London to Dublin by train and ferry via Liverpool and Belfast

My trip from Paris to Ireland by Train and Ferry

I wanted to go to Ireland, but I didn’t want to take a plane that would have dropped me there in less than two hours without the slightest transition.

I also wanted to take the time to get there, prioritizing the comfort and pleasure of the transport moments, which are, in my opinion, an integral part of the journey.

Ireland is an island, so I traveled there by train and boat, making a few tourist stops along the way.

My trip lasted 12 days and took me along the following route:

I’m recounting my journey in four successive articles:

1. Paris to London by train and ferry via Dieppe and Brighton
2. London by boat and on foot along the River Thames
3. London to Dublin by train and ferry via Liverpool and Belfast: here you are!
4. Dublin to Paris by Ferry and Train via Cherbourg.

In the last article (No. 4), I also give you some practical tips to help you organize your own trip.

Day 6: London – Liverpool by train

After a tour of London devoted to the Thames, I continue my journey to Liverpool. I leave my host in Chelsea and head for Euston station, taking the Uber boat one last time and then the famous Tube.

Euston station without any interest

There’s nothing remarkable about Euston station. The original building was demolished in the 1960s and replaced by a plain structure. At the time, it caused quite a stir among Londoners.

Only the train departure notice board deserves a mention for its comprehensive information.

Travel with Avanti West Coast

Avanti West Coast takes me to Liverpool, 330 km away. The company is best known for its modern Pendolinos trains. Their technology allows them to tilt on bends, enabling higher speeds and a more comfortable ride. I have a choice of three classes:

• First-class: top-of-the-range, with wide, comfortable seats and (very light) meal service included. At the station, Avanti offers access to a lounge. Prices in this class are very high.
• Standard Premier: This class has the same seats as first class but without meals. It is a good compromise between comfort and price.
• Standard : the seats are narrower and tighter, and I found them uncomfortable. Moreover, almost a third of them offer no visibility, as they are positioned along the wide overhangs between the windows.

As my train leaves at 9.41 a.m. and the journey takes just over two hours, I don’t need a meal. I opt for the Standard Premier at a rather attractive price, having organized my trip several weeks in advance. The seat is comfortable and, as the train is not very full, I even have the space in front of me free.

Green English countryside

The spring of 2024 has been very wet, and I see many flooded fields. We bypass England’s second-largest city, Birmingham.

The very agricultural landscapes are relatively flat, with the occasional pretty farmhouse.

In Crewe, I spot the railway museum, which is one of the most renowned in the world. I didn’t know about it; otherwise, I would have planned to stop by to visit it between trains!

We pass through suburbs that look like pretty miserable ironworks as we approach Liverpool.

Liverpool Lime Street Station is magnificent

I arrive in Liverpool in the pouring rain. The station’s substantial wrought-iron canopy, dating from the 19th century, is magnificent and protects us from the elements.

Day 6: Liverpool, home of the Beatles

When I get off my train, I go to the School Lane Hotel located in a handsome building built in 1850 with original sash windows, although these are blocked, supposedly for security reasons. It’s 18 degrees outside, and I’m forced to turn on the air-conditioning! It’s ecological nonsense.

I’ve got an afternoon to wander around Liverpool.

The UK’s second port in the 19th century

Liverpool enjoyed a golden age in the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming the UK’s second most important port.

Despite the incessant rain, I start my visit at the docks. The Royal Albert Dock has been very well renovated, with several shops surrounding a marina.

Along the quayside, I feel quite melancholy as I watch the seagulls take flight and read the many plaques commemorating shipwrecks. I also think of the 9 million European emigrants who, between 1830 and 1930, left Liverpool for North America or Australia. For most of them, it was a one-way ticket to escape a life of misery and poverty on the Old Continent. Today, the wharves seem pretty deserted.

The exciting Mersey Maritime Museum

With the heavy rain, I took refuge in the Mersey Maritime Museum. I found it fascinating. Period photos show the life of the dockers and the departure of migrants.

Two liners are featured: the Titanic, whose White Star Line headquarters were in Liverpool, and the Lusitania, sunk by the Germans in the First World War.

The museum also recalls the sinister triangular trade between Liverpool, Africa, and the Americas, with its heavy slave trade.

As elsewhere in the UK, admission to the museum is free.

A city of past splendor

As I leave the museum, the rain has finally stopped! I walk past the bold architecture of the Museum of Liverpool towards the Three Graces. These are three buildings dating from the early 20th century, where, among others, the port authorities and Cunard were based. Their style and volume give the city a very New York feel.

I return to the city center, which shows a past splendor. Although the city suffered a depression in the second half of the 20th century, it is gradually regaining its vitality.

The city center is a huge pedestrian zone with many stores.

The Beatles still sing at the Cavern Pub!

But Liverpool wouldn’t be Liverpool without the Beatles! Forty years on, Beatlemania continues unabated.

I spent the evening at the Cavern Pub, where they started. The youngsters of the time, who are now in their 70s, are still big fans of the band.

Tonight is no exception, as the “Beatles Complete” put on a show at the Cavern Club that hasn’t aged a day!

