Dublin is one of the most popular short break destinations in Europe, consistently featuring in all top ten most visited cities rankings and renowned for being one of the friendliest capitals in Europe, maintaining a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. Dublin is an old city, steeped in history. The Vikings were the first settlers in Dublin and the city began its life as two separate settlements, "Atha Cliath" and "Dubh Linn". The modern name of the city is derived from these two names. "Dublin" is the internationally recognised name of the city and "Baile Atha Cliath" is the Irish translation.

Dublin is safe, dynamic and welcoming, a wonderful place to visit with a compact city centre - about 3km squared - and all attractions within walking distance. For first-time visitors, there is plenty to see – for culture enthusiasts the capital has all the country's major galleries and museums, while nature lovers can enjoy the city parks including St. Stephen's Green and the Phoenix Park – Europe's largest enclosed public park. Dublin has produced, or been home to, some of the greatest literary names in history. Dublin’s most famous literary son is James Joyce but Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, W.B. Yeats, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker are just some of the other famous writers who were born or lived in Dublin.

For those returning to Dublin there will be plenty of change to observe. There has seen an extraordinary amount of regeneration in the last twenty years and the City fathers take it’s architecture and history seriously, with conservation of the grand Georgian squares and elegant streets now the watchword. Other pockets of Dublin have risen like the phoenix from the ashes with places such as the Docklands and Smithfield – an old pony market – transformed into sophisticated residential districts. The banks of the Liffey have been gentrified on both sides, with sculptures, a new walking bridge and a boardwalk.

And for all, there is plenty of craic – Ireland's hospitality is legendary and Dublin is no exception. The city is renowned for it’s theatre and music, contemporary and traditional. And the variety of pubs is phenomenal with trendy late night bars vying with traditional Victorian hostelries for custom. A new-found love of al fresco living (partly down to the smoking ban) has changed the atmosphere on the streets, with plenty of cafes and bars spilling out onto the streets adding to Dublin's ambience. For more information visit www.visitdublin.ie

Access to Dublin

Ireland‘s capital enjoys excellent access by air from all major European and international destinations. Over 90 airlines serve Dublin Airport from over 150 destinations.

Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com and Ryanair www.ryanair.com are Ireland's largest airlines.

Dublin airport is only 12 kilometres (8 miles) from Dublin city centre and therefore only a short ride by bus, taxi or car. Both Dublin Bus and Aircoach have services that leave from directly outside the airport and can bring you into the city centre. Dublin Bus services cater for the bus (Busaras) and train stations (Connolly and Heuston Stations), while Aircoach caters for many of the city centre hotels. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Aircoach website at www.aircoach.ie, thereby making it a quick and convenient option. There is a taxi rank directly outside the Arrivals Hall in Dublin Airport. Taxis into the city centre can cost approximately €25.

Transport around Dublin

Train
The DART railway stretches the full length of Dublin Bay, from Malahide and Howth in north County Dublin to Greystones in County Wicklow. Sandymount DART station is just a 5 mins walk from the RDS, the conference venue. For more information, log onto: www.irishrail.ie

Bus
Dublin Bus operates the city's bus routes running from 06.00-23.30. Dublin Bus operates an exact fare policy, so it is advisable to have your correct change ready when boarding the bus. Buses 4, 4a, 7 and 45 stop outside the RDS, the conference venue. For more information, log onto: www.dublinbus.ie

Taxi
There are almost 16,000 taxis in Dublin - they can be ordered, taken from street ranks or simply hailed on approach. Three of the main taxi ranks in the city centre are located on O'Connell Street, at College Green and at St. Stephen's Green. Tipping is at the visitor's discretion; up to 10% is usual.

RDS – Conference Venue

HTAI 2010 Annual Meeting will take place in the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. The RDS was founded in 1731 to promote the development of agriculture, arts, science, and industry in Ireland. The grounds now cover 40 acres with 10 multi-purpose exhibition halls, the RDS stadium, meeting rooms, catering facilities and over 2000 car parking facilities. The RDS Irish International Convention and Exhibition Centre is Ireland’s premier venue for meetings, conferences and exhibitions and is located in close proximity to a wide range of accommodation. For more information on the venue, see http://www.rds.ie/.