Parking at Dublin airport can cost you more than your flights in some cases. It is often something that is overlooked when you book your flights, and when you go to book the parking last minute, the prices can be even higher than expected.
This is usually a headache for those people coming from the East, South East or South West of Ireland especially.
An alternative is to get the bus, but most people, if they have the option, will want to avoid getting a 2 or 3-hour JJ Kavanagh/ Bus Eireann when they arrive home from holidays.
But there is a cheaper option that is often never considered that is much cheaper that I will go through in this post.
For a random week in January Dublin Airport quoted me the following prices for parking:
- Terminal 1 Short Term: €122.90
- Terminal 2 Short Term: €122.90
- Terminal 2 Long Term Stay: €122.90
- Express Red Long Term: €72
- Holiday Blue Long Term: €54
As well as this you would end up passing through the M50 toll twice which will cost you an additional €5.40 ( €2.70 * 2).
This means the lowest possibly price would be €59.40 if someone parked at the Holiday Blue Long Term Car Park on that particular week.
A Cheaper Alternative to Dublin Airport parking
If you are making your way up from the east, south or west of Ireland you will likely be passing the Luas Red Cow Park and Ride which has a very good weekly parking rate of just €20.
Also, when you park at the Luas Red Row Park and Ride, you can quickly top up your account and pay for additional days if you experience delays via the apcoaconnect.ie website.
Getting from the Red Cow Luas stop to Dublin Airport is also very easy, with the Big Green Bus going every hour for €12 for a return ticket for an Adult and will drop you at the door of the terminals.
Price Comparison – Dublin Airport Parking vs Red Cow Luas
| Dublin Airport | Red Cow Luas | |
|---|---|---|
| Parking | €54 | €20 |
| Toll | €5.40 | €- |
| Bus | €- | €12 |
| Petrol/Diesel estimate | €3 | 0 |
| Total | €62.40 | €32 |
The total saving, in this case, was €30.40 and would be considerably more if compared to the prices of the Short Term or Express Red Car Parks.
For more money-saving tips, check out this post that goes over some money-saving tips for Christmas 2022.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice.
