Skip to content

Ireland direct

Rosslare to Bilbao, one night or two.

Brittany Ferries sails this twice a week, and the two sailings aren't the same crossing: Wednesday is a single night at 27 hours 30, Friday is two nights at 31. You land at Zierbena, on the motorway rather than in Bilbao.

BritainFranceDublinCherbourgDunkirkCorkRoscoffRosslareBilbao

Timetables checked August 2026, and how they are checked

31 hat sea2sailings a week1night aboardYear roundBrittany Ferries

The crossing

Ireland to Spain direct, and the day of the week sets the length.

Operator
Brittany Ferries
Sailings
2 sailings a week year round: Wednesday is 27 h 30 and one night, Friday is 31 h and two
Crossing
About 31 hOne night on the Wednesday sailing, two on the Friday.
Accommodation
Cabin or reserved seat, compulsoryOne night aboard on the Wednesday sailing, two on the Friday, on whichever E-Flexer is rostered.
Runs both ways
Bilbao sails back on Thursdays and SundaysThursday evening into Friday evening, or Sunday morning into Monday afternoon, at 27 to 29 hours.
Check-in
Vehicle check-in closes 45 minutes before departure, and 90 minutes if you're travelling with a pet. The same times apply at both ends.
Gas bottles
Up to three butane or propane cylinders, 47 kg between them, with no limit on any one bottle. Caravans and campervans only, and for the vehicle's own lighting, heating and cooking. Secured against the movement of the ship, kept away from heat, and shut off at the cylinder for the sailing.
Pets
The dog can't stay in the vehicle on this route. It's one of 22 pet-friendly cabins on deck 7, or one of 12 kennels on the same deck with the exercise area beside them. Cats aren't allowed in the kennels at all. Bedding isn't supplied, dogs are muzzled and leashed anywhere outside the cabin, and 34 spaces is the whole allocation on a crossing this long, so book the dog before you book anything else.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
Brittany 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

Cork is 2 h away, Dublin 2 h 15.

Typical driving hours to Rosslare with light traffic
Starting fromDriving hours
Cork2 h
Dublin2 h 15

Ashore

You come off at Zierbena onto the motorway, twenty minutes short of Bilbao.

The same Zierbena ramp as the Portsmouth boat, on the west side of the estuary, so you're on the A-8 within minutes rather than in city traffic. Bilbao is 21 km and about 20 minutes east. The Basque coast runs on from there, San Sebastian under two hours, and the French border and Biarritz a little beyond it. West, the A-8 follows the Cantabrian coast and the Picos de Europa are a little over two hours.

If not this boat

Cherbourg and Roscoff land in France. This is the only one that lands in Spain.

Every crossing on the map

Still asked

Whether you get one night or two isn't something you choose.

It depends on the day, not on what you book. The Wednesday sailing leaves in the morning and arrives early on Thursday afternoon, 27 hours 30, one night aboard. The Friday sailing leaves at night and arrives on Sunday morning, 31 hours, two nights. Coming back it's Thursday evening to Friday evening, or Sunday morning to Monday afternoon, at 27 to 29 hours. Read the day before you price the cabin, because the second night is a second cabin night.

Because the alternative is two crossings and the length of France. Going by way of Cherbourg or Roscoff lands you in Normandy or Brittany with roughly 1,000 km still to drive to the Spanish border, on French fuel and mostly on tolled motorway, plus a night somewhere in the middle. This is one boat, one border and a cabin. Whether it's cheaper depends on your dates; whether it's simpler doesn't.

One of the three E-Flexers: Galicia, Santoña or Salamanca. They're proper cruise ferries with restaurants, en-suite cabins and the same pet arrangements as each other, so unlike Rosslare to Cherbourg, which ship you get doesn't change the night much here.

Yes. The published timetable runs to November 2027 and the route holds two sailings a week through it. Brittany Ferries notes that seasonal variations to the schedule can apply, so check your own dates, but this isn't a summer-only crossing the way Cork to Roscoff is.

Free to share

Send this to whoever is coming

Rosslare to Bilbao in one page: the times, the sailings, the port and the first hour ashore. Free to read, no account needed.

https://quietroute.io/reference/ferries/rosslare-bilbao
ShareFacebook (opens in a new tab)

The crossing is one line of the trip

Quiet Route plans the rest. The overnights, the days between, the budget. One screen, under a minute.

Plan my trip

£28 a year. Full refund within 14 days if you bought on the web.