Day Tour from Dublin: Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, Powerscourt

Good service and driver

★★★★☆ We booked the Day Tour from Dublin to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and Powerscourt for our group of four. Overall, we had a very good experience and felt the tour represented good value for the price. First, the positives. Our guide, Diana, was extremely nice, professional, and punctual. She met us right at our hotel on time, greeted us warmly, and had a very clean, modern, and comfortable minivan waiting for us. The seats were comfortable, the air conditioning worked great, visibility from the van was excellent, and she even provided water for everyone. Diana speaks Russian, French, and English and did her best to answer any questions we had throughout the day. Her driving was very good, and she safely and efficiently took us everywhere we wanted to go. There were two areas, however, where I think the experience could be improved. Before the trip, I had specifically told Diana that I was happy to leave much of the itinerary up to her and was interested in seeing some things that might be a little more unusual or off the beaten path. Unfortunately, that really didn’t happen. More importantly, I would describe our experience as closer to having an excellent private driver with local knowledge than having a traditional tour guide. At the different stops, Diana would give us some basic information about where we were and what we were seeing, but then we generally explored the sites on our own. If you’re expecting your guide to accompany you through the gardens and attractions, explaining the history and details along the way, that was not our experience. The other minor issue was communication before the tour. We received our Viator confirmation, but we didn’t hear directly from Diana until the evening before our scheduled tour. Everything worked out perfectly, but for a private tour, I think reaching out approximately 48 hours beforehand would provide guests with a little more reassurance and an opportunity to discuss the itinerary. That being said, Diana was friendly, punctual, professional, and provided a very comfortable day for the four of us. Considering the price point and the overall experience, I would recommend her and would use her again. If you’re looking primarily for a comfortable private driver who can take you to these beautiful locations and give you some information and advice along the way, this is a very good option. If you’re looking for a more traditional, hands-on guided tour at each location, just be aware that our experience was more self-guided once we arrived at the individual sites. Overall, a very good day and a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback. I’m sorry there was a difference between what you expected from the tour and how I understood you wanted the day to be organised. In the weeks before the tour, you told us that you wanted to see a mix of iconic attractions and less touristy places. No other specific preferences were mentioned, so on the morning of the tour I went through the planned itinerary with your group before we set off. The route included the Wicklow Mountains, Lough Tay, Glendalough, Powerscourt Waterfall and Powerscourt Gardens. These are all highlights of County Wicklow and each offers something different. The Wicklow Mountains and Lough Tay provide some of the county’s best scenery, while Glendalough is known for its monastic history and peaceful setting. Powerscourt Waterfall is popular with local visitors, and Powerscourt Gardens was included because you had mentioned that you enjoyed gardens and wanted to see it. We could, of course, have included other places, but there is a limit to what can comfortably fit into an eight-hour day. At Glendalough, I gave your group a guided tour of the monastic site. Afterwards, you had time to walk between the lakes and enjoy the scenery by yourselves. I accompanied you and provided commentary at the other stops, apart from Powerscourt Gardens. Guides usually allow guests to explore the gardens independently so they can walk at their own pace and spend time in the areas that interest them most. Your group seemed comfortable and happy spending time together, so I believed that you would appreciate a balance between guided visits and some private time to enjoy the places as a group. I wasn’t aware that you wanted me to stay with you throughout the entire eight-hour tour. Had I known, I would have been happy to do that. The same misunderstanding seems to have happened with the amount of commentary. I can usually judge well how much information guests would like from their reactions, questions and level of interest. As no one asked for more detail during the tour, I believed that the amount of information was suitable. I’m sorry that I misjudged this. I try not to overwhelm people with information, but I’m always happy to answer questions or talk in greater depth about Irish history, culture, everyday life or politics. I would also like to clarify one point that may not be clear from the review: I speak English and two other languages fluently and hold a PhD in linguistics and cultural studies. I mention this only because I don’t want future guests to get the wrong impression about my ability to communicate in English. I also apologise for not reconfirming everything with you two days before the tour. While running tours and managing a small local business, I missed that follow-up. I have taken your feedback on board and will make a point of asking future guests more clearly how much commentary and personal accompaniment they would prefer. I’m genuinely sorry that the day didn’t feel like a five-star experience for you. If you visit Ireland again, we would be happy to arrange a tour that more closely reflects your preferences and expectations.

