How to take a rail journey from London to Holyhead

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London to Holyhead by train

Holyhead is the ferry terminal for crossings of The Irish Sea to and from Dublin.
So it is the transfer point between rail and sea for the no fly route between the capital cities of the UK and Ireland.
Check the 'Journey Information' if you will be travelling from London to Dublin.

Routes you can take to go from London to Holyhead (for ferries to Dublin)

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to London

Route Information

Station Guides

The frontage of Euston station is being altered by building work

London Euston Rail Station Guide

Holyhead Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

3hr 45min approx

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

Monday to Saturday = 5 x trains per day
Sunday = 4 x trains

Is the journey direct? = Yes

Is the journey scenic? = Yes; see the Journey Description

What other tourist locations are along this route? = They include Chester and Colwyn Bay and Llandudno at Llandudno Junction and Bangor

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at the destination by direct train? = before 13:00 on Monday to Saturday; before 17:00 on Sunday

When is the usual approximate latest departure? = after 20:00 on Monday to Friday; after 18:00 on Saturday; after 19:00 on Sunday

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance? = Yes

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale? = 12 weeks; see the Ticket Information

What are the child ticket terms? = aged 5 to 15 = 50%; aged 4 and under = free

Does the ticket include assigned seats? = Depends on the type of ticket booked, but reservations are included with Advance tickets; See the Ticket Information

Do rail pass users need to book reservations? = No, but they are available.

Is catering available on the train? = Yes - There is a bar/bistro car: And complimentary at seat catering in 1st class, which typically includes a full meal service.

What else is good to know?

See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

Travel Information

Final Destination: Holyhead

All trains also call at: Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction and Bangor
Connect in Llandudno Junction for Llandudno

Note that on some departures two trains will be joined together for the journey as far as Chester, but on departure from Chester, only the front train will continue on towards Holyhead.

London <> Dublin

The ferry services between Holyhead and Dublin are provided by Irish Ferries and by Stena Line.
Fast-ferries are used so the sea crossings typically take 3hr 15mins.

Bus route /line 53 links the ferry terminal in Dublin, with Talbot Street in the city centre - note the timings of the final buses of the day, there are no late evening departures in either direction.
The bus stop on Talbot Street is 2 min walk from the Busáras tram stop for connections on to Heuston Station.

The journey summary

The end-to-end journey between Euston station and Dublin city centre will typically take from around 9 hours.

Though the connections in Holyhead between trains from London and ferries are comparatively random, partially because the ferry timetables, particularly for Irish Ferries, are more variable according to the travel date.
Also the primary objective for the ferry companies is the transportation needs of car and truck drivers, and the key requirement of the train service is to enable travel between London and multiple destinations in North Wales.
Plus there are trains to Holyhead from Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester which connect with other ferry departures.

Also the transfer between train and ferry in Holyhead needs to factor in
1: The need to check-in at least 30 mins ahead of the ferry departure.
2. The ferry timetable is the time at which the boat will be due to leave the dock - and not the timings of the shuttle bus between the station and the ferry dock.

The best London to Dublin connections are typically available on Monday to Saturday, with the train which departs from Euston shortly after 09:00 being a particularly good option - the time to make the connection into the Irish Ferries departure will be a little under 90mins - and the ferry will arrive in Dublin prior to the departure of the final bus of the day on to Dublin city centre.

Avoid travelling on a Sunday, as there is no morning train departures from London Euston to Holyhead on this day of the week - Hence the rail journey on a Sunday which connects with the ferries, typically requires an additional transfer between trains at another station in Wales.

Tickets

Trainline sells Rail + Sail tickets which include the train journey from Euston station to Holyhead - enter Dublin Ferryport as the destination.
Though tickets tend to be released from only around 2 to 3 weeks ahead of the travel date.
Also Rail + Sail tickets are only available for Standard Class / 2nd class rail travel, so if you want to travel 1st class from London Euston to Holyhead, you will need to make separate bookings for the train and ferry.

Using rail passes

Eurail and InterRail passes valid for rail travel in Great Britain can be used on the train to Holyhead, seat reservations are not required, but are particularly recommended on Fridays year round and on summer Saturdays.

Pass holders can claim a 30% refund on the cost of Irish Ferries sailings.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

Avanti Super Voyager (UK) Train Guide

An Evero train operated by Avanti West Coast arrives in Chester

Avanti Evero (UK) Train Guide

Journey Features

Coastal views

Good to Know

If you use the seat picker when booking, on the seating plan, if one of the coaches on Standard Class has mainly table seats, than that is a plan for a Super Voyager train.
On the Evero trains, the three Standard Class coaches, which don't also contain the on-board shop, have very similar seating plans.

