๐ฎ๐ช Dublin ยท Getting around
Transport and the shape of the city in Dublin
One Leap card across bus, tram and rail with a daily and weekly fare cap, no rail link to the airport, and a driving-licence exchange rule that catches out anyone from outside the EU.
The thing people get wrongDublin airport has no rail or tram connection, and MetroLink, the planned metro to it, is still years from opening. Every airport journey is a bus or a road journey, which means it is a traffic journey โ plan the extra hour rather than the map distance.
Indicative figures
- Leap weekly capโฌ24Adult, Monday to Sunday, bus, Luas and DART in the city zone.
- Leap daily capโฌ6
- TFI 90 Minute Fareโฌ2.00Adult Leap; multiple legs across bus, Luas and rail.
- Centre to airport30 โ 60 minBy bus; entirely traffic-dependent.
- Student and 19โ25 Leapโฌ1.00 / โฌ12 a weekHalf the adult fare and cap.
Checked . Ranges, not quotes โ your Insider confirms the current numbers in Dublin before you commit to anything.
Leap card and fares
The TFI Leap card covers Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead city buses, the Luas trams and DART and commuter rail within the city zone on one balance, and paying with it is substantially cheaper than cash. The TFI 90 Minute Fare is โฌ2.00 for an adult and lets you change between modes on a single charge, and fares are capped at โฌ6.00 a day and โฌ24.00 Monday to Sunday, so heavy users stop paying once they hit the ceiling. Drivers do not give change, so treat cash as a last resort.
- Leap card, topped up online, in shops or by app; personalised cards allow auto top-up.
- Young adults aged 19 to 25 and students with a Student Leap card pay half: โฌ1.00 a trip, โฌ12.00 a week.
- Express buses and Nitelink are outside the 90 Minute Fare and the caps.
- Daily and weekly caps apply automatically โ no need to buy a pass in advance.
The network
Two Luas tram lines cross the city, the DART runs along the coast from Malahide to Greystones, and commuter rail reaches Maynooth, Drogheda and Kildare. Bus routes have been progressively rebuilt into a higher-frequency spine network, which is faster than the old system but renumbered enough to confuse anyone using old advice. The coastal DART corridor is the reason so many people commute from Dรบn Laoghaire and Howth rather than living centrally.
Driving, and the licence problem
Driving licences from the EU and from a list of recognised states can be exchanged at the NDLS; licences from other countries generally cannot, which means learner permits, lessons, a theory test and a driving test with a long waiting list. Motor insurance is expensive for anyone without an Irish or recognised no-claims record, so get a letter of driving history from your previous insurer before you leave. The M50 orbital motorway has a barrier-free toll that must be paid by the following day or it escalates.
- Check the NDLS exchange list for your country before you assume anything.
- Ask your old insurer for a written no-claims history โ Irish insurers may or may not accept it.
- eFlow: the M50 toll is camera-based and must be paid by 8pm the next day.
Bikes, walking and the airport
Dublin is compact and much of the centre is walkable, cycling infrastructure has improved unevenly, and Dublinbikes covers the core with other schemes filling in beyond it. For the airport, frequent bus services run from the city centre and from several suburbs, and the journey is short outside peak and unpredictable inside it. Taxis are plentiful and can be hailed through apps; Uber in Ireland dispatches licensed taxis rather than private drivers.