If you want to get around Ireland via public transport you are in luck. Ireland is kitted out to be easily accessible to travel while using public transport, with hourly buses and trains to most major towns and cities and regular commuter buses to smaller surrounding towns and villages. Cities like Dublin, Galway and Cork also offer city bike schemes with easy sign ups. 

Best Travel Sites To Help You Plan Your Route

• Transport For Ireland (TFI) – TFI is a helpful website for helping you plan your travelling routes and methods. With TFI you enter your departure location, your destination location and your time of leaving and press search, you will then be presented with the best options, the time it will take, the costs of each different option and a detailed step by step (including a map)
• Google Maps – Google maps is quite similar to the above, but offers slightly less information with regards to the costs of each journey, but if English isn’t your native language Google Maps may be the better option to start with initially to get the best understanding of your options and routes as it will provide the information in your chosen language.

Travel Options

Walk – Obvious, yes. Walking is the easiest way to get around most central city areas like Dublin, Galway and Cork, it is also the ideal way to get around little towns like Dingle / Cobh or Kinvara.
Bike Rental – Another great way to get around central areas is to rent a bike for a few hours. If renting a bike to site-see we recommend

•  Dublin Bikes (a self-service bike rental system open to everyone from 14 years of age. With 40 stations, you can travel throughout the city centre, commute between home and work and get out and about to enjoy Dublin city at your leisure, just collect a bike and drop it securely back to a station), you can use Dublin Bikes with a Leap Card (info below).
• Bleeper Bikes is similar to the above and probably more accessible to tourists. 
•  GreenAer an electric bike rental company.

Bus – Ireland has a great bus system to help travellers get around

• Dublin Bus – Operates throughout Dublin
• Bus Éireann – Operates regular buses daily throughout Ireland
• GoBus – Operates regular buses daily throughout Ireland

Rail – Ireland has a great railway system throughout. There are three different types, which we have listed below.

• Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) – Irish Rail operates throughout Ireland and is one of the fasted way to get around. With hourly trains to most destinations.
• DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) – The DART operates throughout Dublin and the wider Dublin area (to Dublin suburbs like Bray, Greystones and northbound as far as Dundalk, County Louth)
• LUAS (Irish for speed) – The LUAS services has two routes in Dublin, the Green Line (From Carrickmines / Sandyford / Dundrum or Cabra / Phibsrough into Dublin City Centre) and the Red Line (From Citywest / Tallaght to Dublin City Centre) 

Traveling From Dublin Airport

If arriving into Dublin Airport and wondering how to get to Dublin City Centre or other locations you have three options.

• Car Rental – To see the most competitive car rental prices click into – Kayak 
• Bus – There are many different bus options for when you are leaving the airport, no matter how far you are traveling in Ireland. For full info to see your best options click into – Buses From Dublin Airport
• Taxi – There is a constant string of taxis in operation at Dublin airport 24/7. If you would like to calculate your fare from Dublin Airport to your destination click into – FARE CALCULATOR.

Travel Cards
Leap Card(Best For Dublin City & Bus / Rail)While traveling around Ireland you should consider getting a Leap Card (The TFI Leap Card is a contactless smart card for automated fare collection overseen by Transport for Ireland) for easy and convenient travel. The Leap Card can be used on Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland, DART and Commuter Rail, Luas and Bus Éireann. There is a Leap Card app (which you can download – HERE) which allows you to top up your leap card instantly. You can purchase a Leap Card in one of over 650 outlets across Ireland, they are available in most corner/ convenience shops. You can save up to 31% by using your Leap Card while travelling across Ireland. 
Open Road (Best for bus travels)Bus Éireann offers a tourist travel card – Open Road allows travellers to hop-on hop-off ticket that gives you the freedom to explore Ireland at your own pace and can be purchased from a ticket machine in any Bus Éireann bus station. For more information or fare prices click into – The open road passes can be purchased from a ticket machine in any Bus Éireann bus station upon your first journey purchase.
Iarnród Éireann(Best for train travellers – Info for tourists is at bottom of link page)Irish Rail / Iarnrod Éireann offers two types of tourist passes that can be purchased at any ticket office at any Irish Rail station upon your first journey ticket purchase. The two types of passes are

• Trekker Four Day – Four consecutive days of unlimited travel on all Iarnród Éireann services in the Republic of Ireland from the date of issue on the ticket. €110
• Explorer – offers customers 5 days unlimited travel out of 15 consecutive days on all Iarnród Éireann services in the Republic of Ireland for only €160 for an Adult and €80 for a child*. (*Prices shown are standard class fares.)

If you would like any help planning your trip around Ireland and wondering the best modes of transport most suited to you and your trip check out our Personalised Tour Page and get in touch and let us help you plan your Perfect Irish Trip Here