Day trip Holyhead to Dublin

[thomasheywood]

I’m currently staying in North Wales and am wondering if a day trip to Dublin is possible, has anyone on the forum have any advice to share? Thanks…

 

[Llanigraham]

Are the ferries running from Holyhead yet?

 

[stadler]

I’m currently staying in North Wales and am wondering if a day trip to Dublin is possible, has anyone on the forum have any advice to share? Thanks…

Yes you certainly can. Holyhead port reopened today (16/01/2024) and services are back to normal now. A day trip is easy and perfectly possible.

This is the current daily timetable (same on all days of the week) for both Irish Ferries and Stena Line services:

WESTBOUND:
• IF - 01:30 Holyhead to Dublin 05:00
• SL - 04:00 Holyhead to Dublin 07:30
• IF - 07:30 Holyhead to Dublin 11:00
• SL - 10:00 Holyhead to Dublin 13:30
• IF - 13:15 Holyhead to Dublin 16:45
• SL - 16:00 Holyhead to Dublin 19:30
• IF - 19:30 Holyhead to Dublin 23:00
• SL - 22:15 Holyhead to Dublin 01:45

EASTBOUND:
• IF - 01:15 Dublin to Holyhead 04:45
• SL - 04:30 Dublin to Holyhead 08:00
• IF - 07:30 Dublin to Holyhead 11:00
• SL - 10:15 Dublin to Holyhead 13:45
• IF - 13:45 Dublin to Holyhead 17:15
• SL - 16:30 Dublin to Holyhead 20:00
• IF - 19:45 Dublin to Holyhead 23:15
• SL - 22:30 Dublin to Holyhead 02:00

You can purchase tickets on the day at the port easily which is what i usually do. But note that if you want to use one operator there and another operator back then you will have to buy two single tickets. A return ticket is only for the same operator.

When you arrive in Dublin simply take the Dublin Bus route 53 between the port and the city centre. The fare is EUR2.60 single. The fare has to paid in exact change in coins (you can overpay if necessary but you will get no change) but no banknotes are accepted (not even for overpayment) so try to have exact fare. There is also a Nolan Coaches route 853 which costs slightly more at EUR3.00 or EUR4.50 single (depending where in the city centre you go) but it is more expensive and getting a ticket is a pain. So the standard Dublin Bus route 53 is the simplest option.

You can also walk to the tram stop at The Point in about twentyfive to thirty minutes if you prefer. Or walk all the way in to Dublin city centre in about fourtyfive to fifty minutes if you do not mind walking a lot and want to save money. But the bus certainly is the quickest and i take the 53 normally.

So yes a day trip is easily possible. The ferry ride is only three and a half hours. So you can easily have a full entire day in Dublin before heading back.

 

[Spaceship323]

You may need photo I.D. when buying ferry tickets to prove you're a British Citizen so a passport or driving licence may be needed (I've seen someone turned away from the ticket office at Holyhead because they didn't have I.D.)

Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions | FAQs | Irish Ferries

www.irishferries.com

 

[Statto]

If your using Public Transport in Dublin for most of the day then you can buy a visitors Leap Card.

A Leap Visitor Card is a pre-paid ticket that offers unlimited travel on Dublin Bus, Go Ahead Ireland, Luas and DART and Commuter Rail.

Ticket Type:

Duration	Price
24 hours	€8.00
72 hours	€16.00
7 days	€32.00

• The card is valid for your selected time period after you use it for the first time.
• The card is not valid on the Hop on/Hop off tour or other special tour services.
• The card is available for purchase online from Leap Card, Dublin Airport and Dublin Bus, 59 Upper O’Connell Street.

https://www.dublinbus.ie/fares-and-tickets/adult

 

[Statto]

I do believe they're bringing in contactless payments for buses in Dublin sometime this year.

 

[Flying Snail]

Yes you certainly can. Holyhead port reopened today (16/01/2024) and services are back to normal now. A day trip is easy and perfectly possible.

