NOMADIC BACKPACKER
  • HOME
  • INDEX
  • About
    • About Nomadic Backpacker
    • About the Blog
    • Notable Experiences
    • Where I've Been: World Travel Page
  • Travel 101
    • Flight Reviews
    • Travel Hacks
    • Health
    • ATM fees
    • Travel Essentials
    • Favourites
    • BORDER CROSSINGS
  • Regions
    • AFRICA >
      • Botswana
      • Burundi
      • Egypt
      • Ivory Coast
      • Kenya
      • Madagascar
      • Rwanda
      • Mali
      • Sudan
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Tanzania
      • Tunisia
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Americas >
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Dominican Republic
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • ASIA >
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Middle East
      • Turkey
    • Europe >
      • Andorra
      • The Balkans
      • The Baltics
      • Belarus
      • Cyprus
      • Northern Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Liechtenstein
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
      • Transnistria
      • United Kingdom
  • Support
  • CONTACT
  • SEARCH

Travelling on the Stena Line Dublin to Holyhead Ferry

​May 27 2023 | Tagged: United Kingdom, Border Crossing

Having travelled from Belfast to Dublin the day before, where I had an intense time backpacking Dublins Fair City to the full, it was time to take the Stena Line Ferry to Holyhead, Wales, a town I had cycled to in 1987.
Dublin to Holyhead Stena Line Ferry
I took bus #53 from Portland Row, the nearest stop to my hostel, to the Stena Line Terminal no. 2.

The fare was 1.70€ paid in cash.
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Arrival at the Stena Line Terminal 2 in Dublin:
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry

I chose the 8pm sailing so I would get a full days backpacking in Dublin, scheduled to arrive in Holyhead at just gone midnight.

You can check out all the fares and schedules on the Stena Line website.

Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
I checked in and proceeded through to the departure lounge.
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Then as foot passengers, we boarded a bus to the ship as there is no gang way in Dublin:
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
The crossing was calm:
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
I took fish n chips for dinner:
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
I logged on to the free Wifi and finished off the Newtownards blog post and it was even fast enough to have a video call with Miss CDMX, so there is no need to buy FAST INTERNET, the free one works just fine.

On arrival, you wait until foot passengers are called to make your way down to the car deck where you board another Stena bus which takes you to the terminal.

And there you need to show your id. Yes, for those who need visas for the Republic of Ireland, it is not valid for the UK and nor does any Schengen visa you have. A UK visa is a separate document.

It's just a cursory check anyways.
Arriving at midnight wasn't perhaps the best of moves but sometimes there is a method in my madness. I stayed at the port in the arrivals hall. It was heated and there are toilets and you didn't get kicked out.

It was then just a simple matter of passing the time, a nap, and using the free WiFi until the trains started running;
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Border Crossing: The Republic of Ireland to Wales (Dublin to Holyhead) by Stena Line ferry
Previous Post:​ ​How to get from Belfast to Dublin on the Translink Bus
Next Post:​ Whitehead Railway Museum in Northern Ireland

buy me a coffee
Donate via PayPal


​
NOMADIC BACKPACKER
​©2025
  • HOME
  • INDEX
  • About
    • About Nomadic Backpacker
    • About the Blog
    • Notable Experiences
    • Where I've Been: World Travel Page
  • Travel 101
    • Flight Reviews
    • Travel Hacks
    • Health
    • ATM fees
    • Travel Essentials
    • Favourites
    • BORDER CROSSINGS
  • Regions
    • AFRICA >
      • Botswana
      • Burundi
      • Egypt
      • Ivory Coast
      • Kenya
      • Madagascar
      • Rwanda
      • Mali
      • Sudan
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Tanzania
      • Tunisia
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Americas >
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Dominican Republic
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • ASIA >
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Middle East
      • Turkey
    • Europe >
      • Andorra
      • The Balkans
      • The Baltics
      • Belarus
      • Cyprus
      • Northern Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Liechtenstein
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
      • Transnistria
      • United Kingdom
  • Support
  • CONTACT
  • SEARCH