You do not need a car in Dublin. Indeed it might be rather counterproductive to use a rental car as a tourist in Ireland's capital city. Average speed is at just over 8 mph, parking spaces are awkward to find as well as expensive and you will be stressed out. It is a far more sensible idea to use public transport - here are your choices available:
Buses
If you are planning on following the established tourist routes joining a hop-on-hop-off tour is advised. Tickets are valid the whole day and the buses will take you to the major attractions on circular routes.
For anybody feeling more daring or wishing the go off the beaten track Dublin Bus is the main provider of services. A few deregulated routes are now in place but they are commuter routes, not really useful to the majority of tourists. The routes serviced by Dublin Bus can be long-winded and connections might be inconvenient ... but you will get almost anywhere in the capital and suburbs for an affordable price. Cruising through Dublin on the upper deck of a doubledecker is an unique experience well worth a few hours. Get all information on routes and tickets online or at the Dublin Bus office in O'Connell Street. The size of buses used varies from converted vans ("Imps") through regular and articulated buses up the massive three-axled doubledeckers. the age of the fleet is as diverse, with some vehicles emitting creaks and groans at every opportunity.
Be aware that bus services on weekends are far less frequent. And keep in mind that the bus system falls asleep long before midnight - after this hour only a few Nightlink buses ply their trade. These are often extremely crowded and take ages to arrive at whatever destination you are heading to.
If you need to get to the airport (or want to go into Dublin after arriving) you have three choices. The normal Dublin Bus route servicing the airport will take you into the city center eventually and has the advantage of low cost. The dedicated 747 Airlink is a quick service between the airport and the center provided by Dublin Bus, a special ticketing system with a higher price applies. Top of the range in comfort and price are the blue Aircoach buses run by a private operator and servicing most city center hotels.
LUAS
The trolleycar was reintroduced to Dublin only fairly recently and two routes are available. These are mainly geared towards the commuter and shopper and are of limited use to the tourist. LUAS lines are color-coded, though the color is not used on the outside of the sleek silver-grey vehicles.
The Red Line starts at Connolly Station, runs parallel to the Liffey until crossing south near Heuston Station and finally terminating in the suburb of Tallaght. As this line connects O'Connell Street with the Four Courts, the National Museum in Collins Barracks and (at a stretch) the Phoenix Park it is of some touristic use.
The Green Line starts at St Stephen's Green and goes out to Sandyford, unless your accommodation is near a halt this line is not very useful.
DART
The Dublin Area Rapid Transport (DART) is a very simple "system" - trains run from Howth in the North to Greystones in the South and back at regular, frequent intervals, the tracks roughly follow the contours of Dublin Bay. You cannot get lost here, you just can go into the wrong direction. The DART connects the city center (Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse Street Stations) with the coastal suburbs and are ideal modes of transport for the visitor heading out. Beware the rush hour, however, trains can be packed.
Suburban Rail Services
For journeys further out of Dublin, the suburban lines are an alternative to a rental car. Trains from Connolly Station leave for Malahide and Skerries (north), Castleknock and Maynooth (west) or Wicklow (south). Kildare can be reached from Heuston Station. Take note that these train services are far less frequent than DART services.
Taxis
Taxis are regarded as part of Dublin's public transport system and since deregulation finding a taxi has become less of a problem. This is the good news. The bad news being that "cabbies" are not required to have in-depth local knowledge and that the vehicles used must fulfill the main requirement of having four doors. Taking a taxi can thus result in sharing very cramped confines with a driver totally lost. Detours for the sole benefit of hiking up the fare are not unknown, especially if the passenger is identifiable as a tourist. Thankfully these rogue operators are in the minority.
Taxis are recommended to avoid walking sidestreets at night or to save journey time if there is no alternative direct service. A taxi to and from the airport can also be an advisable option, especially if you are not in any accommodation serviced by the airport bus routes.
