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Ireland direct

Rosslare to Dunkirk, with the cabin included.

DFDS runs this one for the freight and carries vans well: a cabin and four meals come with the fare, over a crossing of just under 24 hours. It lands at Loon-Plage, straight onto the toll-free A16.

BritainFranceDublinCherbourgCorkRoscoffBilbaoRosslareDunkirk

Timetables checked August 2026, and how they are checked

23 h 30at sea6sailings a week1night aboardYear roundDFDS

The crossing

The cabin and four meals are already in the fare.

Operator
DFDS
Sailings
6 a week on DFDS own figures, rising to daily from September 2026
Crossing
About 23 h 30One night aboard on the usual schedule.
Accommodation
Cabin included in every passenger fareOne night aboard, with four buffet meals in the price.
Check-in
No less than 2 hours before departure. Late arrivals can be refused travel.
Gas bottles
Up to three butane or propane cylinders, 47 kg between them, for lighting, cooking or heating only. Valves shut and the cylinders secured. DFDS wants them stated at check-in. A fixed LPG habitation tank is accepted up to 80 per cent full and can be inspected at check-in.
Pets
Capacity is small, and it's cabins only: a few pet-friendly cabins chosen at booking. DFDS runs a Pet Hotel on its North Sea ships but publishes nothing of the kind for this route, so don't plan on one. Book the cabin as early as you book the crossing.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
DFDS (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 leave Loon-Plage straight onto the toll-free A16.

You leave Loon-Plage straight onto the A16, which costs nothing and runs both ways. Belgium is 30 to 60 minutes east towards Veurne and Bruges, Calais about 35 minutes west, Saint-Omer 35 and Lille 50. South, the A25 and A1 take you towards Paris and Reims. East, the A16 opens the Ardennes and Germany.

If not this boat

Cherbourg and Roscoff land further west. This one is for Belgium and beyond.

Every crossing on the map

Still asked

Everything is in the fare except the spare fuel can.

Your own cabin and four buffet meals with soft drinks, tea and coffee, across a crossing of just under 24 hours. The headline price reads high against the Brittany Ferries routes and the final bill is more predictable, because the two things you'd otherwise buy aboard are already paid for. The ship is a working ro-pax: self-service restaurant, bar, shop, a kids area and paid Wi-Fi.

No. Jerry cans are forbidden on board, full or empty. Gas is limited to three cylinders and 47 kg between them, for cooking and heating, and a fixed LPG habitation tank is accepted up to 80 per cent full subject to inspection at check-in.

The route was launched in 2021 for that question. Going by way of Britain means a crossing to Wales, a long driving day on UK fuel, a second crossing from Dover and three border points instead of one. This is one night, one border, and you sleep through most of it.

A third ship joins the Athena Seaways and the Victoria Seaways from mid-September, taking the service from five sailings a week to seven weekly round trips. Days and times aren't published as a fixed weekly grid, so check the booking engine against your dates rather than assuming a pattern.

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