There are 8 ways to get from Chester to Cairnryan by train, bus, car ferry, car, or plane
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train, bus
best- Take the train from Warrington Bank Quay to Carlisletrain
- Take the train from Carlisle to Dumfriestrain
- Take the bus from Dumfries station to Port Rodiebus 500
7h 31mTrain
cheapest- Take the train from Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow Centraltrain
- Take the train from Glasgow Central to Ayrtrain
- Take the train from Ayr to Stranraertrain
8h 9m£51–174Car ferry
- Take the car ferry from Liverpool to Belfastcarferry
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
13h 22m£71–114Drive 242.6 mi
- Drive from Chester to Cairnryancar 242.6 mi
4h 19m£60–86Bus, train
- Take the bus from Chester Bus Interchange to Hood streetbus 1 / ...
- Take the train from Liverpool Lime Street to Lockerbietrain
- Take the bus from Whitesands to Port Rodiebus 500
9h 33mFly Liverpool to Belfast International Airport, car ferry
- Fly from Liverpool (LPL) to Belfast International Airport (BFS)plane LPL - BFS
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
7h 54m£69–168Train to Manchester Airport, fly to George Best Belfast City Airport, car ferry
- Take the train from Chester to Manchester Airporttrain
- Fly from Manchester Airport (MAN) to George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)plane MAN - BHD
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
8h 23m£75–206Fly Liverpool to George Best Belfast City Airport, car ferry
- Fly from Liverpool (LPL) to George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)plane LPL - BHD
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
7h 41m£71–189
Liverpool (LPL) to Belfast International Airport (BFS) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Chester to Cairnryan is to drive which costs £55 - £90 and takes 4h 19m.
The fastest way to get from Chester to Cairnryan is to drive which takes 4h 19m and costs £55 - £90.
The distance between Chester and Cairnryan is 252 miles. The road distance is 244 miles.
The best way to get from Chester to Cairnryan without a car is to train and bus which takes 7h 31m and costs .
It takes approximately 7h 31m to get from Chester to Cairnryan, including transfers.
Yes, the driving distance between Chester to Cairnryan is 244 miles. It takes approximately 4h 19m to drive from Chester to Cairnryan.
There are 58+ hotels available in Cairnryan.
What companies run services between Chester, England and Cairnryan, Scotland?
You can take a train from Chester to Old Pier via Warrington Bank Quay, Glasgow Central, Ayr, Stranraer, and Port Rodie Ferry Terminal in around 8h 9m. Alternatively, you can take a train from Chester to Cairnryan via Birkenhead Hamilton Square, Liverpool, and Belfast in around 13h 22m.
- Website
- easyjet.com
Flights from Liverpool to Belfast International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £23–95
Flights from Manchester Airport to George Best Belfast City Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- £26–120
Flights from Liverpool to George Best Belfast City Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- £30–120
- Website
- aerlingus.com
Flights from Manchester Airport to George Best Belfast City Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 8m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £35–130
- Phone
- +44 345 528 0253
- Website
- avantiwestcoast.co.uk
Train from Warrington Bank Quay to Carlisle
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 32m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £13–60
- Website
- https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/
Train from Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow Central
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 47m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £24–130
- Website
- https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 1524 732100
- bookings@westcoastrailways.net
- Website
- westcoastrailways.co.uk
Train from Warrington Bank Quay to Carlisle
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 39m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Website
- https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 344 811 0141
- Website
- scotrail.co.uk
Train from Carlisle to Dumfries
- Ave. Duration
- 36 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £5–9
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Train from Glasgow Central to Ayr
- Ave. Duration
- 53 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- £6–13
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Train from Ayr to Stranraer
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 21m
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- £16–17
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 345 600 1671
- tpecustomer.relations@tpexpress.co.uk
- Website
- tpexpress.co.uk
Train from Liverpool Lime Street to Lockerbie
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- £40–90
- Website
- https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/
- Phone
- 03333 211 202
- Website
- tfw.wales
Train from Chester to Manchester Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £11–28
- Website
- https://tfw.wales/
- Phone
- +44 1576 203874
- info@houstoncoaches.co.uk
- Website
- houstonscoaches.co.uk
Bus from Dumfries station to Port Rodie
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 31m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Website
- https://www.houstonscoaches.co.uk/
Bus from Whitesands to Port Rodie
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 23m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Website
- https://www.houstonscoaches.co.uk/
Bus from Chester Bus Interchange to Hood street
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 45m
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- £2–4
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com/about/merseyside-and-south-lancashire
- Phone
- +44 844 770 7070
- info.se@stenaline.com
- Website
- stenaline.dk
Car ferry from Liverpool to Belfast
- Ave. Duration
- 8h
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £35–60
- Website
- https://www.stenalinetravel.com/
Car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 22m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- £30–45
- Website
- https://www.stenalinetravel.com/
Want to know more about travelling around United Kingdom
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
Related travel guides
Travelling to the UK: What do I need to know?
Read the travel guide



























