How accessible is Dublin?

Euan's Guide Ambassador, Tina, tells us how she found the disabled access in Dublin during her visit abroad since lockdown.

Although I am still masking up as I am clinically vulnerable, I felt the time was right to push myself, renew my passport and start travelling abroad again. I decided to start with baby-step and do a short flight to Dublin, and it really helped me get my confidence back. Overall, Dublin was very accessible and I would like to share some of the places I visited and a few tips for getting around.

Dublin Airport

I started my trip with flying into Dublin Airport, which has two terminals. “Terminal One caters mostly to Ryan Air flights, while Terminal Two caters to BA and transatlantic flights”. I flew into Terminal Two, which staff told me is much less busy, and on departing on an early evening flight, it was very peaceful, and so stress free. The airport has a Changing Places toilet and to find out more, please read my review.

Dublin One Hotel

After experiencing a lot of frustration, with the majority of Dublin hotel websites’ lack of access information and few providing to book an accessible room online, I came across Dublin One.  What a delight. I had Room 016, a ground floor accessible room so no lifts to wait for and very quiet, with a lovely restaurant and bar and quirky, contemporary décor, look out for those gorillas! Check out my review for more info and plenty of photos.

Getting Around

Dublin’s city centre where the main attractions are is flat. Generally, I found a lack of public seating in the streets, which I would have appreciated as without it, it was difficult for me to get around with my crutch.

At traffic light crossings there are continual beeps, with the sound changing when the traffic has stopped and it is safe to cross. The request stop button has an arrow marking the direction of the road crossing.  

Local Buses

There is a good local bus service and vehicles are step free with a ramp at the front and a dedicated wheelchair user space. Unless you have a Leap Card you will have to pay cash to the bus driver on boarding, so make sure you have the correct money as no change is given. Also worth noting is that not many of bus stops have a shelter with seating. I particularly noticed this in O’Connell Street.

Tram Luas

Dublin’s step free tram service is known as Luas (link to Luas https://luas.ie/), and has two lines. The Green Line goes north to south and the Red Line goes east to west, and although the routes cross, they do not share any stops. Tram stops have no staff and only some have seating. Tickets can be purchased from machines on the platform prior to boarding, and you do not need to do anything else with your ticket, just board your tram. For more information check out my Heuston Tram Stop review.

Marsh Library

The place I most enjoyed visiting was the Marsh Library, which retains its original eighteenth century fixtures and has a hidden courtyard garden. Access is by a flight of steps to the garden and then the library is on the first floor, but with pacing it was do-able with my crutch, and it has an accessible toilet. Inside I got a warm welcome and the library is “wonderful and unique”. For more information, please see my review.

Two Pups

Close to the Marsh Library and St Patrick’s Cathedral is Two Pups, a café that serves breakfast and light meals till mid-afternoon. There is outdoor seating or a single, low entrance step takes you into the café. “Food was amazing, with delicious flavours” and check out more with my review. 

Gate Theatre

The Gate Theatre hosts Irish and International plays and its auditorium is entirely step free, with only stalls and no dress or upper circles. Although there are a few steps up to the main entrance, there is also a step free route. I loved the production of Dancing at Lughnasa that I saw. For more information see my review.

Museum of Icons of Style in Newbridge

Less than an hour away by train from Dublin is the free and step free Museum of Icons of Style, which “houses fashion collections and artefacts which once belonged to some of the greatest style icons of modern times such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Grace, Princess Diana, the Beatles”. To find out more check out my review and my review for its restaurant.

The Bank Bar and Restaurant

For a final day treat, I visited the restaurant housed in a stunning former bank building, serving delicious food, next door to Trinity College. There are a couple of entrance steps and it has an accessible toilet. See my Euan's Guide review for more details.

I really enjoyed my visit to Dublin. The city is historic and beautiful and the people are very friendly. There is lots to see and do and well worth checking out Euan’s Guide for many more places to see in Dublin!

Tags: disabled access, disabled access information, blog post, travel blog, accessible travel, travel with confidence, disabled access dublin