The Wicklow Mountains form Ireland's largest upland area and one of its most accessible — the northern edge of the range is barely 20 kilometres from the centre of Dublin, yet the landscape feels genuinely remote. Known as the Garden of Ireland, County Wicklow combines wild moorland and blanket bog at the higher elevations with lush wooded valleys, cascading rivers, and some of the finest gardens in the country lower down. It is a landscape of extraordinary contrasts, and one that rewards both the serious hiker and the casual visitor equally.

Glendalough — the Valley of the Two Lakes — is the jewel of the Wicklow Mountains and one of the most important early Christian sites in Ireland. Founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, the monastic settlement grew into one of the great centres of learning in early medieval Europe, attracting pilgrims and scholars from across the continent. The remains of the settlement, including a perfectly preserved round tower, a cathedral, several churches, and a remarkable collection of carved stone crosses, are set against the backdrop of the two glacial lakes and the surrounding wooded valley in a composition of almost impossible beauty. Glendalough is also one of the sites included in the OPW's Free Wednesday scheme — read our guide to OPW Free Wednesdays for the full list of participating sites and how the scheme works.

The Wicklow Way, Ireland's oldest waymarked walking trail, runs for 127 kilometres from Marlay Park on the southern edge of Dublin through the heart of the mountains to Clonegal in County Carlow. It passes through some of the finest upland scenery in Ireland — across the open bog of the Sally Gap, through the deep glacial trench of Glenmalure, and over the shoulder of Lugnaquilla, at 925 metres the highest peak in Leinster. The full trail takes about a week to walk, but individual sections can be done as day walks from Dublin or from the villages along the route.

Powerscourt Estate, near Enniskerry, is one of the grandest demesnes in Ireland. The 18th-century mansion — rebuilt after a fire in 1974 and now housing a shopping centre and hotel — overlooks formal Italian and Japanese gardens that are among the finest in Europe, with the Sugar Loaf mountain as a backdrop. The Powerscourt Waterfall, a short drive from the main estate, is the highest waterfall in Ireland and Britain at 121 metres, and the walk to its base through ancient oak woodland is one of the most pleasant short walks in Wicklow.

The Sally Gap and the Wicklow Gap are two high mountain passes that cut through the heart of the range and offer some of the most dramatic driving in the east of Ireland. The Military Road, built after the 1798 rebellion to allow British troops to pursue rebels hiding in the mountains, runs the full length of the range from Rathfarnham in Dublin to Aghavannagh in the south — a journey through open bog, past dark mountain lakes, and over bare ridges that feels a world away from the city it begins in. The road passes Glencree, Glenmacnass waterfall, and Laragh, the village at the entrance to Glendalough.