Travelling to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland can be reached by air from many cities in Britain and beyond, and by ferry from England or Scotland. There are two ferry ports: Belfast and Larne. Belfast has two airports, Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airport, both are ~40 miles from Armagh. EasyJet, Go and bmi operate a range of scheduled services to Belfast International Airport, and British European, bmi and British Airways operate scheduled services to Belfast City Airport.

It is also possible to fly to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, which is ~80 miles from Armagh. Note, however, that a separate visa may be required for certain nationals.

Getting to Armagh

An Airbus service operates every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, between Belfast International Airport and the Europa Buscentre in Belfast, and at 30 or 60 minute intervals on a Sunday. The service operates between 05:45 and 23:20. The journey from the airport to Belfast takes about 30 minutes.

The Ulsterbus express bus between Belfast Europa Buscentre and Armagh takes about 1 hour. Avoid the regular service which takes the pretty route, stops everywhere and takes a long time. It is possible to take a bus from Dublin Airport to Newry and then take a taxi to Armagh.

Northern Ireland Railways operate an express service between Belfast and Dublin, stopping at Portadown. Portadown Station is ~10 miles from Armagh. It is advisable to take a taxi from Portdown to Armagh as there are limited buses available.

The cost of a taxi from Belfast International Airport or the Belfast City Airport to Armagh is approximately 40 - 50 pounds; the journey takes approximately 60 and 90 minutes respectively.

It is possible to hire a car at any of the airports. If travelling from Belfast International Airport, use a road map to drive via Nutts Corner, Glenavy, Craigavon, Portadown to Armagh. From the airport follow the signs for Craigavon, leave the motorway at the exit signposted for Armagh and follow the signs into Armagh. The roads are good and the journey takes about one hour.

The best route is via Belfast International Airport

Useful Links:

Map of Northern Ireland
Map of Armagh
Airbus
Ulsterbus and NI Railways
Port of Belfast
Port of Larne
Belfast International Airport
Belfast City Airport
Dublin Airport
Irish Rail
Bus Eireann
SkyScanner
EasyJet
bmi
British European
Book Flights & hotels with Expedia UK
British Airways and BA CitiExpress
CheapFlights
Flightline
AirNinja
TripExtras

Last Revised: 2009 November 10th