There are 8 ways to get from Manchester to Cairnryan by bus, train, 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.
Bus
best- Take the bus from Shudehill Interchange to Buchanan Bus Stationbus Ukn30 / ...
- Take the bus from Glasgow Buchanan to Cairnryan Stena Terminalbus 923
7h 25mBus, car ferry
cheapest- Take the bus from Manchester Central Coach Station to Liverpool, Liverpool Onebus 170 / ...
- Take the car ferry from Liverpool to Belfastcarferry
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
14h 33m£38–142Train, bus
- Take the train from Manchester Oxford Road to Prestontrain
- Take the train from Preston to Glasgow Centraltrain
- Take the train from Glasgow Central to Ayrtrain
- Take the bus from Rail Station to Old Pierbus 358 / ...
7h 59m£87–201Drive 222.4 mi
- Drive from Manchester to Cairnryancar 222.4 mi
3h 58m£55–79Train, bus via Carlisle
- Take the train from Manchester Piccadilly to Carlisletrain
- Take the train from Carlisle to Dumfriestrain
- Take the bus from Dumfries station to Port Rodiebus 500
8h 6mTrain
- Take the train from Manchester Piccadilly to Glasgow Centraltrain
- Take the train from Glasgow Central to Ayrtrain
- Take the train from Ayr to Stranraertrain
8h 12m£123–217Fly to George Best Belfast City Airport, car ferry
- Fly from Manchester Airport (MAN) to George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)plane MAN - BHD
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
7h 20m£44–170Fly to Belfast International Airport, car ferry
- Fly from Manchester Airport (MAN) to Belfast International Airport (BFS)plane MAN - BFS
- Take the car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryancarferry
7h 32m£39–149
Manchester to Cairnryan by bus, foot, train, and car ferry
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Manchester to Cairnryan is to drive which costs £50 - £80 and takes 3h 58m.
The fastest way to get from Manchester to Cairnryan is to drive which takes 3h 58m and costs £50 - £80.
No, there is no direct bus from Manchester to Cairnryan. However, there are services departing from Shudehill Interchange and arriving at Cairnryan Stena Terminal via Glasgow Buchanan. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 7h 25m.
The distance between Manchester and Cairnryan is 294 miles. The road distance is 223.7 miles.
The best way to get from Manchester to Cairnryan without a car is to bus which takes 7h 25m and costs .
It takes approximately 7h 25m to get from Manchester to Cairnryan, including transfers.
Manchester to Cairnryan bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Shudehill Interchange station.
The best way to get from Manchester to Cairnryan is to bus which takes 7h 25m and costs . Alternatively, you can train, which costs £120 - £220 and takes 8h 12m.
Manchester to Cairnryan bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Buchanan Bus Station.
Yes, the driving distance between Manchester to Cairnryan is 224 miles. It takes approximately 3h 58m to drive from Manchester to Cairnryan.
What companies run services between Manchester, England and Cairnryan, Scotland?
You can take a bus from Shudehill Interchange to Cairnryan Stena Terminal via Buchanan Bus Station and Glasgow Buchanan in around 7h 25m. Alternatively, you can take a train from Manchester Piccadilly to Old Pier via Glasgow Central, Ayr, Stranraer, and Port Rodie Ferry Terminal in around 8h 12m.
- Website
- easyjet.com
Flights from Manchester Airport to George Best Belfast City Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- £30–110
Flights from Manchester Airport to Belfast International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £25–110
- Website
- ryanair.com
Flights from Manchester Airport to Belfast International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £19–55
- Website
- aerlingus.com
Flights from Manchester Airport to George Best Belfast City Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 8m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £30–120
- Phone
- +44 800 200 6060
- enquiries@northernrailway.co.uk
- Website
- northernrailway.co.uk
Train from Manchester Oxford Road to Preston
- Ave. Duration
- 51 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- £11–22
- Website
- https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 345 600 1671
- tpecustomer.relations@tpexpress.co.uk
- Website
- tpexpress.co.uk
Train from Manchester Oxford Road to Preston
- Ave. Duration
- 36 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £10–19
- Website
- https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/
Train from Preston to Glasgow Central
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 34m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- £65–120
- Website
- https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/
Train from Manchester Piccadilly to Carlisle
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 55m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £40–75
- Website
- https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/
Train from Manchester Piccadilly to Glasgow Central
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 18m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- £75–140
- Website
- https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 345 528 0253
- Website
- avantiwestcoast.co.uk
Train from Preston to Glasgow Central
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £65–120
- Website
- https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 330 060 0500
- enquiry@sleeper.scot
- Website
- sleeper.scot
Train from Preston to Glasgow Central
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 28m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- £45–90
- Website
- https://www.sleeper.scot/
- Phone
- +44 344 811 0141
- Website
- scotrail.co.uk
Train from Glasgow Central to Ayr
- Ave. Duration
- 53 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- £18–35
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Train from Carlisle to Dumfries
- Ave. Duration
- 36 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £14–26
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Train from Ayr to Stranraer
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 22m
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- £25–45
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.fr
Bus from Shudehill Interchange to Buchanan Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 5m
- Frequency
- Every 2 hours
- Estimated price
- £20–35
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +44 28 9066 6630
- Website
- translink.co.uk
Bus from Glasgow Buchanan to Cairnryan Stena Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Website
- https://www.translink.co.uk/
Bus from Rail Station to Old Pier
- Ave. Duration
- 52 min
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- £4–7
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com/about/west-scotland
- Phone
- 08717 81 81 81
- Website
- nationalexpress.com
Bus from Manchester Central Coach Station to Liverpool, Liverpool One
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 35m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £6–15
- Website
- https://www.nationalexpress.com/en
- Phone
- +44 1576 203874
- info@houstoncoaches.co.uk
- Website
- houstonscoaches.co.uk
Bus from Dumfries station to Port Rodie
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 31m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Website
- https://www.houstonscoaches.co.uk/
- 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
- £24–85
- Website
- https://www.stenalinetravel.com/
- Passenger
- £36
- Car Passenger
- £139
Car ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 22m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- £7–36
- Website
- https://www.stenalinetravel.com/
- Passenger
- £36
- Car Passenger
- £149
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
Want to know more about Flixbus?
Read the travel guide
More Questions & Answers
There are 149+ hotels available in Cairnryan.















































