travel booklet | dublin belfast 2016
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DUBLIN BELFAST 2016
81 International Session of the European Youth Parliamentst
Travel Inform
ation
1 GEORGE BEST BELFAST CITY AIRPORT Very convenient, located close to the Belfast City Centre
www.belfastcityairport.com
Options for getting to the European Commission Taxi: Taxi rank directly outside the airport terminus. Approximate cost £10/€13
Bus: Best choice is the Airport Express 600. Goes directly outside terminus, every 20 minutes (Mon-Sat) and every 40 minutes (Sunday). End destination is the Europa Bus Centre, which is a 9 minute walk to the European Commission . Adult Single Fare £2.50/€3.45
Train: Shuttle bus operates between the airport and the rail halt at Sydenham train station. Trains run every 20 minutes (Mon-Sat) and every 60 minutes (Sun) to Central & Victoria Street Stations. Approximately 8 minute walk through central Belfast to the European Commission. Adult Single Fare: £1.90/€2.60
2 BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Significantly further away from Belfast City Centre
www.belfastairport.com
Options for getting to the European Commission Taxi: Taxi rank operated by the International Airport Taxi Company. Taxis can be booked in advance online on www.belfastairporttaxis.com. Approximate fare £30/€41
Bus: Airport Express 300 Bus. Runs a 24 hour service, with buses running every 15 mins apart from weekends (delayed frequencies). Bus stop is opposite terminus exit. End destination is the Europa Belfast Bus Centre, journey takes approximately 30-40 minutes. Adult Single Fare: £7:50/€10.30
Travelling to Belfast By Air
Starting Point for DublinBelfast 2016: European Commission in Northern Ireland, 74-76 Dublin Road, Belfast Delegates are expected to arrive here
3 DUBLIN AIRPORT Note: Travelling from will involve a longer journey up to Belfast for the beginning of
the session, but will be very convenient for returning home once the session has ended.
www.dublinairport.com
Options for getting to the European Commission Bus: Aircoach operates a service, Route 705x, which goes from Dublin Airport directly to Belfast City Centre (Glengall Street). Runs from 01:30-23:30, every hour, and the journey takes approximately 2 hours. Tickets can be bought on the day or can also be booked online, www.aircoach.ie. Adult Single Cash Fare: €16, Adult Single Online Fare: €10
*Delegates can travel into Dublin City Centre and get the train to Belfast, however this makes neither financial sense nor time sense as the Aircoach is the cheapest, quickest and most convenient option.*
4 SHANNON AIRPORTNote: Located in the West of Ireland, this is not a recommended travel route as it would
result in a very long journey for Delegates. Directions have been included in case Delegates still choose to fly into Shannon Airport.
www.shannonairport.ie
5 CORK AIRPORT Note: Similar to Shannon Airport, flying into Cork Airport would result in a very long
journey. This is not a recommended travel route.Given that there are three other viable airport options, there is no need to fly into Cork.
www.corkairport.com
The Organising Team do not reccommend flying into either Shannon or Cork Airport. Directions to the European Commission can be provided for Delegates if they still opt to travel via these airports.
Train Station
Destination
Bus Station
BELFAST PORT TO BELFAST CITY CENTRE
Bus: Visit Belfast operate a shuttle bus service into the city centre every 20 minutes. Delegates will be dropped off to Donegall Square North. It is a 9 minute walk to the European Commission
DUBLIN PORT TO BELFAST CITY CENTRE
Bus: Dublin Port is served by an Express Bus Transfer 7 days a week. It is a 15 minute journey to Busáras (Dublin’s Central Bus Station). Adult Single Fare €3.
Delegates will then take the Bus Éireann Expressway Bus from Busára to Belfast Europa Bus Station. From the Europa Bus Station it is a 9 minute walk to the European Commission
Delegates can alternatively choose to arrive to the session by ferry, either arriving in Dublin Port or Belfast Port.
