My wife and I will be in Dublin for a wedding July 30. The 31st we want to travel to Edinburgh and fly home to the USA Aug 7th from Edinburgh. Our goal is to maximise our time in Scotland. Is it better to find a cheap flight from Dublin to Edinburgh or to rent a car or go rail to Scotland?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
There is a fair amount of ocean between Ireland and Scotland so renting a car or taking a train won't be possible. Your budget airline choices are Ryanair and Aer Lingus. The sooner you book, the cheaper the fare.
On budget airlines you need to pay close attention to luggage size and weight limits. If you go over, you will pay a penalty. Most important: Observe the strict check-in deadlines. If you don't have your boarding pass in hand when the deadline arrives, your tickets will be worthless and you'll have to buy new ones on a later flight at full fare.
Posted by
OP
Green Bay, WI, USA
2 posts
Thank You for the reply.
There are car ferry lines between Dublin and Liverpool and other ports in England, There is also a ferry between Londonderry and Scotland and I'm sure rail connections in any port once we get across . I just wondered if anyone had experience along those routes.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If my post sounded sarcastic, I apologize. You said you wanted to maximize your time in Scotland and you didn't mention taking a ferry. Therefore I ruled that out as an option because of the time involved.
While I prefer trains to planes, in this case I recommend that you fly. Train-ferry-train would be a good choice--if you had lots of time.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Douglas, if you don't want to go by air, you could check into the ferry from Belfast or Larne. I don't think that you can catch a train at the Scottish end, but I am sure that there is a CityLink bus. You don't need a car in Edinburgh or Glasgow. If you want to see the countryside, I recommend a car. There are others who disagree with me, but I love the freedom that the car gives me to explore the wee roads of Scotland. Pam
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
According to this page on the Direct Ferries site, there is train service as well as National Express coach (bus) service at Troon, Scotland.
The National Rail site shows train service from Troon to Edinburgh with a connection in Glasgow (requires changing stations as well as trains). Travel time is just over two hours.
Posted by
Edmonton, AB, Canada
668 posts
Yes, you can get a ferry from Larne to Toon and a train from there to Glasgow, then Glasgow to Edinburgh. You may have to change stations in Glasgow, I am not sure. I would also suggest you use a car if you are touring Scotland. Not sure about renting in Ireland and dropping off in Scotland, though. I am sure you could arrange to get one in Troon, or Stranraer, but check opening and closing times of car hire offices with the arrival time of ferries - they are not open 24/7.