The ubiquitous red, open-top buses of the City Sightseeing line provide two routes and a live guide or multilingual commentary (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and Japanese), as well as a special kid's commentary. Tickets can be purchased on board and the bus allows you to hop on or off at 25 points throughout Dublin, including the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol and Phoenix Park, for those who wish to visit the Dublin Zoo or the Irish President's Residence. Buses run every eight to 15 minutes and tickets are valid for 24 hours.
City Sightseeing
14 Upper O'Connell Street
Dublin, Ireland
00353 1 6057705
www.citysightseeing.com
Recognizable by their two shades of green to enhance their Irish credentials, the Dublin Bus Tour offers the same multilingual options as City Sightseeing, plus Polish and Chinese commentaries. There are 23 stops in total, including Trinity College (where you can find one of Ireland's most-prized treasures, the Book of Kells), Dublin Castle and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), which is housed in a spectacular 17th century building modeled on Les Invalides in Paris. Buses operate every 10 minutes between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. then every 15 minutes between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are valid for 24 hours and a free one hour "Dublin Highlights" walking tour is also included in the price from May to October.
Dublin Sightseeing
59 Upper O'Connell Street
Dublin 1, Ireland
00353 1 7033031
www.dublinsightseeing.ie
There is no mistaking these buses with their fetching, bright-yellow exteriors. The route follows the same path as the city's other hop-on/hop-off buses, with their starting point being on Upper O'Connell Street just outside the Dublin Tourism Office. Popular spots to disembark include St. Stephen's Green, whose lovingly maintained lawns make a perfect spot for a summer picnic, and a kid's favorite, the Dublinia museum, with its medieval and Viking exhibits. Buses run every 10 to 15 minutes and tickets are valid for 24 hours.
Gray Line Ireland
Keatings Park Rathcoole
Co. Dublin, Ireland
00353 1 4580054
www.grayline.com
