Fresh-pressed juices and organic groceries
Food
Select Stores
Corner health-food shop, deli and juice bar on Railway Road, trading since 1959.
Known for: Fresh-pressed juices and organic groceries
Hours: Daytime; shop and juice-bar hours
Plan Your Visit
Everything you need to know before you head out: weather, what to pack, the best seasons, and useful links.
Looking for a day plan?
Half-day highlights, full-day explorer, rainy day plan, and weekend escape: all mapped out step by step.
Weather & What to Bring
Weather
Dalkey sits on the south side of Dublin Bay, sheltered from the prevailing westerlies by the hill behind the village but fully open to easterlies off the Irish Sea. Temperatures are typically 4-9°C in winter and 14-20°C in summer. The sound between Coliemore and Dalkey Island can be choppy when the wind is in the east, which is the main thing that stops the island boats.
Packing Checklist
- ✓Waterproof jacket (essential year-round)
- ✓Layers: temperature can change quickly
- ✓Comfortable walking shoes
- ✓Camera: the views are worth it
- ✓Sunscreen: yes, even in Ireland
Bring Something Home
Local producers, markets, and makers worth a stop before you leave Dalkey.
Food
Thyme Out
Castle Street deli and traiteur cooking prepared meals and picnic food daily.
Known for: Daily-made prepared meals and deli food
Hours: Daytime; deli hours
Visit website
Food
Country Bake
Family bakery on Castle Street; fresh bread, pastries and cakes to take home.
Known for: Fresh-baked bread and pastries
Hours: Daytime, bakery hours; counter service
Visit websiteBest Time to Visit
Spring
March - May
Dalkey Island boats start running on settled weekends from April. Gorse turns the hill yellow. Climbers return to the quarry as the rock dries.
Spring is when the village reopens to the water. The Coliemore boats to Dalkey Island start running on the first settled weekends of April, and the goats and the nesting seabirds are easier to see before the summer haze. The gorse on Dalkey Hill turns the whole slope yellow, and climbers come back to the quarry as the granite dries out after the winter. The Heritage Centre is quieter than it will be in summer, which is the best time to take the living-history tour without a crowd. The Cat's Ladder is hard going but the reward at the top, the bay laid out from Howth to Bray Head, is worth the 238 steps.
Summer
June - August
Peak season. Dalkey Book Festival runs mid-June. Boats to the island run most days, weather allowing. Vico and White Rock fill with swimmers.
Summer is the busy stretch, and the village knows it. The Dalkey Book Festival takes over a dozen venues for four days in the middle of June, with writers reading in the castle, the church and a marquee by the sea. Boats run out to the island most days from Coliemore when the weather holds, and the swimmers are back at the Vico Baths and White Rock from early morning. Castle Street fills up at lunchtime, so book a table at the Guinea Pig or Ragazzi rather than chancing it. The light is long enough in July to do the hill after dinner and still get down before dark.
Autumn
September - November
Heritage Week programming in late August carries into September. Boats wind down by late September. Heather on the hill peaks early autumn.
Autumn is the quarry's season. The summer crowds thin out, the heather on Dalkey Hill is at its deepest purple into September, and the air is clear enough for the long views the climbers and walkers come for. The island boats keep running on fine weekends until the weather turns, usually around the end of September. The Heritage Centre carries its August programming into the early autumn and the village restaurants get their tables back. Bulloch Harbour is a good cold-weather walk, with the seals waiting by the slip for the returning fishing boats and the kayakers still going out on calm days.
Winter
December - February
Island boats stop for the winter. Pubs and the Heritage Centre carry the season. Restaurant tables open up after the summer.
Winter hands the village back to the people who live in it. The island boats stop, but Coliemore Harbour is worth the walk for the free telescope and the sound between the village and the island at its wildest. The Heritage Centre stays open six days a week through the dark months and the living-history tour is better indoors with the wind off the sound. This is when the pubs come into their own, Finnegan's and the Queens with the fires going, and you can get a table anywhere in the village that you could not get in June. The hill walks are shorter in the low light but the granite and the bare brambles have their own bleak appeal.
Quick Links for Planning
Weather Forecast
Check Met Eireann for the latest Dalkey forecast before you head out.
Met Eireann
DART Timetable
Plan your train journey to Dalkey. DART runs every 10-30 minutes from Dublin city centre.
Irish Rail
Leap Card
Save 20-30% on DART and bus fares. Buy a Leap Visitor Card for unlimited travel.
Leap Card
Transport for Ireland
Plan your journey to Dalkey by DART, bus, or car.
Transport for Ireland
Visit Dublin
Explore more of Dublin beyond Dalkey, from Temple Bar to Phoenix Park.
Visit Dublin
Getting Here
Detailed transport options for reaching Dalkey by DART, bus, car, taxi, or bicycle.
TravelPlan.guide