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Getting There By Air:

Dublin Airport (DUB)
Tel: (01) 814 1111.
Website: www.dublin-airport.com

Dublin Airport is located 12km (7 miles) north of the city center. One of Europe’s 10 busiest airports, a second terminal is soon to be built.

Airport facilities: These include a tourist office, bank and currency exchange, duty-free shopping, shops and newsagents, pharmacy, telephones, restaurants, bars and car hire from Avis, Budget, Hertz, National Alamo and Europcar.

Business facilities: Airside, the Anna Livia Executive Lounge (tel: (01) 814 4501) contains a business center with telephones, fax machines, photocopying and Internet access for use by anyone in possession of a boarding pass. A walk-in fee (valid for three hours) is charged. The Meeting Rooms (tel: (01) 844 7501) contain three landside meeting rooms for hire, located on the mezzanine floor near the restaurants.

Transport to the city: Buses 16A, 41, 41B, 46X, 58X and 746 run to the city center every 10 to 20 minutes daily (journey time - 40 minutes). They are operated by Dublin Bus (tel: (01) 873 4222; website: www.dublinbus.ie). The Airlink Express (tel: (01) 873 4222) coach service (numbers 747 and 748) links the airport with the central bus station on Store Street and the two main railway stations, Connolly Station and Heuston Station. It runs every 10 to 20 minutes daily (journey time - 35 minutes). The Aircoach (tel: (01) 844 7118; website: www.aircoach.ie) links Dublin Airport with the city center (O’Connell Street) every 10 to 20 minutes daily (journey time - 40 minutes). All bus services depart from bus stops located immediately to the left after exiting the arrivals hall. Taxis are available and an average day fare into Dublin costs around €25.

Approximate flight times to Dublin: From London is 1 hour; from New York is 6 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 12 hours; from Toronto is 8 hours 10 minutes and from Sydney is 24 hours.

Getting There By Water:

Dublin has two main ports, with a series of harbors. Dublin Ferry Port (tel: (01) 855 2222) is on Alexandra Road in the east, while Dún Laoghaire Harbour, 15 Westmoreland Street (tel: (01) 204 7700), is located 14km (9 miles) south of the city. Dublin Port Authority, Alexandra Road (tel: (01) 887 6000; website: www.dublinport.ie), oversees these ports. Facilities at Dublin Ferry Port are limited to a coffee shop and bureau de change. Dún Laoghaire Harbour has several cafes, a tourist office, bureau de change, ATM, newsagent and gift shop.

Ferry services: Irish Ferries (tel: 0818 300 400, in Ireland only; website: www.irishferries.com) operates car and foot passenger ferry services four times a day to Dublin Port from Holyhead in Wales. Stena Line (tel: (01) 204 7777; website: www.stenaline.ie) also operates a car ferry service twice a day from Holyhead to Dublin Ferry Port and a high-speed car and foot passenger ferry service from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire Harbour twice a day. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (tel: 0871 222 1333, in the UK only; website: www.steam-packet.com) operates a car and foot-passenger ferry to Dublin Port from the Isle of Man twice a week in summer.

Getting There By Road:

Traffic drives on the left and signposts are usually bilingual. Motorways are marked ’M’ with a corresponding number (such as M1 and M2), main roads and dual carriageways ’N’ and regional and local roads ’R’ and ’L’. On motorways a speed limit of 120kph (74mph) applies. On national roads and dual carriageways, the speed limit is 100kpm (62mph).  On ’R’ and ’L’ roads, the general speed limit is 80kph (50mph), dropping to 50kph (31mph) in towns and cities. The alcohol-to-blood ratio for drivers is 0.08%.

The minimum driving age is 17 years. A valid national driving license is required and a Green Card and Motor Insurance certificate are recommended. A country identification sticker is compulsory, as are seat belts in the front and, where fitted, in the rear of the car.

The Automobile Association of Ireland (tel: (01) 617 9999; website: www.aaireland.ie) provides information on reciprocal agreements with other motoring associations.

Emergency breakdown service: Automobile Association (tel: 1 800 667 788).

Routes to the city: Dublin can be approached via the N11 dual carriageway from Dún Laoghaire harbor, the N1 and the M1 motorway from Belfast, the N6 and N4 from Galway and the N7 (M7) and N8 (M8) from Cork.

Approximate driving times to Dublin: From Belfast - 2 hours 45 minutes; Galway - 3 hours 30 minutes; Cork - 4 hours 15 minutes.

Coach services: Bus Éireann (tel: (01) 836 6111; website: www.buseireann.ie) operates Ireland’s largest coach station, Busáras (Central Bus Station), Amiens Street, with routes nationwide and destinations including Cork, Galway and Limerick, as well as Belfast and Derry in Northern Ireland. Services are more frequent than those provided by the rail network. Facilities include restaurant, bureaux de change and left luggage. Bus Éireann/Eurolines (tel: (01) 836 6111; website: www.eurolines.ie) has daily services to UK and European destinations, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Paris.