Travelling to Belfast By Sea
Departures
Dublin Belfast 2016 will end in Dublin CityDelegates are free to depart from hereBuses to both Belfast Airports and Dublin Airport regularly leave from right in the City Centre and are easily accessible.
Aircoach to Dublin Airport
Bus can be boarded on O'Connell Street, across from the Gresham HotelJourney is approximately 30 minutes. Bus runs every 15 minutes between 04:30-23:59 and every 30 minutes between 00:00-04:30 Single fare: €6.00
Aircoach to Belfast
Goes from O'Connell Street, opposite the Gresham Hotel Journey is approximately 2:30 hours. Runs every hour (approx) Single fare: €13.00
*Once delegates have arrived in Belfast, the same directions for travelling out from the airport(s) given for when they arrive to the session, applies for their return journeys!!
Delegates departing via Belfast for George Best Airport, Belfast International Airport and Belfast Port
Delegates departing via Dublin for Dublin Airport
O’Connell St
FAQs
Where is the session beginning and ending?The session will begin in Belfast, Northern Ireland and will end in Dublin, Rep. of Ireland. The starting point for the session, as listed in the travel booklet, will be the European Commission Building in Belfast City Centre.
The session will be travelling to Dublin for the remainder of the session. Do I need to organise my own travel from Belfast to Dublin?No. The transfer of the session from Belfast to Dublin will be organised and orchestrated by the organising team, you are not required to book any transportation.
Will I need a Visa?In the separate Visa Information Overview, each participating country is listed with their respective visa specifications. Because the session is cross-border – beginning in Belfast, a city in Northern Ireland which belongs to the United Kingdom, and ending in Dublin, a city in the Republic of Ireland – some delegations will be required to apply for two separate visas. Seven countries will be required to apply for two visas, five countries will require just one visa and the remaining delegations will not require a visa to participate in the session. All the details are listed in the overview sheet, so please consult this. Further questions, relating to visas and visa applications, can be sent to [email protected], for the attention of Ciara McConnell.
I need a Session Invitation Letter to submit as part of my visa application- where can I get one?The organising team will provide any delegate who requires visa(s) with the relevant Invitation Letter for their application(s). However, in order for us to process these we require the following details:– Full Name – Date of Birth – Passport Number – Date of Issue – Date of Expiry – Authority (Issuing) – Nationality
Visa processing can, at times, be lengthy, so in order to ensure that all delegates receive the necessary visas prior to the session, we would request that delegates requiring an invitation letter send on these details as promptly as possible (Send to [email protected], for the attention of Ciara McConnell, with the subject line ‘Visa Invitation Letter’)
Should I book return flights to Dublin/Belfast or should I fly into Belfast and fly home from Dublin?How you choose to fly to and from the session is your choice. As you will see in the travel booklet, travelling from Dublin airport to Belfast is fairly straight forward and is not an overly lengthy journey (2:30 hours) so booking return flights from Dublin is a good option and will most likely work out at the most cost effective option. However, if you alternatively wish to fly into Belfast and then fly home from Dublin airport this is also absolutely fine.
For those delegations participating in the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Program, you must be aware of your visa restrictions when booking your flights. You must, in order to satisfy the program requirements, fly into the UK (in this case, Belfast) first. You cannot fly into London and then onto Dublin. You will be required to book your flight over to one of the two Belfast airports. You are not required to fly back from the UK, so you can choose whether to book return flights to Belfast, or to fly home from Dublin Airport. Please consult the Visa Information Overview for more information.
For those delegations requiring two visas, please contact [email protected] before booking flights to discuss the flight options to ensure that the requirements for the two separate visas are satisfied.
Can I book my flights straightaway?No- DublinBelfast 2016 has yet to be given the green light and although, we are confident that this will be issued in the very near future, we do not recommend that any delegation books their flights/travel prior to this being granted. We cannot be held responsible for any delegates who choose to book without the green light being in place.
FAQs
Any questions or queries can be emailed to [email protected]
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