Hello! I was just pondering what the best plan of action is for a trip I'm considering to Ireland in terms of Leap cards. I'm likely to have one day where I bash around the DART and Luas for most of the day so a travelcard like product would seem to be the best fit? It seem the visitor Leap card has an €8 24 ticket that would be suitable? The rest of the time I'm likely only doing point to point journeys (Luas from hotel to mainline railway station for instance) so a regular Leap card with PAYG would seem the best option? I see that a regular Leap card has capping but I'm not sure how that would work with say going from one end of a DART line to another and coming straight back? On Oyster that sort of behaviour would likely lead to incomplete journeys and maximum fares being charged! So would my best option be to get a visitor Leap and also a regular Leap?
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Dublin: Leap Cards
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Flying Snail
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The visitor card is definitely the best for your bash day as there is no worries about being tagged on or not.
I am not sure on your second situation, there is a time limit to prevent passback so you may have to wait between tagging out and back in at the terminus rail station.
With the 90 minute fare you can transfer repeatedly for €2 until the last tag on before 90 minutes expires.
The leap top-up app will read your card on any NFC phone and tell you the current balance and a short use history so if you are ever in doubt if you tagged on or not you can check.
Depending on your stay it may be worth it to get a 3 or 7 day visitor card instead of using the regular leap as well as the visitor cards are cheaper per day for multi-day passes than the 1 day
I am not sure on your second situation, there is a time limit to prevent passback so you may have to wait between tagging out and back in at the terminus rail station.
With the 90 minute fare you can transfer repeatedly for €2 until the last tag on before 90 minutes expires.
The leap top-up app will read your card on any NFC phone and tell you the current balance and a short use history so if you are ever in doubt if you tagged on or not you can check.
Depending on your stay it may be worth it to get a 3 or 7 day visitor card instead of using the regular leap as well as the visitor cards are cheaper per day for multi-day passes than the 1 day
- 1 day (24 hours) – €8.00
- 3 days (72 hours) – €16.00
- 7 days (168 hours) – €32.00
Thanks 
There is an outlay of €10 for the regular leap so if the 72hrs visitor works for your plans it would be less money spent than a 24hrs+payg, and no need to worry whether you are validated.
The visitor is a single use card, so if you need to use transport in other Irish cities for example (you mentioned going to a mainline station) it may still be worth getting a payg leap
The price has come down - it was €19.50 for 72hrs in 2018
The visitor is a single use card, so if you need to use transport in other Irish cities for example (you mentioned going to a mainline station) it may still be worth getting a payg leap
The price has come down - it was €19.50 for 72hrs in 2018
dubscottie
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A regular Leap is capped at €8 per day. If you were to use a regular Leap you would need to tag off at at a terminus, wait 10-15 mins and tag back on for your return journey otherwise you would be liable for a €100 fine.
With the 90 min fare you MUST tag on/off for every stage of your journey.
As already said, a visitor leap is probably your best option. You need to pre-order them online as the only place you will get one in Dublin is the airport.
With the 90 min fare you MUST tag on/off for every stage of your journey.
As already said, a visitor leap is probably your best option. You need to pre-order them online as the only place you will get one in Dublin is the airport.
dubscottie
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They must have them back in stock as you couldn't get them anywhere for a long time.
dk1
Veteran Member
Just ordered our 72hr Leap cards for next month. Only going to be in Dublin for 3 days anyway & need quite a bit of travelling to do what I’ve got to do whilst there on bus, Luas & DART. Add to that it gives access via Airlink it makes 16€ each a real bargain.
Just to feedback that everything worked out fine for me. The 24 hour visitor card worked brilliantly for what I needed to do when I was bashing may way around the DART and some of the Irish Rail commuter services as well. The Leap card then worked very well for the other bits and bobs I did whilst in Dublin to get around for a few point to point journeys.
The only problem was that having ordered the cards to my home address well in advance I then left them at home when it came time to travel to Ireland
Thankfully the main post office in Dublin on O'Connell street sells the visitor cards and the regular Leap cards can be bought from Irish Rail TVMs with ease so I ended up paying twice but all's well that ends well!
The only problem was that having ordered the cards to my home address well in advance I then left them at home when it came time to travel to Ireland
Thankfully the main post office in Dublin on O'Connell street sells the visitor cards and the regular Leap cards can be bought from Irish Rail TVMs with ease so I ended up paying twice but all's well that ends well!
dk1
Veteran Member
Oh no mate, that sounds like the thought of thing I would do. I’ve been to Dublin many times over the years so have my bearings. This ticket works fine as need more in the way of buses this time. Thank you.
AFAIAA you can reload a visitor Leap card up to five times. They can be obtained at various locations throughout Dublin including newsagents at the railway terminals, the Dublin Bus office on O' Connell Street, and Dublin Airport.
