4 Best Ways to Navigate Dublin Airport

So, after many long hours sitting on a plane, you finally made it! You’re in Dublin! As with other major airports such as New York, London and Paris, it can be a daunting task to navigate your way around each terminal to the arrival section. We’ve all been there, strangers in a foreign new land, so today we want to make airport navigation as easy as pie. The following is a series of tips and tricks from getting from point A to point B from the moment you land in the airport.

#1. Be prepared

As soon as you’ve touched down, you might feel as though you are in a football stadium as opposed to an airport due the masses of people making everything claustrophobic. Unsurprising given that in 2021, Dublin Airport accounted for 89.5% of Irish passengers handled in the third quarter of 2021, with more than 580 aircraft movements per day, is serves over 180 destinations in 40 different countries. In summary, Dublin Airport is a beehive of activity.

Some things to bear in mind as we mean to go on (some of these might seem obvious, but you never know).

1. Very important: bring your passport! Remember, it will need to be valid for at least six months after your intended return.

2. If you arrive from a non-EU country, you will need a visa; make sure you have the correct one. Information about visas can be found here.

3. Bring some cash! Most places accept credit cards, however, you will need some cash for small purchases – taxi, bus tickets, snacks… You will be able to buy some Euros at the airport.

4. Food: get informed on what food items are permitted and prohibited. You might risk delays, fines and prosecution, so be careful! To see what items are allowed into the country, click here.

#2. Learn how to get around

The international airport of Dublin consists of two terminals. We suggest that you familiarise which terminal you’ll be landing in beforehand, so it will be easier to get around.

Terminal 1 mostly welcomes passengers on short-haul flights, with the main exception of Air Canada, so there is usually no need to clear passport control. The busiest airline in this terminal is Ryanair. Here you can find a list of the airlines in this terminal. If you land in this terminal, you’ll arrive from Gates 301-303 and exit between carousels 4 and 5 – unless you arrive from Canada, in which case you will need to clear passport control before you get to the Arrivals Halls near carousel 9.

In Terminal 2, all passengers arrive by the same route. In the baggage hall, you will find six baggage carousels. This hall connects terminal 2 to the Arrivals Hall and the terminal 1 covered walkway. Here, you can find the list of the airlines in Terminal 2.

Once you establish which terminal you’ll land in, you may want to have a look at the maps of:

Terminal 1 Map

Terminal 2 Map

#3. Customs control is not that bad

You have now reclaimed your luggage at your terminal. The next step? Customs. There is no need to worry, as the protocol is very well-organised. If you have nothing in your luggage to declare, you can queue in the Blue Channel or proceed to red points if you need to make a customs declaration.

#4. The (too many?) options to leave the airport

Finally, you can get out of the airport and go enjoy you’re the fantastic sights the city has to offer. As you exit the terminal, you will see many buses with strange numbers on. Nothing makes sense, does it? This is why it is important to be well prepared!

The airport is fairly close to the city centre (roughly 10 km), and there are quite a lot of companies which offer the transportation service. For example, Airlink, the official Dublin Bus service, serves the airport with two lines, according to your direction.

The ticket is €6.80 for a single journey and €8.00 for a return ticket. You can buy the tickets in Terminal 1 (Bus and Rail Information Desk, vending machines at the Airlink Bus Stop and the Spar shop) and in Terminal 2 (Spar shop).

Should you wish to leave as quick as possible, a taxi will escort you out of the terminal. The fares to the city centre range between €20 and €30 according to the day of the week and the hours of the day. If you want to know the fare in advance, you can check the price here. If these services don’t suit your needs, here is the complete list of the transportation services the airport has to offer. Or just book an Uber.

Your new adventure in Dublin can finally begin to take the air!

It was worth the hassle, wasn’t it?