Flights to Dublin

Flying is the fastest and usually the cheapest way to reach Dublin. The Irish capital is served by direct flights from across the UK and continental Europe, with flight times under two and a half hours on almost every route – making Dublin an easy destination even for a long weekend. This guide covers which airlines fly where, what tickets cost, what to watch out for with baggage, and how to get from the airport into the centre.

Direct routes from the UK and Europe

A handful of airlines share the market to Dublin, and which one suits you best depends mainly on your departure airport. Aer Lingus (Ireland's national airline) and Ryanair operate the densest UK network, British Airways covers Heathrow, and Lufthansa and Eurowings are the main direct options from Germany.

• London: the busiest UK route, served from several London airports by Aer Lingus, Ryanair and British Airways, with dozens of flights a day between them.
• Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol: all have multiple daily direct flights, mainly with Ryanair and Aer Lingus.
• Frankfurt (FRA): the strongest German connection, with around 154 flights a week (as of May 2026), operated by Lufthansa and Aer Lingus. Note that Ryanair does not fly Dublin from FRA, only from Frankfurt-Hahn.
• Munich (MUC): direct flights with Lufthansa and Aer Lingus.
• Düsseldorf (DUS): Aer Lingus and Eurowings, together around 94 flights a week (as of April 2026).
• Hamburg (HAM): Aer Lingus (around 7 flights a week) and Ryanair (around 6 flights a week).
• Berlin (BER): Aer Lingus (up to 14 flights a week) and Ryanair, roughly 39 to 45 flights a week combined (as of June 2026).
• Cologne and Stuttgart: Eurowings; the Stuttgart–Dublin route (around 4 flights a week) launched in 2025.
• Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN): Ryanair is the only airline flying this route direct, and only around 2 flights a week (as of early 2026).

Travelling from a smaller airport, or from further afield in Europe, usually means a short connection into Dublin – for example via Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam or another European hub.

Flight times at a glance

Flight time depends mainly on how far your departure airport is from the Irish Sea – flights from the UK and western Europe are noticeably shorter than those from further east or south.

• London: approx. 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes
• Manchester / Edinburgh: approx. 1 hour
• Amsterdam: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes
• Düsseldorf: approx. 1 hour 50 minutes
• Hamburg: approx. 2 hours
• Frankfurt: approx. 2 hours 5 minutes
• Berlin: approx. 2 hours 25 minutes
• Munich: approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

A Boeing 737 or similar short-haul jet is the typical aircraft on these routes. Even from the furthest departure airports covered here, you're on the Emerald Isle in under two and a half hours.

What tickets cost

Dublin is a surprisingly cheap city to fly into. With Ryanair and Eurowings, one-way fares start at around €15 to €17, and full return tickets from about €28 to €36. These headline fares are the exception rather than the rule; on average a ticket costs around €84. There are no reliable official season-by-season tables per route – average and lowest fares are the best guide available.

As a rough rule: October and November are among the cheapest months to fly – Aer Lingus, for example, offers fares from Berlin from around €50 to €59 one way in this period. Summer and public holidays, by contrast, are noticeably more expensive. School holidays also push prices up, though no fixed surcharge can be put on it.

How to book cheaply

With a little planning you can save a meaningful amount on the ticket price. The main levers:

• Book ahead: around 40 days – roughly six weeks – before departure is a good rule of thumb for the best fares.
• Pick your weekday: Friday tends to be the cheapest day to fly, while Sunday flights are typically the most expensive.
• Watch the time of day: evening flights are often cheaper than morning departures.
• Use the season: if you're flexible, flying in autumn is noticeably cheaper than in the summer months.
• Factor in baggage: the headline fare almost always applies to hand luggage only – if you want to check a bag, budget for the extra cost from the start (more on this in the next section).

No new low-cost carrier is due to launch new direct routes to Dublin in 2026 – Ryanair and Eurowings remain the main cheap direct options from continental Europe, alongside Ryanair and Aer Lingus from the UK.

Baggage – how the fares differ in 2026

No other line item hides as many extra costs as baggage. The rules vary significantly by airline and fare type.

• Ryanair: the basic fare includes no checked baggage. Only one small cabin bag (40x30x20 cm) is free. A 10 kg bag costs around €12.99 to €35.99 depending on route and booking, and a 20 kg case around €20.99 to €59.99. Paying at the gate costs the most – up to €69.99.
• Aer Lingus: cabin baggage (55x40x24 cm, max 10 kg) plus one personal item are free. Checked baggage (23 kg) is included in every fare except the cheapest Saver fare; on Saver, a checked bag costs around €50 extra per flight.
• Lufthansa: the Economy Light fare includes no checked baggage – on European routes you can add one bag (up to 23 kg) online for around €30 per route. The Economy Classic fare already includes one checked bag (23 kg).

Bottom line: a seemingly pricier ticket that includes a bag can end up cheaper than a budget fare plus add-on baggage. It's worth comparing the total price including whatever baggage you actually need before booking.

Getting from the airport into the city

Dublin Airport (code DUB) is about 10 km north of the city centre. There is no direct rail or tram link, so you'll get into the city by bus, express coach or taxi.

• Aircoach (route 700): runs roughly every 15 minutes and is the only express coach operating round the clock. Tickets from around €6 one way or €8 return online, journey time about 20 to 40 minutes.
• Dublin Express: runs every 10 to 15 minutes (operating roughly 3:05 to 0:35), journey time around 25 to 35 minutes. A single ticket costs about €9, a return about €11.
• Taxi: around 20 to 30 minutes, charged by the meter (no fixed fare), typically around €25 to €35.

Full details on terminals, routes and connections are in our guide to Dublin Airport. For arrival formalities, see the page on entry requirements, and if you'd rather travel by sea, take a look at the ferry to Ireland. For the best time to travel, check our guide to weather & climate.