Whether it’s a big business trip or the family holiday finding the right place to park your car is a vital component of every airport trip. However, with so many options it can be hard to figure out what Dublin Airport Parking is best for you.
Everyone seems to be claiming to be the cheapest. While it’s a nightmare trying to figure out the difference between the Red Car Park and the Blue Car Park, long-term parking and short-term parking, airport hotel parking and park, stay & fly.
This comprehensive explainer breaks down the best options for short-term and long-term travellers easily allowing you to find your perfect parking near Dublin Airport.
Public Transport
The first question is do you need to drive to the airport? Excellent bus links exist to the airport from all around the country and if you’re looking to cut down on costs and carbon footprint the bus can be a good option. Check out the handy Journey Planner for Ireland to figure out your best route to the airport using public transport.
Short Term Parking
In this particular article we’re classifying short-term parking as anything under 5 days. When it comes to short-term parking the key question is which is more important convenience or cost.
By far an away the most convenient car park in Dublin Airport are the DAA’s official Short Term Car Parks. There are three key car parks in question here; Short Term Car Park A, Terminal 2 Multi-Storey Car Park, Terminal 2 Surface Car Park. The car parks are ideally located on the doorstep of the terminals and are perfect for a quick entrance & exit. There is also the added benefit of airport car valet services which are all available in the short-term car parks. However, at €40 a day you pay a real premium for parking with many competitors offering parking for a mere fraction of this price.
If you don’t mind a short shuttle bus journey there are massive savings to be made on short-term parking.
The cheapest options are operated by hotels in the hinterlands of the airport. Santry’s Crowne Plaza leads the value stakes for short-term bookers with a flat €6 daily rate and a short shuttle bus journey which runs every 30 minutes. Other hotels including the Clayton Hotel & Carlton Hotel are slightly closer to the airport and also offer very competitive rates with regular shuttle bus options. A common misconception is that you need to be a guest at these hotels to use their parking but this is not always the case as the parking in many locations is also available to non-guests. Hotels limited to guest parking only often offer special packages including accommodation (Park, Stay & Fly).
Quick Park have a number of options here. There introductory offer start at €25 for 3 days with the daily cost getting cheaper as you add further days.
The DAA have further options here with their flat rate for the Red Car Park standing at €9.50 a day and the Blue Car Park standing at €8.50 a day. Please note unlike the designated short term car parks you will face a shuttle bus with the Red & Blue Car Parks.
There are a number of other overflow options from local businesses which can be particularly helpful during the summer months when parking at Dublin Airport can get a little crazy. Check out the options in the Swords & Santry areas in particular on Parkpnp.
Long Term Parking
Long Term Parking around Dublin Airport can get expensive quite quickly. The DAA & hotels tend to operate flat daily rates as their norm which means the prices are similar to as above. Although it can be worth shopping about in this area as one of the big hotels tend to have an offer live at any given stage.
Quick Park lead the value stakes when it comes to consistent value and high volumes of cheap long-term airport parking. You can book 15 days for just €65 which works out at just €4.37 a day.
Over the last year or so another new option has come on stream for value conscious travels, as local residents have began offering their driveways to long-term travellers for a fraction of the cost of traditional car parks using services like Parkpnp. With options available for less than €20 in the Swords area and many residents are happy to offer a pick up and drop off service for long-term parkers.