When you emerge from the arrivals hall at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2, you will be presented with several transport options to get into the city: taxi, car hire, the Dublin Bus Airlink, or a handful of private coach services. As is standard in many cities, the city of Dublin offers a tourist card good for round-trip Airlink bus transportation and discounts at local attractions. Aside from that, at first glance, the only true public transit option appears to be the €7 Airlink bus (€12 round-trip). However, what you won’t find advertised anywhere in the terminal is the standard Dublin Bus service that also runs to the airport, stopping just a 5 minute walk away in front of Terminal 1.
The normal services makes several stops on its way into central Dublin, so if you’re in a rush the Airlink bus may be worth the premium (the express service reaches central Dublin in 20-25 minutes instead of 45 minutes). However, if you don’t mind a more scenic ride, and especially if you’re traveling with a number of people, the normal bus service can represent a significant cost savings.
TFI Leap Card
Again, you won’t find this advertised anywhere in the airport, and for some reason information surrounding Ireland’s public transit card online is sparse. As a savvy traveler, however, you’ll definitely want to pick up a Transport for Ireland (TFI) Leap Card, which is a reloadable transit card good for most methods of public transportation in Ireland. Unlike other countries, however, you won’t find Leap vending machines – instead, most convenience stores (e.g. SPAR, Londis) sell the cards and allow you to reload them. The only retailer that sells them on airport property at the time of writing is the SPAR in the landside arrivals hall of Terminal 2: simply walk up to the cashier and ask to purchase a Leap Card.
Bus tickets into Dublin with the Leap discount are €2.50 each way at the time of writing (a massive 58% savings over a round-trip Airlink ticket), so reload at least €5 for a round trip. There is also €5 deposit which is nearly impossible to get back unless you’re an Irish citizen, so consider it a purchase fee and hold on to the card for future trips to Ireland.
Traveling with a group? You only need one Leap Card! Simply load enough onto the card to cover all of the tickets for your group, then purchase “companion” tickets from the bus driver as described below.
How to Ride
Simply exit the terminal and follow the signs to public transportation. From Terminal 2, walk across the bridge and down the escalator to the transportation island, then turn left and walk towards Terminal 1. The normal Dublin Bus routes pick up from the rightmost lane in the large bus pickup area – find the stop serving routes 16 and 41, and hop on either bus when it arrives. Pay the driver in cash and take your ticket, or tap your Leap Card against the reader on the right side as you enter the bus. If you are traveling with multiple people, tell the driver the total number of tickets you need and your destination (if you’re not sure, say “City Center”) and hold your Leap Card against the reader next to the driver.
Hope this tip is useful for your next trip to Ireland!
