Probably because I'm sick and tired of the urine-caked seats and the often-foul odors that…read morecontaminate my city's most famous metro system (BART), I am genuinely envious of other cities' public transit systems, especially those I've experienced in Europe, because they are usually a marked improvement over what we have in San Francisco. Case in point: Dublin has an excellent light rail tram called the Luas, a public transit system that worked really well for me when I was staying in a hotel down south near Sandyford in October. Now BART has been around since 1972, so I would begrudgingly expect the sadly frequent breakdowns that occur at the most inopportune times. However, the Luas has been open only since 2004, and I immediately noticed how clean the cars look and how smoothly they operated (see photos). I took the Green Line from Kilmacud, and my journey would take about fifteen minutes to the terminus at St. Stephen's Green right near Grafton Street. No breakdowns, no inordinate waiting at subsequent stations. Tickets cost € 4.50 round trip from my zone (Green Zone 3). Like most of Europe, payment works on the honor system in which a conductor may periodically show up and validate that you are indeed a paying passenger. There's an abundance of standing poles and folding seats to accommodate the rush hour traffic, a smart design move which I wish they would replicate in San Francisco. Currently the Red and Green Lines don't intersect, but that's part of the long-term plan. For now, Dublin can stand alongside Copenhagen, Lisbon, Barcelona and the other European transit systems that make me want to kick the collective derrieres of the BART Board of Directors.

As a regular visitor from NY, I enjoy using Luas (a tram system), both Red and Green lines. When…read morecombined with a short walk, great alternative to taxis. Regularly use it to get around Dublin. Abundant windows provide great views of the city at street level (pic uploaded). Station signage tells you wait time, usually measured in minutes (pic uploaded). Youths can be loud at times, but I feel safe using it. If I lived there...I'd feel frustrated. Luas is slow. Operates at street level (though traffic lights are synced with Luan). Concept of an express train would not work since tram must stop at every station. The two lines don't connect with each other. And Luas fails to connect with the airport. As a modern city, Dublin needs a rapid transit below ground. Tip: Luas operates on the honor system. Buy your ticket before boarding. Pay attention to the zones you will be traveling. During my 6 Dublin visits, I have been subject to two random inspections for proof of payment. Did not see anyone removed and taken to the gallows :)

Honestly, this reminded me of the South Shore Line from Chicago to Michigan City(or South Bend),…read moreexcept that the seats gave you a teeny tiny bit more legroom, are cloth seats(a la the CTA subway in Chicago, which OTOH theirs doesn't have any padding), and have padding to them(a la Metra commuter rail in the Chicago area). And also, all the stops are high platforms above track level, and that none of them are still low level platforms, a la most South Shore stops(except Dune Park) between Gary Chicago Airport/Clark Road and Hudson Lake. I kinda wish there were more shops and places to eat at Connolly Station, since that's one of those things that Randolph St/Millennium Station beats Connolly Station at, oddly enough. Those comparisons aside, we took the train to Howth, and it was a fine train ride out there. Aside from the fact the scenery was kind of a little depressing for the first few stops north of Connolly Station, till you got a little south of where both branches of DART split off(one to Malahide, the other to Howth which I and my family took). One of the north stops before the Malahide and Howth branches split off had a mural painted on that platform I could see from the train, that was interesting. Tried to get a pic of that, but it didn't come out. The scenery really did catch my interest between Sutton(2nd to last stop) and Howth, including the homes you could see off the train route that looked very nice. And the trains running every 30 minutes apart at off peak times till 11:55pm(from Howth only to Connolly Station by that late, though an hour earlier and you could take it to the stations south of Connolly) isn't bad. Though we headed back before then. The LUAS(tram system) has some trams ending their eastbound runs at Connolly instead of the regular eastern end(don't remember that station's name) of that line. And I thought that was nice they make it easy to transfer between LUAS and trains going to/from this station. I didn't feel threatened, but I agree there probably are occasional sketchy people you should watch around for when you enter or leave this station. No worse than at Randolph St/Millennium Station for Metra and South Shore, though. On the platform I didn't have any issues, since you go through a turnstyle where you insert your train ticket before entering. I'd use DART again if I ever return, whether that was to go to Malahide or any of the stations south of Connolly Station.

