Whether you need to get from Dublin to Belfast, you’re coming from the UK mainland or flying in from a European country, this guide will help lay out the options. Use the links below to jump to the relevant section.
Page index – Getting to Northern Ireland
Use the blue links below to jump to the different modes of transport!
- Visa Requirements
- by Air
- Flights and our two not very international airports -George Best and Belfast International
- by Land
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- Driving from the Republic
- Car rental
- By bus
- By train
- by Sea
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Visa requirements for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
Although Northern Ireland is firmly located – as the name suggests – in the northern part of the island of Ireland, it is part of the United Kingdom. This means that if you have a UK passport, come on in. Similarly, if you have an Irish passport there is no border.
Other travellers need to check whether you need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. If you are coming in via the Republic of Ireland (part of the EU) you would need to check the visa status for The Republic as well. See some helpful links below.
Visiting the Republic of Ireland (ROI)
You do not need a visa to land in Ireland if you:
- Are a citizen of the EEA or the UK.
- Hold a travel document issued by an EEA member country or you have a residence card issued by an EEA country because you are the family member of an EEA citizen.
- Are a citizen of a country listed at this link
Visiting Northern Ireland / UK
Note that there has been a major change to the UK’s travel regulations where most visitors are required to register for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). An ETA costs £16.
Use this useful visa checker to see the whether you require a visa to visit the UK.
Useful links:
US Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs
Getting to Northern Ireland By Air
We have three airports, George Best/Belfast City Airport, Belfast International / Aldergrove and City of Derry Airport. Despite the ‘international’ in Belfast International there are few international flights coming into the region. Belfast International (also known as Aldergrove) usually caters for the Northern Irish holidaymaker flying to destinations in the Mediterranean and Europe as well as to mainland UK.
Most international tourists in fact arrive at Dublin Airport or Shannon Airport in the Republic of Ireland, or at an international airport in England, where visitors either drive up from the Republic or take a short domestic flight from England or Scotland, landing at either Belfast International, George Best/City Airport or even the City of Derry airport.
Domestic visitors traveling from other parts of the UK will find that they can catch quite attractively priced flights to either Belfast International, or George Best/Belfast City Airport.
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Belfast International Airport
- Location: Airport Road/A57, near Killealy, Antrim, BT29 4AB
- Tel: 028 9448 4848
- Web: www.belfastairport.com
Belfast International Airport (IATA: BFS, ICAO: EGAA) is about 21 km / 13 miles out of Belfast city centre. For Belfast City residents this might be a problem, but for visitors planning to head up to the Causeway Coast to visit sights such as Giant’s Causeway, this is not really an issue as it puts you that bit closer. In fact, given Northern Ireland’s small size, Belfast International Airport’s location is probably not an issue for anyone renting a car and wanting to head East, West, North or South. In addition, car rental prices are often cheaper when picked up at Belfast International.
Getting to/from Belfast International Airport: For those without a car, there is a regular express bus service that takes you in to Belfast in about 25 minutes. Sit upstairs and enjoy the views of our beautiful green countryside. There are also bus services to Lisburn and Derry Londonderry. Check out transport operator Translink’s website or the helpful ‘to & from’ page on the airport’s website.
George Best City Airport
- Location: Airport Road, Sydenham Bypass/A2, Belfast, BT3 9JH
- Tel: 02890 939093
- Web: www.belfastcityairport.com
George Best (IATA: BHD, ICAO: EGAC) is primarily a domestic airport servicing other cities in the UK, but there are occasional flights to/from Amsterdam and seasonal flights to international holiday destinations. The airport is located just 3 miles / 5 km from Belfast’s city centre and sits alongside Belfast Lough.
Getting to/from the George Best / City Airport: Public transportation is not great. There is an express bus service that runs every half hour, but most visitors will either take a taxi, or hire a car. While Sydenham train station is described as being just a ’short distance’ from the airport, you would need to drag your suitcases for about 15-20 minutes along a path that runs adjacent to a dual carriageway before dragging them over a footbridge before arriving at the train station. Our recommendation: budget for the taxi, or hire a car.
