Go sea swimming off the Dublin coast

Two of the best locations for sea swimming in Ireland are easily reachable from Dublin City - from the apartment, you could be at either within an hour using the commuter rail system (DART). The first is The Forty Foot in Sandycove and the second is Hawks Cliff in Killiney. Details for both:

THE FORTY FOOT

What? One of the best sea swimming spots on the Dublin coast, located just 30 minutes from Dublin City  | Where? Forty Foot, Sandycove, Co. Dublin | How to get there? Take the train (DART) from Tara Street station (a 15 minute walk from the apartment) to Sandycove. From Sandycove station, the Forty Foot is a 16 minute walk.

Dubliners have been swimming at the Forty Foot for over 250 years - a location made famous internationally by James Joyce in Ulysses (in fact, the James Joyce Tower, also well worth a visit, is just beside the Forty Foot). One of the big pluses of the Forty Foot is that the water is deep enough (not quite 40 feet!) to swim any time irrespective of whether the tide is in or out. Enter the sea down the steps or, if you're brave enough, jump in off the high rocks (just observe the locals first!). Just around the corner from the Forty Foot is Sandycove Beach, which is a gentler sea swimming option if that's more to your liking! After your swim, be sure to pop into the Sandycove Store & Yard, which is just a 7 minute walk from the Forty Foot.

VICO BATHING PLACE (DALKEY)

What? Another great sea swimming spots on the Dublin coast, also not too far from Dublin City; also known as Hawk Cliff  | Where? Vico Bathing Place, Hawk Cliff, Dalkey Co. Dublin | How to get there? Take the train (DART) from Tara Street station (a 15 minute walk from the apartment) to Dalkey. From Dalkey station, it's a 17 minute walk.

For views and spectacular sunrises, it doesn't get better than here. The entrance can be a little difficult to find so you may need to ask a local. And there are a lot of steps to get down from the road above - but it's absolutely worth it. Once down you can enter via the ladder or steps - or alternatively dive in off the platform. This was known to be Matt Damon's choice of location for his daily sea swim when he was living nearby in Dalkey village, while Harry Styles was spotted more recently.