Things to do in Swords
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Swords
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, with long light, gardens in full order, prime golf and prices below the summer peak.
Worst months, short, dark and wet, with muddy demesnes and only the pubs and airport arguing for the trip.
Peak summer, with lifeguards on Donabate Beach, the longest demesne opening hours and the highest hotel prices.
Christmas experiences run at Newbridge and Malahide, with ticketed family slots that book out early.
What's on
- Flavours of Fingal County Show Usually the first weekend of July
Irelands largest county show at Newbridge House and Farm, with livestock, food village and live music.
- St Patrick's Day 17 March
Sleep in Swords and bus into Dublin for the parade, then return to a quiet town at night.
Best things to do in Swords
Swords Castle
A walled medieval archbishop palace in the middle of town, free to wander, with a restored chapel and a community events courtyard.
Swords Round Tower
A 10th century round tower and medieval church in a quiet graveyard, the older and calmer half of Swords medieval core.
Pavilions Shopping Centre
A huge suburban shopping centre with a cinema, listed honestly as the towns rainy day and pre flight practical fallback.
Malahide Castle & Gardens
A furnished Talbot family castle in 250 acres, with walled gardens, a butterfly house and a fairy trail for families.
Ardgillan Castle and Gardens
A coastal demesne of rose gardens, woodland and sea views above the Irish Sea, free to enter with a paid castle tour.
Skerries Mills
A working watermill and two windmills with guided tours and a cafe serving food made with flour milled on site.
Swords Heritage Walking Tour
A two hour local historian led walk linking the castle, the round tower and the blessed well the town was founded around.
Malahide Marina
The marina and estuary promenade of Malahide village, the pretty coastal stroll one village over from Swords.
Where to stay in Swords
Main Street and town centre
eating, drinking and the castle on foot
The only part of Swords with an evening, with small hotels above pubs and every restaurant a short walk away.
Airside and the airport corridor
early flights, parking and predictability
Chain hotels cluster by the airport with shuttles and parking, at the cost of any evening street life.
Roganstown countryside edge
golf breaks and country house weekends
A single country club hotel on its own course outside town, reached by dark country roads that suit a golf trip, not a dawn flight.
Best restaurants in Swords
Courtyard Restaurant
The towns only true splurge dining room, modern European cooking and a serious wine list at the Carnegie Court Hotel.
The Old Schoolhouse
A historic pub restaurant with a big beer garden, live music and signature beef and Guinness pie and seafood chowder.
The Grill House Swords
Lebanese and Mediterranean sharing food built around mezze and a mixed grill, the towns top rated date night kitchen.
Indie Spice Grill
A modern Indian restaurant with an open kitchen, known for tikka smoked duck and chargrilled prawns alongside the classics.
Wine House Restaurant
A family run Mediterranean Italian restaurant with a serious wine list, a beer garden and a homemade tiramisu finish.
Pomodorino
A neighbourhood Italian with wood fired pizzas and fresh pasta that locals return to as their favourite in town.
Forty Four Main Street
The all day Main Street gastropub, best for its breakfast, steak cooked on a stone and a much praised pint of Guinness.
D'Chilli Shaker
A spice forward Indian restaurant whose regulars judge it by the fiery Chettinad, with full vegan and gluten free choice.
Outdoor things to do in Swords
Ward River Valley Regional Park
A linear river park through the town, with a 5.6 km loop walk and a free Saturday parkrun that welcomes visitors.
Newbridge House and Farm
A 370 acre demesne with free parkland walks, a deer herd, a playground and a paid working farm and house tour.
Donabate Beach
A 2.5 km Blue Flag sandy beach with dunes, rock pools and views to Lambay Island, the nearest proper beach to Swords.
Portmarnock to Malahide Coastal Walk
A 6.5 mile exposed coastal walk from Portmarnock past Velvet Strand to Malahide Castle, best with waterproofs in any season.
Balheary Par 3 Golf Course
An 18 hole par 3 course in Swords with hire available, ideal for beginners and short game practice at a local price.
Swords Open Golf Course
The towns own 18 hole parkland course on the Broadmeadow River, family run and welcoming to visitors and societies.
Corrstown Golf Club
A well kept 27 hole parkland club west of Swords with an island green signature and green fees in the local band.
The Island Golf Club
A championship links through towering dunes across the estuary from Malahide, one of Irelands finest and hardest tests.
Best hotels in Swords
Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport
The areas top airport four star, with a 24 hour shuttle and a rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking the runway.
Roganstown Hotel & Country Club
A country club hotel on its own golf course, the greenest stay near Swords, best booked for golf with mixed service reviews.
Premier Inn Dublin Airport
The reliable airport chain stay at Airside, with a half hourly shuttle, consistent beds and an unlimited breakfast.
Maldron Hotel Dublin Airport
The on airport hotel three minutes from both terminals on a free 24 hour shuttle, built for brutal flight times.
Carnegie Court Hotel
The town centre hotel built around its food, with a praised carvery and restaurant minutes from the castle.
Forty Four Main Street
Fourteen clean rooms above a well run Main Street pub, the best value sleep in Swords itself with breakfast downstairs.
The Old Borough Hotel - Wetherspoon
Rooms above a huge Wetherspoon pub near the castle, the cheapest full service sleep in town with very low food prices.
Travelodge Dublin Airport North 'Swords'
The no frills budget chain near the airport, clean and adequate with plentiful parking for a bed before an early flight.
Is Swords expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €145 a person |
| Splurge | €320 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Malahide Castle & Gardens: a few days ahead
- Swords Heritage Walking Tour: a few days ahead
- Swords Open Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Corrstown Golf Club: a few days ahead
- The Island Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Portmarnock Golf Club: months ahead
- Courtyard Restaurant: a few days ahead
- The Old Schoolhouse: a few days ahead
- Book the flight night airport room when you book the flight, as peak and disruption weeks fill Airside hotels.
- Portmarnock and The Island visitor tee times go months ahead in season, so reserve the golf first.
- Book the Courtyard and The Old Schoolhouse for Friday and Saturday dinners, and message the one guide walking tour ahead.
Is Swords safe?
- No Swords neighbourhood needs avoiding on safety grounds, but Main Street traffic dominates, so watch children at the junctions.
- Take the shuttle or a taxi in the Airside hotel zone at night rather than walking the distributor roads.
- The sea at Donabate is cold with real currents outside lifeguarded hours, and the emergency number is 112.
Swords travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not let a rainy afternoon in the Pavilions shopping centre eat the castle and the coast.
- Eat on Main Street before going airside, where food and drink cost a fraction of terminal prices.
- Do not book Roganstown for a dawn flight, as it sits up dark country lanes away from the airport.
Getting around Swords: public transport and more
- Bus 41 links the airport, Swords and Abbey Street about every 20 minutes, and bus 102 links Swords to Malahide for about 3 euro.
- Local buses leave Dublin Airport from Zone 15, and a taxi to Main Street takes 5 to 10 minutes.
- There is no train station in Swords, so plan around buses, shuttles and cars, and get a Leap Card for longer stays.
Who Swords suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | OK |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Swords your trip
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