Hi, anyone have suggestions on what to do for a very long 14 hour layover? One of the problems being we land at 1:00am and then leave at 3:00pm the next day, so not the most ideal for sightseeing! Has anyone done this? Any suggestions? Should we get a hotel and then try to visit Dublin a bit the next morning? I assume we need to be at the airport again at around 1:00pm for a 3:00pm flight. Any thoughts are helpful! (time of year is June)
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2450 posts
If you are returning to US from Dublin I would allow three hours prior to departure as you need to go thru immigration in Dublin and you never know how long that can take. Once we breezed right thru another time took a long time, well over an hour and a half. If you got up early I guess you have time to go into Dublin for an hour or two but I don't think it is worth it.
Posted by
Bend, OR
1041 posts
If you don’t get a hotel, what are you planning on doing? If you’re going to the US, you will need 3 hours not two. If you’re coming from US, you may have a couple of hours in the morning to walk around someplace, depending on how much sleep you need. Lot of dependo’s based on info given.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you for the replies. We are flying from Portugal, back to the US. I didn't realize we would need that long to get back into the airport. Yikes, thank you for that info. I don't normally give myself more than 2 hours. I think we will have to get a hotel, unless we want to literally sleep in the airport and then do nothing the next day. So, I am trying to decide if it makes sense to take a taxi to a downtown hotel or just stay at one by the airport? My thought was that we could get up and walk around the streets of Dublin in the morning before heading back to the airport. Does that make sense? Or would you just sleep by the airport and sleep in? Maybe save Dublin for a whole trip of Ireland. It just seemed like such a waste to go through and not see something.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Aircoach provides good service between DUB and the city center. Unfortunately, there's no service between 1:25 and 5:55 AM, so it won't help you get there when it might do the most good. There are two hotels right at the airport, the Maldron and the Radisson. That's where I'd go after a 1:00 AM landing.
In the morning, the bus (#700) runs between the terminal and the center (O'Connell Bridge) at 30-minute intervals and takes about 45 minutes each way. That would give you time for a very quick morning visit, though your bags would have to either stay with you or stay at the hotel (requiring a trip back there from the terminal). A taxi would free you from the bus schedule but take at least as long and cost considerably more. Maybe you could set up (for a high price) a round-trip taxi combined with a driving tour past some of the major sights, which are fairly close together.
Or you could reserve a room in the center and take a taxi there after landing, have a little morning time on the ground, and another taxi (or bus) back to the airport. That would probably be the most satisfying choice if you really want to experience a little of Dublin in your limited time. But you'd need to allow plenty of time to get from the city back to DUB in time for that international flight. Going through US immigration before takeoff will take awhile, though it will save time when you get home.
Posted by
Bend, OR
1041 posts
As Dick mentioned, you will need the 3 hours to get thru security and then US customs. Ireland being one of the few countries that does that. Just my opinion but I would suggest taking a taxi to a hotel in the city. I think it was about 30 euros and took maybe 20 minutes. That would give you a few hours to have breakfast and walk around a bit before heading back to the airport.