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Your personal opinion - prefer to fly London to Dublin, or train/ferry?

Posted by (Pacific northwest) on

Hi! This is my first post here and I am quite excited! :-)

I am sure this has been asked before, but maybe not in precisely this way. My husband and I (in our 50s, able to get to Europe once a year if we're lucky) are going to be spending 3 weeks in London this coming November. Neither of us have ever been to Ireland.

He has colleagues who work for Guinness and Jameson, and can get us into behind-the-scenes tours for free, so going to Dublin for a few days is a no-brainer.

My question is: how do you personally prefer to travel from London to Dublin? I have researched the sail/rail option (the man in seat 61 knows his stuff!) and looked into flights, and I can see that both options have much to recommend them. So I am on the fence and need help making a decision.

FWIW I loooooove trains and looking out at scenery.

Thanks in advance for your insights, Rick Steves People! :-)

Posted by
6113 posts

The sea could be very rough in November, so I would fly which is less likely to be cancelled.

Posted by
7828 posts

That weather might by too iffy for a ferry.
The train ride is too long for my taste.
I would probably fly

Posted by
25 posts

Thank you both! I wasn't even thinking about the sea/rough weather - so excellent advice!

We're flying. That was quick! :-)

Posted by
8660 posts

Fly. Book now.

Lucky to be able get behind the scenes tours!

Do Plan to get outside of Dublin though to truly experience Eire. Glendalough is an easy day trip.

Posted by
14507 posts

Personally, I would go in the summer, starting in mid-May to early Sept. Given the choices of transport then, I would take the ferry assuming that I was not under a pressing time constraint.

Posted by
25 posts

ramblin' on: Thanks! I heard from Harold on the Ireland page (where I double posted this) and he suggests City Airport.

Claudia: thanks! I will look up Glendalough pronto. Appreciate it!

Fred: We are locked into November. If we could go in spring, I think the ferry would be delightful. :-)

Posted by
40 posts

First, let me preface my reply with this fine print: "What makes my wife and I happy is not necessarily what makes others happy"

I would suggest a flight to Ireland. It allow you more time on the ground to do the tour thing. Plus a point-to-point speedy train is not the best opportunity to "view the scenery". I would not recommend an airline with the initials A L as your first choice. It is called Sardine Can, No frills airline by many travelers, with good reason.

With respect to Dublin, I considered it a bar/resturant city. We gained more pleasure out of our trip to Ireland from going to the west coast. It is abundant with lush country side, peaceful, and the highlight was the trip to the Cliffs of Moor. For those that disagree with my assement, refer to Paragraph #1.

I grew up in a railroad family. If you are looking for that unique experience, may I respectfully suggest that you consider the Yorkshire Railway from York to Whitby. Spend the night in York and make the trip to Whitby an all day affair. You will not be disappointed.

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