How to choose the cheapest Dublin Airport Parking?

Used to just rocking up to official Dublin Airport parking on the day and paying as you enter? Perfectly understandable as you just want to relax and enjoy your holiday; however, by using Airport Parking Shop and a tiny bit of planning, you can save money and perhaps find an option better suited to you.

A comparison: Turning up at the Short Term multi-storey is €45.00 per 24 hours (drive-up tariff). Long Term Express Red is €18 per day, and Holiday Blue is €15 per day (drive-up). Our lowest price last week was €60.98 for a 7-day stay.

Tempted? Then, whether it is the nearest car park or the cheapest, we give you the answers below in just five bite-sized chunks.

1 – Understand Your Parking Type Options (and what's usually cheapest)

Quick Insights

Park & Ride is usually the cheapest (you park further away and take a bus), while Short Term, right by the terminal, is the most expensive.

A Deeper Dive

(but don’t worry you will be back to the surface in no time)

The main types of parking are Short Term, Long Term and Park & Ride:

• Short Term (T1 & T2) — multi-storeys a few minutes’ walk to departures.
• Long Term (Express Red / Holiday Blue / T2 Surface Long Term) — on the airport estate; Express Red and Holiday Blue use shuttles; T2 Surface is a short walk.
• Park & Ride (third-party) — off-airport sites with quick shuttles back to T1/T2 (see examples below).

If you’re travelling with the family, close-in walkable options are convenient; if you’re not carrying huge amounts of luggage then a cheaper Park & Ride may be the best option for you.

Dublin Airport Car Park Specifics

The official Dublin Airport site labels Short Term blocks at both terminals and several Long Term options. Short Term is walkable; the Long Term car parks use frequent shuttles, while T2 Surface is a short walk. There are also third-party park & ride options but unfortunately no meet & greet.

Walkable (official)

• T1 Short Term Block A — walk ~2 min to T1 / ~5 min to T2.
• T1 Short Term Block C — walk ~5–6 min to both terminals.
• T2 Short Term — walk ~2–4 min to T2 / ~5 min to T1.
• T2 Surface Long Term — walk ~5 min to both terminals (limited spaces).

Park & Ride (official)

• Express Red Long Term — ~5-minute shuttle, every ~10 minutes.
• Holiday Blue Long Term — ~15-minute shuttle, every ~15 minutes. As the furthest option it is usually also the cheapest of the official ones.

Park & Ride (third-party)

• Park2Travel (ex-QuickPark site) — ~6-minute transfer with a shuttle roughly every 12 minutes.
• Park & Fly Dublin — independent off-airport provider with shuttle to terminals (check frequency/operating hours for your time of day).

Which parking type is cheapest?

Expect to pay more for convenience. Short Term is usually the most expensive since you’re closest to the terminal and you keep your keys. Where Park & Ride is available, it’s typically the best value.

Using Airport Parking Shop

Tip: By default, Airport Parking Shop lists prices from low to high irrespective of the parking type, which you can see in the blue box. If you are sure what kind of parking type you want, simply hit the Filter Results option above the results and then select just what you want under Parking Options on the left.

2 – Plan to Book in Advance

Quick Insight

Start looking at least two weeks in advance.

The Quick Dive-Down Part

Turning up and paying at the barrier is the most expensive way to park (and you might find limited space). Not only will it cost more but they might not have spaces, leaving you with a lot more stress than having to remember to book!

Short Term: €45 per 24 hours (drive-up). Express Red Long Term: €18/day. Holiday Blue: €15/day. Our lowest price last week was €60.98 for a 7-day stay.

You can save substantially by booking in advance, with the amount you save depending on how far in advance you book: aim for at least two weeks ahead.

Tip: Prices go up due to availability (or lack of) so at busier times of the year, like school and national holidays, you may want to start looking at prices even earlier.

3 – Don’t Rely Just on Official Car Parks

Comparing like-for-like third party is usually cheaper than official car parks.

A Deeper Explanation

Dublin, like most airports, has its own car parks — and, like most airports, it has third-party operators providing parking options. You may have read about rogue parking operators at airports and understandably that can be off-putting but the reality is that lots of trusted, established providers run car parks all across the UK & Ireland.

Official Dublin Airport car parks include T1/T2 Short Term, Express Red Long Term, Holiday Blue Long Term and T2 Surface. Third-party options include Park2Travel and Park & Fly.

4 – Compare Parking Features to Find the Best Value

Once you’ve decided on a parking type, compare what they offer to get the right balance of price and convenience:

• Transfer time & frequency: walk minutes or shuttle interval
• Distance from terminal: handy if walking is preferred
• Keys: keep vs leave
• Booking flexibility: fully flexible vs pay-now/non-refundable
• Opening hours: look for 24/7 if you have late/early flights
• Security & reviews: recent ratings
• Total price, not headline: watch any terminal forecourt or drop-off fees

Compare Parking Options

Using Airport Parking Shop

Tip: After doing a search the features above will be displayed in the tabs, or by hitting the More Info button.

5 – Compare Sites to Find the Cheapest and Save More

Quick insight

Not every site sells every car park, and the same space can be a different price elsewhere. Check more than one site — or save time by using Airport Parking Shop.

The Detail

(I ran out of deep dive riffs)

So, you are ready to save money – you’ve even planned out how many more drinks you can get at the pool bar. But then you google for Dublin Airport parking, you see so many sites to choose from, and your head starts to hurt. Which one is best?

