Athlone Travel Guide

Athlone is the hub of the Irish public transport system because of its central location. The town's bus and train stations are part of the same building and are located close to the town centre (around 10 minute walk). Buses depart from the station to Dublin and Galway on an hourly basis, the trip of a return trip to/from Galway is currently €15, and getting from Dublin to Athlone return will set you back around €17. Train Journeys are quicker but more expensive and not as frequent. You can also reach other cities such as Cork, Waterford, Sligo, Derry, Belfast and Dundalk from Athlone by bus.

There is also an internal Athlone Town bus service which serves the suburbs of the town's east and west sides, however this is probably only of much use to residents of these areas as tourists will find the town centre quite compact and easily traversed by foot. These buses terminate at Golden Island Shopping Centre, and a bus leaves every 15 minutes which serves Willow Park and Athlone Institute of Technology, which is situated about 1.5 miles from the town centre on the Dublin road. Another service goes to Monksland on the other side of the town, and leaves every hour on the hour.