Getting from Donegal Airport to the city

The bus, and the Sunday gap

• Local Link runs the airport service, Monday to Saturday, twice daily.
• Local Link does not operate on Sundays. If you are landing on a Sunday, this is not an option, and the airport is 45 km from the nearest town of any size.
• The route goes via Dungloe and Crolly, calling at Burtonport, Keadue, Kincasslagh and Mullaghduff.
• Onward connections from that network reach Arranmore Island, Letterkenny, Donegal Town, Sligo, Derry and Belfast.
• Letterkenny is about 45 minutes by bus.
• The route number is quoted two different ways, as 966 by one source and as 970 by another. Neither is the operator, so check with Local Link Donegal before you rely on a number.

Taxi

• A taxi service waits outside the terminal.
• Letterkenny is about 40 minutes and 50 to 60 euro.
• On a Sunday, budget for this, because there is no alternative.

Car hire

• Four operators work at the airport: Enterprise, Yuko, Europcar and GoCar.
• Enterprise rents to drivers aged 25 and over, with pickup and drop-off during airport opening hours.
• Yuko rents to drivers aged 22 to 70, pickup Monday to Saturday 06:30 to 20:00 and Sunday 08:00 to 20:00.
• Europcar picks up 07:30 to 20:30 daily, but any pickup between 07:30 and 09:00 must be pre-booked.
• GoCar offers GoExplore cars bookable by the hour through its app, with fuel and insurance included.
• For a Sunday arrival, a pre-booked car is the reliable plan.

Where this is

• The airport is at Carrickfinn on the west Donegal coast, about 45 km from Letterkenny.
• Its scheduled routes are Dublin, which connects onward through the Aer Lingus network, and Glasgow International.
• It is repeatedly voted one of the most scenic airports in Europe, which is a function of the coastal approach rather than the terminal.