Unless visiting from Britain or France, the only practical way to visit Ireland is by air. Here's our guide to Irish airports and getting to Ireland by air.

The main air routes into Ireland are via Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast airports. Many carriers operate from these airports to countries around the globe. Britain, continental Europe and the USA are the major destinations served. Ryanair and AerLingus are the two main operators from most of the airports along with Easyjet from Belfast International.

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Airports - Going clockwise around the island:

• Belfast City
• Belfast International
• Dublin
• Waterford
• Cork
• Kerry
• Shannon
• Galway
• Knock
• Sligo
• Donegal
• Derry

Belfast City Airport

Not to be confused with Belfast International, the City Airport is now called George Best Belfast City Airport after the famous Northern Irish footballer and is located east of the city.

Location and Getting to Belfast City Airport

Located in postcode BT3 9JH, Belfast City Airport is located on the Sydenham Bypass, the A2, between Belfast and Holywood. The airport is easily accessible from the M1 and M2 via the M3 and is signposted.

The Airport Express (route 600) operates from the Europa Bus Centre to the airport every 20 minutes between 0530 and 2200.

Trains operate up to twice an hour from Sydenham train station to Belfast City between 0600 and 2300, 0900 to 2200 on Sundays.

Routes and Airlines

Flybe, bmibaby and manx2 operate from Belfast City Airport. Routes change but current destinations include London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Southampton and international routes to Paris, Amsterdam and Geneva.

The website for Belfast City Airport is: http://www.belfastcityairport.com/

Belfast International Airport

Colloquially known as Aldergrove, the International Airport is located close to Antrim on the shores of Lough Neagh about 30 minutes west of Belfast.

Getting to Belfast International Airport

The airport is located in postcode BT29 4AB, and is accessible from Belfast via the M2/A57 and from Dublin via the M1/A1/A26.

Airport Express (route 300) operates from the Europa Bus Centre to the airport up to every 15 minutes, with reduced frequency overnight and at weekends. Journey times are approximately 30 minutes.

Routes and Airlines

EasyJet, Aer Lingus, Jet2 and Continental fly from Belfast International Airport. Current destinations include London, Geneva, Newark, Rome, Nice and various destinations throughout Europe.

The website for Belfast International Airport is: http://www.belfastairport.com

Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport is Ireland's largest and busiest airport. With almost 19 million passengers in 2011, it serves hundreds of destinations.

Location and Getting to Dublin Airport

Located 10km north of Dublin, close to the M50 and M1 major routes, Dublin Airport is easily reached by car, bus and taxi. By far the easiest way to get here (unless you need to drive) is by bus. There are many routes that serve Dublin Airport. Aircoach offer the easiest option for €8 single to Dublin City Centre, there are many routes serving the main locations such as O'Connell Street, Trinity College, Ballsbridge. They have a route to Cork as well as outlying districts of Dublin. Drivers will check you are on the correct bus, load and unload your bags for you and will announce the stops in good time. They are knowledgeable and courteous, a great service and cheaper than the taxi. The coaches also have free wifi - after a short registration page you free to browse the internet. Look at aircoach.ie for more details.

Dublin Bus Airlink services 747 and 748 cost €6 single, and run to Busaras and Heuston Train Station respectively, via O'Connell Street and other city centre locations. Dublin Bus routes 16a and 41 also serve Dublin Airport and cost €2.20. These tickets are valid for onward travel on Dublin Bus routes for up to 90 minutes from first use. These are standard urban buses, in that they have many stops and have more local users rather than tourists. The budget option.

Most major coach companies stop at Dublin Airport to pick up passengers for their routes. Destinations served include Belfast, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.

Routes and Airlines

It would be impossible to list all the destinations, but Dublin Airport serves 23 UK cities, 100 European cities, 10 North American locations with Washington DC being added this year and daily flights to Dubai. All the major carriers operate through Dublin Airport including United Airines, Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Etihad. Iceland's WOW air is to start flights into Dublin July 2015, bringing low cost transatlantic flights to Ireland.

