But, as you can see on the map, irelands train system visits only major cities and large towns. Whats more, if you purchase an integrated translink bus and rail ticket, you can take the bus from coleraine to visit the fantastic attractions and small towns and villages of the causeway coast. Trains fan out from dublin to major cities, but neglect much of the countryside irelands buses reach many more rural. You would jump for joy as you watched it approaching the platform and. Trains in ireland serve the larger cities and most major towns. Sunday day tracker one days unlimited travel adultchild. Rome2rio makes travelling from galway to athlone easy. Ireland rail passes and train tips from rick steves. Dublin to nottingham 11 ways to travel via train, and.
Its also more traditional, as youll be taking irish rail through the countryside on railways which have operated for 100 years or more, rather than along acres of tarmac bulldozed. Getting around ireland how to get around in ireland. Passes are available at all major train and bus stations. Irelands railway network is limited to routes linking dublin, on the east coast, with cities further west, like cork, galway and sligo. Travelling by train is one of the most relaxing ways to see the glorious sights of ireland. Citizens of countries requiring visas for travel to northern ireland should consult the uk border agency. The rail network is quicker but more limited, serving only some major towns and cities.
This tour covers a large part of the wild atlantic way and causeway coast. You sit back and watch the beautiful landscape pass. Travelling by train in ireland is a relaxing and hassle free way of getting around between the main population centers. Bus eireann is irelands biggest bus company and runs services throughout ireland. I love to travel by train and have done so all over the civilized world but had never traveled via inter city train in ireland. Ireland train tours irish rail tours ireland by train. If you require a visa for either ireland or the uk you must carry your passport with you, with the appropriate visa, when crossing the border. Use the website to buy train tickets, reserve seats, check train times, destinations, new trains and information useful for your rail journey.
How many belfast folk will have cause to catch a bus from dublin airport to belfast. The all ireland free travel scheme allows a free travel cardholder those aged 66 and older to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services within northern ireland using a senior smartpass card. Sydenham railway station is next to belfast airport. Travel ireland coaches have been providing the best transport for the. Apart from commuter services in cork city, there are only really three services corktralee, limerickgalway, limerickwaterford that dont go to dublin and the services on those lines are slow except corktralee and infrequent. If youre travelling in northern ireland, you can use the ilink card which gives unlimited daily, weekly or monthly travel on rail services within zones 1 4 and the north west zone, as well as metro, ulsterbus and glider bus services. Cross country services are numerous and a variety of ticket options, though at times confusing, can make bus travel very economical. Visit popular cities like dublin, galway, limerick, and belfast. That said, im going to lay out for you the three most popular independent travel options youll find in ireland. You can simply book a place on an irish tourism rail tour and we will do the rest.
The problem with the train network is that it is very much dublincentric, which caters to traffic patterns inside the country, but doesnt do much for tourists. Rail travel centre connoly station, amiens street, dublin 1 monsat. Translink is the northern ireland transport organisation which includes northern ireland railways nir and ulsterbus. Our rail tours combine rail journeys in comfortable, modern trains with escorted bus tours around ireland s must see scenic attractions that are not accessible by train such as the ring of kerry, the cliffs of moher, the dingle peninsula and many more. How to select the right rail tour for your tour of ireland. There are 11 ways to get from dublin to nottingham by car ferry, train, bus and ferry, bus, car or plane. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride as you travel the highways and byways of the country, without the hassle of maps or parking.
Simply touch the card on a touchon validator point before you board the train, tram or bus, and touch off when your. The most surefire way to find the lowestpriced train tickets is to plan ahead and book your train travel early. If youve yet to discover this part of the world then get ready to be seduced by the incredible scenery and history. Extra info for ireland train travel airport station links. At travel ireland coaches we put our customers at the heart of everything we do and we want you to feel you can contact us at any time.
Standard intercity trains to all other destinations except belfast. Your journey from england is only a few clicks away, make your booking below. Iarnrod eireann is currently recruiting for a number of positions. Taking the train means youll travel in comfort, avoid the hassle of traffic and parking and get plenty of time to view the scenery. Getting around the wild atlantic way has never been easier. Eurolines uk, for instance, offers a vast amount of cheap bus and coach connections between larger cities in ireland and the uk, also providing for inexpensive travel options to the continent. With bus stations in all major towns across the country, theres never been a better time for travelling by bus or coach. Rome2rio is a doortodoor travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Its famed for its victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the citys 18th20thcentury. If you are thinking of traveling to the more remote scenic areas, you may have to use the local bus services to reach your destination. Rome2rio displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from relevant transport operators, ensuring you can. Need a quotation, a reservation or you need to get answers and information about any of our services get in touch with our advisors who will be happy to assist you.
