Travel information: how to get to Dublin?  

There are a few ways you can get to Dublin. Flying is the most obvious option, in particular if you are travelling from a country that's further away. But if you're travelling from the United Kingdom or France then you also have the option of catching a ferry as an alternative to flying.

Flying to Dublin

Dublin Airport (DUB) is where most international flights land and take off with over 40 airline companies offering daily services.

To Dublin by ferry from the UK

Catching the ferry from England to Ireland is one of the easiest ways to travel. There's a ferry route that'll take you from Liverpool to Dublin operated by P & O Irish Sea. There are either day or night sailings. It is recommended that you prebook your tickets to avoid disappointment. The duration of the ferry trip is around 8 hours.

Irish Ferries runs ferry services between Holyhead in Wales to Dublin Port and from Pembroke in Wales to Rosslare on Ireland's southeast coast. Dublin Port is 6 km from Dublin city centre. Foot passengers are welcome on most of these crossings. The duration from Holyhead to Dublin Port is about 4 hours. Irish Ferries also has a 'fast ferry' catamaran service on the Holyhead to Dublin route, which takes 2 hours, but it is more prone to cancellation if the weather is choppy.

Stena Line runs 'slow ferry' crossings from Holyhead in Wales to Dublin Port, from Fishguard in Wales to Rosslare in southeast Ireland, from Liverpool in England to Belfast, and from Cairnryan in Scotland to Belfast, all of which are available for both foot and car passengers.

Rail and Sail to Ireland

Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries offer a combined sail and rail package that you can buy online at RailEasy.co.uk. These combined ferry and train tickets allow you to book from some of the UK’s leading mainline stations to Ireland via UK ferry ports of Holyhead, Fishguard or Cairnryan, then on board the ferry to Dublin.

To Ireland by ferry from France

There are numerous ferry crossings operating from France to Ireland. Ferries currently connect two ports in France (Cherbourg, Roscoff) with Dublin or Rosslare in Ireland.

More information on travel by ferry here.

Do I need a visa?

Whether or not you need a visa to travel to Ireland depends on your nationality. Ireland has granted exemptions to nationals that come from a country that are a part of the EU and EEA meaning they do not require a visa to enter Ireland. On the other hand, there are some countries that have not been granted exemption from visa requirements so those nationals will have to go through the application process if they wish to travel to Ireland. Visa information here.