About Dublin

Please see Visit Dublin for all relevant information http://www.visitdublin.com/

City Information

Dublin City is the first port-of-call for many visitors to Ireland - and an essential part of experiencing Ireland. In County Dublin, part of the province of Leinster, Dublin lies nestled around the mouth of the river Liffey and Dublin Bay on Ireland's east coast. Many sights and attraction await you here. From the "Doors of Dublin" to places connected to rock legends U2, from memories of the Easter Rising to memorials to poets, priests and politicians, from intellectual stimulation to "mighty craic". The capital is a strange mixture of the busy city center, outlying village-like communities and huge suburban estates all melting together into one big metropolitan sprawl. The tourist will more than likely stick to the walkable center (roughly defined by Parnell Square to the North, St Stephen's Green to the South, Custom House to the East and the cathedrals to the West), with only excursions to the Phoenix Park or St James' Gate (Guinness) taking him out of this area.

Dublin used to be Europe's "Number One Party Destination" and on busy weekends can still feel like Daytona Beach during Spring Break. Without the bikinis and swimsuits, naturally. Cheap air travel and a hedonistic image fostered by the tourism industry attract crowds of young Europeans that brave the Dublin weather and prices. Add to this language students (mostly from France, Italy and Spain) as well as sightseeing tourists and you will appreciate that Dublin is best described as "busy". Under no circumstances should the visitor expect a quaint and quiet, old fashioned town (though all these attributes can be applied to parts of Dublin).

City Transport

Dublin has an extensive bus network but only a few rail and tram lines. The buses can be slow and unreliable due to the city’s traffic but for many destinations outside the city centre (including the airport) they are the only public transport option. The majority of buses are operated by Dublin Bus with some smaller companies operating other routes, most usefully an express service to Dublin Airport operated by Aircoach. The Dublin Bus fleet comprises modern double-deck vehicles (which offer a great view from the top deck), some single deckers. Check the destination with the driver before you pay him - Dublin bus drivers are generally helpful. Note that many bus signs and destinations are in Irish as well as English. A useful phrase to remember is that An Lár = City Centre.

When at a bus stop, don't be misled by the printed timetable. The timetables along Dublin bus routes only indicate when the bus leaves its terminus, not when it arrives/departs from this particular stop. This can be very confusing for many tourists. Many city centre bus stops now have real time passenger information informing passengers of the actual arrival time of the next bus.

Information on tourist type tickets can be found: at http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Tourist-In...and at http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Tourist-In...

While the rail service is not extensive, the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) line along the coast offers the opportunity to visit the attractive suburban towns of Howth to the north and Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey to the south of the city. Even if you don’t get off the train you can enjoy the view of the coastline from sections of the line south of Dublin. Trains run roughly every 15 minutes - for exact times, check the Iarnrod Eireann (Irish Rail) website.

Emergency Numbers

Tourist Information: 01 602 4000
Emergencies: 999 or 112
Dublin Bus information: 01 873 4222
Provincial bus information: 01 836 6111
Train information: 01 836 6222
Dublin Airport: 01 814 1111
Taxi lost and found: 01 475 5888

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