Liverpool, a harbor atmosphere

Liverpool is an endearing city with its port-city atmosphere. It has a fascinating history, and I’m sure I’ll be back one day, as my stay was a little too brief.

For now, I plan to continue my journey to Belfast by ferry.

Day 7: Liverpool – Belfast by ferry

I have a long eight-hour crossing ahead of me. For the modest price of 40 GBP (48 EUR), it’s like cruising aboard Stena Line’s MS Stena Edda.

Reaching the port as a pedestrian is not optimal

As is often the case, European access to ferry ports is not optimized for pedestrians. I go to Lime Street station to take a train across the inlet that separates the city from Birkenhead Harbor. However, Hamilton Square station is still far away, and I have to walk through the port area for twenty minutes.

Discover the MS Stena Edda

Our ship is delayed by an hour and a half due to bad weather at the previous crossing.

This gives me time to discover the MS Stena Edda. This 215-meter-long ship can carry 1,000 passengers and 120 vehicles. It was built by the Chinese and was delivered in 2019. The decor on board is pleasant, with a Scandinavian touch, as claimed by Stena Line, originally from Sweden.

The Stena Plus Lounge: a real plus!

For 30 GBP or 35 EUR, I let myself be tempted by the Stena Plus Lounge. This space at the front of the boat offers magnificent sea views. The lounge is very similar to those offered by airlines at airports to their business passengers. A variety of small armchair sets are available, designed to meet the varied needs of our customers, whether traveling alone or in a group or working, lunching, or napping as the need arises.

I choose a soft sheepskin chaise longue facing the sea. I feel like a pacha for this crossing!

A generously-stocked buffet, including breakfast and snacks, is also available.

A quiet crossing

At last, the departure! The boat receives heavy traffic from cars, trucks, and motor homes. We glide through the imposing, disproportionate estuary of the tiny River Mersey, just 111 km long. We have a magnificent view of the Liverpool skyline.

Further on, we see the new container port at the mouth—next, the Irish Sea.

After yesterday’s storm, we’re enjoying a calm, wave-free crossing. Shortly after leaving the estuary, we pass between a vast wind farm and an oil rig. The UK is keen to exploit its energy resources, for better or worse, fully. A bit further north of Liverpool lies the Sellafield nuclear power station, whose discharges have made the Irish Sea the most radioactive in the world, according to Greenpeace!

Our cruise proceeds peacefully, with the occasional passing of another ship. Halfway along the route, we encounter the sister ship Stena Ambla, which provides a link in the opposite direction.

The Isle of Man: a tax haven

Land! About two-thirds of the way along, we catch sight of the Isle of Man, whose southern coast we’re skirting. The weather is very cloudy, even a little misty, stimulating my imagination about this mysterious island, which I would have found hard to locate on a map before my trip.

Yet it is internationally renowned, more by investors than tourists. Indeed, it’s a tax haven whose less glamorous sides were revealed by journalists in the Paradise Papers investigation in 2017. The island looks very austere and treeless from a distance, but it has meadows stretching to the cliffs bordering the sea.

The great advantage of boats over other modes of transport is that you can walk both indoors and outdoors. The air is fresh and invigorating, even though it’s already late May.

Belfast Harbour, seven days after I departed from Paris!

I caught a glimpse of the Irish coast through the fog about an hour before our arrival!

We arrive at Belfast Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lagan. The landscape is very industrial, and I find it fascinating.

Our ferry has made up most of its time, and we’re only thirty minutes behind schedule. However, it took me seven days to get to Ireland: long live slow travel!

I plan to visit the island’s two largest cities, Belfast and Dublin.

Day 8: Visit Belfast in the shadow of the Troubles and a shipwreck

It’s early evening, and after my boat trip from Liverpool to Belfast, I head straight to my host’s house. I have dinner with him before going to bed.

The next morning, I get up early to make the most of my only day in Belfast, as in the evening, I’ll be taking a train to Dublin. The sun is finally back, even if it’s playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. It feels good after the gloomy weather in London and Liverpool.

The city isn’t huge either, so I mostly walk around.

Titanic Museum

I start with a visit to the Titanic Museum, which attracts 800,000 visitors a year and has become one of Belfast’s major attractions.

The building’s bold architecture is reminiscent of the stylized aluminum prows of ocean liners. Belfast has a strong link with the Titanic, as it was here that she and her sister ship, the Olympic, were built in record time. The shipyard has left a deep imprint on the city’s collective memory, as I could see for myself at the museum.

In fact, the museum isn’t really a museum at all, as it features very few historical exhibits. Instead, it’s a playful but well-designed tour of the ship’s construction to the discovery of the wreck, including life on board and the sinking.

I now understand the importance of building the Titanic and its sister ship, the Olympic, for Belfast. Nearly fifteen thousand workers were mobilized for three years before their launches in 1910 and 1911. The sinking left a deep scar on the city, even more than in Liverpool.

As it’s the weekend, I had a good idea of coming at the opening, as the museum is quickly saturated by many visitors.

Next door, I visit the Nomadic ferry based in Cherbourg, which used to shuttle large liners like the Titanic, which had to anchor in the harbor. It’s a foretaste of the last leg of my trip, planned for Cherbourg.

