Ferry to France from Ireland
4 direct crossings to France from Ireland
Looking for a ferry from Ireland to France? Then you have some choice. Ferries are leaving to France from the Irish cities Cork, Rosslare, and Dublin to Cherbourg, Roscoff and Dunkirk.
To Cherbourg, Dunkirk or Roscoff
You can conveniently use our handy ferry map for this. Comparing the different ferry crossings can be interesting as some boats sail much faster and others are cheaper. Also, can a combination of 2 different routes save you easily a lot of money?
You can use the booking module and select the country of departure to find the crossings to France from Ireland
Ferry Map: ferry routes to France from Ireland
Use the interactive map to find the right crossing and ferry company. You can zoom in and out and view the routes in the ports.
From the South of Ireland, you can sail from Cork or Rosslare to Cherbourg, Dunkirk and Roscoff, but sailing from Dublin to Cherbourg is also possible, this is the second longest crossing (19 hours), while Dunkirk Rosslare is the longest (24 hours). Roscoff-Cork is the fastest connection taking you from Ireland to France with a night crossing in just 14 hours.
Crossings to France from Ireland
Ferry Guide to France from Ireland
Getting to France from Ireland
The ferries to France from Ireland are especially popular during the holiday season. A lot of tourists choose to start their vacation by ferry from Ireland directly to France.
You also have the option to first sail to the UK and from there to France and/or other European countries, but there are some good ferry routes between France and Ireland.
- Cherbourg – Dublin
- Roscoff – Cork
- Cherbourg – Rosslare
- Rosslare – Dunkirk
From the South of Ireland, you can sail from Cork or Rosslare to Cherbourg, Dunkirk and Roscoff, but sailing from Dublin to Cherbourg is also possible, this is the second longest crossing (19 hours), while Dunkirk Rosslare is the longest (24 hours). Roscoff-Cork is the fastest connection taking you from Ireland to France with a night crossing in just 14 hours.
Taking the ferry to the European mainland is a comfortable way of starting your vacation, and it's also handy if you want to take your car along on vacation.
Cherbourg – Dublin
Irish Ferries takes you on this crossing from Dublin to Cherbourg (Normandy, France) in about 19 hours. The ferry sails back and forth between France and Ireland up to 5 times per week and when you book well in advance you can often find a nice discount.Roscoff – Cork
The Roscoff-Cork ferry takes you from Ireland to French Bretagne (Roscoff) in 14 to 15 hours. This crossing is operated by Brittany Ferries and departs twice a week. It is a night crossing that is often sold out, so book well in advance.Cherbourg – Rosslare
With both Stena Line and Brittany Ferries you can make the crossing from and to Rosslare and Cherbourg in French Normandy. There is a direct ferry connection between Rosslare and Cherbourg. If you’re travelling to our from Dublin this is only a 2 hour drive away. With 4 sailings per week there is enough choice to make it fit your travel schedule.
Rosslare-Dunkirk
The ferry service connecting Dunkirk, France, and Rosslare, Ireland, is a fairly new ferry connection connecting continental Europe with Ireland. (There used to be cargo ships on this route) There is only one operator active on this connection, and that is DFDS.Ferries from Dublin to Paris, France.
Dublin to Cherbourg is a good crossing for those wo want to travel from Dublin to Paris and/or France. On this route you'll be sailing with Irish Ferries from Dublin to France.
Once arrived in Cherbourg it's a 4 hours drive to Paris.
Alternatives are to depart more from the south of Ireland to Roscoff from Cork, but then the drive is close to 6 hours to Paris.
The ferry from Dublin to Cherbourg is a ferry with a night crossing taking you around 19 hours to the French shore.
Travelling through France
Travelling in France is very pleasant. In combination with the ferry, most people will go by their transport. You must get used to driving on the right, but that will go well after a while.
The good roads are unfortunately not always free. In France, you travel a lot on toll roads. These do not cost very much in themselves, but over a long drive to the South, the amount can add up considerably.
A function in Google Maps allows you to avoid toll roads. Maybe that's useful to save some money, but these roads also save you a lot of time.
If you don't go by car, you can choose to travel through France by train. The country is known for its good connections with the fast train TGV.
The stations are easily accessible from some ports of arrival, but you could also consider travelling through the Channel Tunnel with the Eurostar. In Paris, you can then change or get off.
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Is it one dog per traveller, or one in total, they weigh 4,5kg each
Hi Des Casey,
Depends a bit per ferry company but in general you can bring up to 2 dogs. If you bring more dogs you need to book a kennel instead of a dog-friendly cabin. If you want to know more about bringing your dog onboard the ferry we have this comprehensive guide for you: https://ferrygogo.co.uk/travelling-with-pet-dog-on-ferries/ . Be sure to also doublecheck with the ferry company to see if they have any specific rules.
Hope to have helped you a bit further.
Best regards,
Jan Willem