njsusan

We will be in Dublin on a Saturday and Sunday in late June.Everything that I have read says do not drive in Dublin.
Is it any worse then New York City?
How much would parking be?
We would like to stay outside the city and drive in on these two days.Should we rethink this.

Colduphere

There are two cities I don’t like to drive in – Dublin and Boston. I feel like my life is in someone’s else’s hands.

allisonm

We have done it and don't recommend it. Traffic is bad and different from NYC because you are on the "wrong" side of the road. You can easily come in on the DART or a bus from out of town and not have to worry about paying for parking.

nytraveler

Dublin is NOTHING like New York City. It's actually quite a small town (esp the tourist area), and while finding a parking spot can be a problem (but there are garages), I've been there 4 times and never seen anything even approaching what I would call heavy traffic. (Even though one cab driver apologized that the trip took so long - it was a breeze.)

It's true if some special event is happening a few blocks in the immediate area may be busy. But it's nothing like being stuck in crosstown traffic when it takes 30 minutes to go half a mile. Just make sure you have a map for driving (showing one way strets) rather than for walking.

roadlesstraveled

In two separate trips to Ireland, I simply wanted to drive into the city to park my rental car of the duration of my visit to Dublin. Even that small amount of driving was very difficult. It is nothing like driving in New York with its’ straightforward grid of streets. In Dublin, one minute you are driving on the street you want to be on and the next minute the street has changed into another street.

The last time I drove into Dublin from the countryside, I went straight to the bar in the lobby of the hotel and ordered a double I was so stressed out. Avoid it if you can.

irishface

Colduphere has it right--Dublin and Boston are pretty miserable driving arenas (and they do feel like arenas!). The streets are crooked and turn into another name at the drop of a hat and without notice. I would recommend staying in one of the suburbs and leaving the car until departure or a day in the country. The DART services are frequent and easy to manage. I have driven in the Irish countryside and towns, but Dublin, in MHO, is an accident waiting to happen. (Sorry my Irish friends.)

Clifton

I've taken the bus around Dublin but not driven. I wouldn't if I didn't have to. And I've driven in Marrakech and Thailand and places that had no traffic controls.

Agree completely NYC and Dublin are nothing alike. While NYC may have heavy traffic, it has some sense of organization. Dublin streets are just like irishface described. Cars are whipping in from everywhere!

sfgator

I was in Dublin last August; just be aware that there is a lot of construction in and around Dublin that adds to the challenge

nytraveler

The grid pattern exists in New York only above 14th St. When you go downtown you have all the one-way streets, name changes, little squares and you can;t get there from here that you do in any older city.

If you can manage downtown Manhattan (or Boston - also no big deal - have done it numerous times visiting relatives on Beacon Hill) Dublin is easy.

Colduphere

If you know where you are going nowhere is a big deal. Dublin is very confusing for the first/second timer. To me it felt like a combination roller coaster/pinball machine.

mariposa85

Its very difficult IMO. Even my friends who were brought up here find it a nightmare to navigate the one way streets - you end up having to drive all around the city centre because you can't turn directly into the road you want. I imagine it would be terrible if you didn't know the city at all. The traffic can be very bad as well - I really wouldn't bother. I would definitely come in on a DART or bus.

Padraig

Well, I'm a Dublin native now living outside the city. If I want to go to Dublin, I need to use the car. Unless I actually need it in the city, I prefer to park the car outside and use public transport -- even though I know my way around and where the car parks are. Who needs the hassle?

Sandylan

As a general rule traffic in Dublin on Saturday and Sunday is ok but you will have to pay about $4 an hour to park. A bus or a train is probably a better option for those who do not know their way around.There are taxis everywhere too.

Clifton

Below 14th does seem a little hectic and much less than squared off. I've spent some time down there, but not really like a local - only a week or so at a time. Heading for some time staying in Greenwich in a couple of weeks (getting excited again).

But compared to 5 or 6 roads intersecting at once in central Boston or the cars spinning into and out of roundabouts in Dublin, to me anyway, even Broadway and Wall St, etc seems very organized. I stand away from the edge of the sidewalks around St. Stephens lol. And still feel the breeze of lorries zipping by.

Of course, nothing may compare to the eternity of weaving around downtown Budapest trying to figure out how to make a left with the centered & raised tram lines and all, but I might still take that again over Dublin.

nytraveler

Broadway and Wall St are simple - it's the side streets in downtown NYC that are tricky.

Or trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic while going over the Willets Ave bridge, so you don;t get swept off to the south rather than the north, while huge trucks are bearing down on you bumper to bumper.

Or - my personal favorite - trying to drive the Bronx River Parkway (narrow, twisting lanes, no shoulders at all and nicks in the trees next to the road made by assorted car bumpers) at 60 mph next to a gigantic SUV that is wider than it's lane and pushing you out of yours and into the woods at the edge of the road.

Compared to that circling a block is nothing.

And roundabouts are easy if you know how to use them. (We do have a couple in this area so I'm used to them. If you're not they can be paralyzing.)

SiobhanP

Even if you stay outside of the city you can easily get transport in. Don't drive its nothing like NYC as its not a grid system, there are several one way streets and RECENTLY i SAW SOMEONE DRIVING DOWN A ONE WAY STREET THAT WAS IN A BUSY MAIN AREA. nOT WORTH THE STRESS AND A WASTE OF MONEY IN THE CAR PARKS. sTAY CLOSER AND PARK YOUR CAR AT THE b&b OR IF YOU ARE FURTHER OUT USE A PARK AND RIDE FACILITY LIKE THE lUAS HAS OR CLOSER ON ONE OF THE BUS ROUTES.

wHERE ARE YOU PLANNING TO STAY AS WE CAN HELP (sorr for caps!) with public transport routes.

colbeck

Drive in Dublin? Did it once -- never again!!

njsusan

Thanks for all the good information.We will stay in the city and park the car for the weekend.