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Ireland direct

Dublin to Cherbourg, without the drive south.

Irish Ferries sails overnight from Dublin Port to Cherbourg, which saves anyone starting in the capital or the north the run down to Rosslare. The W.B. Yeats is the most hotel-like ship on this corridor.

BritainFranceRosslareDunkirkCorkRoscoffBilbaoDublinCherbourg

Timetables checked August 2026, and how they are checked

18 h 30at sea1sailing a day1night aboardYear roundIrish Ferries

The crossing

You board in Dublin Port and drive off in Normandy the next afternoon.

Operator
Irish Ferries
Sailings
Around 7 sailings a week in the 2026 timetable
Crossing
About 18 h 30One night aboard on the usual schedule.
Accommodation
Cabin or reserved seat, booked with the fareOne night aboard, and long enough that most people take the cabin.
Check-in
At least 60 minutes before departure with a vehicle, and 2 hours if you're travelling with a pet.
Gas bottles
A maximum of 47 kg of gas in no more than three cylinders, for private caravan and camping use. The gas flow shut off at the cylinders while the vehicle is on the ship, and the cylinders secured against movement and away from heat and ignition.
Pets
The W.B. Yeats carries pre-booked kennels, one pet each, with allocated visiting and walking times, and no pet cabins. The Isle of Inisheer has four-berth en-suite pet cabins with outside access. Five pets per booking at most, declared when you book.Paperwork: an EU pet passport or a GB Animal Health Certificate, a microchip, and a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old. A dog also needs a vet-administered tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before it comes back into Great Britain. An Animal Health Certificate has to come from an official vet within ten days of travel, so it's booked well before the crossing is.
Book with
Irish Ferries (opens in a new tab)Fares and availability live with the operator, not here.

Seasons, weather and operators all move these, so confirm with the operator before you book.

Getting there

Dublin is 0 h 10 away, Cork 2 h 40.

Typical driving hours to Dublin with light traffic
Starting fromDriving hours
Dublin0 h 10
Belfast2 h
Cork2 h 40

Ashore

The same Cherbourg ramp, and the same N13 south.

The same Cherbourg ramp as the Rosslare boat, and the same N13 south. Barneville-Carteret and the west Cotentin coast are about 40 minutes, Sainte-Mère-Église the same, Bayeux and the D-Day beaches an hour and a quarter. Mont-Saint-Michel is about two and a half hours, with the A84 towards Rennes or the Caen road towards the Loire.

If not this boat

Rosslare sails to Cherbourg too, and to Dunkirk. Cork lands in Brittany.

Every crossing on the map

Still asked

Which ship you get decides whether the dog gets a cabin.

Overnight, leaving Dublin in the late afternoon and reaching Cherbourg early the following afternoon. Irish Ferries publishes the pattern by date inside the booking system rather than as a fixed weekly grid, so check the sailings against your own dates.

Only on the Isle of Inisheer, which has four-berth en-suite pet cabins with outside access. The W.B. Yeats is kennels only, one pet per kennel, with set visiting and walking times. If a pet cabin matters to you, check which ship is on your sailing before you book.

Yes. Irish Ferries now publishes the Ireland to France schedule out to February 2027, and the W.B. Yeats works through November and December 2026, with the Isle of Inisheer covering and supplementing some sailings. Confirm the ship at booking if the facilities matter to you.

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