Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city, is approximately 100 miles (167 Km), and a 2½ hour drive from Dublin city. Although there are no direct flights connecting the two cities, relatively rapid travel options include a 24-hour bus service, train, and rental car. Read on for more…

By bus…

Th Belfast to Dublin route is well serviced by Ulsterbus (operated by Translink, Northern Ireland’s public transport provider) and Bus Eireann (the Republic’s bus service). Buses for Dublin leave Belfast from the Europa Bus Centre by day and from Glengall Street at night. The Dublin-Belfast route operates from Dublin Busaras and Dublin Airport. With hourly departures, the journey takes about a 2½ hours.

For a full and comprehensive listing of bus services have a look at the Belfast to Dublin timetable.

The Europa Bus Station is located at Great Victoria Street, Belfast. Busaras in Dublin is located on Store Street, Dublin 1, and close to O’Connell Street.

By rail…

The cross-border train service between Belfast and Dublin, jointly operated by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnrod Eireann (Ireland’s rail service), is also excellent. There are eight departures in either direction Monday to Saturday, and five journeys on Sundays. The rail journey takes just over two hours and includes stops at Portadown, Newry, Drogheda, and Dundalk. The Dublin terminus, Connolly Station, is located on the northside of the city, on Amiens Street, a short journey from Dublin city centre.The train station in Belfast is located at Great Victoria Street, in the same complex as the Europa Bus Centre.

For further details on train times etc. check out the Translink website.

By car…

The journey from Belfast to Dublin is a very pleasant one by car, offering attractive scenery and places of historic interest along the way. The main urban centres of Newry, Dundalk and Drogheda are now bypassed via the M1 motorway, which operates a toll of 1.80 euros for cars. From Belfast just follow signs for the M1.

Driving from Belfast to Dublin.

Maybe you’d like to hire a car. Check out our partner Nova Car Hire.

Belfast & Dublin Airports

Belfast has two airports, the George Best Belfast City Airport and the Belfast International Airport. The former is located just 2 miles from Belfast city centre, and the latter is that bit further out, approximately 18 miles from the City Centre.

When you’re travelling to Dublin from Belfast for some retail therapy, business or sightseeing, you may need somewhere to stay: Check out our Dublin hotels page for quality accommodation at excellent rates.