Ireland Guide
Dublin
Getting around
Though the best way to get to know Dublin is on foot, visiting the city's outlying attractions will entail use of the efficient and comprehensive public transport network.
Travel passes
A bewildering range of travel passes is available from the Dublin Bus office, newsagents and other shops displaying the Dublin Bus sign, and from DART and suburban railway stations. Bus-only Rambler passes are accepted on all routes except Airlink and Nitelink and cover one day (€5), three (€11), five (€17.30) and seven (€21) days. Alternatively, the Rambler Handy Pack (€18.30) consists of five one-day passes and is useful if you don't intend to travel every day, while the family one-day Rambler (€8.50) covers travel by two adults and up to four children. Additionally, there's the three-day Freedom ticket (€25) which includes travel to and from the airport on the Airlink service (so is best bought at the airport's travel information desk), all Dublin bus services (including Nitelink) and the company's hop-on-and off city tour.
One-day passes for the LUAS service cost €4.80 and a seven-day pass is €17.20 when purchased from station vending machines, but they're cheaper (€4.50 and €15.50) when bought from shops bearing the LUAS sign (usually found near a station).
A combined one-day bus and LUAS pass is €6.50 and a seven-day pass is €25 (there is no reduction in price if buying from a LUAS agent).
The price of most DART railway/suburban rail passes depends on the starting and finishing points of your journey. A three-day pass ranges from €7.40–14.20 and a seven-day pass from €15.30–26. Alternatively, to roam more widely around the service, a one-day pass is €7.20 and a one-day family pass is €12.40, while a three-day adult pass is €15.30. A combined bus/DART/suburban rail one-day pass costs €8.80, rising to €17.30 for three days and €30 for seven, and a one-day family pass covering these services is €13.50. A one-day LUAS and rail pass is €8.20 (there is no family pass for this combination). All of these passes can only be used in the short-hop zone (the entire DART network and suburban rail services as far as Balbriggan to the north, Maynooth and Celbridge to the west and Kilcoole to the south).