City of Derry Airport
- Location: City of Derry Airport, Airport Road, Eglinton. Co. Derry. BT47 3GY
- Tel: 028 7181 0784
- Web: www.cityofderryairport.com
This small airport serves the City of Derry~Londonderry and would also be a convenient arrival point if planning a trip to the Causeway Coast and Giant’s Causeway. Flight prices to/from this airport tend to be a little pricier and with the short distances involved, most visitors would still land elsewhere and drive up to the Causeway Coast. However, Easyjet has recently started flying a limited schedule from City of Derry Airport and their flight costs are definitely worth checking out.
Airport Buses
The best public transport to use for the Belfast airports is the bus service which runs to the airports from the new Grand Central Station which is located behind the Grand Opera House, and about 5 minutes walk from the old Great Victoria Street Station. The main entrance is just off Glengall Street and the side entrance is off Grosvenor Road – check this PDF map.
Belfast International Airport bus service
The Airport Express 300 service operates 7 days a week between Belfast International and Belfast Grand Central Station. At peak times on Monday to Friday, services run every 15 minutes and the journey takes around 30-40 minutes subject to traffic conditions. You can buy tickets on board, online or at the airport from the Translink Ticket Vending Machine or the Visit Belfast information desk.
There is also a bus service to/from Belfast International Airport and Derry~Londonderry, as well as between the airport and Lisburn. Learn more about the Translink airport bus services here.
George Best / Belfast City Airport bus service
You can technically get to Belfast City Airport from Sydenham Train Station but only attempt this if you have light handbaggage. The walk to the airport involves crossing a major road over a footbridge and takes about 20 minutes.
The 600 bus service operates 7 days a week between Belfast City Airport and Belfast Grand Central Station and takes about 15 minutes subject to traffic conditions. At peak times the service is every 20 minutes. You can buy tickets on board, online or at the airport from the Translink Ticket Vending Machine or the Visit Belfast information desk. The bus does stop at Queens Square and Wellington Place on the outward journey to the airport, and at Queen’s Square and Donegall Square South on the Airport/ Grand Central Station Journey.
Learn more about the Translink airport bus services here.
City of Derry Airport bus service
Ulsterbus operates various scheduled services to and from the airport to the main Bus Depot on Foyle Street in the city centre. The Goldliner 234 service between Derry~Londonderry and Ballycastle stops at the airport and takes about 25 minutes from the city however the service is only every two hours, even at peak times. Check the bus schedule here.
Getting to Northern Ireland by Car, Bus or Train from the Republic
Getting to Belfast from Dublin by car, train or bus
Dublin and Belfast are just over 100 miles apart so the journey is very do-able. The train and busses take around two hours to make the journey while driving from Dublin takes slightly longer if you are coming from the city centre (2 1/2 hours) but just under two hours if coming up from Dublin Airport. See the sections below for more details
Driving to Northern Ireland
As previously mentioned, many international tourists (or even residents) use either Dublin Airport (in our opinion the airport with the absolute best airport Twitter account) or Shannon Airport in the west, and drive north. The border between the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (NI) is open, and it is likely to stay that way. If you are authorised to cross it you can just simply drive across. See the information below to see whether you will need a visa to enter either ROI or NI.
Note: The drive across the border is usually invisible however, you should note that the standard unit of measurement in the ROI is kilometers, and in NI it is miles. Check your speed and be mindful that speed warnings will be in either kilometers or miles depending where you are!
Useful links:
If you are worried about driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road just remember that the driver should always be in the middle of the road. If the road is so narrow that this doesn’t work… then you have other problems to worry about!
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Getting to Northern Ireland by bus from Dublin
There are good bus services from Dublin Airport and the city of Dublin to Belfast and Derry Londonderry.
