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 2025. 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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Enterprise trains link Dublin Connolly with Belfast Grand Central every hour, taking around 2 hours.
Jointly run by Irish Railways & Northern Ireland Railways (part of Translink), 3 different types of train now operate the service after it was increased from every 2 hours to hourly in October 2024. See more about this on the Train travel in Ireland page.
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.
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Buy one-way or round-trip tickets starting in Dublin at www.irishrail.ie, you must collect your ticket 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 Grand Central Station or another staffed NIR station.
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Tip: 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 around 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 $, international 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 show it on your phone.
Option 2, Dublin to Paris by SailRail to London then Eurostar - across the UK, with daily departures
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Step 1, travel from Dublin to London by SailRail, leaving Dublin Ferryport at 08:05 by ferry to Holyhead then by connecting train to London Euston, arriving 17:37 Monday-Friday, 16:37 Saturdays, 17:40 Sundays. More about this SailRail journey.
The SailRail fare is 60, any day, any date.
Buy a SailRail ticket from Dublin to London at www.irishferries.com. More about how to buy tickets.
In London, it's a 9 minute walk from Euston station to St Pancras station.
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Step 2, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 20:01, arriving Paris Gare du Nord 23:18.
London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in Standard, £97 one-way or £168 return in Plus (1st class).
Buy a ticket at www.eurostar.com.
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For times, fares & how to buy tickets from London to anywhere in Europe, selected your destination country here.
Dublin to Brussels
Option 1, Dublin to Brussels by SailRail to London then Eurostar
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Step 1, travel from Dublin to London by SailRail, leaving Dublin Ferryport at 08:05 by ferry to Holyhead then by connecting train to London Euston, arriving 17:37 Monday-Friday, 16:37 Saturdays, 17:40 Sundays. More about this SailRail journey.
The SailRail fare is 60, any day, any date.
Buy a SailRail ticket from Dublin to London at www.irishferries.com. More about how to buy tickets.
In London, it's a 9 minute walk from Euston station to St Pancras station.
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Step 2, travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 19:34, arriving Brussels Midi 22:38.
London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in Standard, £97 one-way or £168 return in Plus (1st class).
Buy a ticket at www.eurostar.com.
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For times, fares & how to buy tickets from London to anywhere in Europe, selected your destination country here.
Option 2, Dublin to Brussels by 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 $, international 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 show it 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 Eurostar (formerly Thalys) high-speed 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.
Eurostars have 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys).
Book this at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in , £ or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in , no fee).
Booking usually opens 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Step 1, sail from Dublin to Cherbourg aboard Irish Ferries' WB Yeats. WB Yeats photos courtesy of Irish Ferries.
Step 2, take a double-deck TER train from Cherbourg to Paris, seen here at Paris St Lazare. Courtesy of Nicholas A Milligan.
Step 3, travel from Paris to Brussels by Eurostar. More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys).
Dublin to Amsterdam
Option 1, Dublin to Amsterdam using Sail & Rail to London then Eurostar to Amsterdam
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Step 1, travel from Dublin to London by SailRail, leaving Dublin Ferryport at 08:05 by ferry to Holyhead then by connecting train to London Euston, arriving 17:37 Monday-Friday, 16:37 Saturdays, 17:40 Sundays. More about this SailRail journey.
The SailRail fare is 60, any day, any date.
Buy a SailRail ticket from Dublin to London at www.irishferries.com. More about how to buy tickets.
In London, it's a 9 minute walk from Euston station to St Pancras station.
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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 a ticket at www.eurostar.com.
Option 2, Dublin to Amsterdam by SailRail to London, then overnight by SailRail to Amsterdam
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Step 1, travel from Dublin to London by SailRail, leaving Dublin Ferryport at 08:05 by ferry to Holyhead then by connecting train to London Euston, arriving 17:37 Monday-Friday, 16:37 Saturdays, 17:40 Sundays. More about this SailRail journey.
The SailRail fare is 60, any day, any date.
Buy a SailRail ticket from Dublin to London at www.irishferries.com. More about how to buy tickets.
In London, 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, travel from London to Amsterdam by Rail & Sail, leaving London Liverpool Street around 19:36, arriving Amsterdam Centraal 10:24.
Fares start at £62 + cabin cost. For full details, see the Stena Line Rail & Sail page.
Buy tickets at www.stenaline.co.uk/rail-and-sail/to-holland.
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 by taxi or metro from the Gare St Lazare to the Gare du Nord. Allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris.
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Day 2, travel from Paris to Amsterdam by Eurostar (formerly Thalys), 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 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 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.
Via 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.
Via 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.