via Tripadvisor

Good experience good driver

★★★★☆ We booked the Day Tour from Dublin to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and Powerscourt for our group of four. Overall, we had a very good experience and felt the tour represented good value for the price. First, the positives. Our guide, Diana, was extremely nice, professional, and punctual. She met us right at our hotel on time, greeted us warmly, and had a very clean, modern, and comfortable minivan waiting for us. The seats were comfortable, the air conditioning worked great, visibility from the van was excellent, and she even provided water for everyone. Diana speaks Russian, French, and English and did her best to answer any questions we had throughout the day. Her driving was very good, and she safely and efficiently took us everywhere we wanted to go. There were two areas, however, where I think the experience could be improved. Before the trip, I had specifically told Diana that I was happy to leave much of the itinerary up to her and was interested in seeing some things that might be a little more unusual or off the beaten path. Unfortunately, that really didn’t happen. More importantly, I would describe our experience as closer to having an excellent private driver with local knowledge than having a traditional tour guide. At the different stops, Diana would give us some basic information about where we were and what we were seeing, but then we generally explored the sites on our own. If you’re expecting your guide to accompany you through the gardens and attractions, explaining the history and details along the way, that was not our experience. The other minor issue was communication before the tour. We received our Viator confirmation, but we didn’t hear directly from Diana until the evening before our scheduled tour. Everything worked out perfectly, but for a private tour, I think reaching out approximately 48 hours beforehand would provide guests with a little more reassurance and an opportunity to discuss the itinerary. That being said, Diana was friendly, punctual, professional, and provided a very comfortable day for the four of us. Considering the price point and the overall experience, I would recommend her and would use her again. If you’re looking primarily for a comfortable private driver who can take you to these beautiful locations and give you some information and advice along the way, this is a very good option. If you’re looking for a more traditional, hands-on guided tour at each location, just be aware that our experience was more self-guided once we arrived at the individual sites. Overall, a very good day and a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback. I’m sorry there was a difference between what you expected from the tour and how I understood you wanted the day to be organised. In the weeks before the tour, you told us that you wanted to see a mix of iconic attractions and less touristy places. No other specific preferences were mentioned, so on the morning of the tour I went through the planned itinerary with your group before we set off. The route included the Wicklow Mountains, Lough Tay, Glendalough, Powerscourt Waterfall and Powerscourt Gardens. These are all highlights of County Wicklow and each offers something different. The Wicklow Mountains and Lough Tay provide some of the county’s best scenery, while Glendalough is known for its monastic history and peaceful setting. Powerscourt Waterfall is popular with local visitors, and Powerscourt Gardens was included because you had mentioned that you enjoyed gardens and wanted to see it. We could, of course, have included other places, but there is a limit to what can comfortably fit into an eight-hour day. At Glendalough, I gave your group a guided tour of the monastic site. Afterwards, you had time to walk between the lakes and enjoy the scenery by yourselves. I accompanied you and provided commentary at the other stops, apart from Powerscourt Gardens. Guides usually allow guests to explore the gardens independently so they can walk at their own pace and spend time in the areas that interest them most. Your group seemed comfortable and happy spending time together, so I believed that you would appreciate a balance between guided visits and some private time to enjoy the places as a group. I wasn’t aware that you wanted me to stay with you throughout the entire eight-hour tour. Had I known, I would have been happy to do that. The same misunderstanding seems to have happened with the amount of commentary. I can usually judge well how much information guests would like from their reactions, questions and level of interest. As no one asked for more detail during the tour, I believed that the amount of information was suitable. I’m sorry that I misjudged this. I try not to overwhelm people with information, but I’m always happy to answer questions or talk in greater depth about Irish history, culture, everyday life or politics. I would also like to clarify one point that may not be clear from the review: I speak English and two other languages fluently and hold a PhD in linguistics and cultural studies. I mention this only because I don’t want future guests to get the wrong impression about my ability to communicate in English. I also apologise for not reconfirming everything with you two days before the tour. While running tours and managing a small local business, I missed that follow-up. I have taken your feedback on board and will make a point of asking future guests more clearly how much commentary and personal accompaniment they would prefer. I’m genuinely sorry that the day didn’t feel like a five-star experience for you. If you visit Ireland again, we would be happy to arrange a tour that more closely reflects your preferences and expectations.

via Viator

Great Tour with Diana

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tour. A great combination of history, nature, and beauty. I recommend!

via Tripadvisor

Great experience, thanks Diana!

Really enjoyed our tour with Diana! Lots of beautiful sites and history. Loved getting to discover Ireland.

via Tripadvisor

Wonderful tour from Ray

Our tour with Ray was truly the best memory both my wife and I have from our honeymoon in Ireland. He was thoughtful, intelligent, humble and really allowed us to make the tour our own. Ray embodied everything we loved about Ireland in our short time there, and we would highly recommend anyone take this tour. It captures the beauty and history of the area unlike anything else we experienced.

via Tripadvisor