Dublin Airport to city centre: bus, coach, taxi

Dublin Airport lies about 10 km north of the city centre, but – unlike most European capitals – it has no train or tram link. Everything goes by road: coaches, city buses or a taxi. The good news: the distance is short, and buses leave every few minutes. The short answer: take a Dublin Express or Aircoach coach if your hotel is near O'Connell Street, Trinity College or Temple Bar; take Dublin Bus route 41 or 16 if you want the cheapest ride or arrive in the middle of the night; take a taxi if you are three or more.

Dublin Airport to the city centre: the options

Times: Dublin Express "in as little as 14 minutes" to the first city stop according to the operator, Aircoach "usually 30 minutes" according to Dublin Airport, taxi as pure driving time to O'Connell Bridge based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. At rush hour every bus and taxi takes considerably longer; Dublin Bus does not publish a single journey time for route 41, which stops often.

Where the buses leave

All buses and coaches leave from numbered bus zones outside the terminals. According to Dublin Airport:

• Dublin Express: Zone 1 (Terminal 1) and Zone 21 (Terminal 2).
• Aircoach: Zone 2 (Terminal 1) and Zone 20 (Terminal 2).
• Transport for Ireland routes (Dublin Bus 16 and 41 and others): Zones 11, 13 and 15.

The airport publishes maps of the bus zones for both terminals. If you are unsure, ask at the information desk in arrivals.

Dublin Express and Aircoach: the coaches

Dublin Express runs from the airport to more than 15 stops in the city centre, including O'Connell Street, Trinity College, Temple Bar (Aston Quay) and Heuston Station. According to the operator, a coach leaves every 7½ minutes, and the fastest service reaches the city in as little as 14 minutes.

Aircoach route 700 goes to the city centre and on to Leopardstown, according to the operator up to every 15 minutes; the 700X is the faster city service, and the 702 goes via Ballsbridge and Blackrock to Dún Laoghaire and Dalkey. According to Dublin Airport, the ride to the city centre usually takes about 30 minutes.

• Ticket: both companies sell their own tickets – online, in the airport or from the driver. Leap cards and TFI passes are not valid on them.
• Luggage: the coaches have luggage holds, which makes them more comfortable than the city bus with large suitcases.

Dublin Bus 16 and 41: cheaper, with the Leap card

The city buses are cheaper and accept the TFI Leap card, the contactless travel card for Dublin. According to Dublin Bus:

• Route 41 runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week between Swords, the airport and Lower Abbey Street near O'Connell Street. It has only limited space for luggage.
• Route 16 runs from the airport through the city centre to the south side (Ballinteer), from 6:00 to 23:30 Monday to Saturday and from 8:00 to 23:30 on Sundays.

The TFI Leap Visitor Card gives unlimited travel for a chosen period on Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland city buses, the Luas tram, the DART and commuter trains, according to Dublin Airport. If you stay several days and use public transport, it can pay off from the moment you arrive.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis wait at the official rank outside both terminals and run on the meter. Without traffic the drive to O'Connell Bridge takes under 20 minutes (14 km); at rush hour it can take much longer. For three or four people the taxi is often hardly more expensive than coach tickets for everyone.

A pre-booked transfer makes sense if you arrive late at night, with children or as a group: a driver waits in arrivals with your name and takes you to the door. Airport transfers in Dublin^* can be booked with Welcome Pickups. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel near O'Connell Street, Trinity College or Temple Bar: Dublin Express or Aircoach.
• Hotel near Heuston: Dublin Express, which stops at Heuston Station.
• Night arrival, tight budget: Dublin Bus 41, around the clock.
• Several days by public transport: buy a TFI Leap Visitor Card and take bus 16 or 41.
• Three or more people, children, lots of luggage: a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can check the bus times straight away – a travel eSIM for Ireland^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

Dublin Express and Aircoach also run from the city stops to the airport; you can book a seat online. With an early flight, route 41 runs through the night. Check whether you fly from Terminal 1 or 2 – the stops are different. If you fly in the evening and have already checked out, you can use luggage storage in central Dublin^* (Radical Storage).

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Dublin.

Dublin trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

In YesTrip you add your flight and hotel to your trip and plan each day around them, with a map of your places in Dublin and the weather for your travel days. The ready-made plans for Dublin can be copied into your trip with one tap. With the offline package you have the map without a connection, also on the bus from the airport. YesTrip is free.

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