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Hop on/Hop off bus on arrival day?

Hello!

My husband and I are leaving in a few days and headed to Ireland and London. Our first day will be in Dublin and we are arriving to the airport at about 8am. We have made arrangements to check in (at least our luggage) at our hotel upon arrival and then plan to tour around a little in the city to keep ahead of the jet-lag. (I am not really able to sleep on planes, so this will be especially important for me) We will only be in Dublin that one day, so we would not be able to take advantage of the second free day.

My question is, will the hop on/hop off bus pass be worth it for us? It seems expensive given that we really will not have the energy to see a great deal. We plan to go a fair bit of walking, and we will go to the Guinness Storehouse late in the afternoon (I want to see the sunset at the Gravity Bar). I am sort of leaning to just the city bus/tram system given that it will be significantly cheaper. Perhaps I am thinking of this a little narrowly? I'm hoping that some of you may have suggestions.

Thanks!

Sharon

Posted by
2449 posts

Sorry cant help you with the hop on bus but just want you to be aware if it is a rainy, overcast day you won't see anything from the bar. Only went to the Storehouse once and we couldn't see anything from the bar due to the weather. Just something to keep in mind.

Posted by
10 posts

We took the Hop on-Hop off bus when we were in Dublin a few years ago. They have a stop for the Guinness Storehouse - it was very popular; I wish we would have taken advantage of it. We tried to go to Guinness on our own the next day on foot and it was a complicated trip, we only found it when a helpful native ran up to us and gave us explicit directions. There are variations on the Hop on-Hop off bus. One looked like a Viking ship instead of a bus. We went to Jameson's the same day - it was an easy trek on public transportation. We heeded the Rick Steves advice to volunteer at the start of the tour; that made it more enjoyable.
Good luck.

Posted by
1 posts

We arrived in Dublin in the morning as well. Took the Hop a bus and really enjoyed it. You could ride around the complete loop once, then again to get off at places you were particularly interested in. I still think it's a good deal, even if for a day.

Posted by
740 posts

I did much of what you are thinking about a few years ago. Arrived in Dublin from US in morning (very jet lagged). Took public bus to hotel near Christchurch. Checked-in and then caught the HOHO bus to tour the City. Eventually got off at Guinness, did the tour (boring) and had my pint at the Gravity Bar. Finished the day at the Food Folklore and Faeries show at the Brazen Head Pub that evening (well worth it).

Having been there once, next time I would skip Guinness and instead spend time at Kilmainham Jail. Much, much more interesting than Guinness.