Most visitors will probably arrive at Dublin International Airport ( DUB ) .  Located about 10km (6 miles) north of the centre, the airport is has seen a program of development over the last few years, and now houses two terminals. Aer Lingus and all transatlantic flights arrive and depart in Terminal 2, whilst Ryanair and most other flights are based in Terminal 1.

Getting from airport to accommodation can be a hassle if you have not done some research.  No rail link, so the options are taxi, [hire car] or bus.  A taxi to the city cost €22 - €35 depending on the time of day, traffic, destination etc.  Taxi drivers are (largely) helpful, entertaining and informative.

Aircoach operate two 24 hour routes to the city centre which go on to serve the suburbs of of Leopardstown, Donnybrook, Sandyford and Ballsbridge. First stop is  O'Connell St. then going to the suburbs via many hotels. The combined frequency is every 10 minutes. Fare is €7.00 one-way. €12 return to the city centre or  €8.00 one way and  €14 return to the suburbs.

In addition to the previously mentioned routes operating via the city centre, Aircoach offers three additional 24 route serving mostly the south side of the city, areas served include Dalkey,  Blackrock, Sandymount, Dun Laoghaire, Ballinteer, Dundrum, Churchtown, Terenure and Templeogue. Fares and timetables differ by route - check the Aircoach website for more information.

Dublin Bus operate an express service from Heuston Train Station to and from Dublin Airport known as the Airlink route number 747 this route serves the City Centre, Busaras, Connolly Train Station, the Convention Centre and the O2 see link for route and fare information http://www.dublinbus.ie/PageFiles/728... One way fare is 6euro and 10euro return Better value can be gained by getting a freedom of the city ticket costing 26euro which gives 72hrs unlimited Dublin Bus travel on all scheduled services as well as the 747 and the hop on hop off tourist bus. More info on the freedom of the city ticket can be found at http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Tourist-In...

Dublin Bus also operates several local services which are considerably cheaper than the express buses. Most useful of these for visitors is probably route 16A which traverses the city from north to south. Another useful route is the 41 which terminates at Abbey Street in the city centre beside the LUAS red line. The 102 links the airport to some northern suburbs, including Malahide which is on the DART rail system.  This is useful if your destination is close to a suburban DART station.  On regular buses the fare can be paid in coins only - notes are not accepted. If you put more in the farebox you will receive a refund receipt, not cash.   

For details of reaching many hotels from the airport by public transport, see the Inside Dublin page From Dublin Airport To Your Hotel.

For visitors arriving at Dublin airport but heading further afield, there are several long-distance bus services direct from the airport.  Aircoach offers services to Cork  Bus Eireann operate services to Belfast, J.J. Kavanagh & Sons operate 2 routes to Waterford and Limerick, and  Citylink and GoBus.ie operate to Galway.  For more details, see the Dublin Airport site  Many other destinations in Ireland can be reached either by taking the 747 bus and changing at Bus Aras or Connolly or Heuston rail stations. 

If you travel by ferry from Britain you will end up at either Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire.  The former lies about 3km (2 miles) east of the city centre, the latter is a suburban town about 11km (7 miles) south of the centre. 

For additional information on getting around Dublin, please see TripAdvisor's other traveler article: Getting Around.