In late February I will to make a roundtrip from Dublin City Center to Manchester's Bridgewater Hall in England. I'll spend several days in Manchester before I return. Is it possible to cross the sea by train or bus and then complete the journey? I will not have a car and will be traveling light, with a small bag. Thank you!
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2597 posts
You can find out about ferry and rail services between Ireland and the UK here https://www.seat61.com/Ireland.htm
For journeys from Dublin to Manchester book with https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/to-ireland-from-britain/
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33847 posts
no buses or trains over or under the Irish Sea.
Ships or planes.
With the RailSea promotion it is rail - ship - rail.
Posted by
Pantego, NC, USA
1014 posts
We have done the Rail-Sail trip at least 5 times. It is a great way to see the UK from the train and get a ferry ride to boot. Be forewarned, the rail service does NOT co-ordinate with the ferry schedule, so when booking the ferry look at when it arrives in Holyhead, and look at the rail schedule from Holyhead to Manchester and visa versa on the way back. Buying a with return ticket can save 10%. You might incur a 1 or 1.5 hour wait at the ferry port until the train arrives. There is nothing to do at the ferry port and not much in food either. You might want to buy a snack on the ferry to take with you, while you wait or buy one in Dublin to take with you. Ferry food is ok. Nothing to write home about, but it will not kill you. It is about a 5 to 5.5 hour trip. Or, you could fly, Ryanair is around 25-30 dollars (think bus with wings and pay extra for everything) or Aer Lingus for around 40 dollars. Both can be bought non-stop. These are non-stop round trip flights. I was using Feb. 26 to Mar 2nd as flying dates. Your dates may be different, so prices might be a bit higher or lower. I was using skyscanner.com as my flight search engine.