The website for Dublin Airport is: http://www.dublinairport.com

Waterford Airport

Waterford Airport serves the southeast of Ireland.

Location and Getting to Waterford Airport

Waterford Airport is located south of Waterford City on the R708, and is close to Tramore on the coast. The only way to get to and from Waterford Airport is by car or taxi. No bus or rail services presently exist.

Routes and Airlines

After the withdrawal of Aer Lingus Regional, formerly Aer Arann, Waterford airport lost its London routes. Flybe will cease operations from Waterford Airport in March 2015, and Belgian airline VLM will fly to Luton and back 12 times a week and Birmingham 4 times per week beginning in April 2015.

Aer Arann and Flybe fly to London Southend, Luton, Birmingham and Manchester.

The website for Waterford Airport is: http://www.flywaterford.com

Cork Airport

Serving the south and Ireland's third largest city.

Location and Getting to Cork Airport

Cork Airport is located 8km south of Cork on the N27. Bus Eireann and Citylink operate to and from the airport. There are no rail services and a taxi will cost approximately €10-€15.

Routes and Airlines

Aer Lingus, Wizz, Ryanair and others fly to the UK, France, Netherlands and Spain on a regular basis.

The website for Cork Airport is: http://www.corkairport.com

Kerry Airport

Serving one of Ireland's most scenic and most visited counties, Kerry Airport provides a link to Dublin and London.

Location and Getting to Kerry Airport

Kerry Airport is situated at Farranfore, approximately half way between Tralee and Killarney, on the N23. The airport is a ten minute walk to the nearest train station. Buses run to Tralee, Killarney and Limerick.

Routes and Airlines

Aer Lingus Regional and Ryanair fly to Dublin, London and Frankfurt.

The website for Kerry Airport is: http://www.kerryairport.com/

Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport carried 2.8 million passengers in 2009 and was opened in 1945 to serve as gateway to America. In the 1950s the airport became the first airport to have a duty free shop. Today Shannon Airport is the only airport in Europe to have United States pre-clearance for passengers.

Location and Getting to Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport is located west of Limerick City on the N19 which runs from the M18 Limerick-Ennis-Galway Road. Bus Eireann and JJ Kavanagh operate buses to and from the Airport to Limerick, Galway and Dublin.

Routes and Airlines

Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Air Transat, Delta and United fly to the UK, Newark, France and Spain.

The website for Shannon Airport is: http://www.shannonairport.com

Galway Airport

There are currently no scheduled services to and from Galway Airport although private aircraft can land and take off.

Location and Getting to Galway Airport

Routes and Airlines

The website for Galway Airport is: http://www.galwayairport.com

Ireland West Airport Knock

Located in a bog in the middle of nowhere, Ireland West Airport Knock is Ireland's Holy Airport. Located close to the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick and to Knock, a place of pilgrimage. Knock Airport also has a 'development fee' €10 charge applied to all passengers aged 12 or over flying from the airport. This is levied on top of any charges you have already paid to your airline and you should have cash with you as cards are not accepted for this fee.

Location and Getting to Knock International Airport

Knock Airport is located approximately halfway between Galway and Sligo on the N17. Trains don't run to the airport and car is the best option. Bus Eireann operate to Galway, Sligo and Westport.

Routes and Airlines

Ryanair, Flybe, bmibaby and Lufthansa fly to destinations across Europe. In line with its holy position flights operate to other the pilgrimage sites of Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorie.

The website for Ireland West Airport Knock is: http://www.irelandwestairport.com

Sligo Airport

There are currently no scheduled services to and from Sligo Airport.

Location and Getting to Sligo Airport

Routes and Airlines

The website for Sligo Airport is:  http://www.sligoairport.com

Donegal Airport

Serving the northwest and Donegal, a county with a long history of emigration and also temporary migration to Scotland.

Location and Getting to Donegal Airport

Located in Carrickfinn on the coast in northwest Donegal, this airport is best reached by car.

Routes and Airlines

Flybe operate to Dublin and Glasgow.

