Athlone to Dublin City by Coach or Minibus
This is the trip a midlands club, school or social group makes to the capital for a match, a show or a museum day. The motorway gets you to the edge of Dublin in about an hour and a half. The last few kilometres, and the rules on where a coach may stop, are what need planning.
Journey
- Athlone to Dublin City
- Approximately 1h 30m
- Serving Athlone
The road east
From Athlone the coach takes the M6 east to Kinnegad and joins the M4. The M4 passes the Kilcock-Kinnegad toll point. Coming straight into the city on the N4, the coach crosses the M50 at junction 7 but does not drive the barrier-free tolled stretch between junctions 6 and 7. The drive time in our listing is the clear-road figure. A weekday arrival into the west of the city around the morning peak can add a good deal to it, so leave a margin before any timed entry.
Where the coach can set you down
Dublin City Council keeps on-street coach parking at a number of sites, with a two-hour maximum stay. Those spaces are for parking, not for loading. Boarding and alighting happen at a signed coach stop; Nassau Street, by Trinity, is one. Daytime bus gates at Aston Quay and Bachelors Walk keep private traffic off the middle of the quays, and College Green is closed to it around the clock. Your driver plans the set-down around them, so give the operator the venue address rather than a landmark.
Arriving from the west
The N4 brings you in on the west side of the city, which suits some draws better than others. The Guinness Storehouse has coach parking reserved on Market Street, and Kilmainham Gaol and Heuston are close to the same approach. Trinity College, the National Museum on Kildare Street and the Docklands venues are further in, through the busiest streets. Groups doing two or three stops often choose one set-down point and walk between the others.
Where does the coach go while we are in the city?
On-street coach spaces allow two hours, so for a longer day the driver usually goes to the National Transport Authority's coach park in the Docklands. The waiting arrangement is set out on the quote.
Can we be dropped right outside our venue?
Sometimes. It depends on the street, the bus gates and the time of day. The driver uses the nearest legal set-down and confirms it with you in advance.
How long does it really take?
About an hour and a half on a clear run. Allow more for a weekday morning arrival, a big match or a city-centre event.
Popular Transfers from Athlone
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