This page explains how to travel by train & ferry from Dublin & Ireland to Paris, Brussels and other European cities. Click here to for journeys starting in another city. Information current for 2023. Suggested hotels in Dublin.
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Before you buy your tickets
Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a 35 point-to-point ticket online?". Click here to understand how far ahead you can buy train tickets.
European
train travel FAQ
Train travel in Ireland
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The Irish Railways website is www.irishrail.ie.
Dublin to Belfast from 13.99
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The Enterprise links Dublin Connolly with Belfast every couple of hours, taking around 2 hours. It's jointly run by Irish Railways & Northern Ireland Railways (part of Translink). It has standard class, first class (also known as Enterprise Plus class) and a cafe-bar.
Reservation isn't essential, you can always just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on the next train from Dublin Connolly station to Belfast. But you may find some cheap advance-purchase fares from as low as 13.99 if you book in advance.
Incidentally, Belfast Central was named after the Belfast Central Railway, not because of its location! It was renamed Belfast Lanyon Place in September 2018.
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Buy one-way or round-trip tickets starting in Dublin at www.irishrail.ie, you must collect hard-copy tickets from Irish Rail ticket machines in Dublin.
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Buy one-way or round-trip tickets starting in Belfast at www.translink.co.uk, you must exchange the confirmation email for a hard-copy ticket at Belfast Central station or another staffed NIR station.
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Tip 1: Belfast's Great Victoria Street station is in the city centre and more convenient than Belfast Lanyon Place as it's next to the main bus station and the excellent Europa Hotel, across the road from the equally excellent National Trust-owned Crown Bar. If you hold a ticket for the Enterprise train between Belfast Lanyon Place & Dublin, you are entitled to a free transfer by regular local train between Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Great Victoria Street at no extra charge.
Tip 2: On the Enterprise, find a seat on the right hand side going north to Belfast, for the sea views.
Dublin to London or anywhere in Britain for 60
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See the London to Ireland page for how to travel by Sail & Rail from Dublin to London or anywhere in Britain.
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You can buy cheap SailRail tickets for train & ferry travel from any rail station in Ireland to any rail station in Britain at www.irishferries.com. Dublin to London costs 60. Cork, Limerick, Galway or Sligo to London costs 80. Any day, any time. Full details on the London to Ireland page or www.irishferries.com.
Dublin to Paris
Option 1, Dublin to Paris using a direct ferry from Dublin or Rosslare to Cherbourg - several times a week
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Step 1, sail from Dublin or Rosslare to Cherbourg by ferry.
Irish Ferries (www.irishferries.com) sail from Dublin to Cherbourg every 2-3 days all year. The ferry typically sails at 16:00 and arrives 11:30 next morning. Fares from around 51 + mandatory private cabin. Cabins start from around 74 for a 4-berth with shower & toilet.
This is the easiest route to use, their luxurious new superferry WB Yeats carries foot passengers on this route, a wonderful cruise with bars, restaurants & cosy private cabins. Their smaller ferry Epsilon doesn't carry foot passengers. Check schedules at www.irishferries.com.
Stena Line (www.stenaline.co.uk) sail every few days from Rosslare to Cherbourg, foot passengers carried. Sailings are overnight, times vary. A range of comfy private cabins is available. Trains link Dublin Connolly, Wicklow, Wexford & Rosslare Harbour, see www.irishrail.ie.
In Cherbourg, it's a 3.2 km 10-minute taxi ride or a 2.9 km 37-minute walk from the ferry terminal to the station, see walking map.
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Step 2, take a train from Cherbourg to Paris.
If you arrive in Cherbourg at 11:30 with Irish Ferries you should book a train after 13:00, there's usually one leaving Cherbourg around 14:40, arriving Paris St Lazare around 18:00.
Fares start from 20 if you book ahead and commit to a specific train, or costs around 55 if you turn up and buy on the day.
Check train times & prices from Cherbourg to Paris at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in , £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in , no booking fee).
Booking usually opens 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can select a mobile ticket to show on your phone.
Option 2, Dublin to Paris by Sail & Rail to London then Eurostar - across the UK, with daily departures
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First, buy a SailRail ticket from Dublin or anywhere in Ireland to London at www.irishferries.com from 60.
See the complete Dublin to London Sail & Rail timetable here. See full details of how to buy tickets here.
I recommend using the all-weather-reliable ships when connecting for destinations beyond the UK, not the Swift fast ferry as this is cancelled when wave height exceeds 1 metre.
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Then buy a Eurostar ticket from London to Paris from £52 one-way, £78 return at www.eurostar.com, allowing plenty of time to change trains and stations in London in case of any delay, or stay overnight if necessary.
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For example, take the 08:05 ferry from Dublin Ferryport to Holyhead, connecting with a train to London arriving 17:37 Monday-Friday, 16:37 Saturdays, 17:40 Sundays. You arrive at London Euston station, you can walk (10 minutes) along to St Pancras station where Eurostar departs. You should have no trouble getting the 20:01 Eurostar arriving Paris 23:27.
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For detailed times, fares and how to buy tickets from London to Italy, Spain, Switzerland or anywhere in Europe, see the relevant country page, selected here.