Travelling by the Dee Estuary at low tide

Heading towards Colwyn Bay station

This is a journey of two parts, before Chester and after Chester

After the train has passed through Watford, which occurs around 15 mins after departure, the remainder of the journey on to Chester is through England's green and pleasant land, but there are no exceptionally scenic moments on this route.

On departure from Chester the train takes the North Wales Main Line which provides the traveller with multiple scenic highlights.
North of Flint, on the right when heading north. there are views over the Dee estuary
Also between Rhyl and Colwyn Bay and either side of Penmaenmawr station,, the railways is beside the coast - so there are sea views on the right.

There are also two wow moments, the first of which when heading north is the crossing of The River Conwy, pictured above - and the glimpses of its castle, which is right beside the railway on the other side of the river - this occurs shortly after departure from Llandudno Junction.

The second comes shortly after Bangor when the railway sweeps across the Menai Straits on the Britannia Bridge, pictured at the top of the page, which connects the Welsh mainland to the Isle Of Anglesey.

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Trains operated by multiple companies await departure from King's Cross station

The general guide to rail travel in Britain Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, taking popular journeys, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with rail passes.

Tickets

Tickets for the rail journey from London to Holyhead:

Book Early and Save: Yes

Tickets Available From: 24* weeks ahead for travel on Mon-Fri; up to 12 weeks ahead for weekend travel.
*This booking ahead period is longer than that offered by the majority of British train operators.

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance' tickets - though be aware that this type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans.

Though something to be aware of when booking tickets, particularly for journeys by Avanti West Coast with its extended booking periods, is that the more expensive Off Peak and Anytime type of tickets can be placed on sale before the Advance tickets will be available.
If that is the case, it won't mean that the 'Advance' tickets have sold out, instead you won't see them, because they haven't have been placed on sale yet.

Though you won't typically have to book months in advance to obtain the cheapest possible price for a London to Glasgow train journey, particularly if you won't be travelling at business hours.

Travelling on Saturday-Sunday

Maintenance work on the railway is periodically undertaken, particularly at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.

If you're looking up a journey less than around 10 - 12 weeks ahead and the cheaper 'Advance' tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the Avanti West Coast website.

Making an end-to-end journey will still be possible, though you MAY ultimately have to take a substitution bus service for part of the trip.
It's the confirmation of these alternative travel arrangements which can hold up the release of the tickets for sale.

Choosing a Departure:

There are likely to be significant differences in prices between departures on your travel date, it's often possible to save more than £30 by taking an earlier or later train.
When heading north, the trains which depart London in the middle of the day tend to be cheaper.

If you can be flexible with your travel times and dates, it's a good idea to use the Best Fare Finder service on the Avanti West Coast website.

Reservations:

When you book an Advance ticket for a London to Glasgow journey by Avanti West Coast trains journey online, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s) - because you will have to travel by that specific departure.

Because Off-Peak and Anytime tickets (usually) allow the freedom to choose between departures, you can request complimentary reservations when booking these tickets - find out more about this.

However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, seat reservations won't be available

That's because reservations at stations need to be booked at least a couple of hours ahead of departure - so also keep that in mind if you will be using a rail pass, including a Britrail or Eurail pass.

Receiving Your Ticket(s)

If you book with Avanti West Coast, you will have up to four options for receiving and using your ticket(s) are:

(1) Using e-tickets:
Book a ticket online and you will receive an e-ticket attached to your confirmation email.
Avanti West Coast allows multiple options for using these e-tickets, you can print them off OR download them to your mobile device, so when boarding you can access your ticket(s) on your phone and use it to open the ticket gates.

(2) Using m-tickets:

If you book using the Avanti West Coast trains app, you can activate your ticket within the app and use your mobile device to open the ticket gates.

(3) Collecting from the 'Fast-Track' ticket machines at the station.

You will receive a booking reference number on your order confirmation email and you can use this reference number to collect ticket(s) from a 'Fast-Track' ticket machine.
You will need to enter your reference number into the machine, so make sure you'll have easy access to it when you are using the machine.

You will also need to insert the specific credit or debit card you used when making the booking, so have that with you too.

Showing the email you have received to staff at the ticket gates won't get you on to the train, nor will this be valid if you can only show the email to the conductor when you are on the train.

If you forget to bring your ticket(s) with you to the station, but do have the card with you that you used when booking, you can use the machines to collect your ticket(s).
Take your time and take care that you have picked up all your ticket(s) and seat reservations.

(4) Opt to pay an additional charge to have your tickets posted to you.

More information is available here.

The potential to save by splitting tickets on Trainline

It can be worth looking up this journey on Trainline.

It can be possible to save money by using split ticketing, with the booking process being no more complicated than booking conventional tickets - find out more

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