Hello- We are arriving in Dublin off a red eye on a Thursday morning in late March. We plan to take a taxi to the hotel and then spend the day touring the city. We are staying in Dublin Thursday night near Stephen's Green. We plan to leave Dublin Friday morning and head towards Kilkenny to continue our tour of Ireland. On Friday morning, Is it better to pick up the car at the Hertz rental company walking distance from Stephen's green and drive across town to exit Dublin on R 110- or take a taxi back to the airport and then take M50 around Dublin towards Kilkenny? It looks like travel time between the two options could be similar depending on traffic. I would like to make the most of our day and don't want to head back to the airport, but if it is easier than navigating through Dublin, maybe we should? Any advice would sure be appreciated! Thank you!
Posted by
South East Ireland
23 posts
Hi Renee
If you are leaving after 9.30/10am It would be much easier to collect the car in the city centre, and head off to Kilkenny then. Rush hour will have finished.
You should be able to get to Kilkenny in about an hour and a half from the city centre by the motorway.
Another suggestion if you have time or are leaving earlier in the morning is to take in Glendalough and the wicklow mountains then go over to Kilkenny. If you heading out to wicklow, most of the traffic will be going in the opposite direction.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
I'd normally advise against driving in central Dublin until you have a lot of experience driving on the left. If this will be your first time then starting in Dublin city traffic would be a nerve wracking experience for sure, even though it appears to be a straight shot out of town.
I've generally found that starting from the airport has some advantages for me: starting the journey on the motorway helps me re-acclimate to the whole sight picture of driving on the left. Even though I've done it many times I'm still a little jittery starting out again - starting out on the M50 allows me to settle back into the rythm of things in a relatively forgiving environment.
The airport concessions open early - allowing you to be on your way well before the downtown offices open around 9 AM.
You'll stand a better chance of getting an automatic at the airport too, which is what you'll want for your first driving adventure in Ireland. The default rental ( and what you're likely to get at a downtown office) is a manual (with your left hand) shifter, adding an extra degree of difficulty that you don't particularly need on your maiden voyage.
With an early start from the airport you could drive to Glendalough via the old Military Road thru the Wicklow mountains and still be there before the tour buses start arriving around 9:30, which I highly recommend.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7148 posts
We rented at the airport at the beginning of the trip and dropped it off again before our stay in Dublin. We took the bus from the airport into Dublin. Unless things have changed, there is a fee for driving on the M50 (a few Euros) that must be paid prior to turning in your rental. You can pay it at many stores, but keep the receipt to show it was paid.
Posted by
1585 posts
We rented from the Conns Ireland location on the South Circular Road. From that location it was an easy and pretty straight shot to the N7 and the southwest. When we left Ireland we dropped the car at the Conns Dublin airport location for no additional fee. Conns also has an arrangement with the M50 so you don't have to pay the toll separately. It just gets charged to your credit card. I don't remember if there was a "convenience" fee. If there was, it was nominal.