Translink, Northern Ireland’s public transport operator, offers a bus service between Belfast / Derry Londonderry and Dublin / Dublin Airport for around £18 return if you book early to catch a web saver fare. There are stops en route so the journey takes around 2 hours 15 minutes (Dublin Airport to Belfast) and just under four hours Dublin to Derry Londonderry. There is a reduced service through the early hours of the morning if you have an early flight..
Aircoach – Aircoach serves quite a few towns in the Republic, but also travels from Dublin city/airport to Belfast City (Glengall Street), Belfast International Airport, and Derry Londonderry. A non-stop journey from Dublin Airport T1 and T2 to Belfast journey takes around 1 hour 50 minutes. Return tickets are £19-£21 depending on the time of day. Tickets can be bought online
Catch a bus from Scotland!
Yes it does involve a bit of ferry travel but travelling by coach is a scenic, convenient and good-value way to get from Scotland to Northern Ireland. Services usually route via Cairnryan to Belfast, and you can book a through-ticket so your luggage and connections are all taken care of.
From Glasgow, two main operators run direct coach-and-sail services:
- Hannon Coach offers a straightforward journey where the same coach takes you onto the ferry and across to Belfast. The trip takes around 5–5½ hours with fares typically £43–£47 one way. Check out schedules for Hannon Coach
- Scottish Citylink runs services in partnership with Ulsterbus and Stena Line. Journeys are around 6 hours, with singles from about £30 (returns from £57). Check out schedule for Scottish Citylink
From Edinburgh, you can travel with National Express which routes via Glasgow before continuing on the ferry to Belfast. This is a longer journey, usually 9–10 hours, with fares around £45–£50. Alternatively, it’s easy to take a short coach or train to Glasgow and connect there.
These services are comfortable, cost-effective, and a great way to see both Scotland and Northern Ireland without the hassle of driving.
By train
The train journey between Dublin Connolly and the new Belfast Grand Central station takes just over two hours. If your journey originates in the Republic, use Irish Rail’s website to book tickets, and if your journey originates in Northern Ireland then you should use Translink’s website.
You can also buy tickets at the station but you will get the best savings by booking online. Return ticket prices originating from Dublin can be as low as €28 (approx) if you book early enough and snap up the saver seats, but otherwise you can expect to pay around €30 or €32 for semi flexible / flexible return tickets.
Getting to Northern Ireland by Sea
There are ferry services to Belfast from both Liverpool and Cairnryan in Scotland, and an additional service from Cairnryan to Larne. There is a ferry service from the Isle of Man, so if you are planning on attending the Isle of Man TT, why not visit us afterwards?
As with land and air passage, you can also take a ferry from the UK or Europe to the Republic of Ireland and drive north from the ROI.
Current ferry routes:
* Cairnryan, Scotland – Larne, NI (P&O Ferries)
* Cairnryan, Scotland – Belfast, NI (Stena Line)
* Liverpool, England – Belfast, NI (Stena Line)
* Liverpool, England – Dublin, Republic of Ireland (P&O Ferries)
* Douglas, Isle of Man – Belfast (isle of Man Steam Packet Ferries)
* Pembroke, Wales – Rosslare, Republic of Ireland (Irish Ferries)
* Fishguard, Wales – Rosslare, Republic of Ireland (Stena Line)
* Holyhead, Wales – Dublin, Republic of Ireland (Irish Ferries / Stena Line)
* Cherbourg, France – Dublin, Republic of Ireland (Irish Ferries)
* Cherbourg, France – Rosslare, Republic of Ireland (Brittany Ferries / Stena Line)
* Roscoff, France – Cork, Republic of Ireland (Brittany Ferries)
* Roscoff, France – Rosslare, Republic of Ireland (Brittany Ferries)
* Bilbao, Spain – Rosslare, Republic of Ireland (Brittany Ferries)
Check prices here: https://www.directferries.co.uk/
