The Capitals Route travels directly across Ireland joining Dublin, the capital city of Ireland, on the east coast, with Galway City on the west coast. It is intended that this will ultimately be a traffic free route for its full length of over 230km. Approximately half of the route is fully developed, and work is in progress on the rest.
The developed section of the route (over 110km) is between Maynooth, to the west of Dublin, and Athlone in the middle of the country. This section follows the Royal Canal Greenway and the Old Rail Trail Greenway.
Between Dublin City and Maynooth is not fully complete, although some sections are developed. Although not fully developed It is possible for experienced cyclists to cycle this section, if you don’t mind cycling on mixed surfaces, including gravel and grass and on road for a short section. If you prefer to avoid this section it is recommended that you take a train from the city (Connolly Station) to Maynooth. There is no charge to bring a bike on the train, but you must book a bike ticket in advance as spaces are limited. You can book here.
Between Athlone and Galway is also not developed but there is a temporary on road route. This is suitable for cyclists with experience sharing the road with other traffic. Most of this is on quiet roads with little traffic, although there are some busier roads with more traffic close to Galway City.
The full route, including the route between Dublin and Maynooth and the temporary section between Athlone and Galway is provided in the EuroVelo 2 GPX file which can be downloaded on the EuroVelo website.