Belfast City Centre

I then continue towards the city center, skirting a very Dutch-style marina. This once-declining harbor district is undergoing extensive renovation to restore Belfast’s image, which was seriously damaged by the Troubles last century. The Waterfront Hall is located here.

I make a detour to the Saint-Georges covered market, the main point of interest in the center, also renowned for its musical entertainment.

A little further on, the imposing Town Hall is impossible to miss, although I find its architecture very heavy. Next door is a memorial to the sinking of the Titanic.

I then have lunch at the Crown Bar, one of Belfast’s most famous pubs, with its typical 19th-century Victorian decor. I regain my strength with a traditional fish and chips before heading for the West Belfast district.

On my way out, I pass a group of girls on a beer bike, already excited to be celebrating a hen party. It’s Saturday, after all, and Belfast parties are notoriously lively!

In the heart of West Belfast in memory of the Troubles

A visit to West Belfast is a must to understand the Troubles period the city suffered through. As the district is a little out of the way and spread out, I hop on a bike to get there.

As I wander around, I’m struck by the peaceful appearance of the neighborhood. The houses lined up against each other are very modest in size, reminiscent of the rows of houses in many British cities. However, my attention is quickly drawn to the famous “murals” bearing witness to the oppression of the authorities and the exploits of Republican heroes. I realize I’m in a Republican neighborhood, in favor of joining Catholic Ireland.

A little further on, I pass through Loyalist districts, recognizable by their many British flags and murals celebrating their cause or their past. I realize that, despite the return of peace since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, tensions persist in a muted state. The embers of the conflict are not entirely extinguished, and it wouldn’t take much to rekindle tensions.

Uptown: Queen’s university

I end my discovery of the city with the Queen’s university district. The houses surrounding the university’s superb Tudor-style building are more opulent, with more luxurious gardens.

Next door, I visit the contemporary history section of the Ulster Museum to try to better understand the Irish question. Unfortunately, the museum’s presentation is confusing, and without much background knowledge, I don’t learn much.

Nearby is the botanical garden, which is well worth a visit.

Belfast: mixed feelings

I end my brief visit to Belfast with mixed feelings. The city gives an impression of poverty, and I quickly felt the unease between the two communities.

What impressed me most were the peace walls erected to separate the Republicans from the Loyalists, which were still present in 2024 despite the authorities’ announcement of their demolition.

In the end, the new district around the Titanic Museum offers a glimpse of a brighter future for Belfast.

But now it’s time to get to Lanyon Place, the station from which trains leave for Dublin.

Day 8: Belfast to Dublin by train

It may be symbolic, but there is only one railway line between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the one between Belfast and Dublin.

The train is run jointly by Northern Ireland’s railroads, Translink, and those of the Republic of Ireland, Irish Rail, under the name Enterprise. Departing from Belfast, I have to buy my ticket on the Translink website, not Irish Rail. This is a pity, as each company applies its own fare structure, and Translink is considerably more expensive than its southern partner. For a first-class ticket, I pay 56 EUR instead of 35 EUR as sold on the Irish Rail website, but with the obligation to have the ticket issued at a Dublin station.

A First Class with an air of déjà vu

I travel first class. The harmony of the seats is strikingly reminiscent of one of France’s TGV high-speed trains.

The comfort is average, and, above all, the tilt is very strange: instead of offering a backrest that tilts backward for greater comfort, it tilts forward, as if to help an elderly person stand up!

A hostess provides a paid service directly at the seat. In the middle of the train is a bar car for second-class passengers. Like on the Titanic of yesteryear, it’s impossible to move between First and Second class, as a locked gate separates the two spaces!

Belfast Dublin at low speed

We leave the small, unimaginative Lanyon Place station behind and soon find ourselves in the green Irish countryside.

The route ends along the sea, offering views of vast beaches.

My train takes 2 hours and 10 minutes to cover the 170 km distance between the two cities. The authorities are considering a high-speed line, as the train, pulled by a diesel locomotive, is not very competitive with the road.

Between the two Irelands, we’re crossing a border not just between two countries but also between the UK and the European Union. Yet I won’t see any immigration or customs officers, as we’re in the “Common Travel Area,” where people’s freedom of movement remains the same as before Brexit.

In Dublin, Connolly station is hardly more attractive than Belfast’s.

The Irish still have some way to go to make the railroad more attractive. At the end of 2024, a brand new station, Belfast Grand Central Station, will replace Lanyon. This change should be the first step towards improved service.

Here I am in Dublin after a seven-day journey from Paris and three days from London!

I could have been more “efficient” if I’d flown there and been at my destination in less than two hours. However, my “slow travel” choice allowed me to discover cities we think less of.

On this part of the journey, I discovered Liverpool, which captivated me with its maritime heritage and indelible link to the Beatles, and Belfast, with its visible scars of the Troubles, but which also showed me a city amid reconstruction and seeking to reinvent itself.

The ferry and train crossings added a peaceful, introspective dimension to my trip, which was welcome after intense sightseeing in the cities I passed.