, including a bike, helmet, and hi-vis jacket, and given a map of the park. You’ll then be free to cycle along any of the park’s many cycle paths, being sure to look out for the park’s herd of free-roaming fallow deer as you go. For the rest of the day, you can venture where you please, both inside and outside of the park, before returning to your meeting point at the close of the tour. From €20 per person.
Howth: Panoramic e-Bike Tour
(Photo: Howth Adventures / Courtesy GetYourGuide)
The Panoramic Dublin bike tour in Howth has been voted in the top 10 experiences in Ireland for the last three years running. The guided electric bike tour takes you to the most breath-taking views on the east coast of Ireland on the Howth Peninsula. Great fun on and off road mixing the insider tracks and tales of this truly amazing coastal gem, you will cycle for 3 hours to unrivalled panoramic views away from the crowds surrounded by nature and beauty. Travelling on grass and loose gravel paths on and off road, experience unique and panoramic perspectives on back lanes and shortcuts that only locals know, exploring the unknown and quiet sunny side to Howth Head with views North, South East and West bringing classic locations to life weaving history, nature and tales with modern times. Freewheel back down to Howth Harbour, where guests can use their new-found local knowledge to truly make themselves at home with memories of an Irish day that will last forever.. From €59 per person.
Private Dublin Historical and Heritage Tour by Bike
For a more exclusive and intimate Dublin cycling adventure, this private tour may well fit the bill. In the company of an experienced guide, you and your select group of family or friends will spend 2.5 to 3.5 hours traversing the city with the wind in your hair. You can choose to listen to live audio commentary on the move through a custom designed App, and your guide can also provide you with a video route map, complete with captioned photos, video clips and music, sent to you after the tour via a personalised link to provide you with a cherished memento from your trip. From €71 per person.