Getting There By Rail:

Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) provides the national service (tel: (01) 836 6222). Services do not cover all parts of the country but are quite reliable. Dublin has two main stations: Connolly Station on Amiens Street (tel: (01) 703 2358), in the center, and Heuston Station by the Quays (tel: (01) 703 3299). Both have bureaux de change, lockers, left luggage, shops, bar and snack bars.

Rail services: Connolly Station serves Belfast (journey time - 2 hours), Rosslare (journey time - 3 hours 10 minutes) and Sligo (journey time - 3 hours). Heuston Station serves Galway (journey time - 2 hours 40 minutes), Tralee (journey time - 4 hours 30 minutes), Westport (journey time - 3 hours 20 minutes), Kildare (journey time - 30 minutes), Cork (journey time 2 hours 30 minutes), Kilkenny (journey time - 1 hour 35 minutes), Waterford (journey time - 2 hours 40 minutes), Clonmel (journey time 4 hours) and Limerick (journey time - 2 hours 30 minutes).

Getting Around:



Public Transport
Dublin’s public transport system is a bus and rail network, although a new network of 40 trams is currently being introduced by Luas Light Rail Lines (tel: (01) 646 3400 or 1 800 300 604; website: www.luas.ie), with two lines currently in operation.

Iarnród Éireann (see Getting There By Rail section) runs the clean and speedy electrical DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) rail services (tel: (01) 836 6222; website: www.irishrail.ie) which operate Monday to Saturday 0630 to 2400 and Sunday 0930 to 2300. Rail fares vary according to routes. You can buy DART tickets from any DART station.

Bus Átha Cliath (Dublin Bus) runs the city bus services (tel: (01) 873 4222; website: www.dublinbus.ie), which operate daily from 0600 to 2330, with a night bus service (Nitelink) running daily from 0030 to 0430. Bus fares vary according to the number of stops. The price of Nitelink tickets also depends on the length of journey. You can buy pre-paid tickets at the information desk at Dublin Airport, Dublin Bus Head Office or at bus ticket agencies.

Information on fares and timetables is provided at the Dublin Bus Information Office and Irish Rail, O’Connell Street, and Dublin Tourism Center (see Tourist Information section).

Luas, the city’s new tramway system, opened in the summer of 2004 and at present only has two routes to the suburbs (arranged into three zones) and is primarily used by commuters. Luas offers a range of ticket options ranging from a single trip to a seven-day or 30-day pass. There are also one-, seven- and 30-day combi-tickets for the Luas and Dublin Bus, covering all zones.

Various passes for bus, rail or both combined are available, including one-, three-, five- and seven-day Rambler Tickets, and a one-day Family Rambler Ticket, each offering unlimited travel for consecutive days on all Dublin Bus scheduled services, excluding the night buses. Weekly and monthly passes for the DART (including the buses) are also available, and there is also an Adult Short Hop pass and a Family Short Hop pass, valid for unlimited travel for one day on all Dublin Bus, DART and suburban rail services.

Taxis
Taxis (standard saloon cars) can be hailed on the street, hired at taxi ranks (O’Connell Street, Dame Street and St Stephen’s Green) or booked by telephone. Radio Link (tel: (01) 478 1111) is a reputable company. So is VIP ACE Taxis (tel: (01) 478 3333). There is often a considerable waiting period for a taxi at peak times, especially Friday and Saturday nights. It is customary for passengers to tip the driver between 10 and 15% of the fare.

Driving in the City
The volume of traffic in Dublin is increasing and parking is expensive and limited, although some hotels and guest houses provide private parking for guests. Visitors should avoid driving during morning and late afternoon rush hours if possible. Drivers should keep out of bus lanes at all times, whether driving or parking. There are also numerous one-way systems in the center, including the quays alongside the River Liffey (the south bank flows east to west and the north bank, west to east).

Street parking is limited in the city center and official car parks are usually the best bet. The city’s main car parks, with various hourly rates, are Arnotts, Middle Abbey Street, on the Northside and Brown Thomas, Clarendon Street 2, on the Southside. Both are located in the middle of shopping districts. For street parking, kerbside pay-and-display meters are standard.

Car Hire
A full national driving license and deposit are necessary for visitors to hire a car in Ireland; most firms require the driver to be over 23 and under 70 years old and to have held a full driving license for a minimum of two years without endorsements.

Avis, 35-39 Old Kilmainham Road (tel: (01) 605 7500; website: www.avis.com), Budget, 151 Drumcondra Road Lower (tel: (01) 837 9611; website: www.budget.com), and Europcar, Dublin Airport (tel: (01) 812 0410; website: www.europcar.ie), are among the main providers. Pre-booking is strongly recommended in summer and payment is usually only accepted by credit card.

Bicycle Hire
The best tracks are along Dublin Bay and across the Wicklow Mountains, as central Dublin is sadly lacking in cycle paths. Phoenix Park Bike Hire, Gate Lodge, Chesterfield Avenue (tel: 08626 56258; website: www.phoenixparkbikehire.com), offers a comprehensive bicycle hire service.

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