This page describes transportation options, but it also provides some information to help you get around socially and some financial tips.
TFI: Transport for Ireland
Public transportation in Dublin is great. Trains, buses, and taxis are regulated and managed by TFI: Transport for Ireland. We never waited more than about 15 minutes for any ride, even late into the evening and on Sunday. For most bus and tram rides, the wait was less than 5 minutes.
You can obtain a Leap Card, which you can load with euros and pay for any bus or train rides. One pass, no cash—really convenient. They have fare capping, so if you spend more 7€ in a day, your fare is capped at 7€ and you can ride free for the rest of the day. There is also a weekly fare cap at 27.50€.
Bus
Several bus routes went past our apartment in Harold’s Cross, so it was always easy to get to the center of town and home again by bus. The buses go to the airport, so if you can handle your luggage (they have racks) you can get to your flight cheaply.
Luas (Tram)
The Luas (Irish for “speed,” also called “the Tram”) is a light-rail system with two lines: one north to south and the other east to west. The Tram is good for getting around the center of town.
DART
The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is a commuter train connecting Dublin to many nearby cities and towns. We took the DART to Howth, Sandymount, and other seaside towns.
Walking
Dublin is flat and very walkable. By combining short walks with public transportation you can get around quickly without a car. Unfortunately, Stephanie sprained her ankle early on, so we had to limit our walking.
And bikes? There are quite a few in Dublin, but even with bike lanes, the narrow streets and heavy traffic seem like they would be a challenge. In Dublin, UPS likes the biking option!
Talking with People
Ireland has two official languages: Irish and English. Because of the long association with Britain, everyone speaks English. Although Irish is taught in schools, most Irish people do not speak it. You do get to hear it on the bus and on trains because prerecorded station and information messages are presented in both English and Irish. Most museum exhibits contain signage in both languages.
There is no single “Irish accent.” Most people speak moderately accented English and we understood them completely. However, we did have difficulty understanding some people, especially older folks, whose accents were often much more pronounced. Of course, they have a lot of verbal expressions that we are not familiar with. One good one to be aware of is this: If an Irish person wants to get your attention, where we would say “excuse me,” they say “sorry.” You hear that all the time.
There is a great diversity of people in Dublin. We talked with working people from Brazil, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Tanzania, and Turkey.
Money
We became aware of two little tips to save unnecessary fees.
Dollars or Euros? The DCE Ripoff
DCE stands for Dynamic Currency Exchange. When you pay with a debit or credit card, like in a restaurant, the server swipes the card in a hand-held device, and many times you are prompted to choose: “Do you want to pay in dollars or in euros?” Always select euros. The euros will be converted to dollars when your account is charged. If you ask to pay in dollars, you are incurring a “conversion fee,” for example 3.5%, just so you can pay in dollars. DCE is a scam for the financial institution to capture the conversion fee.
Avoid Euronet ATMs
Euronet ATMs charge a steep conversion charge (up to 12%), when you can go to a major bank, such as the Bank of Ireland, where there are no extra charges.
Dublin 2019 