Arriving in Dublin around 10am on a Wednesday in about a month (Sept 13) - need to get to Galway and was considering a train from Dublin or even a bus from the Dublin Airport directly. Was not sure about booking train tickets ahead of time given travel time (and passing through immigration at the airport) from DUB to a train station (and whether to take a bus or cab there) in the city center. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by
Lake District, England
7891 posts
The bus direct from the Airport to Galway is every 30 minutes, far more frequent than the train.
There is a frequent air link bus direct from the Airport to the Busaras (for Connolly railway station opposite).
If you buy your train tickets on the day you will pay about double the on line fare. On the Irish Rail booking site, choose the most expensive (right hand option) which is the flexible fare. That allows you to change or cancel your train up to 60 minutes before departure. So if you are late and have internet in the air (or have data after landing) you can amend as necessary.
With such a high frequency bus service (albeit 5 Euro more than the train) the coach does seem to be the better alternative.
Posted by
OP
Grapevine, Texas
27 posts
Thank you for that information! Seems easier to take a bus to Galway and perhaps we will do the train back as we won’t have any timing concerns (will take your advice on purchasing train tickets ahead of time ).
Posted by
S.F Bay Area (Marin)
291 posts
We took the bus a few years back and it worked well for us.
Posted by
188 posts
If you take the train, you have to transfer from the airport to the train station in Dublin. The bus leaves straight from the airport and is a direct drive to Galway. There was a quick stop in Dublin to pick up a couple of passengers, but we did not have to get off. The Galway bus depot is right at the main part of the town - easy walk to hotels. I think we allowed 1 1/2 hrs which was plenty of time to go through immigration and even pick up coffee and a pastry. I would definitely choose the bus again over the train - less expensive too!
Posted by
Lake District, England
7891 posts
less expensive too!
That is not factual. The train is actually the cheaper option if you compare advance booking for bus with advance booking for train. But even with the most expensive book ahead bus fare, the difference is only 8 Euros, which is immaterial in the overall cost of the trip.
Posted by
188 posts
isn31c - In looking at trip costs, I also considered the expense of a transfer from the airport to the train station in Dublin, whether taxi, uber, or bus. By the time you add that to the cost if the train ticket, the bus from the airport is a cheaper option. And easier, a short walk from the terminal to the bus as opposed to transferring to Dublin, and then transferring to the train. All in all, bus from the airport is a good choice.