Flying Snail
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Airlink no longer exits, it never restarted after covid. The only buses the visitor leap card is valid on from the airport to the city are the 41 and 16 routes, 41 is more direct.
Dublin Express (National Express) and Aircoach (First) are the current express bus operators.
dk1
Veteran Member
Thank you for the update. Will use that on the way back. Going via Swords on arrival.
1D54
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Had 3 of these in the last couple of years. You can buy them online from the Dublin Tourist Board and they will post it to you free.
dk1
Veteran Member
Was surprised at no postage fee.
1D54
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I could have posted you one free and no charge for the card either. Ryanair cancelled a flight a few months ago and card is valid for a year from date they sent it. I'll not be using it.
RailWonderer
Established Member
I purchase the Dublin Express tickets for €14 return at the airport arrivals hall, which isn't too bad for a 20 minute ride.
I must admit, there was quite a lot of internal swearing going on when I realised what I'd done! It was then doubly frustrating as I realised halfway to the airport but didn't think I'd have time to turn around and go home to collect them. Only for the flight to be delayed by two and half hours meaning I would have had plenty of time to go and get them...
Yes it works very well, apart from when the idiot currently writing this message leaves the cards, that they carefully ordered online to make things smooth and easy on arrival in Dublin, at home
Another vote for Dublin Express. I pre-booked online (as I was only going one way coming from the city centre), the coach turned up on time, was comfy and quick. Think it was €8 which didn't seem outrageous.
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1D54
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Express is not a word i would use. The traffic can be horrendous.
When you think how popular that city is I'm surprised they have never built some sort of rail link.
When you think how popular that city is I'm surprised they have never built some sort of rail link.
I suppose to be fair I was travelling out of the centre around 10am so I'd have been very unlikely to have much traffic get in the way! Might have been a different story if I'd been travelling at 1730.
It is an odd one isn't it? It's not all that far away, three/four miles as the crow flies, from the mainline heading north towards Malahide and Drogheda so you'd think it wouldn't be to horrific to build an extension for the DART. Though I guess it might cause some problems in terms of messing with the current neat situation north of Howth Junction whereby both Malahide and Howth get a train to Dublin every twenty minutes.
poffle
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There is a currently a public planning enquiry in progress in Dublin into proposals to build a new metro line from Swords to south side of Dublin City centre via Dublin Airport. Oddly it doesn't run a far as a DART station on the north end to serve traffic from Drogheda/Dundalk direction to North Dublin City. And it will probably not be built to Irish standard gauge.
dk1
Veteran Member
The idea of a rail link and/or Luas extension has been on/off for the last 25 years that I recall.
1D54
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We had a few drinks at Gibneys Bar in Malahide last year and caught the Go Ahead bus number 102 from DUB to Malahide. It takes 40 mins and doesn't go via the centre of the city, it's a half hourly service from 06:00 - midnight and is really good option.
AlastairFraser
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I think the problem is you'd need Enterprise to stop at whichever Fingal station you chose to make it attractive from the north, which makes that difficult. And, even then, it would be difficult to attract passengers off the relatively frequent and comprehensive bus/coach links Dublin Airport is blessed with.
Having said that, a Metro park and ride at the M1 jcn north of Swords with free transfers off bus/coaches would be useful to ensure all public transport can be integrated into the new metro system with relatively little outlay.
dubscottie
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The option to top up visitor Leap cards may be withdrawn soon as its being abused.
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AlastairFraser
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Regular Leap top up should work as usual though, right?
Yes, plus they work nationally and can be auto-topped up via bank account.
The daily cap for all operators is 8 Euro in the Dublin (plus surrounding area) 90 minute zone for a standard adult card.
It costs 16 Euro for a 3 day Visitor card, hence the possible issue. However, the weekly cap is 32 Euro on a normal card so how big a deal this is, I'm not sure.
AlastairFraser
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So the only discount is for those wanting to travel 3 days a week, but maybe not more than that, for 2 days per week?
Yes, that's the only saving I can see. A fairly narrow use case, minus the inconvenience of having to replace the card after 5 top ups and it's useless outside of the Dublin 90 minute zone.
Regular Leap cards are widely accepted nationally.
Regular Leap cards are widely accepted nationally.
dubscottie
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Regular leap cards will work as normal. Visitor leaps... we will see what the NTA does.
I can't say too much here but the issue is people with foreign passports that live and work in Dublin (they claim they are tourists) and those that accommodate the hoards of Spanish school kids during the summer, seem have discovered a loophole.
It is possible to get 5 days out a 3 day card for example.
I can't say too much here but the issue is people with foreign passports that live and work in Dublin (they claim they are tourists) and those that accommodate the hoards of Spanish school kids during the summer, seem have discovered a loophole.
It is possible to get 5 days out a 3 day card for example.
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