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How to get to Ireland
For travellers from Great Britain, Ireland has the very real selling point of being so close that it’s almost within touching distance. What’s more, the choice of routes is nothing short of abundant.
Travel Information
Language: Irish Gaelic | Currency: Euro (€) | Local time: GMT | Avg. Flight time: 1 hrs
Flying to Ireland
Flights to Ireland are available not just from London’s many airports, but also from Aberdeen (ABZ), Birmingham (BHX), Bristol (BRS), Cardiff (CWL), Doncaster Sheffield (DSA), Edinburgh (EDI), Exeter (EXT), Glasgow (GLA), Inverness (INV), the Isle of Man (IOM), Jersey (JER), Leeds Bradford (LBA), Liverpool (LPL), Manchester (MAN), Newcastle (NCL), Newquay (NQY), Nottingham East Midlands (EMA) and Southampton (SOU).
Some routes are seasonal, but there’s always good choice year-round.
Flagship carriers or no-frills airlines
Carriers include the full gamut of national, regional and budget airlines, among them British Airways, Aer Lingus, CityJet, Citywing, easyJet, Flybe, Jet2.com and Ryanair.
This means that finding cheap flights to Ireland is generally quite straightforward, particularly if you book in advance, and with flight times of between 45 and 90 minutes, journeys are quick and convenient.
Flying into Ireland’s biggest and brightest cities
Capital city Dublin (DUB) is the main gateway into Ireland, of course, but it’s far from the only entry point. Other key airports which sometimes offer the cheapest flights to Ireland include Cork (ORK), Donegal (CFN), Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC), Kerry (KIR), Shannon (SNN) and Waterford (WAT).
Collectively, they give easy access to Ireland’s liveliest cities, leading historical sights and most spellbinding areas of natural beauty.
Setting sail
With Ireland and the UK mainland in such close proximity to each other, ferry travel is another viable option for British travellers. Ports on the west coast of Wales and England have services across the Irish Sea with providers such as Stena Line, Irish Ferries and P&O sailing to the Dublin area, and to Rosslare in southeast Ireland.
Those travelling from the Isle of Man can use the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to sail to Dublin.
Travelling from north to south
If you’re arriving from Northern Ireland, travelling across the border to the Republic is very simple. There are regular trains between Belfast and Dublin, for example, with services generally taking around two hours. Reserve tickets online for the cheapest Ireland rail fares.
Making the journey by car is also straightforward, with several major roads linking the two parts of the island.