As many of our tours are based outside of main Cities, getting to the start point can be confusing for a first timer to Ireland but our experienced reservations team is always available to help and answer any questions you may have.
Here’s some tips on how to navigate the Irish public transportation system:
All roads lead to Dublin (so transport to and from Dublin is usually straight-forward)
Travelling East to West in the country is usually easily done by train
Travelling North to South is usually better by public bus
ASK LOCALLY – people will ALWAYS give you the easiest & quickest way to travel & will be much better informed than “Google”…..!!!!
Please note – there are reduced services available on Sundays & Bank Holidays.
For example – I regularly travel from Tralee to Dublin – and my favoured way is by train. I would automatically go to Irish Rail and key in my journey. It is important to know the name of your starting & finishing train stations – i.e. Tralee (Casement) and Dublin (Heuston).
If I am travelling from Tralee to Galway – then I will automatically look at the bus service. I log onto Bus Eireann and go from there. Going from city to city is easy enough on the website, going to smaller villages can take more effort.
Either way – PLEASE REMEMBER – we are always just an e-mail or a phone call away and will be VERY happy to help you with your transport within Ireland to ensure your journey to / from your holiday with us is as simple as possible.
3 important things to remember with Transport within Ireland …..
FIRST – you WILL save money by booking your transport in Ireland on-line and in advance
SECOND – you can only reserve seats on TRAINS (at the moment)
THIRD – it is usually cheaper in Ireland to buy RETURN tickets IF you are returning from the same airport. One Way tickets are usually more expensive.
(If you are unlucky and get to a train station WITHOUT a ticket & need to buy one from a station machine – then you will pay the highest price possible & it is a total rip-off).
If you take a bus and have NO ticket – you can purchase your ticket from the driver (assuming there is a seat for you on the bus). Usually you only pay about €2-€3 extra to pay this way.
Please read on for specific details:-
Arriving into Airports: The main airports you will arrive into are Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Ireland West or Belfast. Each of these offer a “shuttle” bus service to the city centre transport “hubs”.
CORK Airport offers a bus service #226 to the main bus station in Cork City Centre (Parnell Place). This journey takes about 25 mins & costs approx. €6. Please note, the bus does NOT take you to Cork Train Station (Kent) – that is the other side of the river from the bus station & takes approx. 10 mins to walk it. (Usually a taxi is much easier).
SHANNON Airport offers a bus service #343 to Limerick bus & train station, stopping in several places along the way (including Bunratty & the city centre).
IRELAND WEST Airport regular connections are available with Bus Eireann from this airport (also known as KNOCK airport) to Donegal, Galway, Sligo & Mayo with additional connecting services to Leitrim or Roscommon.
BELFAST International Airport has regular bus and coach services are available from the front of the terminal building to Belfast, Lisburn and Londonderry. All three bus terminals provide access to the wider Northern Ireland and intercountry public transport networks.
BELFAST City Airport has a designated Airport Express 600 Service with buses every 30 minutes at peak times from the front of the terminal building to the centre of town.
DUBLIN Airport has a huge variety of services & initially can seem a bit daunting. However, on closer examination – it all makes perfect sense.
The 747 Airlink bus takes you to Heuston or Connolly Train Stations in central Dublin, and it will also bring you to the central bus station (called Busarus). You can also reach central hotels & the LUAS tram system with this bus service.
It is VERY easy to leave Dublin Airport by bus to almost all parts of Ireland without needing to go near Dublin City Centre. Please see the following websites for more details:
Dublin Coach
Bus Eireann
City link
From Dublin City Centre you can take trains to most major towns & cities in Ireland. Dublin Heuston Train station serves the South, South West and West, while Connolly Train Station serves the North West, the North & the South East.
Please Note: there are smaller regional airports in Ireland & connecting flights are available to some of them from Dublin. i.e. Kerry Airport & Donegal Airport
Arriving into Ferry ports:
The main ferry ports you will arrive into are Dublin, Cork or Rosslare.
If you are arriving to a ferry port by car or by bicycle – then we recommend you look at www.aaireland.ie – to give you ideas for planning your route.
If you are arriving to a ferry port on foot – then you will need to check out the nearest local transport and how best to get to the nearest central “hub” for your onward journey. Very often from ferry ports – a taxi is your best option to reach the nearest central transport system.
When you book your holiday with us – we send you more detailed information on Transport within Ireland in your Pre-Departure Holiday Information. If you find it too confusing or time-consuming – please just e-mail or telephone us & we will be happy to suggest ways of travelling once we know your place of arrival and your required destination.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY:
As part of our Environmental awareness ethos – we ask that where possible you use public transport from place to place rather than private taxi’s.
For more information on any of our tours contact our sales department info@irelandwalkhikebike.com or visit our tours section here