The website for Donegal Airport is: http://www.donegalairport.ie

City of Derry Airport

Northern Ireland's northwest airport.

Location and Getting to City of Derry Airport

Located in Eglinton, 10km northeast of Derry on the A2 road between Derry and Coleraine. The airport is located in postcode BT47 3GY. Ulsterbus operate a bus service to and from Derry City and a taxi will cost approximately £12.

Routes and Airlines

Ryanair fly to Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham and London Stansted.

The website for City of Derry Airport is: http://www.cityofderryairport.com

If you are coming from the USA, Australia, Italy, or anywhere other than Britain northern Spain and France, then the only reasonable way of getting to Ireland is by air.

But if you happen to be in Britain Franceor Spain, then why not take the ferry? It's slower, often cheaper, more relaxed and an adventure all rolled into one. The shortest crossing from Britain to Ireland is P&O via Cairnryan in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland, taking only an hour on the fastest vessel or two hours by conventional ferry it really is a short journey.

The longest journey is Brittany Ferries sailing Rosslare in the south-east of Ireland to Bilbao on the north coast of Spain. This is a mammoth journey that takes up to 32 hours!

There are quite a few ports around the coast of Ireland but nearly all the crossings will take you into an east coast port - with the exception of Cobh in Co. Cork.

Ports - Going clockwise around the island:

• Larne
• Belfast
• Dublin
• Dun Laoghaire
• Rosslare
• Cork

Larne

Situated in East Antrim, Larne is one of the most important ports on the island of Ireland and the shortest, quickest passenger crossing from Ireland to Britain operates from Larne Port to Cairnryan, Scotland by P&O. Larne lies south of the famous Glens of Antrim and makes an ideal arrival port for northbound  visitors heading into the Glens or on to the Giant's Causeway coast.

Getting to Larne

Located 22 miles north of Belfast, Larne is easily accessible sitting at the end of the A8(M) a dual carriageway under motorway regulations that links into the M2 to Belfast and on to Dublin. Larne is the northern terminus of the E01 route, linking Larne, Belfast, Dublin and Rosslare Port on the east coast of Ireland. Trains also operate to Larne and Larne Harbour railway stations.

Sailing Routes from Larne

P&O Ferries are the only operator from the Port of Larne and run regular sailings to Cairnryan and Troon. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company run special sailings to the Isle of Man when the famous motorbike racing event the Isle of Man TT is taking place.

The website for Port of Larne is: http://www.portoflarne.co.uk/

Belfast

The second largest city on the island of Ireland and the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast is no stranger to ships. Home to Harland & Wolff, Belfast was the building place of the Titanic, probably the most famous ship ever to have set sail on the ocean waves. Continuing this maritime theme Belfast Harbour is set to build a new cruise ship berthing dock to allow the next generation of cruise ships to visit the city. 2013 will see 60 ships, about 110,000 people, visiting Belfast.

Getting to Belfast

It's hard to miss Belfast, as the chief city in Northern Ireland most of the main roads will lead you to the home city of notables such as George Best, Alex Higgins, CS Lewis and the great Roy Walker. 

Sailing Routes from Belfast 

Stena Line operate from Belfast to Cairnryan in 2hrs 15mins with up to six sailings per day. They also sail to Birkenhead for Liverpool up to twice per day, taking 8 hours. The Isle of Man Steam Packet also operate sailings to Douglas

The website for Belfast Harbour is: http://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk

Dublin

Arriving in the largest city in Ireland is quite a thing, seeing the Wicklow Mountains appear on the horizon, closely followed by the 207m high iconic twin towers of the Poolbeg Power Station. 1.7 million passengers come through Dublin Port annually. Dublin of course should need no introduction here but it does make a great location for a photo tour.

Getting to Dublin Port

Ireland's motorways radiate out from Dublin like the spokes of a wheel making Dublin Port very easy to get to. With easy access from the M50 and M1 via the Dublin Port Tunnel and from the south via the East Link (both tolled roads), the port lies at the east of Dublin City on reclaimed land where the Liffey meets the Irish Sea. Buses connect the city centre with the Port, there are no trains; taxis or a long walk may be the best way to get there. Don't walk at night though!

