I got to know Dublin sort of well and I like to tell in a short blog post how to prepare yourself for a wild and very crowded city. And when I say crowded I mean it!
There are some terrible horror stories I could tell you of drivers not using the indicators, shouting at people why they crossed the street and showing the middle finger in the end.
Or bad accidents of just seeing a red substance on the ground and under a car is a mangled bike. Don’t worry, the cyclist survived, but it was still a shock.
There are not only horror stories to tell, but, since I am really concerned about your safety when you explore the city I should at least have mentioned it.
Good things happen as well. Like helping out pregnant women to deal with the big gaps between the platforms and the trains, the same for old people. And very often you hear a "thank you" or "thanks", sometimes "thanks a mill". But it is not only a regular one. It is a "thank you" which is truly coming from the heart.
FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE CITY CENTRE
First question I’ll answer is about the best way to get to the city centre. Since there are so many buses I would like to suggest the following bus numbers of the Airlink.
You can take the #AirCoach and some others, but the #Airlink is right in front of the exits and you can’t really miss it. You can buy a single or return ticket which has no specific date when you have to use it, you are already on the save side. The bus drivers are usually friendly and take time when you don’t know how to use the card.
Inside the bus to the right side is a small card reader. Just press the card against the surface and there will be a noise. Check in, take a seat and lets go. The different stops will be shown on a screen.
PRICES OF THE TICKETS
Single 7 Euro Return 12 Euro
The stores to buy the tickets are outside next to the exits. They have the same colours as the buses and you won’t oversee it. Schedules and stops you can find over here: AIRLINK EXPRESS
Languages can be changed in the upper right corner. And just in case you prefer to buy the tickets online you can do that as well.
THE SPIRE
I remember when I was the first time in Dublin… Overwhelmed and didn’t know where to go. But in the end it was easy to figure in what direction I have to follow , because as long as you are in the city centre and you see the spire from near or far you are doing alright. In case you are standing right next to the it you exactly know on which side of the river you are.
The spire is a monument which looks like a spike. It is tall and in the middle of the city.
To get to the Liffey you should have Penneys to the right side and behind you, on the right as well, should be a big old building. Just a few steps ahead you’ll find yourself in front of the Liffey. Now you have to cross it to get to the other side and you are in the south of Dublin. Easy to orientate would be to follow the humongous building with a big banner of Heineken on it.
A quick look at the map and you see a red dot next to the spire. That's it. The city centre and heart of Dublin. From that spot you can get everywhere you like.
THE 6 ESSENTIALS - APPLICATIONS YOU NEED!
These are the 6 Essentials you will need when you stay a little bit longer and want to explore the city. It is always good to install them before you go to Ireland. Specially when you don’t always have WIFI.
THE BIG 3’s Dublin bus, Irish Rail and Luas you can check the route, timetable and possible delays are shown as well. Which is good, because sometimes you think you just missed the dart and then you made it in time, because it was 7 minutes late.
GOOGLE MAPS Is useful to always find the location you want to go and to orientate. Now is the chance to figure out how it really works! Because, after you did some sightseeing by feet you realize how small Dublin actually is. And with small, I mean small!
TAXI TAXI More important is to know that not like in many other cities Dublin has a strange system of available Darts and Luas during the night. There are NONE. Even not during the weekends. That was a shock for me who enjoyed many weekends in Hamburg and Berlin. Therefore it is always useful to have the myTaxi app, just in case there is no bus coming soon and you missed the last dart. And to share 15 to 20 Euro to get out of the city centre in the direction of Malahide (North) or Bray (South) is okay.
LEAP CARD – THE MONEY SAVER First thing I would recommend when you are on your way to the dart you should get this card. You can buy it in the machines where you get regular tickets. The minimum of money you have to pay is 5 Euro.
It is better to top up the card with 20 Euro. Because then you don’t need to worry to much of getting out of money when you use the card. In general you save up to 60 cents per journey. Just imagine you are using the dart or the luas every single day. In the end 60 cents are worth a lot. Even a nice dinner in the end of the week, because you saved 10 Euro.
Next to it you always can top up the leap card. An easy check is done when you take a look at the ticket machine or while you have to go through the gate you see how much money one journey costs and the amount of credit you still have.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS ARE JUST - TRAFFIC LIGHTS
They are a nice little decoration in Dublin that’s all. Most of the people don’t really use them. Of course everyone who drives a car, bus, motorbike … But when you are just on the road by yourself or friends don’t wait until the Traffic Lights are green.
Everyone knows by now you are a tourist. Sometimes you have to wait up to 5 minutes until the lights turn green and that is a lot of time. Besides, there are a lot. It feels like a stop and go for everyone when you are in the city centre and it’s just important that you take care and always keep in mind to look to left and right before you cross a street.
For sure, I don’t need to tell you that you should keep your bag and important things such as a mobile phone, money, credit card, keys close to your body. The same for camera and lenses. There may be some pickpockets. It never happened to me, but friends told me that I should be aware and therefore I share the information with you as well.
That’s all for today.
I hope these little tips are helping you out for your first day in Dublin.
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Thank you so much and see you in the future,
Sina
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