By cycling, supping on sustainable food or sauntering along some sublime seascapes, you will embrace Dublin’s determination to be one of Europe’s cleanest, greenest cities.
Explore Dublin and its eco environs on the city’s shared bike scheme, Dublinbikes. Buy a three-day pass for €5, after which every trip under 30 minutes is free. You can use the bikes by simply using a payment card at one of the bigger docking stations, or else use the Dublinbikes app.
Hire a bike of your own in Dublin’s green heart, Phoenix Park, where you can explore one of the largest urban parklands in Europe, with 14km of cycle paths. You can also explore outside the Park into the city of course. In the Park itself, the Phoenix Cafe is a favourite foodie spot for those with an appetite for sustainability, where cakes are important but so is compostable packaging, and soups and salads are both luscious and locally sourced. Explore Dublin’s cycling routes with the Dublin Cycling Buddy app to get all the slow and safe routes.
Fill your picnic basket at Howth Market, a small fishing village easily accessible on Dublin’s commuter DART train, and then hike the headland of this magnificent spot. The market is open Saturdays and Sundays and has 25 stalls of fresh food and artisan produce. You will find plenty to energise you for the 6km walking loop around Howth Head, taking in views of Lambay Island, Ireland's Eye and Dublin Bay.
There are several other popular coastal walks that take you out of the city centre. These include the Great South Wall stretching 4km into Dublin Bay, out to the iconic Poolbeg Lighthouse in the middle of Dublin Bay. Or take the DART commuter train out to Killiney and walk up Killiney Hill for some of Dublin’s most spectacular views of both the city and the Wicklow Mountains.
Have an afternoon, or indeed a whole day out at Airfield Estate in Dundrum, just four minutes’ walk from Balally tram station on Dublin’s LUAS tram system. Airfield is a gift to gardeners, with a landscaped and carefully curated walled garden, organic kitchen garden, as well as sunken and orchard gardens. Not surprisingly, there is a farm to fork cafe to taste the fruits of Airfield’s earth, but also a plethora of workshops as well as guided walks to enjoy through their native woodland.