I will be flying in and out of Dublin this summer with my family. We plan on spending two nights in Dublin before touring the rest of Ireland. Do we need to rent a car from an airport location? Just looking for the easiest, safest and most cost effective option. Wondering if we all need to shlep back to airport to pick up the vehicle. Also, is there a rental car company you can recommend? Thank you!! Laurie

We rented from Hertz (probably "Hertz Local Edition"), not at the airport. The specific rental location was a cab ride from our hotel, but it was easy, and there was a fabulous gourmet market right across the street. This was the closest in-town location for us. I think it was the one on Lotts Road.

And then did you return to the same location? Thank you so much for the info!

I was in Ireland last May and like you, I spent a few days in Dublin upon arriving in Ireland before renting a car to head to the west coast. Because I was going to be leaving Dublin, I chose to take a taxi back to the airport and head on my journey from there rather than pick up the car at a city location and navigate city traffic, especially because I wasn't familiar with driving on the left.

I rented from Sixt and returned the car at the Shannon airport. If you rent from Sixt, and want to return at Shannon, be aware that the company does not have a location onsite at Shannon airport. The drop-off process was a bit confusing and required us to leave the car in the parking lot at Shannon and deliver the key to the information desk inside the airport. I got a receipt for returning the key, but no one inspects the car upon return. I was a little concerned that we might be charged for damages we didn't incur, but the was no problem.

No, we returned it at Dublin airport. We drove that morning from Galway for our afternoon flight to Paris CDG.

Yes you can. You can pick up a rental car somewhere in Dublin and then return the car to Dublin airport (if that's what you are looking to do). Try Budget Rent a car Ireland.