How do I get from Dublin to Belfast?

[Tom O.]

Planning a trip to Ireland and Scotland. Is there a train or some other inexpensive way to get from Dublin to Belfast? We will be taking the ferry from Belfast to Scotland but I need to get to Belfast first. I have never been to Ireland, and I am wondering if the border crossing into Northern Ireland will be easy or not.

[Cotswold Eagle]

There is a train, branded as Enterprise, operated jointly by the rail companies either side of the border. It often used to be disrupted by "the Troubles" and more recently had a poor reputation for reliability. Hopefully some of our locals will be able to say if and how that has improved.

 

No border control between the Republic and the North, or any other part of the U.K. - we have a Common Travel Area. There may be spot checks on the train, however.

[VMax1700]

The service is reliable now days! Check times and book in advance (cheaper than walking up to the ticket office) http://www.irishrail.ie/

Other option are bus from Dublin to Belfast

http://www.aircoach.ie/fares/route-705-x-dublin-airportcity-belfast-city

http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=339

[kerryincork]

Yes cheaper to book train in advance to get cheapest tickets. The bus would be cheaper but a longer journey and you can't move around on the bus.

[Tom O.]

Thank you for all of the help. Originally, I was just planning a trip to Scotland, but the UK airports have so many taxes and fees, I discovered I could fly into Dublin and save $450! I could stay in Ireland a couple of days to recover from Jetlag, and have a nice ferry ride over to Scotland. The total cost of the train to Belfast and the ferry over to Scotland is about $100.

By the time I pay for a hotel in Ireland and a couple of taxis, I will probably end up spending about the same as if I had flown directly into the UK. But, I will have added a little bit of Ireland to the trip, and had a greater adventure!

[LondonTowner]

Tom O

 

You will have a great time.

[bubblesqueaker]

The Enterprise Train is good (can be booked on the Translink Website). However, the cheapest and way that I prefer to do it is by bus. I live in Belfast. The X1 bus service is much cheaper than the train and runs every hour.

[mhb1757]

I have done bus and train a couple of times. I like trains so that is my first choice. But if you are leaving from the Dublin airport the bus is super convenient because you can go straight from the airport to central Belfast quite cheaply and the buses are very nice.