Scotland to Ireland, how?
 

Visiting Edinburgh this coming year and then want to travel to Dublin, preferably by ferry. No car. Can public transportation get me from city to city?

I know you said you'd rather travel by ferry, but just for info, there are some very cheap flights run by Ryanair between Scotland and Ireland.

It's possible, but it might be complicated!<BR><BR>The simplest way is by air - I think Aer Lingus flies from Edinburgh to Dublin, and also possibly one of the budget airlines too - Ryanair?<BR><BR>By ferry, you'd need to get to the west coast. Take the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and then change in Glasgow for Troon (this will involve going from Queen Street to Central Station - about 10 or 15 minute walk.) Get the Seacat to Belfast, and then the train again from Belfast to Dublin. The websites you will need are www.railtrack.co.uk (for Edinburgh to Troon), www.seacat.co.uk (for the Seacat) and www.nirailways.co.uk (for Belfast - Dublin.)<BR><BR>Alternatively, there's the ferry from Holyhead - although the Railtrack website is suggesting allowing 10 hours for the trip!

The traditional route is via Stranraer which has train connections from Glasgow (there are trains from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central). The ferry goes to Belfast where you get the train to Dublin. See www.stenaline.co.uk.

I was able to get a very inexpensive flight on Aer Lingus between Dublin and Edinburgh. It's a short flight. In Edinburgh, I took the bus into the train station which drops you off in the center of town. Very easy cities to travel between in my opinion for not a lot of money.

RyanAir is good way to go. Leave Edinburgh airport arrive in Dublin about an hour later. Very cheap fares. Just did this in September and it was a good experience. I would compare it to flying Southwest in the States. What is better, an hour by plane or an all day marathon of trains, ferries, buses, trains, etc etc etc? I will take the plane any time.

Ryanair is probably the cheapest. Why the ferry??...there is no direct one to Dublin and it can be a nightmare if the weather is bad as the Irish sea can get rough.

As loads of other people have said. Fly. Ryanair Edinburgh to Dublin, booking 2 or so weeks ahead and travelling mid week is going to cost peanuts - less than &pound;30 once all costs are included. The flight itself cant be more than an hour, and Edinburgh airport is only about 1/2 an hour with a regular bus run from the city centre.<BR><BR>Going by Ferry will either mean getting a coach/train(with a station change in Glasgow) to Stranraer, then a 2hr crossing to Belfast then a 3 hr coach/train to Dublin.<BR><BR>Or you could get a coach/train to Liverpool and get a longer ferry rid into Dublin. Either way it is a long long journey.