Dublin, England
Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath, "Town of the Hurdled Ford") is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland. Its vibrancy, nightlife and tourist attractions are noteworthy, and it is the most popular entry point for international visitors to Ireland. As a city, it is disproportionately large for the size of the country (2006 pop. Greater Dublin Region 1.6 million); well over a quarter of the Republic's population lives in the metropolitan area. The centre is, however, relatively small and can be navigated by foot, with most of the population living in suburbs.
Get in
By plane
Dublin is served by a single terminal airport approximately 10 km (6 mi) north of the city centre. A second terminal will open in 2010.
A full list of airlines flying to Dublin, along with timetables, can be found on the Dublin Airport website.
Ireland's flag carrier airline, Aer Lingus, flies to Dublin from a large number of European cities and from the USA. Aer Lingus fares are often lower than other flag carriers, but in part this has been achieved by matching the service levels of low-fare competitors. As a result, they now charge for checked-in bags and seat reservation at time of booking (note that this does not apply to United States flights).
Europe's largest low fares airline, Ryanair has one of its main bases in Dublin from which it flies to a large number of European airports including Paris, London, Manchester, Liverpool, Madrid and Frankfurt as well as smaller regional airports such as Nantes or Kaunas. While famous for its low fares, Ryanair can be more expensive than other airlines for last minute bookings. Ireland's third airline Aer Arann links Dublin to many regional Irish airports and some smaller UK cities.
Low-fare airline Flybe links Dublin to Exeter, Norwich and Southampton in the United Kingdom, and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
There are three types of bus transport to Dublin city:
- Aircoach express service (large blue bus) connects the airport and the city centre and many of Dublin's major hotels, most of which are on the south side of the city. Buses leave the airport every fifteen minutes and the journey time to the centre is approximately thirty minutes. The cost is €8 single or €14 return. Aircoach also offers services to other destinations within Ireland, including Cork and Belfast.
- Dublin Bus offers an express AirLink service (routes 747 and 748) every 10 minutes at peak times to the city centre and bus station for €6 or €10 return. Some of these services now use the Dublin Port Tunnel to avoid the city traffic and can reach the city centre in minutes.
- Dublin bus also have a number of other local routes that serve the aiprort, and these offer substantially cheaper standard services to the centre and further afield in the southern suburbs: these are non-express and stop significantly more times going to and from the airport. Cost is €2 and buses run every 10-25 min depending on time of day. You can save 10 cents by purchasing a Travel 90 ticket for €1.90 in the ticket machines next to the airport bus stops, the ticket also allows you to transfer on to any other Dublin Bus services for up to 90 minutes, saving you another bus fare should you need to transfer. The 16A goes right through the city, stops at O'Connell Street and continues up Georges Street and, finally, to southern areas of Dublin. The 41 takes a slightly more direct route and finishes on Lower Abbey Street. It stops at O'Connell Street and at Busáras (Dublin Bus Station). Depending on traffic, journey times can vary from 25 minutes to over an hour. These buses are considerably cheaper than AirLink and Aircoach. Both of these local bus services stop across from Drumcondra train station which is on the Dublin-Maynooth commuter line. Some trains on this line continue past Maynooth and serve stations as far away as Longford. All Dublin Bus buses (except AirLink) do not give change and fares must be paid in coins. Ticket-machines near a few outdoor bus stops, including one at the airport, do not require exact change. Tickets can also be purchased at the newsagent inside the airport. Luggage racks are limited on the local buses, and it is not unknown for drivers to turn away travellers with packs that cannot be stored.
A taxi to the city centre should cost around €20 to €30: it can be comparable to/cheaper than the bus options if you are in a group of three or more (as well as a lot less hassle). Taxis are legally obliged to provide an electronic receipt detailing the fare, distance and other pertinent details. However, they often do not furnish such a receipt.
A metro connecting Dublin Airport to the city centre is planned, but no work has started on this yet.
Unless your destination is Dublin City, it is probably best to use one of the extensive range of other bus services that stop at Dublin Aiport and so avoid the city centre traffic.
By train
Dublin has two main railway stations. Heuston, in the west of the city centre, serves much of the west and south of the country including an hourly service to Cork which also services Limerick. Connolly, in the north-east centre of the city, serves the south east and east coast, Belfast, Sligo in the north-west and suburban commuter services including the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system. The two main stations are connected by bus and Luas routes. Visit the website for all train services local and intercity.