Dublin to Brussels
Option 1, Dublin to Brussels using Sail & Rail to London & Eurostar to Brussels
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First, buy a SailRail ticket from Dublin or anywhere in Ireland to London at www.irishferries.com from 60.
See the complete Dublin to London Sail & Rail timetable here. See full details of how to buy tickets here.
I recommend using the all-weather-reliable ships when connecting for destinations beyond the UK, not the Swift fast ferry as this is cancelled when wave height exceeds 1 metre.
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Then buy a Eurostar ticket from London to Brussels from £52 one-way, £78 return at www.eurostar.com, allowing plenty of time to change trains and stations in London in case of any delay, or stay overnight if necessary.
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For example:
Take the 08:05 ferry from Dublin Ferryport to Holyhead, connecting with a train to London arriving 17:37 Monday-Friday, 16:37 Saturdays, 17:40 Sundays. You arrive at London Euston station, you can walk (10 minutes) along to London St Pancras where Eurostar departs.
Then travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar leaving London St Pancras at 19:34 arriving Brussels Midi 22:38.
Option 2, Dublin to Brussels using a ferry from Ireland to Cherbourg - by-passing the UK
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Step 1, sail from Dublin or Rosslare to Cherbourg by ferry.
Irish Ferries (www.irishferries.com) sail from Dublin to Cherbourg every 2-3 days all year. The ferry typically sails at 16:00 and arrives 11:30 next morning. Fares from around 51 + mandatory private cabin. Cabins start from around 74 for a 4-berth with shower & toilet.
This is the easiest route to use, their luxurious new superferry WB Yeats carries foot passengers on this route, a wonderful cruise with bars, restaurants & cosy private cabins. Their smaller ferry Epsilon doesn't carry foot passengers. Check schedules at www.irishferries.com.
Stena Line (www.stenaline.co.uk) sail every few days from Rosslare to Cherbourg, foot passengers carried. Sailings are overnight, times vary. A range of comfy private cabins is available. Trains link Dublin Connolly, Wicklow, Wexford & Rosslare Harbour, see www.irishrail.ie.
In Cherbourg, it's a 3.2 km 10-minute taxi ride or a 2.9 km 37-minute walk from the ferry terminal to the station, see walking map.
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Step 2, take a train from Cherbourg to Paris.
If you arrive in Cherbourg at 11:30 with Irish Ferries you should book a train after 13:00, there's usually one leaving Cherbourg around 14:40, arriving Paris St Lazare around 18:00.
Fares start from 20 if you book ahead and commit to a specific train, or costs around 55 if you turn up and buy on the day.
Check train times & prices from Cherbourg to Paris at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in , £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in , no booking fee).
Booking usually opens 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can select a mobile ticket to show on your phone.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi from the Gare St Lazare to the Gare du Nord.
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Step 3, take a high-speed Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels Midi in 1h22, they leave every hour or so.
Allow at least one hour between trains in Paris.
Book this at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in , £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in , no booking fee).
Booking usually opens 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can select a mobile ticket to show on your phone.
Dublin to Amsterdam
Option 1, Dublin to Amsterdam using Sail & Rail to London then Eurostar to Amsterdam
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Step 1, take the 08:05 ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, connecting with a train arriving at London Euston around 17:40, for 60. Book online at www.irishferries.com. See full details of this journey here.
In London it's a 10 minute walk from London Euston to London St Pancras.
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Stay overnight in London, see suggested hotels near the station.
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Step 2, travel from London St Pancras to Amsterdam by Eurostar, see the timetable here & buy tickets as shown.
Option 2, Dublin to Amsterdam using Sail & Rail to London, then overnight Sail & Rail to Amsterdam
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Step 1, take the 08:05 ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, connecting with a train arriving at London Euston around 17:40, for 60. Book online at www.irishferries.com. See full details of this journey here.
Take the Underground or a taxi from Euston station to Liverpool Street station.
Tip: When you arrive at London Liverpool Street, a peaceful place to wait with a coffee, beer or light meal is the Eastway Brasserie (eastwaybrasserie.co.uk) or 1901 Wine Lounge, both part of the Andaz London Liverpool Street Hotel, formerly the historic Great Eastern Hotel. Go up the big escalators opposite platforms 1-4, exit the station and turn left along the station facade.
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Step 2, now travel overnight from London to Amsterdam by Stena Line Rail & Sail using train & overnight ferry from £55 with private cabin from £35, see the Stena Line Rail & Sail page.
Option 3, Dublin to Amsterdam via Paris - by-passing the UK, several departures a week
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Day 1, travel from Dublin to Paris as shown above, sailing from Dublin late afternoon, sleeping in a cosy private cabin to Cherbourg and arriving Paris St Lazare by train at around 18:00 on Day 2.
Transfer from Paris St Lazare to Paris Gare du Nord by taxi or metro. Always make sure you have at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris.
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Day 2, travel from Paris to Amsterdam by Thalys train, one usually leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 19:25 arriving Amsterdam Centraal 22:44.
