Ireland to Wales day trips?
 

Hi all, my domestic partner & I are traveling to Ireland next week and want to spend a day in Wales. I know there is a ferry, but since the other posts suggested we not have a car in Dublin, is there a bus trip to Wales?
Thanks for the info already gained, hope someone can help, Randy & Cathy

Wales is great - but it isn't a "day trip" sort of place. Mountains, scenery, steam railways, castles, beaches. It takes a long time to get around on the rural roads.

I personally don't think a day trip to Wales makes any sense. The ferry from Dublin to Holyhead takes nearly 3.5 hours each way and when you tack on travel time to/from both ferry terminals/boarding/disembarking you have used up 8 or 9 hours just traveling back and forth.

I'm sure you will find lots to interest you in Ireland w/o using most of a day on the ferries.

And I sure hope you didn't mean a bus trip as a means of avoiding the ferry - you still have to get across the water.

I suppose you <i>could</i> fly to Cardiff - but why even consider 1 day in Wales?

I agree w/janis. I spent 4 days in Wales and barely scratched the surface of all there is to do there. I don't think it's worth the time, the hassle and the expense. Sure, you will be able to say you've been to Wales, but you really won't experience it. If you can only allow one day, then your time will be better spent in Ireland.

It IS 'do-able' if you can go to Rosslare and get the fast ferry over to Fishguard on the Pembrokeshire coast; it's the UK's only coastal National Park and the whole of Pembs. is absolutely stunning with wild cliffs, hidden valleys, Iron Age hill forts and celtic history. The stones that were used to build Stonehenge were quarried from the Presceli Mountains only 5 miles or so from Fishguard. There is a good local bus service aimed at walkers and hikers called the 'Strumble Shuttle' which takes in most of the north Pembs. coastline including the tiniest (and most beautiful!) 'city' in Britain - St. Davids. I live near Fishguard and heartily recommend spending even just a day here!

English Pippin is quite right about Pembrokeshire.

But it's only visitable with a car (public transport is AWFUL), and getting to Fishguard and back again - especially if you're based in Dublin - absolutely isn't the work of a day. Incidentally, there's no easy way of doing any touring from Holyhead without a car either.

In fact, the only practical way of doing a day trip to Wales is to fly to Cardiff. Dirt cheap if booked in advance - but a day in Cardiff is not one gazillionth as interesting as the same time and money invested in a trip to Liverpool, Glasgow or Edinburgh.

English Pippin is right, the Pembrokeshire coast is AMAZING. But she really can't be serious recommending it as a day trip from Dublin.

The fastest crossing is 2+ hours but first you'd have to get from Dublin to Rosslare. That is almost 100 miles. So the total travel time is almost as long as Dublin to Holyhead. And once you are in Fishguard there is a bus service - but it is NOT geared to day trippers trying to efficiently tour around and get back to the ferry terminal.

You might try taking the overnight ferry (if there still is one) and renting a car for a day, but I imagine you'd be pretty tired for the day you were there.

I think you're right folks - I underestimated the distance between Dublin and Rosslare!....Perhaps Randymess would consider a couple of days here instead; there are lots of picturesque and reasonably priced B&amp;Bs in the area.