The world of airport parking is made up of lots of businesses:

• The official airport car parks run by the airport.
• Third-party brands who operate Park & Ride.
• Small regional operators.

Use a comparison site to cut through the noise

This definitely helps but not every car park works with every comparison site and sometimes, different sites charge different prices for the same space. Ever been searching for car insurance and found a provider available on one comparison site and not another, or at a different price? Airport parking is no different with the added complication that some comparison sites are selling their own spaces too.

Search more than one

The key therefore in finding the cheapest price is to check as many different sites as possible. As with anything else, there is a cost-benefit ratio so you might set yourself a target of the top 3 or 4. Or you might just give up!

All the comparison sites have a lowest price guarantee – isn’t that great?

Checking multiple sites for lowest prices is a time-consuming exercise so why not just rely on the cheapest price guarantee of the first one? Cheapest price guarantees are fantastic, but it is down to you to go find a lower price elsewhere, often within a tight window, and then contact the original provider, send them the link, and wait for their refund. Something most of us don’t have time for.

How Airport Parking Shop Can Help

That is why Airport Parking Shop is here. We compare the car parks for you, and we even compare the comparison sites. We are independent, we don’t have any car parks of our own. Check the logos for our partners above and then look down the search results for airport parking and you can see we work with almost everyone (find one we don’t, let us know and we’ll get on it).

How we save time and money:

• See more options: both independent car parks and comparison sites.
• Compare providers: see prices for the same space, all next to each other in one search.
• See like-for-like: compare Park & Ride with Park & Ride, walkable with walkable.
• Quickly narrow down: filter by parking type, customer reviews, providers and even distance to the terminal.
• Switch dates in a click to see the cheapest.
• Understand feature differences: check summary cards or tap through for full details.

Car Parks Additional Information

Dublin Airport Short-Term A Car Park

Short Term A is close to Terminals 1 and 2 and is just a few minutes’ walk from both. There is no risk of getting lost as pedestrian routes are clearly marked. Luggage trolleys are widely available throughout the car park. A height restriction of 1.8 metres applies and no trailers can be admitted. Please note, however, we are unable to offer Dublin Airport Short Term parking at present.

Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Short-Term Car Park

This car park is close to Terminals 1 and 2, being a 2 to 4 minute walk from Terminal 2 and a 6 to 8 minute walk from Terminal 1. Pedestrian routes are well signposted and trolleys are available in several locations for your baggage. Vehicles taller than 2.2 metres cannot enter the car-park and neither can trailers. Please note, however, we are unable to offer Dublin Airport Short Term parking at present.

Dublin Airport Terminal 1 Short-Term C Car Park

This car park is suitable for travellers using either of the two terminals although it is a 6 to 8 minute walk from Terminal 2 as opposed to just a 2 to 4 minute walk from Terminal 1. Clear instructions for pedestrians are provided and trolleys for luggage are available in numerous positions in the car park. No trailers are permitted and a height restriction of 1.85 metres applies. Please, note however, we are unable to offer Dublin Airport Short Term parking at present.

Dublin Airport Express Red Long-Term Car Park

A cheaper option than using the short-term car parks, Express Red is a five-minute shuttle bus ride from both terminals. Shuttles run 364 days a year (not Christmas Day), every 10 to 20 minutes depending on the time of day but it is suggested that you allow 40 minutes from entering the car park to arriving at the terminal. It has the advantage of having no height restriction although trailers are not permitted. Please note however, we are unable to offer Dublin Airport Long Term parking at present.

Dublin Airport Holiday Blue Long-Term Car Park

Shuttle buses from this long-term car park take 10 to 15 minutes to reach both terminals and they run at 15-minute intervals throughout the day and night 364 days a year (not Christmas Day). No height restrictions are in place but trailers are banned. You should allow 40 minutes to park and reach the terminal buildings. Please note, however, we are unable to offer Dublin Airport Long Term parking at present.

Motorists using any of the airport’s short or long-term car parks should ensure that they bring the same car and payment card with them as entered during the booking process.

Dublin Park and Fly

This is another long-term car park but is situated 10 km from the airport and requires an 8 minute transfer on the shuttle bus which operates on demand. The service is not suitable for disabled customers. Security is good with CCTV, an entry barrier system, 24-hour patrols with guard dogs and perimeter fencing.

Quick Park at Dublin Airport

Celebrating 10 years in business, Quick Park is located close to the airport and is a mere 5 minute shuttle transfer. The shuttle buses run every 5 minutes around the clock and if you are unlucky enough to come back to a flat battery the operator will provide a free jump-start, no matter the time of day or night. It is also possible to have your car cleaned in your absence with a variety of packages available.

Bewleys Hotel

Bewleys Hotel offers airport parking and you do not have to be a guest to take advantage of this facility. Shuttle transfers take just 7 minutes and run every 20 minutes. Motorists are welcome to wait in the hotel for the courtesy bus. Parking is either open-air or underground and there are disabled spaces, although these cannot be guaranteed. Security is good with CCTV and perimeter fencing.

Metro Hotel

Another hotel offering airport parking for non-residents, the Metro has a secure underground car park with key card access and regular patrols. Transfers operate half-hourly between 04.00 and 23.45 and take just 7 minutes. A charge is made of €2 per person for the round trip.