Good Transportation within Dublin

A lot depends on where you are staying/going--I largely walked, used bus one day.

The Leap Card is the way to go. There are two types of Leap- the national one which is a stored value card (so deducts each fare as it is used), and the Leap Visitor Card- you want the latter.

With the Leap Visitor Card you pay a set amount for unlimited travel- 3 days (72 hours) – €16.00.

A large part of the time I think you will be using the LUAS trams rather than buses, but that depends on your itinerary, The bus system is as good and comprehensive as in any large UK city.

The Leap Card is also valid on the DART rail service and on Commuter trains in the Greater Dublin area.

https://about.leapcard.ie/leap-visitor-card

I have been to Dublin four times, but I haven't spent extended time in the Irish capital since 2002 -- 22 years ago. I don't even know about this Leap Card that some posters speak of.

I'll confine my just two things: the DART rapid transit system, which is still around, is very reliable. Also, it's easy to learn the city bus system.

I have heard Dublin's Luas tram system is good. Ditto about the new commuter train system.

We spent 4 days in Dublin in May and used the 3 day LEAP card. We bought it at a Spar store (they are all over Dublin) and made good use of it. We did plenty of walking, but it was nice to be able to hop on a bus when we were tired (Goggle maps was pretty accurate about bus stops, routes, and when the next bus was coming). We also used it to get to the airport to pick up our rental car, so felt like we got our moneys worth.

I’m just about to leave on the 100X bus, having arrived on the bus from Heuston. The first bus cost €2. The 100X is €10, so the 3-day pass would not have been worth the cost for me. OTOH, I hit 13k steps yesterday. Everything is close. Where a rain jacket.

Thank you all for your thoughts. Much appreciated.

In Dublin last month we walked almost everywhere. Never used the LUAS tram at all. We did use the bus to get to Kilmainham Goal. from the city center it was 1.70 euro each per person each way (exact change only, bills not accepted). Bus seemed reliable, and we used Google Maps to find the stops and follow along with the stops once on the bus. A LEAP pass would be more convenient if you’re going to be taking more rides for sure.

Edited to add: I did see that you could buy single ride LUAS tram tickets at the stations, but coins were the only way on the bus unless you had a Pass.

Leap card does make things easy and the busses are good. I can’t remember why I didn’t use the Visitor Leap Card but I know I had a reason….. I bought the regular card for €5 at a Spar and put €10 on it - and used it in both Cork and Dublin. It also works in Galway but I didn’t need the bus there.

Google Maps did a good job of planning bus journeys. The trams looked really nice - my journeys were just such that the bus had better connections in Dublin. There’s a neat little app that scans your Leap card and tells you your balance and lets you add €5 (or more but not less) if you need to.

I saw a ticket machine at Trinity for individual tickets, but i didn’t notice them in other places. And not in Cork, where I used the card more.

We are family of 3, will travel by bus Eirean #350 from Ennis to Doolin. Can we use one regular leap card for the three if us or each person need his/her own card?

Do any Spar store sell the regular leap card?

Thanks

@ Holly- You need one Leap Card per person-
this interactive map shows where you can buy a Leap nationwide- if you put 'Ennis' in to the searchbar it will give you 9 different places in town where you can buy one- https://about.leapcard.ie/about/where-to-buy

This, hopefully, is the Fare Chart for the 350 Ennis to Doolin- https://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=415&form-fare-finder-service=350&form-fare-finder-from=Ennis+%28Bus+Station%29&form-fare-finder-to=Doolin+%28Doolin+Hostel%29&form-fare-finder-ticket=&form-fare-finder-submit=1

Scroll down and you will see the Leap fares versus the Cash fares.

If you go back a step from that page you will get the fare finder page which you can use for any Bus Eirrean service.

For anyone aged 16 to 25 they have to have a personalised leap with their photograph, which can only be done online- https://about.leapcard.ie/about/tfi-leap-card-types with the card then mailed to you.

One thing I was told (when buying 8 cards) but haven’t confirmed online: with the regular Leap Card, you can use one card for 2 people. I did not test this.

I actually bought mine at a Centra (sorry, not Spar) in Galway to use in Cork and Dublin. The link iscn gave you will help you find a location.