The DART has always been a fascination for me. My mother has been bringing me on it since I was…read moreabout eight months old, so I hold many dear memories of whizzing by Howth bay on this giant green mechanical caterpillar. Of course, you wil have difficulties remembering your fond memories when you're late for work and standing on a crowded platform while staring at that little red led light turn from four to three to...four again

Super easy to figure out how to get from the airport into the city center. It's the Dublin Express…read morebus. Follow the signs from baggage claim to ground transportation and you can buy a ticket at a couple of spots along the way including from an attendant at the curb. (If you don't purchase a return ticket, you can buy it from the driver.) The bus makes a few stops - ask the attendant which one works best for you. Also ask about your return as some pickup spots are better than others. Load your bags and off you go. They will ask that you wear your seatbelt and I'd suggest it. If the driver makes a short stop in traffic, and you're having an encounter with the seat in front of you. Don't do that. 30 minutes or so and the bus is making its first stop in Dublin. Along the way, the bus had USB outlets and wifi. Great for figuring out where you're headed next! It was comfortable and speedy and short of a direct train, the best way to get downtown. [Review 1810 of 2024 - 71 in Republic of Ireland - 22832 overall]

This would be a 5 star if it werent for the back tow during full capacity seems just a tad…read moreovercrowded. But when it isnt, it's a cheap and great way to get into the city and back. for 10 euros one way it's already solid but if you do roundrtip its 14 total so pretty darn cheap and it's quite efficient if you are going terminals to city center.

I've ridden the light rail and metro in five dozen cities around the world, including Tokyo,…read moreTaipei, Düsseldorf and Dallas. Dublin's Luas (Gaelic for "Speed") is just as good as any mass transportation network there is. The trams are clean, modern, efficient and speedy. The stops seem to be more targeted for the locals than the tourists but they work fine. Ticket kiosks are easy to understand and if you purchase and put value on a Leap card, you'll save a bunch and not have to be concerned with tickets. Just tap and go plus they work on the buses. I've not been asked to verify my ticket. I am sure that they do check them, but I've not seen it happen. The Green Line (of course it's green - this is Ireland!) opened in 2004 and with the addition of the Red Line a few years later, there are now 67 stations and enough miles of track to host a marathon. With stations across the city, the Red and Green lines get you just about anywhere except the airport. For that, you need a bus. Like lots of cities, Dublin's International Airport is a good ways from downtown. I felt as safe on the Dublin Luas as I did on any other metro anywhere. [Review 1991 of 2024 - 171 in Republic of Ireland - 23013 overall]

I took the Luas tram to get around Dublin. Luas is the Gaelic word for speed. The tram is very…read moresimple and easy to navigate. There are only two lines, a Green Line and a Red Line. The two intersect each other in a simple cross shape, so it's impossible to get lost. Just make sure you are going in the right direction. Green basically runs north to south, and Red runs West to East. The lines also connect to commuter trains that will get you to further places outside the city. For example, I was able to transfer over to the DART train to visit the village of Howth.

I love this line. Bummer that it's under construction so it doesn't run downtown at the moment. It…read morewould be great to be able to get to the city center via tram instead of walking or bus. Plus it's so much faster the car travel. The payment scheme is a tad unclear. On none of the rides has anyone asked for our tickets and it's not clear if they are one way or return. Still nice. Convenient. Clean. All the important things.

The ticket checker will target you if you're tourists. We were on the busiest tram and he pushed…read morehis way on just to check our leap cards. He then proceeded to fine us because we forgot to tap on.

