O²K: Travel Information

Since Dublin has become a cosmopolitan European capital city, it is now one of the easiest cities to get to. This page is a brief guide to help you find your way here, but check out all the options from where you are. It certainly pays to shop around.

From Outside Ireland

By Air: Aer Lingus, British Midlands and RyanAir all have regular flights to Dublin from most parts of the UK. All of them have special offers at different times, so it's best to ring around to see what's available. Be warned: the cheapest seats fill up fast, so book as early as possible. For Aer Lingus bookings phone 0208-899 4747 in London or 0845-9737 747 for other areas. For British Midlands phone 0870 60 70 555. You can book RyanAir flights on-line at www.ryanair.com. While RyanAir are usually the cheapest, the others often offer competitive deals such two for the price of one.

When you get to Dublin Airport, get a bus or taxi to the city. A taxi will cost about £15 to the city centre, but if you're in a group it could be worth it for the hassle it saves. Private AirCoach busses run every fifteen minutes. They're a bit pricy at £4.50 but have the advantage that they leave you just across the road from the hotel (get off at the Gresham and cross the road). There are special 747 Airport busses to the city centre every 15 minutes, costing about £3. The regular number 41 bus is slightly less regular, but it only costs about £1.10.

Before you leave Dublin Airport make sure you pick a map of Dublin from the Bord Fáilte Tourist Office.

By Bus and Ferry: Overnight or daytime for £30-£40 return from Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Leeds or Manchester. You can get the Irish Ferries or Stenna Line ferry to Dublin Port, a short bus ride away from the city centre. The Stenna HSS fast ferry goes to Dun Laoghaire, but you then need to take a 30 min train journey into the city centre.

By Rail and Ferry: From anywhere in England or Wales via Holyhead (to Dublin Port) for around £60 day or night. Form Scotland via Stranrar and Belfast for about £60-£70. All of these should be bookable at your local railway station.

By Car and Ferry: From many parts of England and Wales it makes sense to drive to Holyhead and take the Irish Ferries or Stena Line ferry to Dublin. With prices from about £150 for a car and four people, this can work out quite cheap, even allowing for petrol. And if you stay a few days after the convention, a car is very handy for taking in a bit of the beautiful Irish countryside.

From Within Ireland

From most parts of Ireland getting to Dublin shouldn't be a problem. Trains or Busses are available from just about anywhere. These generally take you into the city centre, so getting to the convention is a relatively easy matter. Trains will come into either Connelly Station or Heuston Station. From Connelly, the convention is a short walk, but from Heuston it's worth getting a number 90 bus to O'Connell Bridge.

If you live in Dublin, we assume you can find the city centre!

When You Arrive in Dublin

Once you get to the city centre, finding the hotel is easy. From Connelly Railway Station, walk straight up Talbot Street (across the road from the station entrance) to O'Cennell Street. From Heuston Station, get a number 90 bus to O'Connell Bridge. From Tara Street Station (the best station to get the DART to), walk upriver to O'Connell Street.

The Hotel is on the left as you walk up O'Connell Street, next to the Garda (Police) Station, across the road from the Savoy cinema.

We have provided a small map of the city centre which we hope will aid you in finding it.