Hi, all. I think I understand your recommendations, but now I have a possible companion coming along, and I'd like to get this right.
We're going to a writing retreat for 10 days in Doolin. I'm flying into Dublin. It's my understanding that the best way to get to Doolin is a bus (Eireann?) from the airport to Galway, then bus to Doolin? That the train is not as nice? Please set me straight one way or the other:)
Many thanks,
Marjie
I don't know where this story of the train not being as nice comes from but it is basically claptrap. There is nothing at all wrong with Irish Rail.
The thing is that you have to catch a frequent direct bus from Dublin Airport to Heuston Station (4 an hour), €6 each way, before catching the train. The train is then broadly every two hours- https://www.irishrail.ie/getmedia/81529cec-6419-43db-9b2d-4563775766e6/06-Dublin-Galway.pdf
Because you can't book an Advance rail ticket, due to the vagaries and uncertainties of international air travel you end up buying one at the station which costs €30.45 Single or €43.35 30 day open return.
The bus is €17.50 each way and runs every 30 minutes. It is marketed as Citylink but is run by an independent company called Callinans as a franchise. Bus Eireann no longer run that route, but do run the Galway to Doolin bus. It doesn't matter how frequent the bus is from DUB to Galway when the Doolin bus #350 only runs 5x a day- at 0800, 1000, 1300, 1500 and 1800.
The 350 leaves from the Railway Station, not the Coach Station where the bus from DUB arrives- although they are only a short walk apart.
Agree with the above the trains we were on were clean and on time. The train stations were clean and orderly as well. we only used that buses in Dublin .
Thanks very much for the information!
Agree. We very much enjoyed the Irish trains. We only used buses to get where the trains didn't go.
