I'll be at the Dublin Airport for 5 hours on a connecting flight (Aer Lingus) to Paris. I will have my 4.5 year old (the Petite) and husband with me. We're not interested in leaving the airport. I am wondering how we should spend that 5 hours? I know that some of it will be spent in lines. For context, we leave from Boston at 9:30 PM our time and our flight is about 6 hours, landing in DUB around 8:30 AM, and then we leave for CDG at 1:40 PM. The Petite will likely sleep on the first flight. I'm thinking that it might make sense to just wake her up at DUB, feed her breakfast and find somewhere to play. Are there playspaces at DUB? Or anything else that would be appealing to a curious 4.5 year old? Ideally I'd like to keep her active and engaged (and awake), have her take a nap on the flight to CDG and then keep her awake again until we get to our hotel in France. She is also quite a foodie, but is egg allergic, so if anyone has any breakfast restaurant recommendations at DUB that are interesting and will accommodate allergies, that would be appreciated. Merci x 1000 for any insight.
Posted by
East Peoria, IL
800 posts
Don't know about play spaces, but the main, central lobby area is pretty lively with lots of shops, restaurants and such. Once through security to the gate areas, there's a lot less going on. Coffee shops, newsstand stores, etc., but not a whole lot else.
Posted by
Tacoma, WA
2 posts
I was just trying to figure out a strategy for us, we also have a long layover in Dublin. I was looking at going to Santry Park. It looks like it's a 30 minute bus ride. I'm not sure if it's worth it, but it might be nice to let the little ones run around a bit.
Posted by
3123 posts
We had a similar layover, in fact it might have been the same flights you'll be taking. We found Dublin airport pretty comfortable, with a large duty-free shopping area, eateries, and newsstands. We enjoyed buying a few British & Irish newspapers and reading through them. In terms of food, I only remember a pretty basic couple of takeaway counters -- but that was inside the terminal area by the boarding gates. I'm sure there is more selection outside, though you may have to go through security again to get from there to your boarding gate (I'm not sure).
This web page (2 years old) says there are "soft play areas in both terminals." One is by McDonald's (Terminal 1) and the other by Burger King (Terminal 2), she says. https://www.everymum.ie/my-family/travel/driving-and-flying/5-reasons-parents-love-dublin-airport/
The airport provides this official information for travelers with kids.
https://www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-information/travelling-with-children