Crossing to Ireland: the four sea routes compared

There are four practical sea routes from Britain to Ireland, and the right one is decided by where you start rather than by the crossing itself. Holyhead to Dublin is shortest, Cairnryan to Belfast is fastest, Fishguard and Pembroke to Rosslare serve the south, and Liverpool to Dublin is the overnight option.

A fifth route, Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, closed years ago and still appears in old guides. Ignore it.

Route one: Holyhead to Dublin

The shortest crossing at three hours 15 on conventional ships, with a fast catamaran at two hours 15 in summer.

Two operators run it, with up to four sailings a day in each direction. Fares for a car and two passengers are 180 to 300 return.

It is the best route for Dublin, the east coast and anything on the M50 and M7.

The drive from London is 260 miles to Holyhead, which is most of a day. From Manchester it is 130 miles and much more reasonable.

Route two: Cairnryan to Belfast or Larne

The fastest crossing at two hours 15, with up to six sailings a day. Fares for a car are 150 to 260 return.

It is the route for Scotland and the north of England, and for Northern Ireland rather than the Republic.

Larne suits the Antrim coast and the road to Derry. Belfast suits the city and the road south.

From Glasgow the drive is 90 miles. From Manchester it is 200, which makes Holyhead the better choice from there.

Route three: Fishguard and Pembroke to Rosslare

Two crossings from south Wales to the south-east corner of Ireland, both around three and a half hours.

Fishguard to Rosslare is the faster ship; Pembroke to Rosslare is a shorter drive from Swansea and Cardiff.

This is the route for Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford, and it saves four hours of driving compared with Holyhead.

Fares are similar to Holyhead: 160 to 280 return for a car and two passengers.

Route four: Liverpool to Dublin

An eight-hour overnight crossing with cabins, arriving in Dublin at about 06:30.

It is the route for the Midlands and the north-west, where the drive to Holyhead is long and the drive to Liverpool is short.

Fares run 200 to 340 return with a cabin. Foot passengers pay 60 to 110.

It is also the route that saves a hotel night, which is why business travellers use it.

Which route is fastest door to door

From London to Dublin: Holyhead wins. The drive is 260 miles and the crossing is three hours, giving about eight hours in total.

From Birmingham to Dublin: Holyhead and Liverpool are close. Holyhead is 150 miles plus three hours; Liverpool is 100 miles plus eight hours overnight.

From Glasgow to Belfast: Cairnryan wins by a wide margin. Ninety minutes of driving and two hours at sea.

From Bristol to Cork: Fishguard or Pembroke wins. The alternative via Dublin adds four hours of Irish driving.

Fares and what drives them

All four routes price per vehicle, so a full car is cheap per person and a solo driver is expensive.

Foot passenger fares are low, particularly on Holyhead and Cairnryan, where a return can cost under 50.

Cabins are charged separately on the overnight routes and are worth the money. Reclining seats are cheaper and worse.

Pets cost 15 to 25 each way on most routes, and kennels must be booked.

The fast craft question

Holyhead has a fast catamaran that cuts the crossing to two hours 15. It runs seasonally and cancels in weather that the conventional ships ignore.

The saving is an hour, which matters on a day trip and rarely on a longer stay.

Fast craft carry fewer vehicles and less freight, so they sell out first in summer.

If your plans are fixed, book the conventional ship and treat the fast craft as a bonus if it is available.

Border formalities

Ireland is not in the Schengen area, and the Common Travel Area means British citizens do not need a visa. Passports are still checked.

Irish border control is at the ferry port in Wales and at Dublin Port on arrival. Both are quick for cars.

Pets need a microchip and a rabies vaccination but not the EU tapeworm treatment, because Ireland applies the same scheme as the UK.

Customs allowances apply and are checked on arrival. Alcohol and tobacco limits are lower than the duty-free shop suggests.

Sailing times and the working day

Holyhead has early morning and late evening sailings, which allow a full working day at either end.

Cairnryan has departures from early morning to late evening, which makes a day trip to Belfast possible.

Rosslare sailings are less frequent, usually two a day, and the timings suit an overnight or an early start.

Liverpool is overnight only, which is either an advantage or a nuisance depending on your schedule.

What the ships offer

Holyhead and Cairnryan ships have cafés, bars, shops and lounges. The crossings are short enough that facilities matter little.

Liverpool and Rosslare ships have restaurants and cabins, because the crossings are long enough to need them.

Food is 30 to 40 percent above port prices on all routes. Eat before boarding if you are watching the budget.

Duty-free shopping exists on the Irish Sea routes and the prices are better than the airports.

Weather and cancellations

The Irish Sea is exposed and winter crossings are often rough. The shortest routes are the least affected because the exposure is shorter.

Holyhead and Cairnryan cancel less often than the Rosslare and Liverpool routes, because the ships are larger relative to the crossing.

Fast craft cancel first. If a catamaran is your only option, have a plan B.

Winter fares are 25 to 35 percent lower, which compensates for the risk if your dates are flexible.

Driving in Ireland

Distances are shorter than they look, but the road network is thinner away from the motorways. Dublin to Galway is 130 miles and takes about two and a half hours.

Speeds are in kilometres per hour, and the signs change at the border. Rental cars show both.

Tolls on the M50 and the M1 take coins or a tag. The M50 barrier is entirely electronic.

Fuel is priced in euros and is broadly similar to UK prices. Rural stations are fewer and further apart.

Foot passengers and public transport

Holyhead is the best foot passenger port, with the railway station beside the terminal and trains from London in under four hours.

Cairnryan has no station. The nearest is Stranraer, four miles away, with a taxi costing about 12.

Rosslare has a railway station beside the port, with trains to Dublin and Wexford.

Liverpool’s terminal is two miles from the city centre, with a bus and taxi connection.

Booking strategy

Book the return at the same time. One-way fares are priced at 70 to 85 percent of a return.

Compare the two Holyhead operators before booking. They compete directly and the cheaper one changes by date.

On the overnight routes, book the cabin with the ticket. Cabins sell out before vehicle space.

Check the foot passenger fare as well, even if you plan to drive. On a solo trip it can be a third of the car fare.

What the crossing costs in time

Door-to-door time is what matters, and the sea crossing is only part of it. A three-hour crossing with 90 minutes of check-in and 30 minutes of disembarkation is five hours.

On the overnight routes the arithmetic is different: eight hours at sea replaces a hotel night, so the crossing costs nothing in waking time.

This is why the Liverpool route works for the Midlands despite being the slowest ship. The hours pass while you sleep.

Compare total journey times rather than sailing times, and the ranking of the four routes changes for every starting point.

What to check before you go

Passport validity, which must cover the return date. British citizens need a passport for Ireland, despite the Common Travel Area.

The pet documents for the specific route, which differ between Ireland and Great Britain.

The weather forecast for the Irish Sea, which decides whether a fast craft is realistic.

The drive to the port, which is the part of the trip most likely to go wrong.