This is the current daily timetable (same on all days of the week) for both Irish Ferries and Stena Line services:

WESTBOUND:
• IF - 01:30 Holyhead to Dublin 05:00
• SL - 04:00 Holyhead to Dublin 07:30
• IF - 07:30 Holyhead to Dublin 11:00
• SL - 10:00 Holyhead to Dublin 13:30
• IF - 13:15 Holyhead to Dublin 16:45
• SL - 16:00 Holyhead to Dublin 19:30
• IF - 19:30 Holyhead to Dublin 23:00
• SL - 22:15 Holyhead to Dublin 01:45

EASTBOUND:
• IF - 01:15 Dublin to Holyhead 04:45
• SL - 04:30 Dublin to Holyhead 08:00
• IF - 07:30 Dublin to Holyhead 11:00
• SL - 10:15 Dublin to Holyhead 13:45
• IF - 13:45 Dublin to Holyhead 17:15
• SL - 16:30 Dublin to Holyhead 20:00
• IF - 19:45 Dublin to Holyhead 23:15
• SL - 22:30 Dublin to Holyhead 02:00

You can purchase tickets on the day at the port easily which is what i usually do. But note that if you want to use one operator there and another operator back then you will have to buy two single tickets. A return ticket is only for the same operator.

When you arrive in Dublin simply take the Dublin Bus route 53 between the port and the city centre. The fare is EUR2.60 single. The fare has to paid in exact change in coins (you can overpay if necessary but you will get no change) but no banknotes are accepted (not even for overpayment) so try to have exact fare. There is also a Nolan Coaches route 853 which costs slightly more at EUR3.00 or EUR4.50 single (depending where in the city centre you go) but it is more expensive and getting a ticket is a pain. So the standard Dublin Bus route 53 is the simplest option.

You can also walk to the tram stop at The Point in about twentyfive to thirty minutes if you prefer. Or walk all the way in to Dublin city centre in about fourtyfive to fifty minutes if you do not mind walking a lot and want to save money. But the bus certainly is the quickest and i take the 53 normally.

So yes a day trip is easily possible. The ferry ride is only three and a half hours. So you can easily have a full entire day in Dublin before heading back.

The Irish Ferries sailings at 07.30, 19.30 from Holyhead and 01.15, 13.45 from Dublin are not currently running. When these sailings do resume it is likely they will only be taking vehicles and not foot passengers. Stena take foot passengers on all sailings.

The Nolan Coaches shuttle bus accepts contactless payment on the bus at €3 to/from the city. There is currently no timetable for this to account for the altered ferry times.

 

[stadler]

The Irish Ferries sailings at 07.30, 19.30 from Holyhead and 01.15, 13.45 from Dublin are not currently running. When these sailings do resume it is likely they will only be taking vehicles and not foot passengers. Stena take foot passengers on all sailings.

The Nolan Coaches shuttle bus accepts contactless payment on the bus at €3 to/from the city. There is currently no timetable for this to account for the altered ferry times.

Ah i had not realised those were suspended. That seems odd that Stena Line have resumed their full timetables but Irish Ferries are only running half.

I would personally recommend travelling on Stena Line anyway as their customer service is much better. Irish Ferries are particularly poor when it comes to customer service especially if there is disruption or anything goes wrong.

It is worth noting that the EUR3.00 fare on the Nolan Coaches route 853 is only to Dublin Connolly station at the edge of the city centre. It costs EUR4.50 if you want to go any further in to the city centre such as the stops for O Connell Street or Dublin Heuston station. I would recommend the Dublin Bus route 53 as you will only pay EUR2.60 to go anywhere in the city centre. So it is a lot cheaper.

 

[Flying Snail]

Ah i had not realised those were suspended. That seems odd that Stena Line have resumed their full timetables but Irish Ferries are only running half.

IF Ulysses is off getting scheduled refit and James Joyce has left the fleet so they are a ship down at present, in a normal year it would probably have been the Rosslare service suspended in this circumstance.

I would personally recommend travelling on Stena Line anyway as their customer service is much better. Irish Ferries are particularly poor when it comes to customer service especially if there is disruption or anything goes wrong.

It is worth noting that the EUR3.00 fare on the Nolan Coaches route 853 is only to Dublin Connolly station at the edge of the city centre. It costs EUR4.50 if you want to go any further in to the city centre such as the stops for O Connell Street or Dublin Heuston station. I would recommend the Dublin Bus route 53 as you will only pay EUR2.60 to go anywhere in the city centre. So it is a lot cheaper.

The main issue with the 53 is that it is primarily a local service so it doesn't wait for ferry passengers and it is at best hourly, it's operating hours are also limited so it is useless for the early or late ferry arrivals/departures. 53 also terminates on Talbot St, close to Connolly so is not much nearer the city centre. On weekdays only the reverse journey from there does a (slow) loop around the city centre before heading towards the Port.