Irish Rail has one of the youngest train fleets in Europe and the Cork train in particular is extremely comfortable. Older trains were phased out completely in 2008 with the arrival of a massive fleet of brand new trains built in Japan and South Korea. There are internet intercity train fares substantially cheaper than over the counter but on a clunky website and for unpopular middle of day departure times. The train company suffers from the twin afflictions of intransigent unions and leftovers of family ownership. Food on trains is awful, sparse, and expensive.
By bus
A single bus station, Busáras, is the terminus for Bus Eireann services to almost all towns and cities in Ireland (except for a few services to County Meath and County Dublin, which leave from the surrounding streets). It is next to Connolly train station, 10 min by foot from O'Connell Street. There are also services to Northern Ireland and Eurolines services to Continental Europe. Luggage lockers are in the basement, along with the pay-to-enter public toilets.
A number of private bus companies also operate out of the airport and stop in city centre. Kavanaghs has a good service to Limerick and Waterford. Citylink coaches has a good price to Galway and the West, while GoBus now provides a nonstop Dublin-Galway service.
By boat
Dublin Port has several passenger ferry services to Wales and England, but more popular is the suburban port of Dún Laoghaire 10 km (6 mi) south of Dublin. The port of Dún Laoghaire is serviced by the DART.
By car
If you are visiting Dublin only for a daytrip and have a car, you can beat the traffic by leaving your car at a Park and Ride station. If you are coming from the south, two ideal places to leave your car are at the Sandyford Luas stop, located just off junction 15 of the M50 on Blackthorn Road, or Bray DART stop, on Bray Road. If you are coming from the west, your best option is the Red Cow Luas stop, off junction 10 of the M50. Coming from the north east, you would do best to use the Park and Ride station at Howth DART station. Tariffs at Park and Ride stations range from €2 to €4.
Get around
Public transportation has improved massively over the last few years, but it is still worse than in other European cities. This is more of a problem for the commuter than the visitor to Dublin, however, as the city centre is easy to get around on foot.
By train/tram
The Luas (a tram/light-rail system) runs frequently and reliably, and is handy for getting around the city centre. There are two lines - red (running from Connolly railway station and the Point Theatre to the suburb of Tallaght) and green (running from St. Stephens Green to Sandyford). The lines do not connect. The distance between Abbey Street on the red line and St Stephens Green, the start of the green line, is about a 15 min walk. The Luas is frequent and reliable. Tickets can be bought on the platforms at the machines and do not need to be validated. A large amount of further expansion of this network is expected within the next decade.
The DART suburban rail service runs along the coast between Greystones in the south and Howth and Malahide in the north. Tickets can be bought in the stations, from a window or a machine. There are four other suburban rail lines servicing areas around Dublin: three of these lines operate from Connolly Station, the other from Heuston Station.
For Luas and DART network and station maps visit Dublin transportation Office site.
By bus
An extensive bus service operated by the state-controlled Dublin Bus serves the city and its suburbs, right out to the very outer suburbs. There are around 200 bus routes in Dublin. However, the route numbering system is highly confusing, with numbers having been issued non-sequentially and also suffix letters and alternate destinations. The Bus will display its final destination on the front of the bus, but there are no announcements as to intermediate stops; therefore, obtaining a route map from Dublin Bus is essential.
By car
Taxis were recently (2001) deregulated and are relatively easy to come by, although not as easily as in some other European cities. They may be ordered by telephone, at ranks, or just hailed on the street. Point-to-point trips in the city centre should cost between €4 and €8. There is a national standardised rate for all taxis.
Driving in Dublin is not to be recommended for much of the day, particularly in the city centre. Traffic can be heavy and there is an extensive one-way system, which some say is explicitly designed to make it very difficult for cars to enter the city centre. There are a large number of bus lanes (buses, taxis and pedal cycles are permitted to use them, the use of which by cars is liable to strict fines. It is usually possible to drive in bus lanes at certain off-peak times, with signs displaying these periods.
See
The National Museum, National Library and National Gallery are located very close to one another, Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2. All three are worth a visit - they are even free. Also worth a visit is Buswells Hotel, a spot popular with local politicians and celebrities alike.
In the summer peak season, Dublin's top attractions can get packed. Show up early to beat the crowds.
- National Museum of Ireland
- The National Gallery of Ireland
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- Old Library at Trinity College & Book of Kells
- Dublin Castle
- Chester Beatty Library
- The Bram Stoker Museum
- Christ Church Cathedral
- Dublinia & the Viking World
- Kilmainham Gaol
- Phoenix Park
- Glasnevin Cemetery
- Dublin Zoo
- Leopardstown Racecourse
- Dublin Writers Museum
Source: wikitravel.or