St Kevins Bus is the easiest way to get to Glendalough from Dublin city. It beats taking any other…read moretransport because it goes through the scenic countryside and drops you off in front of the attraction's tourist centre. Unlike the public bus that takes ages and drops you off miles from your destination, this bus service allows you to get there without the stress. St Kevins Bus departs from Dawson Street at 11.30 am in the summer months. It takes an hour and a half to get to Glendalough because it makes a stop at Roundhouse in Wicklow to pick up more passengers. A return journey costs 20 Euro and pick-up is at 4.30 or 5.30 pm. I highly recommend this mode of travel. The buses are clean and air-conditioned. There's plenty of available seats and the journey is quiet and relaxing.

This is such a good service and one I've been meaning to take advantage of for years…read more The bus leaves Dawson street at 11:30, which was a good time for us, gave us enough time to have a little lie in, make a decent breakie to set us up for the day and then make our pack lunch. We arrived roughly before 13:00, bought a walking map from the visitors centre and headed off on our 9KM walked around the lakes and the Glenealo Valley. If the distances on the map are correct and I would say that they are, from the drop off point of the bus, we did 12KM in all and boy do our legs feel it today. Anyway I digress... so the bus then departs Glendalough at 17:30 to go back to Dublin, which gives you 4.5 hours to see the place. Which is more than enough to tootle around the monastery, the nearby lakes and waterfall. It's just enough time to do the Spinc and Glenealo Valley (White Route) at good pace. I was taken aback by the price of the bus ticket though, 20EUR return from Dawson street. I think this is steep, even for Dublin. But I guess if you are the only direct bus service from Dublin to Glendalough, you can get away with it. I would probably use this service more often if it was cheaper. So I dropped a star for that. My partner made the point that if you've got four/five people altogether who want to go to Glendalough, it would be just as easy and more flexible to hire a car for one day. I am inclined to agree with him. * please check prices and timetables on their website in case any of what I've mentioned has changed!

I rode the Luas Green Line to the Dundrum Shopping Center and really enjoyed my experience. The…read moretrains are clean and run frequently. The announcement for each stop is clear and it doesn't cost too much to ride. My only wish is that there would be better markings as to where the stops are located and how to get to the stop's main attraction after you get off. For the Dundrum Shopping Center, for example, I had to follow the crowds and guesstimate as to where the mall was located, since it wasn't apparent from the signs near the Luas. Also, it is closer to get off at the Balally stop than the Dundrum stop so would have been nice to know that as well.

The Luas is great! Ive been taking Dublin Bus for years now an recently moved and have the pleasure…read moreof using the Luas for my travels now. No traffic, Every 10-15mins, Tons of seating, Always clean. I use the Leap Card to pay for it an its really convenient to top up directly at the stop. However for people using it without a luas card it loosed one star for its pricey tickets. As Its pretty expensive.

RIP to this beautiful mess of a bus route. The 17 has been replaced by the (hopefully) more…read morereliable S6, but only time will tell whether it was worth it. Can the sweet memories of the 17 really be overwritten by the swanky S6? TUNE IN SOON. The 17 was a funny bus - it could sometimes be single decker, sometimes double decker, and almost always showed up late or just fully went missing! It was a great bit of fun, standing in the cold, shivering in the sea breeze at Blackrock DART station, waiting to see if the bus would show . . . Even the ancient art of lighting a cigarette couldn't guarantee the arrival of this silver slug (that's the opposite of silver bullet). Anyway, this bus took you places. Usually, uh, places you didn't really need to go, at a pace that even a yummy mummy could out-do, but we loved it, cherished it, and will honour its memory by standing wistfully for hours at its previous stops, like the good old days!

The easiest way to navigate through Dublin is by using their public transportation system. Take it…read morefrom me, I use GPS to find the bathroom. Just kidding, but I use it a lot. When I say easy, I mean easy. If you do find yourself needing a bit of assistance the drivers are helpful. Comfy cushioned seats and charging stations for your electronic devices. I sat u top to take in the views. There are also officers that randomly board to make sure every rider has a ticket. I can't wait to go back.