Sailing Routes from Dublin Port

Four ferry companies operate from Dublin Port: The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Irish Ferries, P&O and Stena Line. Destinations are Holyhead in North Wales, Liverpool and Douglas on the Isle of Man. Irish Ferries also operate a Dublin to Cherbourg service once a week in winter and every two days in summer - their only route now from Ireland to France.

The website for Dublin Port is:  http://www.dublinport.ie

Dun Laoghaire - UPDATE: There are now no passenger sailings from Dun Laoghaire

The ferry route to Dublin and connecting with the London-Holyhead coach and train routes followed by a short trip on Ireland's oldest railway, the journey from London to Dublin via Dun Laoghaire was once the main route between the two cities. The Irish Mail train left London and travelled via Chester to arrive at Holyhead, passengers transferred onto the ferries crossing the Irish Sea to Dun Laoghaire.

Getting to Dun Laoghaire

Situated at the southern end of Dublin Bay, Dun Laoghaire is easily reached from the southern section of the M50 and via the N11 from Dublin. Regular DART commuter trains run to Dun Laoghaire from Dublin and other points on the East coast.

Sailing Routes from Dun Laoghaire

As of now there are no passenger ships serving Dun Laoghaire with the announcement by Stena will not run its summer HSS sailings.

There is only one sailing from Dun Laoghaire now to Holyhead on board the Stena HSS. This sailing is seasonal, running from March to September (22/03/2013 - 10/09/2013).

The website for Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company is:  http://dlharbour.ie/ 

Rosslare Europort

Rosslare Harbour was developed in 1906 by some of the railways to serve ferries between the southeast of Ireland and south Wales. It sits in what is called the 'Sunny Southeast' which sees the longest recorded sunshine hours in Ireland, surrounded by sandy beaches and traditional villages.

Getting to Rosslare

Rosslare is situated in Ireland's southeast in Co. Wexford. The N11 connects the port with Dublin, although this is not dual carriageway for all its length. The journey from Dublin to Rosslare takes approximately 2hrs 30mins.  The N24 and N25 link Rosslare to Cork and the southwest.

Sailing Routes from Rosslare

Rosslare is Ireland's most international port with passenger ferry sailings to Wales, France and Spain. Irish Ferries have as of 2019 stopped sailing from Rosslare to France but still offer a twice daily sailing to Pembroke in Wales. Celtic Link's Rosslare to Cherbourg route has now been taken over by Stena Line who also sail to Fishguard in south Wales. Brittany Ferries, previously only sailing from Cork in Ireland, have begun to operate a Wednesday and Friday sailing from Rosslare to Bilbao in Spain, returning from Bilbao on Thursdays and Sundays as well as a Rosslare to Cherbourg sailing once a week all on board their new LNG powered vessel Salamanca from November 2022 onwards.

The website for Rosslare Eurport is:  http://rosslareeuroport.irishrail.ie/home/

Cork

Cobh has a maritime history unlike any port in Ireland, it was the last port of call for Titanic before its Transatlantic journey. Cobh also saw mass emigration across the Atlantic to America, particularly during and after the Famine. Almost half of the six million emigrants from Ireland over the 100 years to 1950 left from this port, in most cases their last sight of Ireland. But today's passenger operations run from Ringaskiddy across a narrow arm of the harbour.

Getting to Port of Cork

Located 22km southeast of Cork City in the massive harbour, one of the world's largest, on Ireland's south coast. The N28 will bring you to Ringaskiddy, across from the picturesque town of Cobh.

Sailing Routes from Cobh

Only one regular ferry sailing from Cork is to Roscoff in Brittany with Brittany Ferries. This is not a year round service. Formerly the Swansea-Cork ferry route operated directly to south Wales, bypassing the road journey from Rosslare to Cork but is currently not in operation.

The website for Port of Cork is:  http://www.portofcork.ie