Dublin to all other European destinations
There are three approaches: Sail & Rail to London, then Eurostar to Paris or Brussels, then onward trains; Sail & Rail to London, then Sail & Rail to Amsterdam then onward trains; Or by-pass the UK, taking a direct ferry from Dublin or Rosslare to Cherbourg and train to Paris, then onward trains from Paris.
...via London & Eurostar to Paris or Brussels
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Step 1, take the 08:05 SailRail service to London Euston as shown on the Britain-Ireland page, booked at www.irishferries.com for 60.
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Stay overnight in London (unless your chosen onward journey involves an evening Eurostar to Paris and overnight there).
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Step 2, travel from London St Pancras to any European destination using Eurostar to Paris or Brussels, as shown when you select your destination country here.
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For example, you can travel from Dublin to London on Day 1, stay overnight, then travel from London to Barcelona, Milan, Geneva, Zurich or Munich on Day 2.
Or you can travel from Dublin to London on Day 1 and take an evening Eurostar to Paris. Stay overnight, then travel from Paris to Barcelona, Madrid, Vienna, Copenhagen, Warsaw (Mon-Fri only), Madrid on Day 2. I'd allow at least 2 hours between trains in London, to include the 10-minute walk from Euston station to St Pancras station and the Eurostar check-in.
...via London & ferry to Hoek van Holland
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Step 1, take the 08:05 SailRail service to London Euston as shown on the Ireland page, booked at www.irishferries.com for 60.
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Step 2, take the overnight train & ferry service from London Liverpool Street to Amsterdam, sleeping in a private cabin on the Stena Line superferry with shower, toilet, satellite TV & WiFi, booked as shown on the Stena Line Rail & Sail page from £55 plus private cabin from around £35. Spend a day exploring Amsterdam.
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Step 3, take an onwards train from Amsterdam as shown on the international trains from Amsterdam page.
There are direct daytime trains from Amsterdam to Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin. There are sleeper trains from Amsterdam to Basel, Zurich, Munich, Innsbruck & Vienna.
...by direct ferry from Ireland to France
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Step 1, travel by ferry direct from Ireland to France & on to Paris as shown above. Allow plenty of time between trains in Paris.
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Step 2, travel from Paris to your mainland European destination as shown on the Trains from Paris page.
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For example, you could sail from Dublin at 16:00 on Day 1, reaching Paris around 16:00 on Day 2.
You could catch an onward train to Lyon, Marseille, Cologne, Frankfurt or Geneva the same day, arriving late evening on Day 2.
If you took a sleeper, you could be in Munich, Salzburg or Vienna in the morning of Day 3.
If you stayed in Paris overnight, you could travel on to Nice, Cannes, Barcelona, Milan & Italy or Prague on Day 3.
...by direct ferry from Ireland to Spain
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Step 1, travel from Dublin to Rosslare by train, www.irishrail.ie.
The train arrives at a platform a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal, but allow plenty of time between train and ferry. When the ferry sails 08:00, you'll need to travel to Rosslare the evening before.
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Step 2, sail from Rosslare to Bilbao by Brittany Ferries.
The ferry sails twice a week for most of the year, typically either sailing at 08:00 arriving at 13:00 next day, or sailing at 23:00 and arriving at 08:00 2 nights later. Check sailing dates and times and book online at www.brittany-ferries.ie.
The ferry has restaurants, bar, lounges, and cosy private cabins all with shower & toilet.
In Bilbao the ferry docks at Zierbena, 16 km northwest of central Bilbao. It's a 5 km, 18 taxi ride from the ferry terminal to Santurtzi metro station, from where there are metro suburban trains every few minutes into Bilbao's Abando station in the city centre, taking 21-23 minutes and costing a few euros, see www.metrobilbao.net.
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Step 3, take a train from Bilbao to Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian or anywhere elsewhere in Spain.
There are two daily high-speed trains from Bilbao Abando station to Madrid Chamartin, journey time around 4h50, and two direct daily trains to Barcelona, journey time 6h40, see www.thetrainline.com (easiest to use, in , £ or $) or www.renfe.com (in , much more fiddly) for times, fares & online booking. I'd recommend allowing several hours between the ship's arrival and any onward train booking, to allow for transfer time and any delay to the ship.
Bilbao's Matiko station has hourly narrow gauge trains to San Sebastian (Donostia-Amara) every hour or half-hour, taking 2h35, www.euskotren.eus.
Hotels in Dublin & Ireland
For advice on hotels in Dublin, see the hotels section here.
Backpacker
hostels
www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance & VPN
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Always take out travel insurance
Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself. Here are some suggested insurers. Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.
www.staysure.co.uk
offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & gets 4.7 out of 5 on
Trustpilot.
www.columbusdirect.com
is also a well-know brand.
If you live in the USA try
Travel Guard USA.
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Get an eSIM with mobile data package
Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected. Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list. Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.
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Get a Curve card for foreign travel
Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing. The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.
How it works: 1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.
I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader. The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out). I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.
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Get a VPN for safe browsing. Why you need a VPN
When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi. It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply. See VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription. I get a small commission to help support this site.
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Carry an Anker powerbank
Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged. I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet. Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com.