So, Saint Patricks Day is just around the corner, and you’re looking to go to the place where all the Leprechaun-approved fun takes centre stage? We don’t blame you. Ireland is buzzing over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and the celebrations are like nothing you’ve witnessed before.
Travelling from England to Ireland using mostly trains is a fantastic way to make your way over to the country and take in some wonderful views. In this guide, we’ll explore how you can travel to Ireland with help from trains.
Ireland to England via rail and sail
First things first, getting from England to Ireland using only rail travel is impossible – but that doesn’t mean that you have to fly. This is where the sea comes in. Of course, the best alternative to flying over the ocean is travelling on it.
Making your way to Ireland via a ferry is a fantastic option. There are a number of train services that link with ferry services which cross the Irish sea. Use the national rail journey planner for more help in planning your next rail adventure.
If you’re fed up with flying, you can buy an affordable ticket which takes you from almost any train station in Britain to a ferry port where you’ll be taken to Ireland and can get the train to any rail station in Ireland.
So, you can hop on a train to a UK ferry port, board a ferry, get off in Ireland and then get a train to wherever you wish in Ireland – it’s that simple. Buying a train and ferry ticket combo is undoubtedly one of the most affordable and practical ways to get from the UK to Ireland.
How do I purchase a rail and sail combo ticket?
If you want to buy a rail and sail ticket, both Stena Line and Irish Ferries offer a combined rail and sail travel package where you can have the convenience of having both your train and ferry admission included in one ticket.
You can reserve these combined ferry and train tickets from several of the top major train stations in the UK to Ireland via UK ferry ports.
Which UK ferry ports go to Ireland?
The ferry ports connected by rail services which have ferries going to Ireland include:
- Holyhead – Wales
- Fishguard -Wales
- Cairnryan -Scotland
So, if you’re travelling from England, you’ll have to go to either Wales or Scotland before you can make it over to Ireland. Thankfully, trains make doing so effortless.
The traditional route from London to Dublin and the majority of Ireland, including Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Sligo, is via Holyhead. For travel from London to Wexford and Waterford as well as from Bristol or Cardiff to Dublin, the Fishguard-Rosslare route is recommended.