Trekker four day four consecutive days of unlimited travel 110 on irish rail. Bernd is a travel writer from germany who has lived in ireland since the late 1990s and written several germanlanguage tourism guides to the country. Despite the irish sea, even crossborder bus routes can be booked. Just hop onboard a bus, train, coach or ferry and relax. Glasgow is a port city on the river clyde in scotlands western lowlands.
For the trip of a lifetime, see ireland by bus or coach. Our route air bus stops at 2 stops between glasgow and edinburgh airport. Travel from london to dublin the ecofriendly way via train and ferry and spend a night in dublin. Trains fan out from dublin to major cities, but neglect much of the countryside irelands buses reach many more rural spots, but arent covered by rail passes. Irish rail looks after intercity railway services, as well as dart and communter trains in the. The leap visitor card is a prepaid card that allows unlimited travel on luas, dart and commuter rail services and dublin bus, airlink 747757 and goahead ireland services for up to 168 hours 7 days from its first use. By far, the most sensible, budgetfriendly and convenient way to travel ireland without a rental car is using the bus, in dublin and nationwide.
Iarnrod eireann irish rail is the stateowned rail company in the republic of ireland, while in the north, northern ireland railwaysnir is the rail company. With no maps, no traffic jams and a cup of tea from the trolley, a train trip could be just the ticket. This article takes a look at the options and the discount fares available to those who choose to tour by bus or train. Using the rail network can be a good way to tour ireland, though it has limitations and will almost certainly need to be combined with bus travel. Worldrenowned for its natural beauty, dramatic coastlines and intriguing, welcoming culture, ireland is a sought after destination for millions probably billions of people throughout the world. For journeys to or from dublin, the train is far more comfortable and civilised than being strapped to a bus seat in a longdistance bus on an ugly modern motorway. Timetable subject to change without notice, please confirm at time of. We bring together information and services to help make public transport across ireland a little easier for you to use. Travel from dublin to belfast belfast message board. These are being rolled out across all routes in the republic, and already serve most destinations on the network. This route takes about the same time as option 1 and is a similar price. The interrail ireland pass is the best way to discover irelands coast and tall cliffs, green natural parks and impressive mountain ranges. Although rail passes for travel within ireland represent reasonably good value, a combined bus and rail pass, such as the irish explorer, is probably more useful owing to the limitations of the rail network.
Please check in at least 30 minutes before departure. Look forward to comfortable travel at great prices. Dublin is the central hub for almost all train services, with routes fanning out to all big cities and many towns. Our ireland train tours combine train journeys with escorted bus tours around. Ticket type return tickets are valid for one outward journey on date of departure and for. Irish rail and bus saver cards there is no question but that touring independently in ireland is best done by car, but the reality is this isnt always possible.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery without the hassle of maps or parking. Take the coach from england to northern ireland with stena line. Your card is valid from your first journey, and you simply touch your card to the target and the machine will beep if your card is read successfully. Train travel in ireland is great if you plan to explore urban areas, a few days in one, then off to the next. How many dublin folk will have cause to catch a bus from dublin airport to belfast. The big problem in ireland is that many of the most interesting sites are in rural areas and so not on regular bustrain routes, or at least need a bit of a. The bus network is much more extensive than the rail network and buses are often considerably cheaper than trains.
Ireland train tours irish rail tours ireland by train irish tourism. There are also a number of smaller companies and coach companies running services. There are good train connections from dublin to other cities and towns, but links between cities other than dublin are patchy to say the least. Note that ponnaires direction fail to mention that the stop is beyond the multistorey car park when exiting from terminal 1. Its easy to see why so many people love ireland and claim to be irish. Hop on a bus in london and get directly to the centre of dublin in no time at all. Open road pass three days travel out of six consecutive days 60 on bus eireann. Single online student fares are the smartest way to home and back. Trains are generally very expensive, most of my friends that travel up or down the country to college opt for the bus over the train. Rail tours of ireland ireland rail tours discovering.
A guide to train travel in the republic of ireland and northern ireland. Philipd has a good point about the bike, if the weather is in anyway decent then there is a lot of beautiful places to cycle to, most towns have cycle routes for the more popular sites. The most surefire way to find the lowestpriced train tickets from newark to rutland is to plan ahead and book your train travel earlier. Find all the transport options for your trip from galway to athlone right here. Similarly, northern ireland senior smartpass holders are entitled to travel for free on services in ireland using their existing senior smartpass. You can then travel onwards to anywhere in ireland. It also includes citycenter bus travel in cork, waterford, limerick, galway, and on the metro. With our new online fares you can avail of low fare or flexible fare.
The bus sets off from buchanan bus station and drops you off at airport, stance c. Galway to athlone 4 ways to travel via train, bus, taxi. Connections between the major towns are generally fast, frequent. From dublin airport airlink buses go to heuston and connolly railway station bus 748. Select an option below to see stepbystep directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in rome2rios travel planner. The open road pass gives unlimited travel on all bus eireann services within the irish republic, while the irish rover pass can be used on any ulsterbus route in northern ireland in addition to.