Nolan should only be charging €4.50 for Heuston and €3 for all the city centre stops. The publicity clearly says so and their online sales portal confirms this. However they are generally a rather shoddy outfit and I have been less than impressed by their drivers on occasion so I wouldn't be surprised if there is some nonsense on occasion (if I had to guess, the driver was keen to kick everyone off at Connolly so he could go back to base quicker).

 

[185143]

I've done it plenty of times and always had a good day. Plus you can stock up on duty free booze on the way back of course.

Never had an issue with the Nolan Coaches ferry link on the way from the ship... but don't expect it to turn up on the way back! I jumped on a regular bus once which goes to the Irish Ferries terminal. There was only me, my mate and a bus veg onboard, the driver had no issue letting us jump out quickly as he passed the Stena terminal, which was certainly appreciated.

I personally will only use Stena, won't even consider Irish Ferries given they engaged in similar antics as P&O Ferries did a few years back.

 

[Flying Snail]

I've done it plenty of times and always had a good day. Plus you can stock up on duty free booze on the way back of course.

Never had an issue with the Nolan Coaches ferry link on the way from the ship... but don't expect it to turn up on the way back! I jumped on a regular bus once which goes to the Irish Ferries terminal. There was only me, my mate and a bus veg onboard, the driver had no issue letting us jump out quickly as he passed the Stena terminal, which was certainly appreciated.

They have finally installed proper bus stops in both directions close to the Stena terminal for the 53.

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[Craig2601]

IF Ulysses is off getting scheduled refit and James Joyce has left the fleet so they are a ship down at present, in a normal year it would probably have been the Rosslare service suspended in this circumstance.

Did the James Joyce leave the fleet fairly recently?

 

[berneyarms]

Yes you certainly can. Holyhead port reopened today (16/01/2024) and services are back to normal now. A day trip is easy and perfectly possible.

This is the current daily timetable (same on all days of the week) for both Irish Ferries and Stena Line services:

WESTBOUND:
• IF - 01:30 Holyhead to Dublin 05:00
• SL - 04:00 Holyhead to Dublin 07:30
• IF - 07:30 Holyhead to Dublin 11:00
• SL - 10:00 Holyhead to Dublin 13:30
• IF - 13:15 Holyhead to Dublin 16:45
• SL - 16:00 Holyhead to Dublin 19:30
• IF - 19:30 Holyhead to Dublin 23:00
• SL - 22:15 Holyhead to Dublin 01:45

EASTBOUND:
• IF - 01:15 Dublin to Holyhead 04:45
• SL - 04:30 Dublin to Holyhead 08:00
• IF - 07:30 Dublin to Holyhead 11:00
• SL - 10:15 Dublin to Holyhead 13:45
• IF - 13:45 Dublin to Holyhead 17:15
• SL - 16:30 Dublin to Holyhead 20:00
• IF - 19:45 Dublin to Holyhead 23:15
• SL - 22:30 Dublin to Holyhead 02:00

You can purchase tickets on the day at the port easily which is what i usually do. But note that if you want to use one operator there and another operator back then you will have to buy two single tickets. A return ticket is only for the same operator.

When you arrive in Dublin simply take the Dublin Bus route 53 between the port and the city centre. The fare is EUR2.60 single. The fare has to paid in exact change in coins (you can overpay if necessary but you will get no change) but no banknotes are accepted (not even for overpayment) so try to have exact fare. There is also a Nolan Coaches route 853 which costs slightly more at EUR3.00 or EUR4.50 single (depending where in the city centre you go) but it is more expensive and getting a ticket is a pain. So the standard Dublin Bus route 53 is the simplest option.

You can also walk to the tram stop at The Point in about twentyfive to thirty minutes if you prefer. Or walk all the way in to Dublin city centre in about fourtyfive to fifty minutes if you do not mind walking a lot and want to save money. But the bus certainly is the quickest and i take the 53 normally.

So yes a day trip is easily possible. The ferry ride is only three and a half hours. So you can easily have a full entire day in Dublin before heading back.

To be clear - Irish Ferries are only taking passenger bookings on two return sailings a day

Depart Dublin - 07:30 and 19:30
Depart Holyhead - 01:15 and 13:45

Also the Stena sailings ex Holyhead at 04:00 and ex-Dublin at 04:30 do NOT operate on Sunday or Monday mornings.

 

[berneyarms]

I do believe they're bringing in contactless payments for buses in Dublin sometime this year.

Not likely to happen until 2026.