The best way to travel between Manchester and Dublin is by train and ferry, not Ryanair

Written by Aidan O'Rourke
2007-06-18

I've been travelling across the Irish Sea since I was 6, and in my opinion the best way to get from Manchester to Dublin and back is by train and ferry using Arriva Trains Wales to Holyhead and Stena Line fast ferry to Dun Laoghaire. From London you can take Virgin Trains to Holyhead. It's comfortable, enjoyable, relaxing, you can get some work done, and it's cheaper than you'd think.

Ryanair: Cheap fares but with a catch or two

Ryanair offer relatively low fares but at a price:

You have to book in advance to get the cheapest fares.
There are check-in baggage fees, credit and debit card fees, and other fees
If booking at very short notice, the fares can be astronomical
You are tied to your travel dates and times unless you want to pay a hefty amendment fee.
You have to get to and from two airports and pay the fares
You have to go wait in queues, turn out your bags and pockets, go through security checks, submit to carry-on restrictions, switch off your electronic items, sit like a sardine in a tin can and strap yourself in.

If you need to get there and back the same day, then you have no choice but to take the plane. But if you have a little more time, then the train and ferry may be a better option. And believe it or not, it doesn't take that much longer.

I have compared the journey from Piccadilly Station (former London Rd) in Manchester to Connolly Station (former Amiens St) in Dublin travelling by plane and train/ferry, departing Manchester mid to late morning, and arriving in Dublin late afternoon. I'm assuming there is one piece of check in luggage.

From Manchester to Dublin by train, plane and bus

To allow for possible delays or train cancellations, it's advisable to arrive at the airport at least an hour and a half before departure time. The afternoon Ryanair flight to Dublin is at 1.45pm, check in closes 40 minutes before at 1.05 pm, so you should aim to be at the airport around 12.15pm. Remember there's a walk of around 10-15 minutes from the station platform to the Ryanair check-in desk in Terminal 1. Hopefully the moving walkways are not out of order. To arrive by 12.15 pm, at Manchester Airport, you need to take the 11.53 am departure from Manchester Piccadilly, arriving 12.14 pm.

You stand in line, check in, go through security, walk to the gate, wait for boarding to commence, get on the plane, strap yourself in, the plane taxis to the runway and takes off at around 2pm.

After just 40 minutes or so in the air, the plane lands at Dublin Airport and parks at the improvised Ryanair terminal at around 2.55 pm. Then you need to complete the trek from there (bring a good pair of walking shoes) to the baggage collection area. Allow a good 45 minutes before you finally emerge in the arrivals area. Then you wait for the next airport bus, probably the one at 3.50pm. You will arrive at Connolly Station at around 4.30 pm.

Total journey time from Piccadilly Manchester to Connolly Dublin: Four hours and forty minutes.

.

From Manchester to Dublin by train, fast ferry and DART

Now the train/ferry - There's a direct train to Holyhead at 10.03 am, but we will take a later train bound for Llandudno, and change at Chester. Our departure time is 11.16 am. As soon as we are on the train, we have over an hour of relaxation or work time. I prefer to work using my Apple PowerBook G4 - but then I doze off! Too many late nights! The train arrives at Chester around 12.20. It's off the train and over the bridge for the train to Holyhead, which leaves 12.35.

More snoozing, creativity, or admiring the wonderful scenery of North Wales especially Anglesey. The train gets into Holyhead at 2.30 and from the platform, it's just a short walk into the new terminal.

After a couple of minutes waiting in line, you go through a brief check-in procedure where you give in your bag, provide your name, and receive a boarding card. Security checks are not stringent and it's a short walk along the ramp and onto the turbine-powered catamaran-style fast ferry, the HSS 'Explorer'.

The journey on the fast ferry is an hour and a half. You can walk around, enjoy an excellent meal, have some of the black stuff - it tastes good - admire the views, have a cigarette on the rear deck (if you smoke, I don't), sleep, chat to fellow travellers, and before you know it you're in Dun Laoghaire at 5.30. The DART station is just opposite the ferry terminal. At around 6pm, you are at Connolly Station in the centre of Dublin.

Total journey time: six hours forty-five minutes.

By plane or train/ferry to Dublin: Comparison of prices

The walk-up price, booked same day is the same as if you'd booked it a week or a month beforehand: 48 pounds return. The DART to Dublin is 2 euros or £1.40.

If you walked up to the Ryanair desk at Manchester Airport and booked a ticket to Dublin for immediate departure it could cost you £99.98 or even £239.98. Of course, with Ryanair, it goes without saying, you book well ahead, and if you went to the website a couple of weeks in advance, you'd probably find the lowest is £16.58 or €24.50 including taxes, a seemingly unbeatable fare. But this is the 'stripped down' fare. It still needs to be 'dressed' with all the extra fees, taxes, charges and inevitable extra expenses.

And this fare is not always available!

Visiting Ryanair.com on Friday 15 June and entering a departure on the following Tuesday at 1.45 pm from Manchester, returning Thursday from Dublin 12.25 pm, I was quoted a fare of £111.96, including taxes, which are also much higher than when you book in advance.

And on top of that come the extra costs: baggage fee, debit or credit card fee, and maybe more.

Baggage fee: £5 / €6, double if booked at airport
Card fee £2/€3 for credit card, 0.70p/€1 for debit card

Don't forget the cost of transfers to and from the two airports on the outward and return journeys:

So in total, extra charges for the return journey could be in the range of £24.50 to £35 / €36 to €52, or higher.

If people are dropping you off and/or picking you up at either airport, then the cost of petrol and parking needs to be added too - that's not cheap either.

So even flying on Ryanair's rock bottom cheapest fare, the extra costs soon start to add up. As soon as the 'stripped down' air fare reaches the mid-20s in pounds or the mid-30s in euros, then flying becomes equal to or more expensive than the £48 / €72 train and ferry fare.

For a short hop across the water, there's no doubt in my mind, train and ferry is better

Ryanair is unbeatable for longer journeys across Europe, and offers a very good service - I've used it quite a few times.

But for a short hop like this one, the train and fast ferry is in my opinion a far more relaxed and enjoyable option, and it's often cheaper.

From an environmental point of view, many would consider the train and ferry to be preferable, but that would need to be checked out in detail, as environmental figures are not always what they seem.

And for passengers with restricted mobility, the train and ferry would appear - from what I could see - to offer good facilities - that too needs to be assessed in greater detail.

.

To sum up, here are the advantages of the train and ferry: