Galway to Belfast?

inisboffin

..Via public (or private) bus - any ideas?
Yet again I am trapsing across the country with no car.
Need to be there Thurs for an interview thing, my time may be flexible, but I have to be up and down by Thurs night (late).

Seems like Bus Eireann won't do it - any ideas? Dublin first?
Thanks guys.

tristanc

Per http://www.buseireann.ie/bubble.php?id=57, both 65 and 78 are routes to Belfast from Galway (65 along the NW coast, 78 directly through the midlands). I took 78 the once because I wanted to have lunch with someone in Cavan enroute.

Basically, both take longer and are less flexible than going Galway to Dublin and then Dublin to Belfast. They may be a little cheaper tho, but likely not worth it. Esp since you could do the train via the Dublin route (tho you'd have to switch stations in Dublin).

snubbleste

There is a BusÉireann service to Belfast
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1202290297-65.pdf

Otherwise a train to dublin and then belfast is about €90

Either way, it's a trip of 6 hours to get there and probably requires an overnight stay.

Bass Cadet

Rent out a car at galway airport...drive up and down. Galway - Dublin - Belfast. If it was something as important as a job interview I wouldn't trust public transport to get me there on time

pokerkingsni

Bus Eireann have a bus every hour from Dublin to Belfast and vice versa.

There is a bus from Galway<>Dublin running through the night. gobus .ie.

I find using these means you have lots of flexability timewise. I travel up and down to Belfast every few weeks on the bus and i find using these services the best.

Littlemonkey

You could Fly... www.aerarann.com flew up once, was there in 45 minutes, it was great!

Robbo

Littlemonkey wrote: »

You could Fly... www.aerarann.com flew up once, was there in 45 minutes, it was great!

No one runs that route any more since FlyBE stopped it around about the start of the year.

mikemac

Train is uber expensive!

Two options and I've done both.
Bus to Dublin and there is an excellent service Dublin to Belfast.
Bus to Sligo and then to Enniskillen, then you get another bus to Belfast

I dunno which is faster. A long journey either way.

inisboffin

Thanks lads!
Did I mention that I am one of the 10 people in Ireland who does not know *how* to drive:rolleyes:
Otherwise, yes, I would rent or borrow.

Via Dublin seems only way. If I can wangle it with the trains I might cough up, flying would have been fun tho..

I work freelance, so it is a *gig* interview really, and taking a risk there with forking out for a maybe, but ah well.

Appreciate the help lads!

dafunk

I think the cheapest way to do it would be the airport direct buses, that way you avoid the city centre in Dublin altogether. Certainly the Dublin airport -> Belfast bus is supposed to be fast and cheap. So I've heard ...

mikemac

dafunk wrote: »

I think the cheapest way to do it would be the airport direct buses, that way you avoid the city centre in Dublin altogether. Certainly the Dublin airport -> Belfast bus is supposed to be fast and cheap. So I've heard ...

Good call!
No need for you to go into Dublin city centre if you can avoid it OP

Greaney

I'm going up the next day and I've posted the details on the carpool group on Kotalk. We're trying to encourage cyberhitching. It's only started and it's a small group but it's growing

So if anyone's going to Shannon on the 16 of October...

http://www.kotalk.com/group.php?group_id=3

inisboffin

Airport Bus was my choice, yes, thanks guys.
I may have convinced a friend to drive me Thurs tho!
Jaysus Greaney, I think yet again we are going to the same place
I do need to try to go Thurs tho, but if that changes I will be in touch!
And thanks for that site link.

PomBear

Anyone know how much a student return costs, the option of Galway-Belfast isn't on BusÉireanns website

Mrs OBumble

PomBear wrote: »

Anyone know how much a student return costs, the option of Galway-Belfast isn't on BusÉireanns website

No. But it may be cheaper to GoBus.ie it to Dublin airport, and pay the student fare from there. Even with different companies involved.

biko

Usually when you travel it's: either you have money, or you have time - can't have both

citycentre

Gobus to Dublin city centre, walk to Busaras and get on one of the hourly (as in on the hour, 24 hours a day) buses to Belfast. a total of 20 euro single or 40 euro return. Its 5euro each way more if you change at the airport as strangely bus eireann charge the same from the airport to Belfast as they do from Busaras. Absolutely painless in my experience as the Belfast buses are non stop until they get to Newry. Total journey time around 5.5 hours which is just as good as the train...

godebaba

hello dear pls anyone in galway going to belfast and we can share the fuel? how how many hours will it take us there? and where is the short cut to belfast galway or dublin?

foggy_lad

godebaba wrote: »

hello dear pls anyone in galway going to belfast and we can share the fuel? how how many hours will it take us there? and where is the short cut to belfast galway or dublin?

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360942462-065sum.pdf Bus Eireann have three services a day between Galway and Belfast

devnull

Quickest way is Gobus or Citylink from Galway to Dublin City (2hrs 30 mins) then Aircoach from Dublin City to Belfast (2hrs 20 mins)

highlydebased

foggy_lad wrote: »

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360942462-065sum.pdf Bus Eireann have three services a day between Galway and Belfast

Much faster via Dublin.

Victor

godebaba wrote: »

hello dear pls anyone in galway going to belfast and we can share the fuel?

http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Galway+to+Belfast,+United+Kingdom&saddr=Galway&daddr=Belfast,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=53.846046,-7.382812&spn=3.318912,10.821533&sll=53.32432,-6.251695&sspn=0.209983,0.676346&geocode=FR_YLAMdZM51_yn_Wy1alZNbSDGBUkkKRBsrAw%3BFaUWQQMdeIOl_yk7itDX_f9gSDExxcfvLBZXLg&oq=galway+to+belfast&t=m&z=7

Assuming you take a break, it should take 4-4.5 hours. Assuming you can avoid rush hour at Dublin and Belfast, going via Dublin would make much more sense - slightly longer, and some small tolls (<€10 each way), but much better roads, so it is faster and less stressful. I'm not sure how much fuel costs would be.

Relatively few people would make the trip.