As part of our recent trip to Europe, we had a few hours in Dublin and wanted to explore the Dublin city center. Well, actually, we were taking a train from Connolly Station, so we needed to get from Dublin airport to Dublin city centre. Because the Dublin Ireland airport is about 10km north of the Dublin city centre, there are several different options for your journey – figure out which option is best for you to get from Dublin airport to Dublin city center
I’m a planner type person, so when we were in Dublin recently, I researched the various options to get from the Dublin airport to Dublin city centre, so I thought I’d share them with you too!
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Option 1: Taking a taxi from Dublin airport to Dublin city center
Taking the taxi from Dublin airport to Dublin city center is going to be the most convenient option, but, as with most things like this, it will likely be your most expensive option. Dublin airport taxi fare from Dublin airport to Dublin city centre will depend on the number of passengers, bags, and whether you are traveling during a “premium” time of day (between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and on Sundays and holidays)
You can use Transport for Ireland’s taxi fare calculator to get an idea of what your fare for transportation from Dublin airport will be like, depending on your destination, but figure anywhere from 25-40 Euros.
If you do want to take a taxi or shared bus from Dublin Airport to Dublin city centre, you’re likely to save money by using a service like GO Airlink Shuttle. It costs about $21 per person one way. Try promo code SHUTTLE to save 5%.
There are marked taxi stands outside both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the Dublin airport
Option 2: Taking an Uber from Dublin airport to Dublin city centre
Uber operates in Dublin as well, and according to their fare estimator
taking an Uber from Dublin airport to Dublin city centre would be between €19-24 for a uberTAXI and €34-44 for UberBLACK. Obviously if you have any Uber credits, that could make things even cheaper for you.
Option 3: Taking a Dublin airport bus from Dublin airport to city center
There are 2 different Dublin bus routes that you can take from Dublin airport to Dublin city centre. When we were there, we took the Dublin airport bus from Dublin airport to the city center and it was quite easy to manage. You can take the Aircoach Dublin or the Airlink Dublin buses – they both pick up at the same spot in the Arrivals section outside Dublin International Airport
Here’s a Dublin airport map, marked with where you can pick up the Dublin airport shuttle from Terminal 2. You can also get a Dublin airport bus on the Arrivals Road outside Terminal 1
Courtesy of Open Street Map
Our flight from Boston arrived in Terminal 2, and as we exited Dublin International Airport, it looked a little something like this
Exiting the terminal from the right, you’ll cross over the road for Arrivals, go down an escalator, and there will be ticket vending machines for both the Dublin Aircoach and the Dublin Airlink buses. Both the Dublin Aircoach and Dublin Airlink will cost about €6-7 one-way. We bought 2 tickets from the vending machine, and for a bit I was worried that the machine was going to eat our change, but it did dispense €2 coins for change. There are sometimes discounts that you can get for booking online, but just note that it does lock you into going with either the Dublin Aircoach or Dublin Airlink.
Both Dublin bus routes are supposed to run every 15 minutes during most of the day, but we bought tickets for the Dublin Airlink at the vending machines outside the terminal and then sat and watched like 2 or 3 Dublin Aircoach buses show up before our Dublin Airlink bus arrived… 🙁
You can see the Dublin bus schedule at these links – Dublin Airlink schedule here and Dublin Aircoach schedule here.
The Dublin airport bus journey takes about 30-45 minutes or possibly even more depending on traffic.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Hi, one option we looked at that we will probably do is pre-book private transfer through sites like viator cheaper and better option so no waiting around. We are going to Dublin after London in nov 2016 for my 50th …..any good tips?
Unfortunately due to our flight getting canceled – what was supposed to be 24 hours in Dublin turned into about 3 hours in Dublin. We got into the Dublin city center about 6 a.m. and did a brief walking tour through St. Patrick’s, Temple Bar, etc. I think we found it on Rick Steves’ site
Great details, pictures, and maps!
Thanks for the feedback!
Why did you leave out city busses?
I believe the Dublin Airlink IS part of the Dublin bus network (while the Dublin Aircoach is a private bus company).
Airlink costs more than a typical multi-stop numbered city bus.
Anyone reading this: The ONLY way you should travel to the city or anywhere south is via Aircoach. It’s a luxury intercity coach with good WiFi, the Dublin Bus Airlink has WiFi but they’re horrible buses with tiny seats with no padding and there’s constant ads on a screen. If you’re going somewhere northside, use the LOCAL dublin bus services, such as routes 16 and 41. The aircoach actually has several routes (so one of the three or four that passed may have been going somewhere else as a point of consolation, but in all likelihood it’s probably just that it’s more frequent). There are lots of other private bus operators AND long distance operators so if you want to get straight to somewhere else such as Belfast or Drogheda or Galway, you don’t need to go into Dublin first and then transfer. You just follow the walkway. Make sure you buy the ticket for the service you want.
EVEN if the Aircoach does not go near your hotel or destination, if you go for the nearest stop, and then travel via Taxi or Dublin Bus the final distance, you will save a LOT of money, and the air coach is FAR more comfortable than a taxi for the 20-30 minute journey into the city centre (depending on traffic and how far you’re going).
Also most taxis do not take physical credit or debit cards BUT DO work via an APP such as MyTaxi (works in most european cities) or Uber (works in most global cities). Have both these apps installed. There’s WiFi in the airport and most places city centre as well as on the bus.
So what I’d do is get Aircoach to say, St. Stephen’s Green, and then go for a coffee and then walk, order a taxi or get a bus the rest of the way.
If you’re using public transit (Dublin Bus), you can ONLY pay with coins so get a Leap card at the airport or any shop. You can get a tourist one that includes the air link (why bother?!) and some hop-on-hop-off-tours, (not good but not terrible) or you can get a normal one that is pay as you go (much better).
Brendan’s right, the No. 16 city bus runs from outside both terminals right into the city centre, south of St. Stephen’s Green, then west to Ballinteer (Kingston). It’s just €3.30. It takes longer with more frequent stops, but that means you can get off almost anywhere compared to the Coach or Link expresses.
Have a 6 hour layover at Dublin airport. (1) Hassle to leave and return to airport? (2) Ideas on staying?
I’m going in May with my daughter and we will need to get fromDublin to Galway I would like to take a train. Any insight on that.
Could also use methods from DUB airport to Dublin Ferry Port. One ticket
for ferry + train in UK including city center in London.
How do we get to the train station from Dublin airport to go to Belfast?
I’d just follow the steps to get to Dublin city center and then find the train station
I’ve always taken the Airlink 747 bus, and love it — so cheap! so easy! so efficient!
I buy a LEAP Visitor Card at the SPAR shop in the airport, which gives you a free trip to/from the airport plus transportation on all of the Dublin-area buses, trams and DART trains. It’s about $20 for a three-day (72-hour) pass, which is a steal.