Getting From Dublin Airport to the City
When I was planning for my quick one day trip to Dublin, I was dismayed to learn that the distance from Dublin Airport to the city centre is one of the most expensive in the world. Fortunately that was based on distance and not total cost.
Taking a taxi from the airport to the city centre will cost you about €20-25. Taking one of the express buses is only €6-7. Normally I would go for the bus, but because of the many great recommendations from readers, even 15 minutes more or less would make a big difference in how many things I’d be able to see.
Both options are easy to get to when flying in — they’re located next to each other, one level down from arrivals.
So I decided to splurge and experience the 12th most costly cab ride in the world. I must say, it was rather unremarkable. But it was direct, and since the rain and strong winds had already started, I appreciated getting door to door without getting wet.
On the way back, time and dryness mattered less, so I decided to try out the bus. I saw two options to pick from: Aircoach and Airlink. Both let you purchase your tickets online or through the bus driver.
- Aircoach is more expensive, but slightly nicer at €7. While I was there they were also running a special with a €1 discount for purchasing online.
- Airlink, which is part of the Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann network is €6.
Based on their marketing, I decided to treat myself and take Aircoach and “travel in luxury†from the O’ Connell St stop (about 7 min from my hotel) to Dublin Airport.
My particular bus was rather old though. The seats were broken in the reclined position. But that said, there was free wifi and since I was going before 9AM on a Sunday morning, the trip was under 20 minutes.
I’d take a cab:
- If traveling with 2 or more people, at that point the bus is no longer a major savings
- If I had a lot of luggage (7 minutes of walking with a giant suitcase after a red-eye is not ideal)
- If the weather is bad (walking 7 minutes in the rain with luggage is not fun)
I’d take the bus:
- During rush hour since they have access to restricted lanes
- When traveling alone or with one other person and feeling price sensitive
Surprised heathrow isn’t on that list. Costs over 50 GBP to city center.
When i went to Dublin I did the opposite of you. Took the bus to the hotel. Then took a cab to the airport because I was too hungover and running late to make the bus!
That said, I take issue with Newark being on that list. The city has over quarter a million people and the downtown is less than 5 miles from the airport. Of course if you take a cab to another city in another state is going to be expensive!
Newark is an airport for NYC in the same way Narita is an airport for Tokyo. Sure, some people fly in to go to Newark, but the plurality of people are flying for NYC.
When I went to Dublin, I took a cab from the airport to Temple Bar and it costed me about 45 euros. I was not happy.