Every direct bus across the Irish border.
259 buses a day between Ireland and Northern Ireland, on 28 lines: Dublin to Belfast in 1h45, Derry to Galway on one bus in 5h10, and Belcoo to Blacklion in 1 min. Times from the companies' own open timetables.
A direct bus, brighter = more a dayThe border
Find a bus across the Irish border
Pick a place on each side. Only places with a direct bus between them are offered once you pick the first.
The busiest crossings
The pairs of places with the most direct buses a day across the border, both ways. Straight across, no change.
Over the border in minutes
Some towns face each other across a river or a bridge. These buses cross in a few minutes, no change.
When the buses cross
How many buses pass between Ireland and Northern Ireland in each hour of an average day: busy from about 07:00, busiest at 13:00, and a few through the night.
The longest rides
The most of the island you can see from one seat, one bus a line.
Dublin to Belfast: bus or train?
28 a day by bus, 14 a day by the Enterprise train. City centre to city centre, with getting to the stop or the station.
Bus, train or plane
City centre to city centre. Getting to stops, stations and airports: typical public-transport times (estimates). Bus: be at the stop 15 min before. Plane: check-in and security 1h30 before, then getting out after landing; flight time typical for the distance. Train: pickthetrain's door-to-door time.
Train instead?
Irish Rail / NI Railways. No change of train, from the operators' official timetables.
The companies across the border
Each one's buses a day across the border, its lines, its busiest pairs and its own site for times and tickets.
Bus Éireann
133.6buses a day across the border- Lifford ⇄ Strabane19.7 a day
- Letterkenny ⇄ Strabane16.3 a day
- Belturbet ⇄ Derrylin16.2 a day
- Bellanaleck ⇄ Belturbet16.2 a day
Translink Goldliner
74.3buses a day across the borderTranslink Ulsterbus
31.7buses a day across the border- Belturbet ⇄ Derrylin16.2 a day
- Bellanaleck ⇄ Belturbet16.2 a day
- Belturbet ⇄ Enniskillen16.2 a day
- Ballyshannon ⇄ Enniskillen13.9 a day
Every town with a bus across the border
Each with its own page of every direct bus to the other side. The number is how many buses across the border call there on an average day.
🇮🇪 Ireland · 81
AghavasweeklyAnnyallaweeklyArdee29Ballina16Ballinacarrow9BallinamoreweeklyBallindine5Ballintra2Ballybofey29Ballyhaunis5Ballysadare23Ballyshannon41Beltra16Belturbet32Blacklion20Bundoran15Carlingford7Carrickmacross24CarrigallenweeklyCarrigans4Castleblayney28Castlefin9Cavan28Charlestown10Claremorris5Cliffony14Clones9ClontibretweeklyCloonfad5Collooney7Convoy9CorloughweeklyCurry10Donegal42Dromard16Dromore West16Drumcliff14Drumkeen8Dublin120Dundalk21Dunmore5Easky16Emyvale24Enniscrone16FenaghweeklyGalway10Glenfarne20Grange14Greenore7Kilglass16Kilkelly10Killea25Killeenduff16Killygordon9Knock10Letterkenny54Lifford39Lordship7Manorcunningham20Manorhamilton20Milltown5MohillweeklyMonaghan42Muff20Newtowncunningham23Omeath7Rampark7Raphoe12Rathlee16Riverstown7Saint Johnston4Skreen16Sligo33Smithborough2Swanlinbar3Templeboy16Tobercurry10Tuam10Tullaghan5Tyholland8Virginia26🇬🇧 Northern Ireland · 61
Armagh23Arney3Aughnacloy29Ballinamallard1Ballycassidy1Ballygawley29Banbridge41Belcoo20Belfast59Bellanaleck32Belleek15Callan Bridge8Carnagh3Castledawson9ColeraineweeklyCookstown10Craigavon4CullavilleweeklyDarkleyweeklyDerry64Derrylin31Donagh7Drumard1Drumcard3Dungannon10Dungiven9Enniskillen62GarvaghweeklyIrvinestown1Keady3Kesh1Kinawley5Knockmanoul1Leitrim6Letterbreen20Lisbellaw7Lisburn41Lisnarick1Lisnaskea7Maddan8Maghera10MagherafeltweeklyMagheraveely8Middletown12MoneymoreweeklyMoy10Newry62Newtownbutler8Newtownstewart29Omagh29Portadown4PortrushweeklyPortstewartweeklyRosscor1Scardans1Skerries8Stonefort1Strabane44SwatraghweeklyTamlaght7Tassagh2Quick answers
Is there a direct bus from Dublin to Belfast?
Yes: 28 a day on average with Translink Goldliner, no change of bus. The fastest takes 1h45; the first leaves Dublin at 00:45 and the last at 23:45.
Is there a direct bus from Dublin to Derry?
Yes: 7 a day with Translink Goldliner, the fastest in 3h50.
How many buses cross the Irish border a day?
About 259 on an average day, on 28 lines from Bus Éireann, Translink Goldliner, Translink Ulsterbus and Translink Foyle Metro, linking 143 towns and villages in 275 pairs.
What is the shortest bus ride across the border?
Belcoo to Blacklion: 1 min, 9.9 a day with Bus Éireann.
What is the longest?
Derry to Galway with Bus Éireann 64: 5h10 on one bus, 223 km as the crow flies.
When do the buses cross?
All day: the busiest hour is 13:00, with about 22 buses crossing, and a few run through the night.
Times from the official open timetables of Bus Éireann, Translink Foyle Metro, Translink Goldliner and Translink Ulsterbus, local time on the island, for 29 Oct to 25 Nov 2026. Checked on Thu 29 Oct 2026. Also across the border, not listed here yet: Aircoach, Dublin Express and TFI Local Link Donegal Sligo Leitrim, until a check finds their open timetables match the times they sell (see Sources). A bus from a company that publishes no open timetable may be missing; always check with the operator before you travel. Contains timetable data from the National Transport Authority (Transport for Ireland), CC BY 4.0. Contains Translink timetable and stop data from OpenDataNI, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we build this.
The rest of the trip
Where to stay when the bus pulls in, and the train and the plane when they're quicker.
Ask your assistant about the border.
Every bus on this page is open JSON, free to use with credit, no key: an assistant can find the direct bus, its times and its company's link in one call.
# every direct bus Dublin → Belfast GET /api/v1/from/dublin.json # then the "belfast" destination GET /api/v1/from/derry.json # where Derry goes across the border GET /intents.md # the contract, for agents
MoltenRock is the secure AI agent suite for Mac: your API keys and email logins locked in an encrypted vault, served to the agents you trust, on your terms.
moltenrock.com ↗