gracetalusan3654

Hi -- I know this has been asked in the forums already, but nothing really recent and going the wrong direction.
I'm flying with my two kids (11 & 14) for two weeks in Switzerland in late May. We have a 6hr 30min layover in Dublin -- arriving at 10:25am and departing at 4:55pm. We're flying with Aer Lingus the entire time, so our bags will be checked through. Is it enough time to go into Dublin? Or somewhere north?

Thanks for any advice.

janisj

Welcome to Fodors. Assuming you land on time you could maybe do something like the Croke Park Skyline which is about 6 miles from the airport. https://crokepark.ie/skyline but you'd have to lug your carry ons or queue to drop and pick them up ay Left Luggage.. You won't have anywhere near 6 hours. Count on 30-60 minutes to clear immigration and will want to be back at the airport by 3PM at the VERY latest. Earlier would be better and definitely earlier if you stored your carry ons at Left Luggage. So 4 hours max free time but likely less - and that includes travel times.

I would not attempt to go into the city - it takes 45 mins to an hour each way to get into the city centre by public transport and 20-30 mins by taxi.

If it was me, I'd either stay at the airport - or - get a day room at an airport hotel.

ANUJ

Just adding to Janis' post above and having flown Aer Lingus (Manchester - Dublin, a regional flight) fairly recently, their punctuality track record isnt exactly stellar, so that adds some uncertainty to planning.

AlessandraZoe

My sympathies. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Too little and too much time.

Luggage:
You've made it clear your luggage is good to go. So that's one step done. Good.

Timing at DUB:
It can be bad. Really bad. We were surprised during our 2023 trip that our return flight from Dublin procedure was absolutely convoluted, time-consuming and unclear. And we were flying Business Class.
The fact that one is pre-cleared for US by going through all the steps at Dublin really didn't make things easier. We now find re-entry to the US through various cities to be a breeze, so why we had to go through mysterious levels in Dublin remains a mystery.

Dublin?:
Nope. Not possible, even with speedy transport options.

Croke Park Skyline Tour as Janis suggested:
I never knew this existed. It looks pretty cool. What the heck--if you arrive on time and can guarantee timely access, why not??

Best of luck,
AZ

greytop13

I wouldn't chance leaving the airport. How about getting lounge access either through one of your credit cards (AmEx?) or by purchase?

AlessandraZoe

Egads, it took us forever to get to our assigned lounge and then to the departure area. I'm not even directionally challenged. That would sure eat up time.

I think we were in the 51st&Green Lounge. I was not a fan. Then again, the departure "First Class" lounge at ATL may be the worst in all eternity, so it certainly was better than that one.

I found a webpage on Lounge Pair describing all the Dublin airport lounges.

neckervd

What's your final destination in Switzerland?
There are Geneva bound flights Dublin dp 13.15, handy for Berne, Jungfrau area, Valais, etc.

P_M

If you're flying to the US through Dublin, absolutely do NOT leave the airport. Last year I had a layover of just over 2 hours and I thought that was plenty of time. The guy at passport control asked me how much time I had, then he told me I'd better run. WHAT? I was sure I had plenty of time for an Irish coffee and piddling around, but I took his advice and went straight toward my gate.

I had to change terminals which wasn't hard, but the line at US Pre-clearance was awful. It took forever, then you have to clear TSA, as if you're in a US airport. When I finally got to my gate, the flight was already boarding. I had moved as quickly as I could and my only stop was for the bathroom. I was in biz class and I have Global Entry, and it was still a terrible rush.

The good thing about it is when you get back to the US, you arrive at the gate as if you were on a domestic flight.

Southam

Although you didn't ask, if you are returning to the US from Dublin you need to allow time to go through US security immigration and customs preclearance at the Dublin airport before boarding.
https://www.dublinairport.com/flight...ags%20and%20go.