How To Reach Waterford Town

Located in County Waterford in the south-eastern part of Ireland, Waterford is a part of the province of Munster and is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. Best known worldwide for the famous Waterford Crystal, the city also boasts a fascinating Viking heritage; both of which form a significant part of Waterford’s tourist attractions. While Waterford’s history is truly worth learning about through its many ancient monuments, the city also has a lovely countryside, stunning views of the hills, and a fun pub culture that makes Waterford’s nightlife just as interesting. The city’s strategic location along River Suir midway between Cork and Dublin also makes it easily accessible from not just across Ireland, but also from Britain and the rest of Europe. Read on to find out the best ways to reach Waterford.

Waterford has its own airport, which is situated roughly 10 km outside the city centre. However, this airport is not operating any scheduled flights currently. Since Waterford is very ideally located between the cities of Cork and Dublin, it is more convenient for travellers to fly into either Cork Airport or Dublin Airport, situated about 125 km and 175 km away respectively, and then get to Waterford via train or road. The airports at Cork and Dublin are also busier airports with flights operating to and from various destinations across the world; travellers from India will need to catch a connecting flight to either city’s airport though.

The Irish Rail network allows you to catch a train to practically any destination in the country. Plunkett Railway Station is the main railway stop in Waterford. There are 8 daily services between Dublin and Waterford. There is also an inter-city service that runs to Limerick, Galway, Cork, Ennis, Tralee, Killarney and Athenry from Monday to Saturday. Plunkett Railway Station is a railway junction that you shouldn’t expect much from. It is a building in persistent need of an upgrade, so do not expect many directions or helpful signs at the station.

Waterford has good road connectivity and is easily accessible from all major cities and small towns across the country. The M9 motorway connects Waterford to Dublin, the N24 connects it to Limerick, and the N25 connects it to Cork. The state bus service in Ireland is Bus Eireann, and the company runs regular buses to Waterford from most destinations across Ireland. There are a number of private companies like Eurolines that operate bus services to Waterford from locations like London as well. Buses are one of the cheapest ways to reach Waterford, but if your budget allows, your road journey can be made more comfortable through private taxis as well.

All road routes that go to Waterford pass over River Suir through the River Suir Bridge. The route through the bridge goes eastwards towards Rosslare Harbour. Rosslare Harbour is the port where travellers disembark when taking a ferry to reach Waterford. There are ferries available from Pembroke and Fishguard in South Wales to Rosslare Harbour. From the harbour, travellers can reach Waterford via route 370 of Bus Eireann.

Waterford is highly pedestrianized and can easily be classified as a walker’s city. The city centre especially is best explored on foot, and there are plenty of public benches around for you to rest on while you’re out and about.

Local bus services in the city are mainly run by Bus Eireann and Rapid Express. There are also taxis available throughout Waterford, which can simply be hailed down on the road. Taxis are generally way more expensive than the buses since they are charged according to the distance travelled.